A Tale of Three Saws

[Tzed250]

Another advantage of .404 is the wider kerf. It makes for less efficient use of power, but the clearance in a deep, long cut can be a real plus.



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[Andyshine77]

No arguing here, just discussing how different chain works in different situations. I can see now in more adverse conditions .404 being more useful, and how a wider kerf could be beneficial.

 

[john inglis]

.404

i do not use .404 a lot but it is hard to beat cutting up trunks with a 4" to 6" pipe full of wet muck and grit in the bark , rarely use full chisel on anything as it does not keep an edge long enough for me to want to use it on the timber i am cutting .a lot of the guys cutting firewood for a living arround here have gone to husky 395's with .404 for durability and lack of air filter hassles . i'm cutting on sandy stoney ridges with a fair bit of quartz stone , we get really bad westerly winds here and the bark can be full of grit 6' off the ground . do use .375 semi chisel most of the time on my 460's but .404 on the 076 or 090 eats the dirty stuff better

ps these ridge grown trees can be a pain to bark in the dry times and last year was our driest year on record .

 

[Thorcw]

I think they should bring 1/2 chain back or 9/16 very cool chain:spam:

 

[MCW]

I think they should bring 1/2 chain back or 9/16 very cool chain:spam:

Lets ask for inch chain

Hey .404" isn't for everybody thats for sure. To run a few different guages when not 100% necessary is a real pain in the butt.

I wasn't taking any comments personally in regard to .404" chain, it's just that every now and then I've run my own comparisons and come up with a completely different answer to some on this site. As mentioned though, the vast amount of full chisel used on this site suggests that abrasive, tough cutting conditions aren't encountered a hell of a lot by many here

 

[Thorcw]

Well Oregon has said theyll make any chain you want but you need to buy 20,000 feet of it

 

[MCW]

Well Oregon has said theyll make any chain you want but you need to buy 20,000 feet of it

Oh I was only joking!

Wanna go halves?

 

[wigglesworth]

Oh I was only joking!

Wanna go halves?

Im in...but I only want the left halves. I got some left handed circles to cut..

 

[MCW]

Im in...but I only want the left halves. I got some left handed circles to cut..

Bahahaha Does that mean Oregon will make 10,000 feet instead of 20,000 feet?

 

[MCW]

Well today was the day. I had both the 390 and 660 arrive in Australia. I was absolutely fuming that I had work to do until 6pm so didn't get the chance to run these saws today in daylight. I have tomorrow (Friday) off so am going to give them a run in the morning. The Makita is still on it's way.
I do have some pretty saddening (to me) news. The 660 is already sold and will be going back interstate with it's new owner tomorrow morning. Unfortunately a good mate of mine who is a plastic welder but also has a chainsaw/tree felling business like mine has sold his 880 and was buying a new 660 next week. I happened to let slip that I had one coming and he instantly put first dibs on it. It couldn't have arrived at a better time for him or a worse time for me. I was really hoping to get video of it etc but my fiancee is in Canada with the video camera and won't be back for another 1 1/2 weeks. My mate DEFINATELY needed this saw by then so alas, no tree felling vids or even log chopping vids of the 660 in my back yard I'm sorry to let some of the guys here down. He actually wanted it tonight but I said NO WAY as I am going to rip into a few logs with it that I have at home in the morning. He certainly wasn't taking this saw before I'd used it...
I fueled and oiled both saws up and as expected they fired up without a hitch - as you'd expect with quality pro saws. I'll be honest in saying that I instantly felt more at home holding the 390, simply because it's what I'm used to. I can assure you my mate will be more at home with the 660 - it's what we're both used to.
Revving both saws out back basically told me what I'd already expected - I liked the sound, feel, and throttle response of the 390 over the 660. There is something with the 660 that just doesn't "gel" with me as far as the feel and balance goes.
Anyway, I'll keep everybody informed but I am really disappointed that I won't be able to run the 660 in a tree felling scenario - bummer

One thing though, he is REALLY excited about his new saw being modified after me raving on about my Dolmars and 390XPG. However to him it is just a tool to make money, not a sign of CAD

 

[AUSSIE1]

Well today was the day. I had both the 390 and 660 arrive in Australia. I was absolutely fuming that I had work to do until 6pm so didn't get the chance to run these saws today in daylight. I have tomorrow (Friday) off so am going to give them a run in the morning. The Makita is still on it's way.
I do have some pretty saddening (to me) news. The 660 is already sold and will be going back interstate with it's new owner tomorrow morning. Unfortunately a good mate of mine who is a plastic welder but also has a chainsaw/tree felling business like mine has sold his 880 and was buying a new 660 next week. I happened to let slip that I had one coming and he instantly put first dibs on it. It couldn't have arrived at a better time for him or a worse time for me. I was really hoping to get video of it etc but my fiancee is in Canada with the video camera and won't be back for another 1 1/2 weeks. My mate DEFINATELY needed this saw by then so alas, no tree felling vids or even log chopping vids of the 660 in my back yard I'm sorry to let some of the guys here down. He actually wanted it tonight but I said NO WAY as I am going to rip into a few logs with it that I have at home in the morning. He certainly wasn't taking this saw before I'd used it...
I fueled and oiled both saws up and as expected they fired up without a hitch - as you'd expect with quality pro saws. I'll be honest in saying that I instantly felt more at home holding the 390, simply because it's what I'm used to. I can assure you my mate will be more at home with the 660 - it's what we're both used to.
Revving both saws out back basically told me what I'd already expected - I liked the sound, feel, and throttle response of the 390 over the 660. There is something with the 660 that just doesn't "gel" with me as far as the feel and balance goes.
Anyway, I'll keep everybody informed but I am really disappointed that I won't be able to run the 660 in a tree felling scenario - bummer

One thing though, he is REALLY excited about his new saw being modified after me raving on about my Dolmars and 390XPG. However to him it is just a tool to make money, not a sign of CAD

Fair enough mate.

Let us know how the 390's compare.

 

[MCW]

Fair enough mate.

Let us know how the 390's compare.

I am absolutely spewing Al. I am actually quite upset that I won't have the chance to give it a good run. If he wasn't a mate I'd say he can wait for a month but...

 

[tdi-rick]

Fair enough mate.

Let us know how the 390's compare.

Ditto.

 

[porky616]

love a good chain debate. i aint saying nothing just gonna sit back and giggle quietly and watch the feathers fly, might just grab another beer and get comfy.

 

[MCW]

love a good chain debate. i aint saying nothing just gonna sit back and giggle quietly and watch the feathers fly, might just grab another beer and get comfy.

Like you'd know anything about chains and tough cutting conditions

 

[Rudolf73]

Thats to bad Matt, I guess we'll just have to order another 660...

Im waiting to see how that makita goes - very impressed with its performance compared to the 90cc saws in Brad videos.

 

[porky616]

Like you'd know anything about chains and tough cutting conditions

lips are sealed brother :taped:

 

[MCW]

Thats to bad Matt, I guess we'll just have to order another 660...

Im waiting to see how that makita goes - very impressed with its performance compared to the 90cc saws in Brad videos.

Trying to work out what I can do here to get around it. I do go cutting with him occasionally so may be able to organise piccys and vids at a later date. I've got a 7' diameter 120' high dead Red Gum to drop for him on a river flat over the next month or two so should be able to get some good vids of the 660, 390, and 7901 then.

 

[Stihlman441]

BUGGER about the 660 going

 

[Rudolf73]

Trying to work out what I can do here to get around it. I do go cutting with him occasionally so may be able to organise piccys and vids at a later date. I've got a 7' diameter 120' high dead Red Gum to drop for him on a river flat over the next month or two so should be able to get some good vids of the 660, 390, and 7901 then.

That will be good - the saws will also be run in buy then.

And that red gum sounds like a good load of firewood haha