Stihl chainsaw prices

randy41 · Oct 31, 2011

i'm looking to get a new saw that is somewhere between my 011 and my 038. the 011 is not enough and the 038 is becoming a bit heavy for me. what i want to know is whether there are price differences between dealers? or should i just go to the closest one?
anyone own an MS250? any comments about it?

High Compression · Oct 31, 2011

At least around here, all of the dealer prices and online prices are the same. I think Stihl probably regulates the prices as one of the rules of becoming a dealer.

smstonypoint · Oct 31, 2011

High Compression said:
At least around here, all of the dealer prices and online prices are the same. I think Stihl probably regulates the prices as one of the rules of becoming a dealer.

My experience in the Carolinas agrees with High Compression's observations. I believe that Stihl and its dealers have retail price maintenance agreements.

Steve

thatguy · Oct 31, 2011

The only thing that MAY change between dealers is what 'extra goodies' they throw in, such as extra chains, oil, etc..

BTW - In case you didnt realize it - IF you buy at least a 6 pack of their full synthetic oil at the same time as you purchase the saw (both have to be on the same receipts), they will double your warranty.. if you go to the stihl website and to to the warranty page - there is a link on how to 'double your warranty' with all the details..

brian

xyz123 · Oct 31, 2011

The MS250 is a dependable light weigh homeowner grade 45cc plastic crankcase saw.
It's just not worth $299 new IMHO. You can buy like new use ones for $150.

If you dont work on your on saws you wont mind it. But if you tear down your own saws to install rings etc in the future you will hate yourself on first tear down.
Now if you are like my brother you will never run it enough to worry about that unless you straight gas it.

Make sure to buy the 6 pak oil to get double the warranty period.

dodge man · Oct 31, 2011

I bought a MS250 a few years ago and like it. It seems like I paid closer to $400 by the time I paid for taxes, a platic case, and some sharping tools.

randy41 · Oct 31, 2011

thanks for the info about the warranty period. is there much difference between 3/8 and .325 chain? my 038 uses 3/8 and it looks like the 250 uses .325. are the sprockets different?

xyz123 · Oct 31, 2011

Yes
You will want .325 on that saw. Thats all it will pull good. I would also only go 16" bar, thats what was on the one I sold and it worked good with that set up.
It would be a dog with full 3/8 even with 16" IMO.

I would go with RSC round chisel for best and fastest cutting chain in clean hardwoods. If cutting in dirty mud covered stuff go RMC semi chisel.
The safety chain they give you with saw purchase I would use for dirty crap cutting like roots etc or have them give you a RSC or RMC.

rasimmo · Oct 31, 2011

I was recently in the market for a new saw. I called and got prices on that same saw from two places about 20 miles apart owned by the same people. The price was $30 different. I thought that was a little strange.

dfkrug · Oct 31, 2011

I just sold my 029 for $275, with new 20" bar, chain, and sprocket. The
local dealer advertises the current MS290 for $369 + tax, or just over
$400. I prefer the Husky Rancher, which sells for a bit less and has
compression release.

fish6942 · Oct 31, 2011

I've been (ab)using an MS250 since I bought it new in '07. It has a 16" bar and works wonderfully as an all around saw for smaller trees. I also have an MS391 that only gets used for cutting the larger stuff.

Will_C · Oct 31, 2011

I have a friend who is a Stihl dealer. I bought two saws and a trimmer last year. They were all higher end models (MS 260 and 362 saws, a FS 250 trimmer) that he does not often carry in stock. he ordered them for me and charged me the same price that I saw these items for at the New York State loggers show-about 8-12% off retail. I imagine that is the rock bottom on Stihl equipment.

Will

grsthegreat · Oct 31, 2011

I have a 029 and when i was looking, all the dealers had the same price listed. Nice saw never the less. always starts within 3 pulls.

ultrarunner · Oct 31, 2011

The last saw I bought was about 30 miles from home... all the Dealers had the same price... the 3 closest Dealers didn't carry the homeowner MS250c.

I asked the Dealer 30 miles away if there was anything he could do since I was looking to buy today... he said he would throw in the case and some loops at cost.

Mom went along for the ride and he had the saw ready... when he saw Mom was with me, he reached up on the shelf and gave us two Stihl Caps and two shirts...

The case was an advertised promotion at "Participating" dealers... none of my local Dealers are "Participating"

buck12 · Oct 31, 2011

The price on Stihl's web site is the price at the dealer has been my experience. As others have said sometimes you can get a couple of extras. I bought a 260 this past year and got two bottles of free oil and $10 off the case. By the way I have been pleased with the saw.

The Baron · Nov 1, 2011

I bought a 250 several years ago to replace an 025 that was getting tired after much use. I like the 250 a lot. It is perfect for firewood ( I cut Oak and Maple) and property upkeep. Today I bought a MS261 to get into a saw a bit bigger than the 250 and not as heavy as my 034. I can say nothing bad about my 250. Go For it!!! Tim

art · Nov 1, 2011

Coming from an 038 which is a great commercial saw you could even drop to a 361 and it would be lighter and still give you what you are used to.

Otherwise go for the 260 to stay with pro saw performance.

dfkrug · Nov 1, 2011

I just sold my 009L 41cc saw today for $145. That's an unusual
top-handle saw, but not "professional". I was just given two broken
019T pro saws, so I hope to upgrade to an even lighter arborist
unit to add to my saw "paddock". At least I hope to get one working
019T (equivalent to current MS192T) from the 2.

xyz123 · Nov 2, 2011

dfkrug said:
I just sold my 009L 41cc saw today for $145. That's an unusual
top-handle saw, but not "professional". I was just given two broken
019T pro saws, so I hope to upgrade to an even lighter arborist
unit to add to my saw "paddock". At least I hope to get one working
019T (equivalent to current MS192T) from the 2.

019T is a cheap made top handle saw, not pro grade like the 020T. Which is now the 200T.

Just so you know

Verticaltrx · Nov 3, 2011

Stihl saws are like anything else, the price is negotiable at the right dealer. We have several Stihl dealers around here but there is one large one that I deal with regularly. The larger more expensive saws the more room they have to discount them, but all of them down to the MS 171 have some 'wiggle room'.

I got my MS441 for about 12% off MSRP, plus they threw in two 25" loops of RSC chain and a free hat. :thumbsup: