I have a 028 av that needs quite a bit of work , I got it for free and plan to get it fixed but I would like to go pick up a brand new saw. I'm looking at the ms291 seems like a good midsize saw and in my price range . I am looking to stay around 400$. Also lighter the better, does anyone have any input on this saw or recommend another saw ? I would like to stay with a 18"-20" bar .


Also recommendations of where to shop in pierce county , I've heard ron jones is expensive , J&I in yelm has good reviews , but any others???

I recently had my Stihl 026 serviced at Agrishop Ace in Auburn and the turn around time was great. Its about an hour from you, but they have a sweet store front with lots of goodies and helpful staff. I was eyeballing the MS251, but ended up leaving without it since the wife was with me.

https://agrishopinc.stihldealer.net/

I have a 291 "Farm Boss" that I got from agrishop in Auburn (+1 on Logs recommendation, great place). Its a good saw for small and medium trees. I recently bought a 461 (from agrishop....that should tell you something) because the 291 was bogging down on the larger trees I have (basically, anything over 20"). Mostly green Doug Firs. I have been very happy with the 461, but that is probably too much for your needs it sounds like.

So as long as you aren't working on logs that are more than 20" or so the 291 is a great saw. It will even do the bigger stuff if you are patient and don't over work it.

I would recommend buying a half skip chain for it though. Those freakin "safety chains" are horrible. Just make sure you understand what you are doing with the tip

I had a smaller stihl saw, one of the newer ones and was not happy with not being able to adjust the carbs and absolutely hate those new oil and gas caps. I have husky 372xp for all my big stuff and decided on a top handle for all the small stuff around my ten acres. Top handles are bad ass. Balanced in one hand for all the small stuff and plenty of power for the occasional log. I ended up with an echo cs355t. It gets used a few times a week and never fails to start on the first few pulls.

261/260/026 would be my choice in your size range. Its a pro saw and a much better design than the 291.


Stay away from ron jones, duff will rip you off and lie also. Honestly and integrity are not present at that bizz.

I have nothing bad to say about Echo saws. Good product/ good price.

Husky quality has been going downhill since they started concentrating on the big box store sales like Home depot and Lowes etc.

Evergreen equipment off Puyallup Ave in Tacoma. Old guy is old time logger, deals with pro cutters and current loggers.
Find a good used 362, 461 or even an older 31 series, why the fuck Still has messed around with numbers/letters up an down an sideways an reverse stumps everyone.....
Slap a 20" bar on it an cut oak or burnt timber like butter.
Light saws are good for short work, overhead or limbing.
Dragging a heavy saw a mile into timber blows, but when cutting time comes, the weight does the work so your arms and wrists don't have to. I like a bit heavier with a 18-20" bar with a plain old skip tooth chain with rakers filed down a bit more than recommended for cutting firewood.
Engine torque comes into play. Freewheel a saw and see if it jumps up, or up an forward. Jumping up when toggling the throttle takes getting used to, while jumping a bit up and forward is a bit more comfortable.
Discussing saws pro an cons, is no different than comparing best trucks an oils......

eBay is selling Chinese knockoff Stihls. 461 half price deal. Know a guy that has one, still running no different than his real 461 and uses it daily on the job.

Washington Tractor in Auburn right next to the freeway has a large selection. I'd say 026 with a few good chains for homeowner type cutting. Big wood needs a bigger saw.

I bought an MS261C back in May to help with storm cleanup after the East Olympia microburst. It's from Stihls professional line, and weighs less than The comparable ranch or homeowner versions. It's a little above your price point, but if you'll be cutting for any amount of time, the lower weight will make it a lot more comfortable. I have no regrets about my purchase.

ETA: I buy all my power equipment from J&I, who have locations in Olympia off of Pacific or in Yelm. Great local business!

Thanks for all the input guys, I'm very new to saws, what is the benefits of a skip tooth chain ?

You can keep the saw in the power curve without bogging down, and cuts faster than a safety chain or full cutter chain.
BUT!!!!!!! There are full and semi skip chains. Full will kick on you when limbing, or if not paying attention it can cut through faster and bind if you have a binding log. Until some hours on the trigger, semi skip.
Plus with skip chain you can bore and play with the rakers to suit not only how you use the saw, but also how much torque the saw has.
Buy a new saw and use up your safety chain, then buy a semi skip WITHOUT the square chisel cut cutters, takes forever to learn to file square cut chains and hard to buy square files for it.
I was on the square cutters hype for a few years. Damn thing throw chips feet behind me and blasted through wood FAST. But after ruining a handful of chains trying to file, ruining more not getting the rakers set how I usually did, i gave up an tossed them on the sharpener and turned them into well used round cutters and never bought a square cut again.

On a side note.
Not sure how you feel about safety gear, that's each other's own choice. But from a rather long amount of time behind the trigger, Steel toe leather boots have saved my feet more times than a set of leather chaps would have.
I don't wear more more than steel toes when cutting wood on the ground, and a hard hat falling IF I remembered to bring it......

If your budget is $400 , I would have the 028 rebuilt. I just bought a 028 off eBay because they are such a good saw. Stihl is doing weird stuff these day. Last saw I bought was a 461 but my crews prefer the 044 and 440 and when they go bad , I send them to be rebuilt at woods logging supply.

If you weren't so far away I'd rebuild that 028 for you. I like tinkering with saws..
I'd check the classifieds on Arboristsite.com and opeforum.com and buy a saw from a member there. Lots of good saws for a good deal from people that have experience building them.

Thanks for all the good info guys!

I've had an 028 for probably 20 years, and you'll not find a better all-purpose saw than this model. I've also got an 045 that's probably pushing 50 years of age, and they both run like a top. Alternatively, my son has a newer MS 170 that is more work than it's worth.

Whatever you decide on, don't go with less than a 20" bar. Otherwise, you'll spend all your time hunched over trying to reach wood that's lying on the ground.