Saw for personal use??

[premix]

Of the saws mentioned I would get the Echo CS-670. Defiantly a high quality well built saw. With one of the best bar oil systems out there. All saws have good and bad points.

As far as the MS 290. I own a 029 and it weighs the same as my Echo CS-670! And the 029 has no where near the power or RPMs of the 670. The only saw I like more than my CS-670 is my 046 magnum but it coast much more than my CS-670.

 

[collins8]

Looks like the Husky 359 and the stihl 310 are in my price range. I will go to the local shop and check them out.
What proferssional grade saw in both stihl and husky would be a good one to look at if I can spend a little more money??

Rob

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Husky, don't know. I'm not a Husky guy. Nothing against them, they're good saws, I'm just a Stihl guy. That said, if you can put up some extra cash, look at the MS260 or the MS361. They'll both be $500+ new from a dealer. MS260, tried and true saw. But from what I've heard on this site, get one from last year. I guess the hp rating on them has gone down a little bit. I've got a 361. Great saw. It fills the slot of the 036/360, but it's a whole new saw, with a new engine and anti-vibe mounts. I love it. Couldn't be happier with it. I got mine for $530, which was last year's price. My dealer has them for $589 now. Whatever you end up with, do your homework-which you are here-and buy the best saw you can. You won't regret getting the best you can. And also remember, more $$ doesn't always mean a better saw. That said, when you pay for a name like Stihl or Husqvarna, their name is a name because they're a good saw, and have been for a good number of years.

Take care all,
Jeff

 

[collins8]

Looks like the 361 is a great saw. Is the quality of this saw that much better than the MS 310?? I want something that is built to last and If I need to up my budget so be it. I am sure power wise either saw will work but build qulaity means alot to me. Also I want a saw that will idle well if I keep the varnich out of the carb over time.
Rob

 

[collins8]

I have no local shop to look at the Echo products and I was wondering if the build quality of the Echo 670 is anything close to the quality of the Stihl MS 361??

 

[Lobo]

Looks like the 361 is a great saw. Is the quality of this saw that much better than the MS 310??
Rob

It is better, but more money also.

Lbs for lbs it will be better short, medium and long term.

You will be extremely happy with the MS361 and you'll never look back.

 

[k650vt]

If you're only going to use the saw 10 to 20 hours a year the Stihl 361 ( mid $500) might be more saw than you need. The Stihl 260 is a good all around saw, it comes in 2 models the MS260 (about $429 ) and the MS260 PRO ( about $479 ) Both hold there values very good and the 361 is a great saw too. The PRO model has an adjustable oiler (something you'll never touch once set), decompression valve ( probably never use) and I believe some air filter differences. First thing I do when I'm going to buy something is check ebay, you can learn alot about almost anything on there.You don't have to buy there but you can see what the real world value is,how many are out there, features on each, etc. You might want to ask about chain on the saw, They come with a 325 but you can also get it with the 3/8. The 260 I bought came with the 325 chain, all my other saws have 3/8. The 325 seems a little slow to me but then my other saws are bigger.

 

[collins8]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=79669&item=4357752718&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I know it is used, but looks nice.
Is this a good saw??
What is a fair price in your opinion??

I have read there were some great performing saws before the new EPA guidlines hurt performance. Out of the older saws what is a real good quality saw to try and find on Ebay??

Rob

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Well right now looking at it, at first glance, I'd say go for it all the way. The MS360 (formerly the 036) is a great saw, and is the predacessor to the 361 we all love. An ebay seller with 100% pos feedback, and a guarantee/return policy. Sounds good to me. Thinking about it more, the price on it now, $206 probably isn't what it will sell for, but you could pay all the way up to your $370 limit for this saw, and have a "better" saw than the 310. By better I mean that this is a pro saw model. It's still a Stihl, so it's like comparing a Chevy Z71 fullsize pickup to an S-10. They're both Chevy, and of the same quality, maybe made in the same plant, but the fullsize is more of a pro truck that you might see a contractor or farmer driving. Does that make sense? It's the closest analogy I could think of at 5 AM! Another thing to think about, and if you can email him in the time left, I would- If this is a 2003 saw, why has he changed the piston/cylinder, clutch, bearing and starter cord? It could be as simple as he ran straight gas through it, which is common, and had to fix it. That'd be a decent deal, as it's a low hour saw which has some brand new significant components. Now, if he drove over it with a skidder and had to replace these things, you may have some other problems with it, though I doubt that's the case. I'd say it's a question of straight gas, or he's just a tinkerer. Or it could be he's a pro and the saw has tons of hours on it and he just rebuilt it, though it doesn't look like it's seen pro use. But he's got that guarantee, he says it runs great, it looks great. Worse come to worse, the 360 is a recent model, and parts, service and help are readily available at the dealer, or here. If I was looking for a 360, I'd buy this saw. I haven't been watching 360's on ebay, so I don't know what they're going for, but I'd pay about $300 +/- for this saw. Pay whatever you're comfortable with, but you start paying up into $350-$400, you can get into 044/MS440s for that. But that's just MY opinion. I'm sure you've read the other threads on here about buying a saw on ebay. I've had decent luck so far, with only one saw being not what was advertised, but I was able to sell it for parts, and get my money out of it, so all's well.

Good luck, I'm going to bed. I'll check in with y'all in the morning.

Take care all,
Jeff

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Boy, I type alot-even in the wee hours of the morning. Sorry guys!

Jeff

 

[Lobo]

UP FOR BID IS A USED MS360 SAW WITH A NEW 20" ROLLAMATIC BAR AND NEW CHAIN. I PURCHASED THIS SAW NEW IN 2003 AND NO LONGER NEED IT. I JUST NOW INSTALLED A NEW PISTON & CYLINDER AND GASKET. ALL PARTS WERE PURCHASED FROM MY LOCAL STIHL DEALER AND ARE ORIGINAL STIHL PARTS. I ALSO INSTALLED A NEW CLUTCH DRUM WITH SPROCKET AND BEARING, A NEW SPARK PLUG, A NEW PULL CORD, AND CARB. KIT.

Hum! Why has a saw purchased in 2003 been so completely rebuilt ?

RED LIGHT! RED LIGHT !! RED LIGHT !!! RED LIGHT !!!!

 

[woodshop]

Boy, I type alot-even in the wee hours of the morning. Sorry guys!

Jeff

...no problem fish... its called diarrhea of the fingers, and I get it bad from time to time also ...the wife explains it as an "urge to be heard with an anal twist to it" ...I still love her :angel:

collins, get an MS361 and be done with it... you will have a saw for life, and never regret the purchase, even if you only use it sparingly now, you might get into it more later and wish then you had a good pro saw. Plus, a 361 will hold its value if you eventually want to sell it.

 

[Locoweed]

Assuming that the guy is reasonably competent at assembling the parts and there wasn't anything else wrong, it sounds good to me.

At least you know it has been looked at by some one. Many of the saws on ebay look pretty questionable and are sold by pawn shops who are just selling and don't know much about saws.

 

[tony marks]

my first thot .. its the 360 not the 036.. what has this saw been doing that required
that much work .. its not an old saw in yrs.. it probably was used every day..
so your confidence is in the quality of work done to refurbish..the saw looks good so why all the fixin..i myself wouldonly pay what it finally goes for if i could not try it out.. jmo

 

[Lawn Masters]

Maybe some idiot put straight gas through it.

 

[Lobo]

Maybe some idiot put straight gas through it.

If that is the case new bearings should have been installed also on the crank.

However straight gas has nothing to do with clutch drum, sprocket, pull cord etc.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

collins, get an MS361 and be done with it... you will have a saw for life, and never regret the purchase, even if you only use it sparingly now, you might get into it more later and wish then you had a good pro saw. Plus, a 361 will hold its value if you eventually want to sell it.

collins8-
I agree. If you're willing to up your spending limit, go for it. There's nothing wrong with getting a deal, but there's also nothing wrong with buying it right the first time. That wasn't you that bought that 036 was it? My recommendation to buy was contingent on you talking to the seller, and getting his story on why the rebuild. I was out getting firewood with my girlfriend today, and I thought about my wording in my earlier post, and that I didn't mention that, and hoped you wouldn't end up buying a possible lemon saw on my advice without talking to the seller first! If you're willing to spend the money, go see your dealer tomorrow and get the 361, and then never have to wonder if you got a good saw or not. If not, that's cool you could opt for the 310, and still come out with a good saw for your needs.

Take care all,
Jeff

 

[timber]

stihl

stihl is the best

 

[Drive_1305]

Don't buy used! You'll be sorry. Buy from a local dealer or good interent dealer like Baileys. You have to be careful buying from ebay its hard to judge a saw from a picture and description.

 

[retoocs555]

Isn't this advice about 1 yr late Yeah, I never buy anything on ebay