sunfish
Fish Head
Hi ST, I know the pro models are much better. I was just saying there are a lot of home owner saws out there taking a beating and doing OK.There is a lot more difference than just the power to weight ratio, the non-pro Stihls have a plastic case, and are much harder to work on than the pro ones for most people. The quality on some parts is also different, but that will vary with the exact models. A few experts on them may differ regarding how hard they are to work on, but that is only because they worked on a lot of them.
elwoodps
What about the MS270, MS280 & the various 028's
Like the MS290/310/390 they're listed as "Mid-Range Use" saws ("Chain Saws for Farming and Landscaping" in Canada), but don't have the clam-shell crankcase. How do they differ from the "Pro" saws?
They still have plastic crank cases. There was a photo here recently of one with melted case.
If one wants top quality, get a pro model, like a 346xp There, I said it