Summary:
I would look for something that doesn not flood so easily, but hey, it's a 2 cycle.

Strengths:
Once you get it started, it will cut all day.

Weaknesses:
Floods easily, and then you have to go about removing spark plug etc.

Summary:
Very good saw. Very powerful. This saw is rated as a "medium use" saw but has the features and performance of a "professional use" saw. The saw is a good balance between the MS 260 & MS 361. I recommend it.

Strengths:
Very powerful. High revving, smooth engine. Very comfortable to use. Great anti-vibe. Cuts wood all day. Not too hard on fuel.

Weaknesses:
Cold blooded. Hard to start when the engine is cold. Has to warm up before running at full throttle. Heavier than the MS 260 Pro but more powerful. Cost is almost as much as the MS 361 Pro. The jury is still out on the saw's Intelligent Engine Management feature.

Summary:
The saw does everything I ask it to without problems. I may need a slightly larger engine next time but this works great. No problems after two years.

Strengths:
Advertised as medium use saw. I have cut firewood with it for two years and it hasn't had any problems. Easy starting. Easy to adjust. Does what I ask of it.

Weaknesses:
You need to let it warm up for a few minutes when it is very cold out. It may lack a little power on larger logs.

Summary:
my buddy just got a 361 magnum and we are both completely satisfied with our stihl chainsaws

Strengths:
plenty of power, running a 20" bar and it stihl does good on fuel. the saw is light and very comfortable to operate. i wanted a mid-range saw that i won't have to take to the dump in 7 or 8 years, i think i've found it!

Weaknesses:
yep! ya gotta let this thing warm up, even in 60-70 degree weather. it almost wants to bog out and sounds like the carb needs tinkered with but it straightens itself out about 15-20 secods after the cold start.

Summary:
Could be a better starter but powerful cutter within its bar length limits.

Strengths:
Cold start no problem as long as you don't lay it on its side just before use but it must be a stong hard pull to enable a good ignition spark. Cuts well as a medium use saw once it has been running and stops four stoking. It looks as if it will last more than a couple of years use as long as you keep a spare bar. Easy chain adjuster.

Weaknesses:
Any tree larger diameter than its blade it is short of power. Difficult to start from refuel as it richens up with the petroil mixture (when you lay the chain saw on its side). You can sometimes clear it by holding open the throttle wide with a few strong pulls. The spark tends to be weak unless you pull very hard to start. Bar wears quite easily over twenty hours or so keep a spare and/or turn it over. Oil filler cap refit is a knack and it makes an oily mess over your trousers if you get it wrong. I have a cheap that starts much easier but wears out easily and you can't get the spares.

Summary:
i had a new stihl ms 280 i cut 4 cord with the junk and the oiler broke. the handle broke and the brake broke. they charge me 23.59 for a tear down fee. gave it back with the parts in a bag. . I must add it cost to much to fix. So I junk it. i told them what was wrong, there was no need to tear it apart. i just wanted the cost to fix it.

Strengths:
none

Weaknesses:
the handel broke, brake broke.it is made out of CHEAP PLASTIC. hard to start. oiler broke, would not oil. This design is very Poor ,quality is low, very low standard, end result piece of junk start.. they charge me 23.59 for a tear down fee. gave it back with the parts in a bag. . I must add it cost to much to fix. So I junk it. i told them what was wrong, there was no need to tear it apart.

Summary:
when it was running well, i felt it could cut anything, but i was always afraid to shut it off. i have a Stihl hedge trimmer, tree saw, smaller saw-all have performed well.i expected better from the 280.

Strengths:
cut well on wood that was blade length or less.

Weaknesses:
-always hard to start -brake bar and brake broke -after brake repair and tune up, engine blew

Summary:
Great saw... just don't run it out of fuel, or cut it off. EVER!!!

Strengths:
Very fast, very powerfull. Good price for the value of the saw.

Weaknesses:
Starting, hard to start cold, will not start after refueling. Has to be pulled up to 20-25 times after refueling, acts like it is out of gas, when it clearly is not. Doesn't have to be run out of fuel for the issue to happen. Just run the saw for 20 minutes or so. cutting hard wood at full throttle and the same problem will accure.

Summary:
Should redesign to eliminate these flaws.

Strengths:
All the strengths shown above apply .

Weaknesses:
Hard starting is the worst in my opinion.

Summary:
Great saw,good for limbing or desent size trees,smooth cutting saw with good power.

Strengths:
Good running saw good bit of power with a 20" bar,great on fuel,can cut wood allday,with the weight of the saw.never had a problem starting after refueling or anything.

Weaknesses:
a little weak on bigger trees.would go with the 390 for the same price.

Summary:
great saw have not had any trouble with it and has cut lots of wood

Strengths:
Cut great plenty of power trash the anti kick back and get a full chisel chain and you have somthing

Weaknesses:
hard to get back running after it has run out of gas

Summary:
great saw for the $. it will put every other saw in its class to shame and will hang with bigger saws all day long....

Strengths:
very powerful and potent saw. the engine is basically "blue printed" compared to the " home owner" series. never had any problems with it in 3 seasons of cutting off and on all year long. dont know what the others are talking about but it has more than enough power to cut 40+ in logs no sweat just have to double cut. mine starts on a dime 90% of the time. starts on a single pull when warm. trust this saw 100% of the time to get the job done period.

Weaknesses:
when its about 30 degrees or less it takes a minute or so to warm up but after that its great. other than that i really cant think off any others.

Summary:
I try to keep an open mind. Stihls are much easier to buy, service & maintain because of their dealer network. They could have given me this saw & I would be happier to pay for a husqvarna 346xp to use.

Strengths:
well built

Weaknesses:
heavy & awkward for a saw in its class. Really doesn't fit anywhere. husqvarna 346xp is much lighter more manuverable & will absolutely eat this saw & actually priced the same or a little cheaper.

Summary:
I wouldn't have any other saw. This thing is perfect for a home/landowner who cuts a few cords a year and doesn't wanna fool around with settings on a carburetor. I would highly recommend opening up the exhaust port, if you are worried about voiding the warranty, but a used muffler on ebay like I did, and use a dremel tool to increase the opening size. When I did this, power increased a great deal, and now the saw runs through would much better. Read the manual for how to speed up the 'self tune' feature.

Strengths:
IEM, a piezo electric solenoid operated carburetor controlled by a microprocessor, makes this baby a very well tuned and powerfully running saw in all conditions. I have yet to use it in the snow, but I doubt I'll be anything but impressed when that opportunity arrives. The balance and machine sound of the engine is nice too. The engine has more of a 'machine' sound than the typical 2 stroke sound you expect from a saw. I did a muffler modification, opening the exhaust hole from 0.3" to 0.5", and the saw self tuned and power went way up, but the noise didn't seem to go up much, if at all. This saw was well built and well designed, with a metal crankcase, and excellent anti vibration features.

Weaknesses:
It would be handy to have a low fuel indicator, like a beep or a light, as that's the ONLY time I've ever had any trouble starting this saw, when I've run it out of fuel and it takes me a minute to that figure out. I can't imagine what any of these people must be doing wrong to have starting problems.

Summary:
Brilliant! Have owned Husqvarna as well but prefer the Stihl saws.

Strengths:
Great saw for it's size. We are agricultural contractors specialising in fencing & trees/firewood, & commercially use only Stihl products & have only ever had drama with 1 in particular & that turned out to be a factory fault. We currently own an MS660, MS280, MS270, MS170, 064 & a very old 020AV plus a BT45 petrol drill & the KM56RC multi attachment tool. The saws, particularly the 280, would have cut well over 300tons of firewood, miles of fence rails, posts, stays etc without a hitch. Have never broken anything through general use, only when accidentally squashed.

Weaknesses:
They dont like to be run over with a tractor or have trees fall on them. Only the 1 that had a hole in the inlet manifold from factory kept leaning out so they gave us a new one.

Summary:
5/10

Strengths:
big heart good to use once you get it going

Weaknesses:
Mungrale to start after being on its side the decompression has no effect no mater what you do it will not start the (off) on the switch is a problem if you don't keep it clean it will not switch on in this day and age you would think Stihl could design a switch that is sealed over all My old farm boss shits on it

Summary:
knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted my money on this saw, would have bought a professional series instead. Saw seems kinda cheap.

Strengths:
good power for size, lightweight and easy to use, slim design. High RPM has sweet spot for bucking medium size logs.

Weaknesses:
saw dosent start well when cold whatsoever, seems to be worse since I took in in and complained about it. anti-vibe bushings came apart, intake boot ripped and bar wore out kinda fast. Now it needs a new recoil spring. Saw is a piece of crap compared to my MS660. Midrange saw, Midrange performance.

Summary:
Stihl MS 280 is a good midrange saw, with plenty of power for it's size/weight and is comfortable to use all day long.

Strengths:
Good power to weight ratio (using an 18" bar). Seems to start ok even after sitting idle for several months (use fuel stabilizer). Comfortable saw, with effective anti-vibration.

Weaknesses:
No obvious weaknesses, the MS 280 does what it should - which it should since it's an expensive saw.

Summary:
Great saw easy to start lots of power and light i love it and would nvere buy another saw it outcuts my 290 all day long

Strengths:
Light easy to start lots of power and easy on fuel, love it can burry the 20" bar and it hardly bogs in big ash

Weaknesses:
NONE

Summary:
I think I need to purchase a new air filter. Saw began idling very high and would not idle down. Cleaned the filter with air gun and ran ok again for a little while. Started with the same problem after a couple of tank fills.

Strengths:
light weight. Cuts all day. Mine starts fine cold or hot. Choke it until it kicks once then take off choke onto high idle and it will start the next pull or at most 2. Have used it for 8 years. Cut about 50 cords with it. Buy yourself a motorized chain sharpener. About $125. Well worth it. Works much better than a file. Teeth are all sharpened the same depth on each side.

Weaknesses:
I experienced the same problem as others re-starting after running it out of gas and then refueling. Would start and then die when I gave it gas. I tried starting it after fueling on high idle setting. this works great. Saw revs up and down for a few seconds and then steadies out on high idle. Then you can use the trigger and start cutting again. No problem.

Summary:
All I have to say is durrrrrrr.....if you run an engine out of fuel, you have to reprime the lines. Who the feck said this saw has a decompression valve?

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Summary:
Don't waste your money on this piece of junk! Shihl could fix these design problems but it won't. It sells lots of saws due to effective advertising but it's saws are overated and it's dealer service program is poor.

Strengths:
None, unless you enjoy driving back and forth to the dealer in an attempt to fix the unfixable.

Weaknesses:
It is hard to start, sometimes won't start, stalls out easily when running and at idle, and is even harder to restart. The dealer says it is "cold blooded" and has to warm up. It is hard to warm up a machine that won't start. He tinkers with the adjustments and when I get it back home the same problem occurs. It has been in the shop more than at home and wasted more time than it is worth. I called headquarters and talked with a service tech and he basically blamed me. I wore out three previous saws and never had these problems.

Summary:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Summary:
I would give this saw an 11 out of 10 I dont know where you people are saying its hard to start after refueling or turning it on its side??? or 25 or more pulls to get it running after running it out of gas??? come on!!!! never had these problems with my say maybe yall got Monday or Friday saws prety sure mine was assembled on a Wednesday

Strengths:
Over all DAMN GOOD SAW would never switch brands!!! it has the anti vibration mounts so the engine is free floating no vibration transfer threw the handle up your arms, tach's out higher RPM then other Sthil saws for faster chain speeds which equals faster cuts!!! If your gonna throw a saw around all day This is the saw I would wanna throw around all day in the brush! Sthil all the way!!!!

Weaknesses:
It dosen't run on pure oxygen or water that's the only down fall to the saw???

Summary:
After three years of fighting with it I am moving on to something else.

Strengths:
Works quite well for this size saw after getting it started.

Weaknesses:
Starting. I have had so much trouble starting it, especially after refueling, that it is now at a consignment shop. It is being replaced with a Husqvarna.

Summary:
I love this saw for what I do. I cut firewood for my house and also help my buddies cut for there house. If I was going to use my saw commercially I would buy a saw made for that purpose. This is a tool to be proud of owning -very well made and great balance when cutting.

Strengths:
Great saw. Over kill for homeowner. High RPMs helps it cut fast and strong.Nice balance and weight. Starts VERY easy if you do it properly.

Weaknesses:
It was a little pricey compared to the Farm Boss , but after extensive research you can tell that its also made better. Im not saying its the best saw ever made, but it was worth the extra money to step up from the MS290

Summary:
saw was rediculas to restart when it was hot, good anti vibe features but its heavy and slow compared to a 353 husky

Strengths:
GLAD MY HUSKY DEALER TAKES THEM ON TRADE!!!!!

Weaknesses:
husky 353 outcuts it all day and isnt a pain in the A$$ to start when its hot

Summary:
Great power to weight ratio excellent reliability my saw must have been manufactured durring the middle of the week

Strengths:
This saw is amazing!!!!! Nothing but strengths here.ive been using my ms 280 going on8 years and never had any problems with it. I cant even give an estimate of how much wood ive cut with my saw.

Weaknesses:
None

Summary:
Great power to weight ratio excellent reliability my saw must have been manufactured durring the middle of the week

Strengths:
This saw is amazing!!!!! Nothing but strengths here.ive been using my ms 280 going on8 years and never had any problems with it. I cant even give an estimate of how much wood ive cut with my saw.

Weaknesses:
None