need advise on which stihl chainsaw to buy

But, it doesn't say "Farm Boss" on the bar. Then I could see spending nearly $800 on what should be a $500 (max!) saw.

EDIT: Grandpa may have loved his 029 FarmBoss but he'd smack you if you paid $800 for one.

intresting topic I worked in Small engine industry for 30 yrs they sold Stihl homelite Jonsered Husq etc Personally I like my Ron Hartill Baird Poulan 3.3 cube W Oregon pro bar and yellow 1/2 skip 325 pitch chain twin ring piston etc its a very fast saw With out a chain brake (ones avail I dont use) iuse a 20-24 in bar but most would be happy with a 16-18 20's perfect balance my bars solid.. You can pick up similar Sears Sold to easy to work and work on mines a 84-5 model never needed a thing cept consumables. good luck

Kinda a mistake you can get a better unit with any bugs worked out You do not want a laminated bar and green chain Chain brake maybe .But its your cash wutcha gonna do when ur tite budgets blown needin a bar and good chain 100+ Me thinks a rethink mite be.. good luck

I'd go with the 290 of those two choices. Get a 16" bar and then a 20" down the road.

I'd look at a MS261 over either of those. Or drive down to the local husky dealer and buy a 550xp and forget about anything else out there

yea good ideas too im always lookin to pay near nuttin for 2 cycle equip and usually do im an old 056 guy so as you can tell i been a bit

Having seen my Dad go down hill quickly and finally die last year at 85, I envision a day when all I'll be able to handle of my saw collection is my 250C-BE. I'll be thanking myself for the day I spent the $50 extra and bought that Easy2Start option. That's a keeper I'm putting in long term storage. (besides, I've got an 025 and another plain 250 to beat till then )

Tried to pm you but couldn't, I have a couple of saws in the for sale section here and live close to you if you are interested, sorry about using this thread to make a sale.

youve wht for sale in chainsaws // tomD

Buddy I agree With ya 100% I also have a dedicated milwaulkee 12V Engine starter Kinda like thee toro thingy at home depot starts the mess with a squeeze . Idf you aint startin with choke burp burp no choke run your stuffs not setup correctly period so three pulls it'll be awhile till i cannot make that saw liable to get too heavy first he he

oregon pro repl sprocket nose is all it needs to say no laminated bars shld be on a serious woodsmens site period

I have an ms311 and a john deere cs52 (efco)

I really like the weight of the ms250. My son has the farm boss. Its heavier
but a real nice saw. I put a 18" carbide chain on mine and it is a little monster
on the locust and oak.

???

The 290 is a decades old design, so I think the bugs are long gone on that model.

Modern laminate bars from a good maker like Stihl are fine for most folks here. We just can't abuse them like we sometimes want to do. (No prying!)

Have you ever tried Stihl RS3 chain (full chisel, green label)? Except when bore cutting, it compares very well to yellow RS or Oregon LGX.

Nah, it is possible to have too big a chainsaw, or more importantly, too heavy a chainsaw. Used a friend's 290 and was happy as heck I bought the 261. Would not want to have the 660 as my only saw either, and am about to buy a 170 for limbing and the smaller jobs. Just like guns, different saws have different applications that they are better at. The 660 is a gas hog. Want to finish off some old mix, just fire up the 660.

OP, are you bucking 2 to 3 cords, or is the wood delivered already bucked with just a couple pieces here and there needing to be cut shorter to fit the firebox. If it is the latter and that is all you will be doing with the saw for several years, I think the MS170 would work just fine for the occassion log reduction. Now, if you are actually cutting trees to size, and doing 2 to 3 cords a year, then you should be looking at a larger saw than the 170. If money is tight and the 170 fits the bill, then I would be going with the 170. I wish I only had to cut the occassional log down to size and that bucked wood was just delivered to me. That would make things a lot easier.

I'm Freakingstang over on AS. i have sold a ton of saws on there in the past 7-8 years as well as ebay. I don't currently have any smaller stihls for sale. I do have a super low hour Husqvarna 55 that is like new though. After re-reading your "needs" and seeing the options, I would probably go with the MS250. It fits your budget and will work fine for your needs. I've been spoiled running tons of pro saws day in and day out for years and forgot that most normal people (not me) don't need 10 chainsaws. I forget that people cut 3-5 cord a year, not the 50-60 I'm used to selling. Husqvarna makes decent pro saws, but the small stuff they sell at Lowes is complete junk. you'd be better off buying a poulan wildthing, throwing it away when it breaks and buying a new one. Plenty of people have cut and heated their homes for the cheap price that comes with it. Not all firewood cutters (again, not me) are worried about how fast a certain saw cuts with a square ground chain a 13,500 rpm in the cut.

Well I am /was its how I do errything that works I did my 3.3 up for nearly free rim sprkt etc Lam bars are no good I dnt care Who made it Except for the consumers Thats the only reason theres a solid bar because of yous consumers The few pennies you buy these things for used is well worth steering clear of thee big box junk white consolidated industries junk etc but what ya do not now wont hurt ya just relieve yer cash i dont budget 350 wen 100 or less may more en do it thats for other more intel folks to do

carbide chain on a 250 good lord man hard to sharpen a bit i bet. If you use a round wheel to sharpen we aint on same cut level square cut is the grind of choice its a 3 step cut on the cutter this type of cutter will pull 3 inch shavings outta wood which will be like accupuncture needles in yer lined jeans round faced wheels one step is for green rounded cutters which help save some from themselves some o thee chain ive hear from sandvik and jonsered will never be made again i ve 100's of feet couldnt be sold here wen twas made yes i a foreigner

huh?

What just happened?

Hey Tom,

We really want to hear what you've got to say but we're also big on punctuation and grammar in this forum.

Punctuation and grammar are about the only way to get something across via writing. Spelling does not count quite as much. Man, now I have a headache.

Wow I quoted him andsaidIcantunderstandawordyouaresaying. and then deleted it as i didn't want to be a grammer nazi

Punctuation is important as it makes things easier to read and the intent a bit clearer.

Let's eat, Grandma!

Let's eat Grandma!

The first sentence = it's time to eat. The second sentence = dig out the fava beans and chianti.

I've also seen a very humorous Facebook post on punctuation . . . it was a bit dirty though . . . but funny.

Oh, send it our way Jake, send it our way! Inquiring dirty minds want to know!