The MS250 is a good occasional use saw. Good power yet light, reliable, and easy to handle. It is best with a 16" bar but will handle an 18 as long as you don't intend to bury it. If you want more zoom at a reasonable price consider the MS290 but it is a bit porky.

Shermers, your dealer sounds like he's giving good advise. Canguy, good stuff as usual. Popular Mechanics liked the MS250 best of 7 moderately priced saws (for whatever that's worth to you). Why they compared it to the Husky 345 instead of the 350 I don't know. A friend of mine bought the 350 and likes it. My brother-in-law swears by his Stihl 290 because it has been so reliable, but to me it's way too heavy for its power. I have been very happy so far with my Shindaiwa 488. Echo is probably better than Husqvarna and Stihl if you're looking at anything smaller than the MS250.

Here is a link that might be useful: PM chain saw comparison

The MS250 is 45cc, same as the Husky 345, so they can be fairly compared. The MS270 is closer to the 350 but a more modern design. The small Echos are great but might be a little short for your application.

The 250 is a great saw for occasional homeowner use. Not too heavy and decent power. I have a 170 and a 250. I like the 170 for the light weight when I limb. On the ground I like 250. If you are going to be doing alot of firewood, you may want to consider a saw that can handle a larger bar. But from your comments it sounds like the 250 would be a great saw for your needs. Also go with the brand that will get you the best dealer support wether that be Husky, Stihl, Dolmar, Shindaiwa, etc. If you don't have much experience with chainsaws, have the dealer spend some time with you on how to properly use the saw. I could not tell from your post if you are new to chainsaws or just catching up with current chainsaw offerings.

The dealer may have a place for you to test cut with the saws you are considering. That would be a nice quick way to preview what you are considering.

Shermers,

Just out curiosity, about what is the trunk diameter of those old Bradford pears? I see you have already gotten a lot of good advice.

I would also advise that you purchase a manual chain sharpening kit at the same time you get your chainsaw and have your dealer show you how to use it. I asked my dealer about one of those power sharpeners like the Dremel Chainsaw Attachment, but my dealer recommended manual sharpening to avoid over-heating and detempering the chain cutters, and to avoid excessive metal removal. Stihl has a good downloadable manual on chain sharpening.

Make sure your saw also comes with a bar removal tool. Ever since a tree "changed its mind" and captured my chainsaw in a closed felling cut, I have been carrying my bar removal in the pocket of my chainsaw chaps in case something like that happens again.

One of those chainsaw helmets with a fold-down wire full face screen and fold-down ear protectors is advisable. I also use my chainsaw helmet when operating my shredder-chipper, for the handy ear protection and the screenwire face screen keeps stuff out of my face.

I spent more than I originally intended when I decided to "upgrade" my purchase to the Stihl MS361, but every time I use it I am glad I did. I had also intended to get an 18" or 20" bar, but my dealer tried me out with several chainsaws, discussed my intended usage situation, and finally recommended a 16" bar.

After using the saw for over two years, I am quite convinced my dealer was right about that. The 16-inch bar is lighter and easier to wield, plenty long for most situations, and there are several techniques for dealing with larger diameter trees with a smaller bar.

I have "whittled down" several trees larger than 20 inches with my 16-inch bar. Admittedly, a longer bar would be handy for bucking the resulting large logs, but when bucking from the top, I start horizontal and then use a "saw over" technique to cut several inches vertically into the far side so that I can finish the cut with the bar in the horizontal position.

Your dealer can show you stuff like that better than I can explain it. Always be wary of kickback tendencies then the saw tip is completely submerged. Well, I guess always be wary of kickback, period.

But I think those wood sculpture guys who use chainsaws to carve big logs into totem poles, bears, and such are working pretty much in a continual state of controlled kickback while doing their plunge cuts.

MM

Thanks for the advice. The pear trees are probably no more than a 10" in diameter, but boy do they have alot of brush. I also have several old and very large oak stumps that I would like to cut close to the ground, but I wouldn't mind whittling away at them. I have no intention of submerging the tip at this point in my career. I have limited use with chainsaw in the past, and quite frankly I was scared quite a bit while using them. I have been doing a fair amount of reading on line but there is no substitute for experience. I will ask the dealer to spend some time with me. He recommended the 18" bar just to have but it sounds like the 16" is better for my needs. In the rare instance I need more I have a close friend with a 20" bar on a Stihl saw.

Shermers,

"I also have several old and very large oak stumps that I would like to cut close to the ground, but I wouldn't mind whittling away at them."

Just be very careful to keep your chainsaw out of the dirt when doing that. The grit from a little dirt can wear the moving parts of your chain very quickly, and possibly harm your bar as well. It wouldn't take much dirt to ruin the chain and possibly the bar.

If the stumps themselves are now dirty, it might be worthwhile to wash them down with a hose or pressure washer before "whittling" at them. Sand and grit are serious enemies to your bar and chain. Of course, there is always a little dirt involved and, for that reason and to deal with tree "gum", I have adjusted my chain oil pump rate somewhat higher then the default setting. My chain throws some oil, but I don't mind that, because it helps the chain to stay cleaner and run cooler.

It might pay you to rent a stump grinder to finish up the stump job. A stump grinder can grind the stumps down much further than you could safely cut them with a chainsaw. You could start the stump job with your chain saw, but the stump grinder could even grind the stumps down somewhat below ground level, so that you could fill in over them. Get the rental place to instruct you how to use the stump grinder. They're not cheap to rent, but they are the fastest way to make stumps "go away."

MM

Thanks again, I will after a while rent a stump grinder. For now I just will cut them closer to the ground. They are a good two feet tall. I will hose them down if they are dirty, and clear dirt away from the bottom with a shovel. I can't wait until my wife sees me hosing down old tree stumps. She'll know I've finally cracked. LOL. Rotten wood isn't bad for the chain saw is it?
Thanks again

Shermers

Shermers,

Rotten won't hurt your chainsaw, but it can be a bit messy because it is so powdery.

Rotten wood can hurt you if it is in a tree that you are felling and you don't know about it. It can cause the tree to fall in an unexpected way. Once I was felling a tree that seemed OK to a visual inspection, but just as the tree started to give a bit in response to my felling cut, that slight motion dislodged a rotten limb from the tree which missed my head by inches.

Of course I had my helmet on but, even so, if that rotten limb had hit me it would have "rung my bell". It weighed quite a bit, but shattered on impact.

I think that from my viewpoint near the base of the tree looking up it must have been obscured by live limbs.

MM

They call those type of falling limbs widowmakers. They can be extremely dangerous. The don't have to be very large to kill. If the branch falls from about 50 feet it will be traveling at almost 40mph when it hits.

I've heard of widowmakers. You often read "be careful of widowmakers", but what can specifically be to avoid them.
Whem I was a boy one of my Dad's friends from work was just working in his yard when a limb came down on his back and left him parapalegic. So widowmakers are a risk when doing work on trees or just being around trees.
Shermers

Just being around trees but I would imagine the chances are greater working on trees due to the movements you are forcing on the tree.

About 13 years ago I was spring skiing in Bishop, CA. We had a great time and headed north to Yosemite. A few days later we read in the paper that a man was out hiking (I think with some boyscouts) where we had found trailhead to get to the snow. The windstorm had blown a branch off that impaled the poor soul. Could have been us. Only instance I have heard of but I would bet the rate is higher than one death in 13 years for a falling limb.

Shouldn't be no widowmakers on those stumps. I'm going to try to make some time this week to purchase a saw and get to work on of those old stumps. thanks again.

Shermers

I second Maineman's recommendation of a helmet with ear protection. It's the most convenient way to get eye and ear protection and it's handy for other noisy equipment. One thing I especially like is how easy it is to flip the muffs out away from your ears to carry on a conversaton. Ear plugs are a pain in that situation.