Dolmar 5100 or Husqvarna 346 xp

[mini kahuna]

I have used a 346xp for years and I have had a 5100 for about 6 months.
both saws with a 16" bar,the dolmar is stronger in full bar cuts,when cutting small branches and trimming there's no difference in speed.
346xp never let me down,very dependable saw.
5100 is too new a machine to compare to the husky dependability.
use a 5100 all day,no vibration,the husky has more vibration in the hands,but not something that is excessive.
the 5100 is able to use a 18",the husky not so much,it seems the best at 16" in hardwood.
either saw is a great choice,can't go wrong with either machine.

 

[SawTroll]

for $425 you can get a husky 359. heavier than the other ones but, would allow you to take down some fairly significant trees. if your going to have one saw for $400 thats what i would choose.

I would skip that one, unless I planned on having it modded - too close to the PS5100 in power and torque, in spite of more ccs and weight.....:biggrinbounce2:

 

[blis]

I would skip that one, unless I planned on having it modded - too close to the PS5100 in power and torque, in spite of more ccs and weight.....:biggrinbounce2:

If you wanted to be real cheap go out and buy used 254xp from somewhere, it should be actually a bit faster than 5100 (on paper that is, 4.1hp of 254xp vs 4.0hp of 5100)

:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[outdoortype]

dumb question reguarding high revving saws....

Does it effect the durability of smaller displacement, high revving saws when using them for say 14"-16" hardwood(oak,etc.)? A local dealer told me some time ago that might be too hard on that little saw and it wouldn't last as long as it should. I was merely looking at it like "horsepower is horsepower" reguardless of rpms. He wasn't referring to the 346xp or the 5100s. I think he was talking about the Stihls. Years ago, we used smaller macs and the like for firewood, but I don't think they revved that fast.

 

[blis]

Does it effect the durability of smaller displacement, high revving saws when using them for say 14"-16" hardwood(oak,etc.)? A local dealer told me some time ago that might be too hard on that little saw and it wouldn't last as long as it should. I was merely looking at it like "horsepower is horsepower" reguardless of rpms. He wasn't referring to the 346xp or the 5100s. I think he was talking about the Stihls. Years ago, we used smaller macs and the like for firewood, but I don't think they revved that fast.

It wont affect the durability of saw...

 

[precaud]

Does it effect the durability of smaller displacement, high revving saws when using them for say 14"-16" hardwood(oak,etc.)?

As compared to using them for... what?

 

[mini kahuna]

i would not feed a 346xp a steady diet of 16"-18" bar hardwood,that is asking alot from a saw of that displacement,a larger saw would make more sense.
saw and you would be less tired at the end of the day.

 

[outdoortype]

As compared to using them for... what?

I would consider limbing saws mostly for wood up to 10". I would think a saw that rev's up quick would be better for making small cuts. But maybe those saws are designed to handle quick ups and downs in RPMs and sustaining those RPM's in longer cuts might be detrimental. Oh well, just a thought.