Yes, she does love me and I love her too!
Now, the back story. A friend of mine bought this saw up in New Hampshire off Craig's List for $90! He brought it to my house, I tried it out, and, as a joke, offered him $100. He said that after he used it a while, he would probably let me have for that price. He is always buying and selling saws. A week or so later, Mrs. Flatbedford was asking me wanted I wanted for my up coming 41st birthday. I suggested she get in touch with my friend and see if he would sell the 036. She worked out the deal, then my mother-in-law picked it up at his house and transferred it to my sister-in-law who transferred it to my stepson, who then gave it to my wife so she could give it to me. It was quite an operation.
What a difference, from the "over weight, under powered" 029! The additional speed and power is amazing. It reminds me of when we made the upgrade from a POS Sears special Homelite to the 029 back in 1996. This saw is surely overkill for what I do, and I would never have made the upgrade if not for the killer deal. I have always defended the 029/MS290, and would still, if buying new, for the cost conscious firewood cutter. But if you want to spend twice the money, or you find a great deal on a used one, the pro saws are awesome.
My Stihl dealer, and his price, talked me out of more than a 20" bar for this saw. What do you all think? It would be nice to have 25" around for the occasional big stuff, maybe a skip chain?
