Stihl Farm Boss 290 is a REAL chain saw. Great power, even for big jobs. Easy start. Great for on-the-ground work, but a bit heavy to handle up in a tree. If the blade is kept sharp, the saw "pulls itself" through the tree/cut with little effort your part. I use the saw primarily for cutting firewood for home heating and other jobs around the 21 acres (mostly wooded) that I own. The Farm Boss is a powerful saw. I've never had any problem with the oiler getting plugged. Always starts with just 4-5 pulls. It will cut through an 18" log of oak in less than two minutes. With a sharp chain, it practically pulls itself through the cut, requiring little effort on the part of the person doing the sawing. The only negative is that, if you do a lot of cutting up in trees, this model is a bit heavy. It might be best to consider a smaller/lighter model--Stihl has one for every job. Because of the power of this saw, be safe....kickback is deadly--with any chain saw.

DickG

Kennesaw, GA

My husband decided to buy a chainsaw and I was really excited to give it a try. But this is not the small chainsaw I thought we would be getting. He went down and bought the farm boss. We had this for maybe a year before I finally got the guts to give it a try. I love it. It is really easy to start and not as heavy as I thought it would be. Once he showed me how to use it I went crazy I wanted to cut everything down. I enjoy using it more then he does. It is a very dependable chainsaw. It is easy to maintain and the people at our stihl shop are so friendly. One of my favorite features is the safety, if the chainsaw kicks your wrist will hit the safety  bar and it stops the chain. So nobody should lose any important parts. we have had this chainsaw for over three years now and still no problems. The bar oil and two stoke oil is not to expensive at all and is always in stock at our stihl shop. So if you are looking in to buying a chainsaw buy a stihl.

KelliRank

Tahuya, WA

I bought my stihl farm boss chainsaw around 3 months ago and I am glad I did.  It has made things much easier for me around the farm.  I am able to cut up trees that before I would have to call someone else to take care of them for me.  I had a Poulan 16 inch before and it couldnt do near the work as my new Stihl saw.  This saw has plenty of power for big jobs but its light enough that it can also do the small jobs.  I have head people say that Husqvarna are very similar or better than Stihl, that could be a case but I guarentee that if you buy a Stihl chainsaw you will not at all be dissapointed with your purchase.  Also, if you need to get inside a stihl chainsaw it is much easier than most brands, everything is very easy access.  The air filter can be changed in a matter of mintues.  Changing chains is also a snap and can be taken care of in no time flat.  Buy a STIHL!

aaront3213

Liberty, NC