090 versus 880

superfire

Ok here the simple way of describing the difference.

090 = High Torque & Mild Chain Speed
880 = Mild torque & High Chain speed

Rhett

Hey mate i have both the 090AV which i rebuilt the most of and a 2011 MS880
i interchange a 36'' and a 42'' bar with semi chisel 404 chain.
in my opinion they actually weigh about the same.
the 090 has more power i only got the 880 so the 090 will last longer as half of the saw is 40 years old. one of the main differences is that the 090 has a wind vane governor i have never had the 090 bog down not once cross cutting or ripping unlike the 880 (with the same cutting attachments) try running your 090 with the governor disconnected it will blow your mind how hard it will go id recommend running it at 20:1 if you do might foul the plug but wont cook the cylinder. i don't understand why they dont sell them here anymore as the last ones made have chain catchers, chain deflectors (wider handle for protection of spitting the chain) and they also have chain breaks which is a common misconception. the MS 880 is NOT the most powerful STIHL ever made maybe the most powerful one for sale today but thats about it dont get me wrong the 880 is ok but its no 090 if they still sold them id have gotten a new one and left the 880 well enough alone. have you ever seen/used an 090G now that thing is a power house it has a 2:1 reduction gear on it after the clutch. i have never seen one it actually has an 070 power-head but its called the 090G for its intended bar length which in videos iv seen the biggest guide bars ever happily (and slowly) bucking enormous timbers it can run a 1/2 chain WOW. in the 70s STIHL released 10 big bore kits for the 090 taking it all the way to a whopping 166cc very rare VERY powerful. sorry for the long reply but as they said when it came out 13HP baby. DONT sell your 090 until you are to old to carry it, it will fetch a mint the longer you hold onto it. in short MS880's are for people that can't get their mits on a 090AV/G

Rhett

you are right on the money dude but lets face it chain speed is good for nothing if it keeps bogging down

sun64

I have a genuine Stihl workshop manual, 92 pages in all, printed in Germany for the STIHL 070 and 090.
englisch/english 0455 1550123. M2. G1.T. Printed in Germany

It states the power in the manuals as
Stihl 070 4.8 Kw ( 6.5 bhp ) at 7000 rpm 7.7 Nm ( 5.7 ib.ft at 5000 rpm
105.7 cm/3 6.47 cu.in

Stihl 090 6.3 Kw ( 8.5 bhp ) at 7000 rpm 9.5 Nm ( 7.0 ib.ft at 5000 rpm
136.8 cm/3 8.35 cu.in
Hope this helps in settling some difference of opinions.

sun64

sawfun

If your gonna run a 42" or smaller then go the 880 route. If your going to run a 60+" bar then the 090 is the best way to go by far.The 090's power doesn't become apparent until you put the long bars on them.