Stihl MS290 or Husqvarna 455

[Heilman181]

I am in the market for a chainsaw and have narrowed it down to the Stihl 290 or the Rancher 455. I do not plan on cutting much wood, but would like a saw for many years of use. I have read many posts and found many people who like/dislike each of them. What saw do you guys prefer?

 

[lowboy2200]

Why not a husqvarna 350 with a 18" bar? Great saw I have only had mine for a month and it love. It's light weight and a strong runner. I have been cutting hedge trees with out a problem. And it is cheaper price then the 455 and 290.

 

[ShoerFast]

Heilman181
If you "do not plan on cutting much wood" maybe the Rancher is your choice?
Just kidding, My Dad bought a Rancher, and just plain hates it! He gave up on the oiler and just uses it for ice (spearing holes) anymore.
But the bottem line should be service. Sometimes I just like to use a typical question to the dealer, like "what would a new clutch run?" just to check there responce to a service item. As for me, I like orange and white.

 

[buck futter]

Chevy celebrity or Ford tempo, that is the question....
husky 345/350 stihl ms250.

Lucky

 

[DanManofStihl]

I would go with the stihl ms 290. It is the best of the two saws I have heard bad things about both but more so towards the 455 rancher. My vote is the ms 290.

 

[b1rdman]

I've never used a Rancher, but I bought a MS290 about a year ago and haven't anything bad to say. The big selling point for me was the price. I paid 299 and the dealer threw in all kinds of goodies.

I generally cut only 6-8 cord/year to 4' lengths so it doesn't get a ton of use, but I've had no problems.

One word of caution. I came off a Partner 5000 so it did feel a tad clunky until I got accustomed to it. Be sure to consider power-to-weight ratio if you cut a lot or if it's something that's important to you.

 

[WoodTick007]

290/ms290=PIG

the stihl saw has none of the cool features of any of the Huskys mention.

I would lean towards the 350. I picked one up at Lowes that was returned because it would not start. I paid $165. They are at the stores most all the time. I have since acutally have bought 4 and they are maybe used one time before there returned to the store. The 350 with the muffler opened up and the H screw backed out about 1/4 turn just streams thru woods.

The secret is to bond with the workers in the saw department and have them call you when they are going to put a returned saw out for sale.

 

[germy01]

I had the same question about a year ago. I searched a lot to threads in the forum and ended up getting a husky 353 18" bar which I love. I have used a friends farm boss, it cut ok but is heavy. If you use it all day you noticed the weight, if you just cut for an hour or two maybe not. I was leaning towards the 455 until I researched a lot of saws on here, the 455 is heavy like the farm boss although I have not used the 455 personally. I cut about 100 cord last year the 353 never missed a beat. Now I just hope Santa brings me that dolmar 7900 I have heard so much about.

 

[xander9727]

I feel the husky has better anti vibe. I have a fused wrist so this is a big deal to me.

 

[hydro2]

I had the same question about a year ago. I searched a lot to threads in the forum and ended up getting a husky 353 18" bar which I love. I have used a friends farm boss, it cut ok but is heavy. If you use it all day you noticed the weight, if you just cut for an hour or two maybe not. I was leaning towards the 455 until I researched a lot of saws on here, the 455 is heavy like the farm boss although I have not used the 455 personally. I cut about 100 cord last year the 353 never missed a beat. Now I just hope Santa brings me that dolmar 7900 I have heard so much about.

I have a Husky 353 and I love the saw, but have had trouble with it running lean. It is less than a year old and I have had to cut off the stop in the H adjustment and richen it up some. I feed a Hardy outside woodstove so I do cut some firewood.

 

[spike60]

The 455 seems like it was designed to generate emmissions credits more than power. It is HEAVY for what it is and I don't even stock it. It's weight and dimensions are actually very close to the 359/357 chassis. Maybe Husky should do like Stihl (029/039) and put a bigger jug on the rancher chassis. Then it would be worth carrying around. 350 or 353 would be a far better choice.

 

[SawTroll]

I am in the market for a chainsaw and have narrowed it down to the Stihl 290 or the Rancher 455. .....?

Pretty :censored: odd, but it happenes all the time it seems.:bang:
It probably has something to do with marketing, as those models are probably the worst choises from Stihl and Husky respectively, except for the smallest homeowner models. They are heavy saws, without the power to justify the weight.
If money is tight, I suggest thet you take a look at the Husky 353 and Stihl 280/270 instead. Those are much nicer saws.

 

[wagonwheeler]

Consider dealer

If you're talking stihl dealer vs Husky at Lowes I'd go w/ the 290 and 18" bar. You can get the 290 w/ a real chain in .325 or 3/8 pitch and not pay extra and the saw will actually cut chips instead of making dust. They are required by Stihl to gas up the saw and run it and show you the start/stop procedures before you leave. And they know how to tune it as well so you don't wind up w/ a new saw that's running lean and on it's way to a short life.

My neighbor just bought a 350 a couple of weeks ago at Lowes and when I looked at his chain, ran the saw, and found what he paid...I just kept my mouth shut since it was too late. Except I did tell him to go to the Stihl dealer and get a good chain since his was for cosmetic purposes only. Personally, I'd have bought a 290 over it in a minute even considering the weight. He'd have come out about $50 ahead since the 350 was $30 more than the 290 and buying a new chain would be another $20 added to the 350.

If you're talking stihl dealer vs Husky dealer - 353 w/ 16" bar and a real chain in .325. No money wasted. Again, they can make sure the saw is dialed in properly. Lowes has no clue.

IMHO a good dealer is a benefit.

Chaser

 

[computeruser]

The topic has been covered a lot before, but I'll chime in anyway. Of the two choices listed I would go with the 290. For all the complaints about the saw there is one complaint that you don't hear a lot of: durability. They are very solid saws and are consistent good runners. I have put mine through a lot of use and it continues to perform well. If your use is going to be occasional and you are not in the market to spend a lot of money, the 290 will meet your needs. Equip the saw with a good chain (i.e. NOT Stihl RM2), a good 18" or even 16" bar, and you will be pleased with the performance.

Do understand that the more time you spend on AS the less adequate you will find any saw that you currently own. It is part of the saw-itis that overcomes folks as they spend more time on here. Throughout this process keep in mind that the ONLY thing that matters is whether a particular saw works for YOU. The truth is that most folks who cut firewood and do chores around their property and help with their friends' trees simply don't need $500+ saws to accomplish these tasks. Sure, it might be nice, but it isn't always worth it. This is why Stihl sells so many 290s - they meet most peoples' non-commercial needs pretty well at a good price. So listen to comments on your prospective choices, but also consider your real needs.

 

[WoodTick007]

MS290 = Strong Heavy Crank = Torque/Grunt

I went into the stihl dealer with my Dunce Cap on yesterday. I walked in and picked up the ms290......guy walks up and say feel the weight of that saw? That saw has the the strongest, heaviest crank in the industry. It gives the saw a ton of torque......grunt to get thru the biggest hardest wood.

I just wanted to laugh my ass off in his face... Talk about a car salesman. He also brought up "BigBox Stores"....and went thru his free "Training" that included. 1.) Moving the start lever all the way down. 2.) Pull the cord till is putts. 3.) Move it up one click and pull again. 4.) Blip the throttle and then start cutting.

There was nothing about chain tightening, filter maint., keeping the saw clean, mixing oil & gas, how to recognize a dull chain, how to tighten a chain properly.....Nothing.

He continued on with we take Visa/MC/Discover and I can load her in your trunk.

 

[Heilman181]

Thanks for the input! I would like to spend around $300 and have a dependable saw. I am currently clearing about an acre of land and cutting down certain trees. I do not cut firewood on a regular basis, but if needed I would like a saw that will. North Carolina gets a decent amount of ice storms that drops trees that would need cleaned up. I would love to have a $500+ saw, but it is pointless so it can sit in the garage most of the time. So with a $300 price in mind, I am open to suggestions about different saws! Thanks!

 

[460Ted]

I went into the stihl dealer with my Dunce Cap on yesterday. I walked in and picked up the ms290......guy walks up and say feel the weight of that saw? That saw has the the strongest, heaviest crank in the industry. It gives the saw a ton of torque......grunt to get thru the biggest hardest wood.

I just wanted to laugh my ass off in his face... Talk about a car salesman. He also brought up "BigBox Stores"....and went thru his free "Training" that included. 1.) Moving the start lever all the way down. 2.) Pull the cord till is putts. 3.) Move it up one click and pull again. 4.) Blip the throttle and then start cutting.

There was nothing about chain tightening, filter maint., keeping the saw clean, mixing oil & gas, how to recognize a dull chain, how to tighten a chain properly.....Nothing.

He continued on with we take Visa/MC/Discover and I can load her in your trunk.

That's more than the sales guy said to me at the first Stihl dealer I went to. The guy saw me holding a 460 and said, "good saw wan'na get it?"

 

[wagonwheeler]

I do not cut firewood on a regular basis, but if needed I would like a saw that will. North Carolina gets a decent amount of ice storms that drops trees that would need cleaned up.

So with a $300 price in mind, I am open to suggestions about different saws! Thanks!

There aren't many options for ya.

Husky 350 From Baileys for $279. Ask for a non-safety .325 chain so at least you won't by chain twice. Shipping and all should meet your $300 cap within a lunch or two.

You could look at a Stihl 250 w/ 16" bar for about the same money, but it's a smaller saw.

I'd recommend dropping to a 16" bar on the 350 since you plan on cutting firewood and it'll just pull the 16" better there. You may save a few bucks over the 18" bar as well.

Then again if all you ever run is the 18" bar you'll never know the difference and it may never matter. Just get a good chain and keep it sharp.

Chaser

 

[Heilman181]

$300 is a ballpark. If I can get a good saw for $350 then fine. By looking at the info, the Stihl 280 has a better power to weight ratio. It may have been mentioned already, but what about the Stihl 280 or Husqvarna 353?

 

[460Ted]

Stihl 280 new is going to run you $399.... See what's happening? Soon you will be asking about even bigger, more expensive saws! It's okay, happens to everyone.