The Stihl brand makes excellent chain saws. We bought ours, I want to say- six years ago and it still works like new! We bought it primarily so that we could go out to the woods in our backyard and cut down the wood we needed to run our wood stove. The price as I remember was comparable to the other brands- a couple hundred bucks. For the entire time we have owned this chainsaw we have needed to do very little maintenance and repairs to it. We have naturally needed to change the chain every once in a while, but we have never experienced any mechanical failures to its operations. It cuts anything we want and it makes chopping down trees almost easy and kind of fun. It is much cheaper to cut down your own wood than to buy it- combine that with the exercise it will give you and this chain saw is absolutely worth the price! I definitely recommend getting a Stihl the next time you need to buy a chainsaw!

mdamsic

Portage, IN

As someone who decided I could no longer sustain heating my house with propane, I decided to heat by burning wood.  To heat a whole house in MN, it takes a lot of quality wood.  I needed to purchase a saw. At the local hardware store, I was considering a Poulan wild thing when the salesman walked up.  I explained to him my situation and he immediatly steered me to a Stihl.  I am so glad he did.  My MS 250 has been mainteance free for 2 years, and I have used it extensivily.  It cuts through wood at a quick pace and seems to be adequately powered for the bar.  Mine has a 14" bar and I have considered putting a 16" one on as well. It has always started very quickly, ran smoothly, and did what I asked of it.  I would however strongly recommend keeping your chains very sharp.  Dull chains make your saw work harder, heat up your cutting bar resulting in premature failure, and is a lot more work overall.   

Tals2

Hills, MN

My brother used to constantly brag to us about his fantastic "man saw" and when he talked like that I immediately dismissed it as just talk.  Then our chain saw broke and I bought my husband a Stihl and we have been loyal owners ever since!  It is more expensive than some brands but Lordy what a difference in quality.  We have gotten to where we buy more quality products these days, whereas before we didn't have the money (or knowledge) to buy a high end machine like this. We have both a 16" bar as well as a 18" bar and use them for trees, clearing land etc. My husband has cut down trees for neighbors and it just rips through the wood like it is going through hot butter. It has very few problems, one being I just cannot pull it hard enough to start it, but he has no problems with it. When we bought it, they gave us the case to go along with it!  The rep was there at the store when we were choosing between brands and after talking to him, he says if you buy it today I have a case in the truck that I will give you!  What a deal! 

smom55

Dallas, TX

After almost 20 years of keeping my old chain saw running, it broke as we were preparing to move in to our new house and yard. I talked with several farmers and ranchers who use their chain saws a lot. All of them agreed the Stihl chain saw line was the way to go. I went down to one of the local construction tool and supply store which sells and services Stihl. Stihl equipment. A great sales rep made several comments and suggestions. He actually suggested a smaller, lighter saw than I was prepared to buy. I ended up with his suggestion, the Stihl MS 250 C-BE Chain Saw. He took it to the back work shop area. He prepped it and then fueled the saw and oiled it and then fired it up with quick pulls. I took the saw home and I spent 15 hours cutting with it over the last three days.  The saw has a see thru areas to monitor the fuel/oil mix and the bar oil. Gone are the days of too heavy a saw and a saw testing my endurance to get started. This saw screams through hackberry, maple, walnut, and mulberry. The only time it slows down is when it is low on fuel. I am delighted with the Stihl MS 250 C-BE Chain Saw. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a chain saw.

pdm1289

Topeka, KS

  After almost 20 years of keeping my old chain saw running, it broke as we were preparing to move in to our new house and yard. I talked with several farmers and ranchers who use their chain saws a lot. All of them agreed the Stihl chain saw line was the way to go. I went down to one of the local construction tool and supply store which sells and services Stihl. Stihl equipment. A great sales rep made several comments and suggestions. He actually suggested a smaller, lighter saw than I was prepared to buy. I ended up with his suggestion, the Stihl MS 250 C-BE Chain Saw. He took it to the back work shop area. He prepped it and then fueled the saw and oiled it and then fired it up with quick pulls. I took the saw home and I spent 15 hours cutting with it over the last three days.  The saw has a see thru areas to monitor the fuel/oil mix and the bar oil. Gone are the days of too heavy a saw and a saw testing my endurance to get started. This saw screams through hackberry, maple, walnut, and mulberry. The only time it slows down is when it is low on fuel. I am delighted with the Stihl MS 250 C-BE Chain Saw. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a chain saw.  

pdm1289

Topeka, KS