I'd like your opinion/suggestion on buying a saw.

I don't know that I need the manual oiler. LOL. My MS290 seems to go through a pretty good amount of oil now. I wouldn't want to be going through more. I wonder if I would go through more or less? You know how if you have a nice option on something you like to use and you might use it more than you really need to.

 

What are they offering you on the trade in on the 290? I'm just asking, because you might get more off of Craigslist, that's a desirable saw for a lot of folks. A buddy of mine just listed a well used 029 for $250 and it sold in a week for that price.

 

Have not asked them yet. Thinking of maybe going Monday morning and see what they offer for trade in on new saw.

 

I'm betting you'd get more from CL than a saw shop for your 290. Also, more oil is always better than less. I wish my 291 had a manual oiler, it's very stingy with the oil

 

Hey guys. I appreciate all your in put. I ended up changing the game and that made it hard. All the saws mentioned would have been good. Especially the ones cheaper on my budget.

I decided to go with a more powerful saw instead of smaller/lighter. The Stihl MS 440 Magnum would have been nice, but too expensive. I went with an Echo that was on sale. Decided that this price with trading in the MS290 and the 009 got me close enough to my price range. Hopefully it will be a good saw. Kinda cool to try another brand and see how I like it as well.

My gift from wife and kids. All I need!

 

No love for the Husqvarna 435? My little $170 refurb has done me well, but I only cut a little a year. It is lightweight with a 16" bar, though...

 

I have owned McCullock, Husqvarna, and Stihl. Liked them all. Now I'll try an Echo.

 

Let us know how you like it.

 

Thank you. At 66.8cc it should be a nice step up from the Farm Boss. And Merry Christmas back at ya!

 

Will do. Hopefully get out tomorrow and get some more cutting done.

 

I hope to cut between 25-30 full cord this winter. I'll split and stack it all this late winter/spring and sell anything more than 9-10 cord next fall. That is why I chose go with a more powerful saw. 20" bar gives me a little more reach than the 18" on the last saw.

 

I don't think you'll be disappointed in the Echo. They're reliable and well built.

 

Congrats ,Gas
Ok then , lets see some pics of the chips flying

 

I think echo makes a darn good saw and you should be plenty happy with it.

 

Gas, I don't know much about saws but you probably made the right choice given your usage. Get the job done quicker.

I was a little shocked about total disregard of the 435. Nine pages and I'm the only one to mention it. Workout knowing your heavy usage, I thought it got the bill pretty well. Cheap. Powerful enough. 16". Did I mention cheap?

I'd like to think it ain't half bad. That said, I've run very few saws...

 

Each year I do a lot of work between cutting wood and working with machinery. Luckily for me, not the bigger machinery. The small stuff is expensive enough! And each year I get more and more experience. And each year I learn just how much I still have to learn.