As far as chainsaws go I am pretty biased towards Stihl. I'm a small engine mechanic and have been in the industry for almost 10 years and sell and repair many brands but as far as saws go it's hard to beat stihl. It sounds like the best models for your needs are either the MS-290 or MS-310. These are semi-commercial units designed for the rancher/landowner to be a medium duty saw for felling and firewood. Both are reasonably priced and give you the option to go up to a 20" bar which should be enough for most of your needs. The next step from these models is the commercial line which will give you a better power to weight ratio and more durability (for example engine case made out of magnesium rather than high quality plastic) but the prices are much higher. If you are going to be using the saw weekly it might be wise to upgrade to commercial.

As far as the multi tools go, in my oppinion, it's better to have several different units. While the technology is better now then when they first came out the coupler is still the weak point and under heavy usage is the first thing to break. As I mentioned to another guy on the forum, it's better to have a tool that does one thing well than several things just ok. As far as brands go you are right on with Stihl or Echo, these are the only ones I would even consider. It would be wise though to go the commercial route with these units if you want reliability and good performance. Stihl model KM-11o or Echo PAS-260 are probably the best on the market.

Hope this info helps, let me know if you have any more ?'s.

Will

For a thorough discussion of chainsaws, check out the chainsaw forum at ArboristSite.com. This sort of question has been addressed very thoroughly there before and you'd find lots of good info.

Without knowing what sort of trees your're going to be working with, size- and species-wise, it is hard to make a recommendation in the form of a specific model. Read the stuff at arboristsite, you'll learn a ton!

Once you've done a bit of reading, go and visit a couple of your local saw dealers, talk to them about your needs and get their suggestions, and get a feel for who you trust most. Based upon this investigation, buy a saw. An appropriately sized saw from any of the major brands will do just fine - Stihl, Husqvarna, Jonsered, Dolmar/Makita, Efco/JohnDeere or Echo.

At the end of the day, each of these manufacturers make good saws. Pick the brand that has nice and knowledgable dealers near you and you'll be all set.

eal51,

Last fall I cleared an acre behind my house on weekends. Tools used were Echo PAS-260 head with the following attachments: trimmer, brush cutter 8", limb chain saw, and edger. Husqvarna 44 special chain saw and my tractor with cart to haul the wood out. I highly recommend the Echo. It is one powerful unit. IMHO having one head and many attachments is a plus because you only have to care for/maintain one engine. The PAS-230 is nice, it just has less power and it's lighter...

Good luck with you choice.
-greenhobby

Starting my tour of dealerships for the power tools I need.

Went to the dealership I purchased my Simplicity Conquest from. He's a Stihl dealer as well as Shindaiwa. Based on the info I received so far, I'm looking at a brushcutter for the first puchase. The dealer has seen my property and recommended the Stihl FS 90. The chainsaw he recommended was the MS290.

Anyone have any experience with either of these tools?

Thanks for the advice!

eal51 in western CT

That Stihl MS290 is a hulking beast. It weighs ~13lbs if I remember.

You would have to define your sawing needs more to get opinions of what saw to get.

I would check out ArboristSite . Specifically, there is a current thread that discusses some chainsaw recommendations. The current widely available reliable brands are Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo and Dolmar. They each have plusses and minuses.

Define your needs and that will help point you to a chainsaw.

I have the FS80R trimmer and really like it. I do not know about the FS95, as far as I can tell that is not a current model on the Stihl trimmers webpage. The FS90 I believe has the new 4mix engine. The FS80R is a very nice machine. I do some brushcutting with it. If I had heavier or more consistent brushcutting I think I would find it lacking. I think I would find the time to spin up the brush blade to be aggravating. But for the few hours of brushcutting I do a year, it really is not an issue.

I think the R indicates a loop handle and the non-R versions have bicycle bar handles. If you are doing alot of brush cutting, the bicycle bars are recommended. I have not worked with the bars but I would think they would make it more difficult to use the trimmer on its side to edge the lawn.

Oops!~ looking at all the information I got this morning, I
had the wrong saw. The dealer recommneded the MS250 with an 18" bar, not the 290. Sometimes the old handwriting doesn't work as well as it should! Fortunately the correct model was circled in the brochure.

This was based on my needs which are:
Trimming limbs
Felling tress up to 12" in diameter
Cutting feld trees for firewood.

I'll be clearing out an area by the horse barn, approximately 100' x 100' plus removing a couple of hemlocks for view purposes. Since I have another 6 acres of property, there will always be trees to fell. Besides, I'm not having horses so I want to reclaim some of the property for residential use.

As far as the brushcutter goes, the dealer specifically sited the 28 cc engine. The R is the loop handle. I'm strongly leaning to the handlebar style. I really like the balanced feel of the handlebars.

I don't need a trimmer to turn on it's side. I have an Echo 210 for that. The areas I have to brushcut are about an 1/8 of an acre near the house, then another 1/8 of an acre a little ways away from the house. I guestimate I'll be brushcutting about twice a month to keep the growth down, until I can get the stumps removed and the ground leveled off a bit, I'll be brushcutting for a while. In fact, it may be next year before I can have my landscape contractor deal with the stuff.

The Stihl site does show the FS90 % 90R. It also has the 80 & 80R. The 90 has the 28cc engine.

This is all part of reclaiming property that was used for horse for 9 years. With all that horse manure the weeds really grow well. Add to that all the rain in Connecticut this spring, it's like a jungle out there.

And the snakes love it too. My landscaper is working on a rock wall for me and he found out my whole back hill is a nesting place for rink neck snakes plus a few corn snakes. He hasn't seen the five plus foot black snake that's around the house!

The 250 is a nice mid size saw. I have that model and am very pleased with it. Unfortunately I do not have nearly as much land as you do so I do not get to use it as often as I would like. It performs quite well for my needs. If you know you won't go any larger than 12" trees, that is a good size. I have heard others say that you should not go larger than an 18" bar on it. The saw just does not have enough power for 20". If you plan on regularly cutting some firewood, you might want to step up the size of the saw. I have not cut much firewood yet so I don't have any insight on that particular issue. Do check out the arboristsite forum. Plenty of information. Your question has been covered many times there. You only have to watch out for them talking you up to a monster saw :). You also should get some safety equipment such as chaps, hearing protection and helmet if you do not already have them. You will also need to buy chain oil. I like the Stihl oil as do many others (~$6/gallon). I highly recommend you buy a file and guide to sharpen your chain. You will know very quickly when your chain needs to be sharpened. With a little practice you can do it in a couple minutes.

The SRM210 should be able to handle all your trimming needs. It sounds like you can make the FS90 a dedicated brushcutter. Have you considered a wheeled brushcutter like DR (I forget the other makes)? I am not sure how much they cost but they might make the job go quicker. Just a thought. Some on this forum wrote of a brush blade called a beaver blade. It looked like a blade that had a saw chain mounted to it. I have not purchased one but the idea looks good. It might make quicker work of your brush.

Since you are planning on purchasing both a brushcutter and chainsaw. I can recommend the helmet system with integrated hearing protection and mesh face shield. It is comfortable enough that I wear it when I am running my trimmer. The mesh face shield really keeps everything out of your eyes. I purchased mine at www.baileys-online.com. They are a a real nice company to deal with. Very knowledgeable and they go out of their way to help you out. They deal with alot of pro arborists but highly appreciate the homeowner business.

Whichever route you go with your equipment purchase, good dealer support should be high on your list of requirements. It sounds like from what you have written that the equipment will meet your needs. For trimmers and brushcutters, many also like Tanaka, Shindaiwa and Echo. Any reason not to get another Echo? For saws in the size range you are looking at, most recommendations go to Stihl, Husky and Dolmar.

Good luck with your landscaping. It sounds like a nice little project. Take some pictures. You'll be amazed in a few years looking back on them and seeing the progress. Let us know what you end up with.

masiman, thanks for the great info.

The main reason I'm looking at the Stihl products is because this is the dealer where I bought my garden tractor a few months ago. He's upfront with prices, no hidden costs and several people I know recommend him very highly. I haven't had to have service yet but that is coming soon. He's also a Toro dealer and my 10 year old Toro super recycler mower needs some work.

I guess it's the old addage - find a good dealer - stick with them. And that's what I plan to do.

I plan on a dedicated brush cutter. Seems to make sense to me.

The helmut system is a great idea. I will absolutely check that one out. So is the suggestion of the other safety equipment & clothing.

It's been several years since I had a chain saw. When we bought our first house over 30 yeares ago, we heated it with a wood stove. Had a Stihl 026. What a monster that was. Sold it to a friend when we moved from that house. Haven't really use a chain saw since. I'm sure it will come back to me.

I've been to the aborist's site. Some great discussions over there but they do like to go for the monster size saws. Not sure I'm going to need that much.

Well, Father's Day is coming soon. Nothing like tools on Father's Day!

My wife is a computer guru and is taking pictures. She's also taking pictures of what my landscape contractor is building with the stone walls for our back hill.

eal51 in western CT

Funny you should mention the 026. The pros have high regard for that saw. It is small by their standards but is in the Stihl pro lineup. The model numbers of Stihls changed ~2001 I think. They are now MSxxx. The 026 became the MS260. I am not sure if there were modifications to the saw in that time but that is the heritage. The 250 is best described as the consumer version of the 260. They are about the same displacement and weight. The 260 has more power though and can take 5 day a week use. The 250 really is not meant for that. If I had land I would have the 260 for myself. I like it so much, or at least the descriptions of it on arboristsite, that I have been looking for a used one.

That settles the dealer question then. Some folks don't consider the importance of the dealer. You may be able to save a little here and there going all over. But it's good to go someplace where they know you and they treat you right. I have no personal affinity to any maker. I think the better quality saws are about equal. I went with the saw that had the best dealer support. If I went on recommendations of trimmer I would have gotten a Echo based on comments, but I decided to keep the engine tools the same brand. For my purposes, I did not lose much if at all by doing that.

I'm new to sawing myself this year and am learning quite a bit.

The helmet system I purchased was a Peltor. Baileys has one for cheaper but I know the Peltor name from the quality hearing protection they produce. I went with the name and the thought that if I needed replacement parts, they would be easier to get than with the no-name model.

I hope to get a fireplace insert sometime. I'd like to heat more with wood but unfortunately I do not have alot of trees to select from to make wood. I'd have to buy the majority of what I would burn.

Well, the brushcutter is first on the list to acquire. Then the chain saw. I've been researching the MS260 versus the MS250. I may decide to go for the 260. The price difference is not that much.

Fortuately for me, I was able to find a quality dealer. I remember my father always saying that quality tools, regardless of brand, are about equal. The difference is the dealer and the service. You may pay a little more up front to buy a quality product versus a cheappie, but the back end won't kill like the cheappie will!

Besides, the dealer is only 6 miles from the house. Can't go wrong.

I got the Echo last year from my wife. She likes the yard to look just right. I don't blame her, so do I. At our other house, sold it and moved last March, an electric weed wacker was fine. Here I need to walk a bit and 1,000 foot of extension chords won't make it.

So that's the Echo story. But it is a great trimmer.

I'll definately check out Bailey's and then Peltor system. I agree that a name brand should have the ability to support a good supply od replacement parts when needed.

Interesting you mentioned a fireplace insert. We've been talking about one for the family room. With the price of heating rising to who knows how much, the insert is a viable option for heat. The 6 acres I have than haven't been cleared give me a good supply of wood. My neighbor also supplies me with wood. He splits about 40 chords a summer and I get at least 2 chords from him. I've got two chords of red oak seasoning for the winter. This guy has one of those $20,000.00 Timberwolve's automated spliters. He just loads the logs onto the machine and off he goes! It's amazing.

I think you will really enjoy that trimmer/brushcutter. If it does not come with a harness I highly recommend them. I have the simple single strap, over the shoulder type. If I were to do longer stints of work, especially brushcutting, I would want the multi strap, vest type with hip attachment. I thought the Stihl one to be a little goofy with its sizeable warning sign attached to your back. It warns people to stand 50 feet away.

I could do my trimming with an electric. However I have a greenway that I am helping to maintain. Plus I use my brushcutter as a poor mans leaf mulcher. I just work the head into the leaf compost piles for 5 minutes or so.

That log splitter is a handy piece of equipment to have available occasionally.

In case you have not been to it yet, there is a fireplace forum. Alot of first hand experience with the different makes and models. If I remember there were some posts from people up your way. They mention dealers and costs. Good info to have for when you might move on your insert.

I had to learn about buying quality on my own. My mom teases me about it. They know I will take a month or more to buy something, but they know they will be seeing that item for 20 years or so.

I almost forgot, there is a difference between the MS260 and MS260 Pro.

These threads cover opinions on it:
026/260 pro or not?
What's a used Stihl MS260 worth?

I took away that the Pro was worth it for the most part but you would not be wrong to not get the Pro version

Yesterday was the day. Treated myself to a Father's Day present and got the Stihl FS80 trimmer with the 8 tooth brushcutter blade. And when the rain stopped & the sun came out, I did a little brushcutting. What a cutter!!! Easy to use, especially with the bicycle handles.

A cut down a large area of growth in a short amount of time.

I also purchased the face screen and ear muffs for safety.

My dealer took me through all the steps of operation and maintenance. Again, I'm a satisfied customer with this dealer.

eal51 in western CT

Great to hear eal51! After this thread I looked more at the Stihl line. I did not realize they had heavier duty models that were made for brushcutting the FS250, 450 and 550 or something like that. I have never seen them but my guess is they are pricey due to their larger engines.

I was out today chopping some wood with my new maul and did a little more clean up with the chainsaw in the woods. It was hot and muggy so I only did about 1.5 hours. I don't have the bicycle handles but they sure sound nice for the brush. Did you get the better harness or are you using the standard single sling?

You can keep that blade sharp with a simple flat file. It took me about 2 minutes to sharpen up my 4 blade cutter.

So far, I've got the standard sling. It's actually quite comfortable. I'll probably look into the better harness in a couple of weeks. But the ear muffs and face shield were a must.

I've got my little flat file so I'm ready to go.

Some of the prices I saw at the dealership were in the $400.00 plus range. They were alot more than I needed for my property.

Next purchase will be the chain saw. But that will be at the end of July.