Stihl MS 260

the stihl ms 260 chainsaw, , when i first attempted to fill the oil the cap immediately disintegrated into several small pieces consisting of an small white plastic C clamp and gasket with an spring and the main nut, after working with it for several hours i managed to assemble it and put it back on only to have it fall apart again except this time the main body was immovable and could not be removed because the c clamp which holds the handle on broke so now i cannot remove it to fill it with oil, also when i rotated the large black lever on the front to open the air filter compartment the cover is easy enough to remove but very impossible to reinstall , there are several guides that are compression fitted that must be lined up perfect otherwise the lever cannot be moved from the 9 o,clock to 12 o,clock and will not lock in place so after another 5 hours of working on it i finally got it to close by physically removing some of the internal groves, so all in all i have an saw that i cannot put oil in it and cannot close the air filter cover on correctly, and after pulling the rope to try to start it i got 3 large blisters on my hand with starting it , this product is poorly designed and not user friendly, save your self a lot of agony and but another brand, any other brand except this one.

I know Stihl makes good product but my 260 has been a Lemmon since day one.. I bought saw new in 2004. It's been such a POS I'll probably never buy a new Stihl ever again. It has never run or started well. I raced snowmobiles and professionally tuned several race team sleds for years. All sleds were two strokes and we won a few championships so I know two strokes and tuning very well. This is the only two stoke I couldn't get to run perfect. I build and rebuilt dozens of two stoke race motors from scratch so I very comfortable tuning a two stroke. Its always had fresh 92-94 octane gas and only Stihl oil. Plugs have been changed too many time to count. Just finally rebuilt carb, new fuel pickup and lines, new air cleaner about anything you can think of and it ran perfect for one day. Wouldn't start the second day with out starting fluid. Compression is good. I give up it's going in the trash can or sold for parts. When it runs it's OK but my brothers Husky runs circles around it. Some friends Stihl's are good, this one was junk from day one. It's wasn't a PRO that's what I told the dealer to order. I took this one and have regretted it ever since, should have taken it. Hope you have better luck.

A brilliant device, excellent quality unit, a lot quieter and good to handle and work with plenty of power. We are using this machine for our firewood business and the Sthil has never let us down, we have never had to be repair it in the past 2 years that we have used it. Would recommend Sthil equipment for heavy users as its reliable and cheap to maintain if well looked after.

I own three Stihl products including a MS260 and NONE of them run correctly. I have had THREE new carborators installed on every one of them and they still don't run right. I only use Stihl authorized dealers and Stihl products in them so don't let them tell you that's the problem. Every time I try to use on of them it costs me $100 and they spend a week in the shop. Stihl is producing a horrible products and I will NEVER own another one.

Since passing my Certificate of competence for chainsaws in 2007, I have not used any other saws apart from Stihl. I find them simply the best for the job! I have used a MS200, 036, MS 361 and now a MS 260. For me the 260 is a brilliant ground saw as I have used one solidly everyday over the last winter and also over this winter too. I have had very little fail on me and is more than capable power wise for felling small trees. To date the only thing that broke is the front chain break spring. Working for the council we tend to test these pieces of equipment to destruction and touch wood, I have never had a 260 fail on me, or fail to start!! Our arbor team also use the 260 for their main ground saw as it is compact and powerfull enough to cope with even some of the toughest of jobs.

I just purchased a Stihl 260 after owning a Stihl 034 for 25 years. The 034 was an exceptional saw for me and cut 12 cords of wood a year for me.

I made the mistake of loaning to a neighbor and he forgot or did not mix

oil with the gas and burnt it out. With apprehension I did not know whether the new 260 would fill the void. I was pleasantly surprised after

using for 4 1/2 hours on some pretty big trees. It cut through ash trees like butter. The gas and oil caps were a little frustating at first but

fine once I learned how they worked. I really like the saw so far and think it will be a very good replacement for my 034.

I have worked with chain saws for over 20 years as my main occupation. I bought a MS260 as the work I was doing didn't require the larger saws I was used to. It was great at first as the smaller size and less weight made my work much easier. I was cutting trees about two to three inches, clearing around smaller planted trees. I realize that doing this all day might be hard on a saw but my larger ones never had any problem doing the same sort of work with much larger trees, up to ten inches, so I expected, that considering the price and the fact this was advertised as a "professional" model that it would be able to handle the job. I have one Husky 266 that I bought in 1989 and used for years until I retired it for fire wood. It still starts, idles and cuts acceptibly. The MS260 worked okay for a while. I did keep it clean and know how to operate and maintain a chain saw after years of experience. First the bottom end of the crank went and was replaced, about 150 dollars. After getting it back and using it for a while it wouldn't idle. I cleaned the carb and did all the servicing I would with my larger saws which seem to keep them running okay but i just can't get it to run properly. I now use a brush saw with a blade on it to do the work I did with that saw. I would say that this saw, the MS260, is overpriced for what it can do. It would be okay for an aborist or for someone who would have a little clean up to do on smaller trees but I think a much cheaper saw could do these things just as well.

The stihl is an excellent chainsaw (when used and serviced correctly)

I have had it three years and took on jobs that were far bigger than it should have been used for. I have now had it serviced and a new clutch fitted. I have put a deposit on the MS390 which I will use for large trees.

What can I say, this is a nice little saw. Of four saws that I own, this is one of my favorite saws. (I have a MS192, 246XP, 260 and 372XP).

It is a dependable saw, works every time and does all that is required from it.

If it ever does die, I would buy another. If looking for a smaller saw, do not hesitate. If you take care of it, it will take care of you.

I am not, nor ever have been an employee of Stihl or any other company.

I love this saw because of the reliability, wieght, service and support. It is not my first Stihl, but it may just outlast me. They are one tough saw. I also own and abuse a MS192CE, and both saws punch way above their weight. We live in the country, and there are 4 service centres within 30 minutes. The MS260 drops and junks up 15-20" softwood trees day after day, and makes short work out of 10-15" hardwood. East to start, great balance and easy to field service, Great value for the money. If you can wait for their specials, they throw in free stuff such as cases, extra chains and oil.