A good saw choice

[clearance]

Do the specs on the stihl 361 compare with the 2171? Because I agree with you that 624 is a lot but I always found Stihl to be a little more?

The 2171 is a bigger saw, and it will blow away a 361 like its standing Stihl. I have one, its a sweetheart, just like a 372.

 

[aandabooks]

Also I think the Jonsered 2171 is pushing $700. No dealers around so online would be the only way to buy any of the Jonsered saws for me. I think the Jonsered compares more closely to the MS440.

Matt

 

[TobyNC]

Howdy all, I've been reading these post with interest. I'm kinda like Tazman1602, I've got a 610 (20" is bar of choice) that is 25+ years old, and i'm thinking about a new saw. Now a little background, I own a dumptruck, and i get alot of my wood from clearing jobs (dirty), I also cut out of pushups (piles), size ranges from 2-3in. to 40+ in. 8'-16'. Now what i'm looking for, is a saw that gets little to no maint. Might never see the inside of a shop,fill it up w gas/oil, maybe a file from time to time (bar and chain as needed), gets rode hard and put up wet. That said, I do take care of my stuff. (grin) I'm kinda looking at staying in the 59-60cc range, might go alittle higher. The MS 390, MS 361, Husky 359, are what I been looking at. I have 1 Husky,and 2 Stihl dealers close. What do yaw'l think . Toby

 

[Saw Bones]

Hello All,

I posted this question quite a while ago over the chainsaw forum. I figured I'll post it here because there seems to be a slight difference in the type of people that populate this forum. Here is the question:

If you had $400 to spend on a good firewood saw, which one saw would you chose?

When I posted this over on the chainsaw forum, all of my original choices that fit the most power for the money seemed to be power-to-weight problems. And I got alot of suggestions for saws that simply didn't fit the budget. (Stihl MS361) Here's the deal, nearest Dolmar dealer is 45 miles and Husky dealer is 33 miles away. Within that range I can easily hit 7-8 Stihl dealers. One of which I know from recommedation has excellent service technicians. Alot of you seem to be practical about using the saw as a tool to cut wood more than a collector piece or something to lineup and take pictures of. So I am seeking your opinions.

Thanks,
Matt

I would make the trip to the Dolmar dealer and look at the 510, or 5100. I just got a 510 not long ago and I love it. Best saws for the money I think.

the 510 was about $325, and the 5100 is around $429 in my part of the country.:greenchainsaw:

You cant go wrong with a Husky or a Stihl either.

 

[aandabooks]

Toby,

I am in the same situation saw wise as you. Those are basically the saws that I have narrowed it down to. The 361 is out of the price range but the Dolmar 6400 is on the list. The 359 is going to be out in the next day or two with Husky shutting down internet sales. The Dolmar would be bought online. The 5100 is $389 around here but doesn't seem to be enough to occasionally run a 24" bar. Probably going to end up buying a 390 with a 24" bar and then buy an 18" for 95% of my cutting.

I started a thread in the chainsaw forum a couple of days ago and with my requirements for a chainsaw now that Husky online sales are coming to an end. I was thinking about buying a 359 from one of the online dealers but the common consensus was that it wouldn't run a 24" bar well with the small bar mount.

Matt

 

[SWI Don]

One thing I believe you mentioned was visiting a John Deere dealer looking at Stihl saws. What about one of the JD (Efco) Saws. Sounds like their ~60CC saw has some pretty good spunk and would probably fare well against the Stihl saws you are looking at. I noticed there was some follow up discussions over on the Chainsaw forum in the last week and the prices seemed very reasonable and the respones were positive.

Good luck in your search.

Don

 

[wampum]

Amick's has some good deals on 5100's.Several guys are picking up used makita 6401's at home depot fairly cheap.Later on you can droop a 7900 jug and piston in it for about 200.00 or less.

 

[aandabooks]

I stopped by a Home Depot in the Chicago suburbs earlier this week when I was up visiting relatives. They didn't have any for sale. Not sure I would want what they did have as they were pretty beat up.

The John Deere dealership I stopped at had one Deere saw and I think it was 55cc version. Not sure on the price but I have seen some good comments about them here on AS.

I would probably go for the 6400 over the 5100 with the Dolmar line. It would be a sale from Amick's if I did go that route.

Matt

 

[Knotdodger]

I do all of my cutting with a MS361 and Ms180. Although I ran into some oak yesterday that I could have easily used a 460 on.. 30plus inches. Two cuts with the 361 and walaaaa. Pssttt... Maybee next year a 660 for those rare finds...hehe

 

[aandabooks]

Well its almost next year now. I cut up a 37" soft maple in a guys front yard last year with a Poulan 2775 20" and Craftsman 18" 42 cc. Slow going but I eventually got the job done. I was doing the guy a favor since he couldn't do it himself. Worked out to 5 trailer loads.

A 361 would probably be the ideal saw but it doesn't fit in the budget.

Matt

 

[gtstang462002]

Matt,

The end of this summer I melted the piston in my $150 special from walmart cutting up 32 inch poplar logs for firewood. At that point in time I proceeded to head down to sears and buy a comparable replacement. Got it home, fired it up, made one cut with it and took it back. Then headed over to my stihl dealer and was sold the MS290 with a 20" bar with the stihl sharpening kit for just under $350. So long as I can keep the bar out of the dirt it holds a good edge and has cut anything with power to spare that I have sank the bar into. Over the weekend I just fell a dead sycamore that was close to 40" across. The saw cut through it like butter and never slowed down a bit. My vote goes for the MS290.

Bobby

 

[aandabooks]

Bobby,

That is probably where I am headed. I want to buy a brand new saw. I don't work on them myself and I am thinking this will be my last saw for a while. Probably go the 310/390 route for a little more power. The 290/310/390s are widely put down here at AS. It seems that since they are not professional grade and the power-to-weight ratio being bad by comparison to other saws.

Matt

 

[Dok]

Not true at all! Those are all great saws and will last a long long time cutting firewood. Go for it!
Dok

 

[spike60]

Interesting thing about this thread is how much wood Matt has been cutting with the 3 saws he already owns. Saws that on this site would be dismissed as completely inadequate for the job. It may take a little longer, but he still has a good pile of wood at the end, right?

I see this more often than you would think. Guys come in and want to know what they can get for $200. Sometimes a guy comes in for a chain for an old XL12 or Mac 10-10. Their feeling is if the saw is doing it's job, it doesn't need to be replaced. To many people saws aren't a hobby. They are a tool to cut firewood to save money, so the least they can spend, the better.

Granted, power is seductive, and once you have it you don't want to go back to the smaller saws. But to a lot of guys, price and weight are equally important.

 

[gtstang462002]

I cut a hell of alot more wood with that poulan than it was ever designed to cut and I was working it harder than it was ever designed to be worked the day that the piston melted in it. Am I dissapointed with it? Abolutly not. Though since firewood it my primary heat and I can only afford one saw every couple of years I spent a couple extra dollars and bought a replacement that had a reputation for reliability. I am definatly satisfied with the saws balance and performance for what I am using it for. And would recommend it to anyone looking to use it in the same manner that I am.

 

[aandabooks]

While I'll be buying a better more powerful saw here very shortly, the Poulan or Craftsman will still be going to cut wood. And if they were to both die, I wouldn't have either one of the repaired. It would be time to go buy another. I have too many chains for either just to hang all of them up on the pegboard. Plus they have been reliable and if I figure up how much wood I have cut with them while they sip gas, the cutting is pretty cheap.

Matt

 

[pacman]

Good Choice

Matt,

The end of this summer I melted the piston in my $150 special from walmart cutting up 32 inch poplar logs for firewood. At that point in time I proceeded to head down to sears and buy a comparable replacement. Got it home, fired it up, made one cut with it and took it back. Then headed over to my stihl dealer and was sold the MS290 with a 20" bar with the stihl sharpening kit for just under $350. So long as I can keep the bar out of the dirt it holds a good edge and has cut anything with power to spare that I have sank the bar into. Over the weekend I just fell a dead sycamore that was close to 40" across. The saw cut through it like butter and never slowed down a bit. My vote goes for the MS290.

Bobby

I have a ms290 .It is really a work horse .I am a hard worker and I have to have a tool that will stand up to the pressure that I dish out .You really made a good choice just like me . I was going to buy a bigger saw but the dealer told me that the 290 was all I needed He was right .

Mike

 

[Bowtie]

You guys are all correct in my opinion. I started out with a ms290 as my first new saw, then traded it in for the 441. I have since built an 029Super, same basically as the MS290. I have more saws than I need, and bigger saws than I need for the most part. (Arboristsite's fault). Anyway them 290's sure have cut a lot of firewood and taken some abuse. Another plus being parts are all over the place and pretty cheap by stihl parts standards. I never thought the 029/290 was too heavy, I just cut wood with it.

 

[windthrown]

Well, I have been a 290 advocate here on AS for some time now... and getting bashed about it. The 290 cuts and cuts and cuts. And I run it with 18" and 20" bars. And it cuts and cuts and cuts...

 

[Dok]

Well, I have been a 290 advocate here on AS for some time now... and getting bashed about it. The 290 cuts and cuts and cuts. And I run it with 18" and 20" bars. And it cuts and cuts and cuts...

I was wondering when you would show up! Lets talk this guy into a 290, it will be a first for AS A 290 is all he will ever need, if he wants more a 310 or 390 would be fine. No need for a pro saw to cut wood.
Dok