ms290 or 455 rancher?

bennyb

Hey guys,

Need abit of help deciding on a saw. The only use will be cutting firewood so i've nailed it down to stihls ms290 and huskys 455 rancher as they suit my budget. I did search but couldn't find any comments on a direct comparison with these two.

Now where i live the 455 rancher is going for around the $1050 mark (cant quite remember) and the ms290 is about $960. The 290 appears to be the better saw in the specs (56.5cc, 3kw) to the 455 (55.5cc, 2.6kw) and is cheaper, so i was hoping to get some feedback and opinions as to which is the better saw when it comes down to it.

Also, the ms310 is at about $1090 so would it be worth spending abit more and getting this? Any other saws i should consider around the same price?

Cheers fellas appreciate any help.

newguy18

husky 346 xp or stihl ms 361 are your best bets,cc's aren't everything.

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old schooler

Eric Frei

Personally I'd keep well clear of these 3 Stihl saws, 290, 310 and 390

They're plastic junk!

What are you going to be primarily doing with the saw?

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Garry Brockley

Stick with the Stihl my boss has a 455 rancher and its a weak bulky piece of **** but thats just my opinion the 359 is better than the 455

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FlashD

I personally really like the 290.. Though, I've never tried the husky or 310 to compare it to. As long as you use good chain and keep it sharp, I think the 290 would make a perfect firewood saw. As a matter of fact, I've been thinking of trying to convince my boss to get us one for cutting firewood so we can keep our 361 nice for doing actual work.
Just my two cents.

newguy18

My ex boss runs an ms441 with a bow guide for firewood,nice setup,fairly easy to use,but i prefer a regular bar.

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Macgyver76

I have a 290 amongst the saw collection, I like it, good power, good weight. Running a 16 inch bar it rips. Mind you I prefer my 038 Magnum but thats in a whole nother class.....lol

Bruce Hopf

First of all, Welcome to Tree World bennyb.
Second, how much fire wood are you going to be cutting a year?
Third, how handy and mechanically inclined are you, and how much do you like to Tinker? If you are handy, and mechanically inclined, and don't have a whole lot of fire wood to cut per year, and enjoy to tinker with things, what I would suggest is going to a Dealer, and seeing what you might be able to find in their Complete Parts Saws pile.
I got my three Stihl Chain Saws, that way and I fixed them up. My 044, was a complete overhaul with Main Crank Bearings, Gasket Kit, Piston, and Cylinder Kit, and a Carburetor Rebuild Kit, I have basically a Brand New Rebuilt Chain Saw for around $500.00, plus my labour, which was fun to do, But that is up to every individual. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it in a Heart Beat. Bruce.

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Macgyver76

On an interesting note BennyB I just came across a clean used MS290 that I am willing to part with, shoot me an im if interested.Thanx,Ed

kevlar

The 290 is a fine saw for firewood.

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