Finally got the Stihl MS290

I've been looking at this puppy for a year now.....Wife gave me the green light. I went with the 20" Bar being I may never get the green light to upgrade to it later....I expect that the saw may bog down if I ever need to bury the full 20 ", but that will be a rare occassion....here are the pics....I feel like a brand new parent



The Chain I had them put on



Now don't go laughing at my little Craftsman....that saw has been with me for 7+ years and still cuts pretty good....just needed an upgrade

Congratulations! But where's the cigars?

Sent from my rooted and eclipse running X2--thanks nitro-- if im posting on here I'm probably supposed to be working! I can't help im addicted to HEARTH.COM!

I steped up to a ms311 last year from a 10 yo 32cc Mcculloch with a 18 in bar. Like night and day.
You will love the reliability and ease of use. These saws just work. No need to adjust the chain after every cut. If you havent get you safety gear, goggles, gloves, chaps helmet etc.

Welcome to the stihl club! That little craftsman will still be handy, I promise. Always take them both when cutting.

You made a wise decision on bar length. Thing is, if you don't need a 20" bar then the unused portion of the bar stickin gbehind the log isn't hurting anything. The extra length is great when limbing a tree. I also have a 20" bar on my 290 and have run it in huge wood. It isn't as fast as a big monster 460 but it also costs like a third as much.

Congrats you got a good one i have the same saw just 18 inch bar

May it serve you well for many, many moons.

Congrats. I picked up a 290 with a 16 inch bar recently. I have run it a few times. Runs great and does what I expected it to.

It'll serve you well. I run a 16" bar on mine most of the time. I have a 20"er that comes out when I need it.

Matt

Keep fresh gas in it, sharpen chains often, thoroughly blow off the saw with the covers removed after each use and that saw will last you a very long time.

That is a good tip. Remove the cover and blow off the inside to get the dust out.

Congrats beer on a fine saw. You keep a sharp chain on that saw and it will serve you for many years. I had a 16 and 20 for my old 290 and liked the extra reach with the 20" bar.

Congratulations on the new saw. I think you will be happy with how much it can do. I got the same saw last year but only got the 18 inch bar and it has never let me down. I sharpen the chain and clean everything at least every other time out cutting.

Make sure you buy a 6 pack of their synthetic 2 stroke oil. Gets you a double powertrain warranty.

Congrats on the new saw, thats a proven winner with stihl. All around great firewood saw. Take care of it and it ill serve you well. When your bar weres out step up and get the rollamatic ES and full chisel chain.

I asked her about getting at least Chaps....her reply..."Be careful"....maybe Christmas

Thats exactly what the salesman told me.....except he wants me to bring the chain in to be sharpened...NOT !!

Done

Wow... Clearly she hasn't thought this through. If something happens to you, not only is there going to be medical expenses up the wazoo involved, she's going to have to shell out for heating fuel/electric too. And she'll be cold.

Congrats on the new saw BB. :thumbs up:

Congrats. Nice upgrade.
Many many years of trouble free cutting.

That is a full chisel chain and the right pitch if you must run a 20" bar.

Congrats on the new saw! The 029 / 290 is a fairly bullet proof saw . You'll enjoy that saw for a very long time !

Agreed. There are other Chaps out there than Stihl if you want to save some $$$

This weekend, I'm gonna shop TSC to see what they carry for Chaps.....and Hard Hat....or one of those Shield, Hat, and ear combos....just price them out for now....then we'll have the "what if" talk

I have seen the face shield / helmet / ear protection combo for as low as $20 online and the chaps for $65 online. Shop around, but I agree they are a must if you are going to play it safe. I haven't bought these yet, but I'm not running the saw at the moment either partly out of respect for it's deadly capabilities.

One trip to the hospital will be in the thousands, let alone the lost income.