ms 280

[woodmills1]

Took the plunge and dropped off 2 of my older 028 saws at the cash converters and got 100 bucks for the pair.  Then went to the saw shop and got a brand new ms 280.  What sold me was the light weight, metal crankcase and anti vibe spring mounts.  Have used it 3 days now and quite impressed with its low noise, high rev, very smooth operation.  Remember I do have the 066 for any biguns.

[sawguy21]

Sure a lot nicer to use than the 028. It is classed as a"mid range professional " which seems more like a farm/ranch saw so it will be interesting to see if it stands up as well.
BTW, a customer walked in yesterday with an 050AV and he was carrying it with one hand :D He needed a chain and sprocket. Must be one tough old saw.

[woodmills1]

starting a job this morning clearing small trees and brush for 2 septic systems in a small subdivision.  Basically bought the new saw to insure easy completion of this job, cutting the stuff then moving it out to a burn pile location with my tractor forwarder.  Also tuned my fs 86 weed wacker and put the sawblade back on it for the real small stuff on this job site.

[woodmills1]

Lets just say the thing cuts like mad, starts easy and sits there and idles very well when I needed to have it ready.  Cut all but the 2 biggest bull pines with it as well as the hundreds of smaller trees on this job.  The anti-vibe on this machine is great.

[SawTroll]

  .......What sold me was the light weight, ......

???
The weight is closer to the 361 than to the 260, and the power a lot closer to the 260........

[fishhuntcutwood]

  .......What sold me was the light weight, ......

???
The weight is closer to the 361 than to the 260, and the power a lot closer to the 260........

True indeed, but it's pwr/wt ratio is better than the 290's at least.

Woodmills1- Did you look at the 290/310/390 series?  I see that the new 390's are coming with decomps now.   Nice feature.

Jeff

[jokers]

I had an ms280 for awhile to see what the hype was about. Here are my opinions.

The saw is appreciably lighter than the ms290 and it also transmit fewer vibes to the operator.

Power is on par with the 290 AND the 260. I know, the specs say the 280 and 290 are more powerful than the 260 but if there is any measurable difference it becomes minute in the real world.

The saw is fuel efficient and the air cleaner stays clean a wee bit better than that of the 260 and 290. I think that Stihl is secretly incorporating something like air injection in their newer models. Good for the consumer.

The 280, although built with a home owner style horizontally split crankcase, is reputed to be more robust than the bottom end of the 290/310/390. This is a plus but I did not tear the saw down to prove this.

The one beef(aside from price) that I had with the 280 is that the anti vibe on this saw feels spongy. I guess that`s how they lowered vibes.

I sold this saw to a friend whom I see on a regular basis. He is decimating the forest behind his home and so far he loves the saw.

If Stihl would adjust their price down abit they would have a winner with serious home wood cutters and the farm crowd.

Russ

[woodmills1]

And I like it too! :D