Stihl MS250

[JA600L]

Hi all,
I recently picked up my first Stihl saw off Facebook marketplace.
I got the saw as part of a package deal. $600 for a log splitter, chipper shredder, and the saw. The saw was listed at $75 but he ended up giving it to me for $50 as part of the package.
Anyway, I'm new to Stihl and want to know your thoughts on the MS250. I've done some research and found that this is considered more of a homeowner saw.
I sharpened the chain and added fresh fuel and it started right up and runs perfect. I cut up a tree with it and it works great.
So a lot of what I'm seeing online is people recommending a pro saw. I have a little under half an acre and cut firewood as more of a hobby but do heat the house with the wood (heat pump main source.)
So I don't need a saw to take care of my land. I want one to use for firewood scrounging. Now I've gotten a good deal on a much better saw than my poulan pro.
I want your opinion on whether I should keep this thing around and make it my "forever saw" or try to trade up for a "pro model". I'm happy with how it feels and performs. I also do have a cheap Amazon 62cc 20" Wemars chain saw I can use for cutting up larger trees which I rarely do. Thanks for your input!

 

[rwh63]

keep it.

 

[Diabel]

Keeper for sure!

 

[PaulOinMA]

I just have a little 180 C-BE with a 16-inch bar. Great for what I need to do. 32 cc. 2 h.p. All I need to do around the house which is on a wooded acre. Have cut up some pretty large trees in the woods. Think it's about 15 years old now. Runs great.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Oh, great score for the items!

 

[Mutineer]

Keep that saw! And if you occasionally run into a bigger diameter tree than the bar you have can handle, a cheap way to solve that issue is buy a longer blade and chain. I did that with my MS290 with an 18" bar, got a 24" bar for a huge red oak a few years ago and it handled that with ease. One suggestion based on your pic of the saw, chipper and splitter is get rid of that chipper. I have used a number of little chippers like that and they are all just not worth the time and effort to unclog and clean out, anything over pinky finger width and less than bone dry jams them up and will frustrate the heck out of you.

 

[JA600L]

Keep that saw! And if you occasionally run into a bigger diameter tree than the bar you have can handle, a cheap way to solve that issue is buy a longer blade and chain. I did that with my MS290 with an 18" bar, got a 24" bar for a huge red oak a few years ago and it handled that with ease. One suggestion based on your pic of the saw, chipper and splitter is get rid of that chipper. I have used a number of little chippers like that and they are all just not worth the time and effort to unclog and clean out, anything over pinky finger width and less than bone dry jams them up and will frustrate the heck out of you.

Thanks for the reply. I have actually had good success with that chipper shredder. The first thing I did when I bought it is clean and sharpen the internal parts. It is a 8.5hp and handles up to 3" sticks.
I realize you have to be more patient with this then a large commercial chipper but I'm happy to have it for my smaller jobs around the house.
It's more than capable of swallowing a whole tree canopy if you have the time.

 

[Mutineer]

From the pic I was thinking it was one of those little 5 hp units, 8.5 might be a little more robust. I borrow my buddy's 20 hp Honda V-Twin powered one and go up to 2.5-3" with no jams, so I got spoiled.

 

[ericm979]

The bigest drawback to the 025/MS250 is that they can be hard to pull over for a 45cc saw due to high compression and no compression release. I jacked up my shoulder doing brush clearing with mine, but that required a lot of stops and starts. For firewood it should not be an issue. It's got a good power/weight ratio for a homeowner saw and is durable. Some of them came with .063 chain & bar which can be harder to find chain for than .050. The air filter is pretty small but it works, you just need to clean it more often than a modern pro saw filter.

The quick chain adjuster can be replaced with regular studs and bar nuts. The quick adjust is kind of fiddly to use and needs frequent cleaning to work well. Bar nuts are a lot easier. The model is old enough that the Chinese clone companies make parts, so you can get cheap parts to convert it back to bar nuts if you want.

 

[johneh]

My 025 is my go-to saw for most things. It is a little slower than a big pro saw
but I can use it all day and not get tired of it. I have 2 pro saws that are used for the big stuff
but most of my firewood bucks out at 17 in or less so the 25 is the one I use
keep the one you got you will enjoy it
Just my nickels worth

 

[BIGChrisNH]

I love my 250, so light and nimble to use. My dealer recommends it as the best value Stihl for firewood. I forget what I paid for it, but I use that saw more than my others. It's only like 10lbs or so powerhead weight, it's nice to run a saw that light. If you got it for $50 that's awesome.

 

[bigealta]

I'll give you $100 for it.

 

[crstrode]

I use an 025 that I've had for 20 years. It is a gem that has served me well, and has been my only firewood saw up until this year when my creaky 70-year old back demanded that I get a bigger one for the last batch of 30-inch logs. The 025 with an 18-inch bar (now called MS250) is perfect for small logs (14-inches or so) and can also make it through the bigger ones. However, the 24-30 inch logs take a lot of rasslin' and sweating. I ended up buying a new MS311 and am very pleased with the extra power, bigger chain, and 24-inch bar. It slicks through the biggest logs I want to mess with in a jiffy. Actually, the extra weight is a plus for me. Just pull the trigger and lay it on a log!

No way will I part with the 025 - it is still my go-to saw for most work around here. the MS 311 is only for the big stuff.

You were lucky indeed to snag all of that good stuff for such a low low price. Keep it all and make your neighbors green with envy.

 

[Niro]

Hi all,
I recently picked up my first Stihl saw off Facebook marketplace.
I got the saw as part of a package deal. $600 for a log splitter, chipper shredder, and the saw. The saw was listed at $75 but he ended up giving it to me for $50 as part of the package.
Anyway, I'm new to Stihl and want to know your thoughts on the MS250. I've done some research and found that this is considered more of a homeowner saw.
I sharpened the chain and added fresh fuel and it started right up and runs perfect. I cut up a tree with it and it works great.
So a lot of what I'm seeing online is people recommending a pro saw. I have a little under half an acre and cut firewood as more of a hobby but do heat the house with the wood (heat pump main source.)
So I don't need a saw to take care of my land. I want one to use for firewood scrounging. Now I've gotten a good deal on a much better saw than my poulan pro.
I want your opinion on whether I should keep this thing around and make it my "forever saw" or try to trade up for a "pro model". I'm happy with how it feels and performs. I also do have a cheap Amazon 62cc 20" Wemars chain saw I can use for cutting up larger trees which I rarely do. Thanks for your input!

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[Niro]

Keep it. That's a sick deal by the way.

 

[GerryM]

I have an MS250, with an 18" bar. I bought it new in 2007, just started using it steadily in the last few years to cut 7 bushcords from cull logs a year, alternating between the 250 and a friends 260 (run one dry, set aside, co-worker puts a quick sharp on it, when the other runs dry pick up the first one and start cutting, and on and on). The 250 is OK, being nice and light. I've cut with an 029 as well. 260 and 029 have noticeably more power than the 250.
On another note, I have been interested in trying out a 261- efi model. But I know that the 250 will likely never die......
and finally---- you absolutely stole that 250 and the other equipment!! what a deal.

 

[Nealm66]

The 250 is a good saw. You scored. The 260 is the pro saw above it and you won’t notice a tremendous amount of difference between the two if chains are sharp. I’ve used both models a lot for free service work and spend the extra for the 260 but I’ve modified the 250 with muffler and top end work and it’s held up with more power than a stock 260.

 

[MMH]

Keeper; I have the ms 251 great saw, I was taking down class c trees just the other day. Rarely if ever have I ever needed or wanted something bigger.