MS290 or MS361 which will he buy?

[Rookie1]

I think we all want the best even if though we cant afford it or practically get it. You start small,017, then want for something bigger,029, then see that bigger is better and want 361or 440 or 660. In the end its the difference between just wanting the bigger things and being practical and getting by with what youve got or can afford.

 

[nmurph]

I mean, just because I drive a newer f 150, should I bust your balls because you haul wood in a 95 s-10? No.[/QUOTE]

hey, so it was you that left those tread marks on my truck!!!! that's exactly what i drive......tough as nails.........not the fanciest. like my 310, a little overweight for the power, not the most nimble, but functional above all else..and it's paid for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[vcsnover]

I mean, just because I drive a newer f 150, should I bust your balls because you haul wood in a 95 s-10? No.

hey, so it was you that left those tread marks on my truck!!!! that's exactly what i drive......tough as nails.........not the fanciest. like my 310, a little overweight for the power, not the most nimble, but functional above all else..and it's paid for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/QUOTE]

My point exactly... it does the job and it's affordable for you.

 

[Richard_]

but when you have exactly 400.00 in your pocket

exactly , I had $400.00 in my pocket when I went down to the local STIHL dealer , so I bought the best saw I could afford , and the MS290 is the best saw in it's price range

 

[vcsnover]

That's what I'm sayin'.

 

[iowawoodcutter]

You cut big wood and not many smaller limbs. You are also strong as an ape and deserve working with a great saw: the Stihl MS 460.

Not strong as an ape, but my wife has referred to me as a baboon many a time, or maybe its baffoon.

 

[Wood Doctor]

VC, I get it. In my book, the piker is a guy who has the $, but is too cheap to spend it. He functions under the motto: Save a buck; call a tow truck.

+1! I just read one of the wisest posts I have read in years by A. Stanton and please allow me to follow it up with another one:

"I cannot eat the money that I have stuffed in my mattress but I may starve while owning it."

 

[thombat4]

Another good thread to learn from...

Now that I'm convinced that the 290 is a decent saw I plan on seriously looking at it or the 310 as my next purchase hopefully. I trust you guys opinions because you are more experienced than I am and some of you know a lot more than the dealers too! The 290 and the 310 are very close in price around here. Which would you guys prefer and why? I've used a 290 and thought it worked great...would a 310 be that much better? Thanks in advance for all the advice.:help:

 

[J_Ashley]

Thombat, if you're going to stay within the 290/310/390 family, I'd suggest getting the most powerful saw on that chassis (the 390) if you can afford it. If my memory serves me, the 390 is justifiably more powerful, and the weight isn't a huge deal...

However, if I had it to do over again, for the money I'd actually go smaller... Probably along the lines of a 260pro or 280wb. More money for a smaller saw I know, but you save weight, and the technology is far better than the aging 290-line. If I were the dealer, I'd have probably given the same advice... Better chance of selling a $450 saw than a $600 saw anyway. Not to take away from the 290's, but with others available, if you're serious and enjoy wood cutting, I think you'd be happier with the smaller, more nimble 260 or 280...

 

[thombat4]

Thombat, if you're going to stay within the 290/310/390 family, I'd suggest getting the most powerful saw on that chassis (the 390) if you can afford it. If my memory serves me, the 390 is justifiably more powerful, and the weight isn't a huge deal...

However, if I had it to do over again, for the money I'd actually go smaller... Probably along the lines of a 260pro or 280wb. More money for a smaller saw I know, but you save weight, and the technology is far better than the aging 290-line. If I were the dealer, I'd have probably given the same advice... Better chance of selling a $450 saw than a $600 saw anyway. Not to take away from the 290's, but with others available, if you're serious and enjoy wood cutting, I think you'd be happier with the smaller, more nimble 260 or 280...

Interesting...

At this point I'm seriously considering all advice and weighing all the options so thanks for your comment, it all helps.

 

[J_Ashley]

Of course I posted that before seeing you already have a 250... Having that saw already, I'd go for a 390, or the 361 if you can afford it. Unless you just wanted another smaller saw??

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I would definitely recommend buying a 290 if you want to spend the least number of dollars and get the most saw for your money. I really think that the 310 and the 390 are a bit overpriced by Stihl.....not because the dollars per horsepower doesn't work out....but because the only difference in the saws is an increase in the bore size. The only thing that is changed is a piston and cylinder....unless the carb is changed as well......but I don't believe there is anything that much different that would justify a large price difference. The price increase just doesn't seem to be justified by a slighly larger piston and cylinder. Following is the list prices and horsepower for the 290, 310 and 390 with an 18" bar.

290, 3.8 HP, $ 369.95
310, 4.0 HP, $ 409.95
390, 4.2 HP, $ 509.95

If Stihl dropped the price on the 390 to $ 469.95 they would sell a whole lot more of them.

Yesterday I heard a saw just wailing away at the back of my property and went out to see what it was.....it didn't sound like any of the saws my neighbors own. It was a fellow that my neighbor gave permission to cut a tree out of our common fence line - he had ask me first if I wanted the tree and I passed - I just have too much wood to cut already. He was using a Stihl 280.......and it was a screamer. I don't know what kind of a misfit the 280 is....as it really isn't a saw that Stihl promotes much.....but it really was cutting quickly. He had a 310 with him....but he was using the 280 to cut and leaving the 310 sitting on the ground. I should have ask him which saw he liked better. The new 280 is $ 489.95 and has an engine management system that adjusts the fuel mixture.

I had a used a 260 for several months and I really liked it a lot more than the 029 that I had. It is lighter, more nimble, and seems to cut almost as fast even though it has 0.6 HP less than the 290. Maybe my muffler mod on the 260 helped to make the difference. The list on the 260 is $ $ 479.95 which is $ 110 more than the 290....but it is a great cutting saw with a 16" bar and will work well for almost anything up to a foot or so around.....much bigger than that and you will want to move up to a 361......for $ 599.95. The difference between the 260 and 260 pro is an adjustable oiler and a decompression valve - and chances are you will not need or use either of these features for the $ 40 increase in price to $ 509.95.

The bottom line as I see it is the 290 is hard to beat for $ $ 369.95. It will cut a lot of wood for a little bit of money. When you think maybe you could spend another $ 100 - $ 150 for a little bit more horsepower or a more durable saw the choice gets to be a lot tougher. If you want to spend $ 230 more you can get a lighter, more durable, more powerful saw by choosing a 361. I was very happy with my 290(029) model for 12 years of occasional cutting when I was clearing up downed limbs - but now I own a woodburner and I really love my 260 and 361 as they really do cut much better than the 290.