New stihl saw question

[Kafinlayson]

I am going to go used since it looks like I am paying for the entire thing myself..... now i need to decide between an 026 and an 036. looks like a win with either one I pick. Both are for sale reputable people and priced similarly.

Most seem to think that with either saw I will not use my 290 much after getting it. decisions decisions gonna buy one of them tonight or in the morning if still available

 

[kybaseball]

I got a 211c which has the easy start and wouldn't sell it for nothing. Has a 16 inch bar on it and it is very light so you don't get tired cutting all the limbs away.

 

[CRThomas]

I have a MS180 Stihl I bought for trimming when I have it running on a job I get to the big stuff I just keep right on cutting with it. It has a 16 inch bar. That way I don't have to get one of my other saws. I run it till its out of gas. Then I'll get a bigger saw out MS180 is a all around go saw

 

[XSKIER]

The smallest rear handle saw I want to run is a MS 260 PRO with 16" I've tried 010, 017, 025, MS 211, earthquake, and husqy 435. I feel like you have to give up too much power, to get not much lighter on those saws. So, I just drop down to a top handle. I think even the lowly MS 192 T C-E is a better "limb" saw than the MS 211 C-BE.

 

[513yj]

I am going to go used since it looks like I am paying for the entire thing myself..... now i need to decide between an 026 and an 036. looks like a win with either one I pick. Both are for sale reputable people and priced similarly.

Most seem to think that with either saw I will not use my 290 much after getting it. decisions decisions gonna buy one of them tonight or in the morning if still available

If you dont ever cut anything bigger than 20-24 inches then get the 026.

 

[reddogrunner]

I have a 180 as well and love that little saw. I know I'll kill it one day, but until then, it's always my first grab for 75% of what I cut. it's light, fast and runs a long time on a tank. I keep about 5-6 chains sharp and on hand. Just keep cutting and cutting.

 

[Nosmo]

What I should have said instead of "you wouldn't have a limbing saw" is with a MS 260 Pro you would have a saw which can do it all. It is light enough to limb with and has plenty of power to fell and buck up trunks.

Nosmo

 

[philoshop]

A 180 and a 260pro gets a lot done for me. If I need more saw I call my buddy with a 441 and give him half of whatever we cut.
The 180 gets a lot of run-time, and the 260 with a 20" bar is not shy about makin' chips in most anything I cut. If I had to pick one over the other I'd keep the 260 because it's a great saw. But I'd miss the little 180.

 

[redfin]

A 260 pro limbs quit well, i use a 261 to limb with now and a 441 to buck

i couldnt agree more.

 

[Kafinlayson]

I got the 036 from nmurph....felt bad cuz it had been for sale so long and needed a good home.

So we will see if you guys are right in stating that I will like it much more than my 290. If so, I'll sell it and pick up a 260 pro or something similar to do the small stuff with.

Thanks for the comments and advice.

 

[Guswhit]

I've got a 250 and I hate it! IT doesn't seem to have the power I think it should and it's too damn heavy for limbing in my opinion. I haven't touched it 2-3 years. I found a little 023 with a 14 inch bar that just screams! I took it over to my saw shop to have it serviced after I picked it up in a trade as it looked not to have been run for awhile. He cleaned the carb, new plug, filter and then tested it. Asked me what mods were done to it as it ran so well. I have no idea of its past life but she sure does a great job on the limbing end of things for me. I use an ms440 for the majority of my cutting-20 inch and 32 inch bars.

 

[jimbojango]

I got the 036 from nmurph....felt bad cuz it had been for sale so long and needed a good home.

So we will see if you guys are right in stating that I will like it much more than my 290. If so, I'll sell it and pick up a 260 pro or something similar to do the small stuff with.

Thanks for the comments and advice.

Put the 290 in the Trading Post now, you'll never run that overweight pile of crap again. I had an 036 for a while and it was a great "all around" saw. was a LITTLE big to limb with... but it sure got the job done. I had a 180c i used for awhile with it and got along alright but the 260 pro was definitely a step in a better direction.