Stihl 280 CQS vs. 310 - recommendations?
Hi guys,
This is my first post, and I'm sure not my last. I aquired some land and am going to a wood burning stove as primary heat next winter. I'm fed up w/the natural gas company raising the prices all of the time while capping wells around here
.
I've used family saws before, but now I have a reason to buy my first next week. I don't want a consumer saw, because it'll see too much use cutting firewood and need something powerful enough to chunk out sections, (what's the right term?), of some big downed hardwood once in a while (larger than 24"diameter). I've heard mostly good things about Stihls and thought I'd go that route, but am keeping an open mind to other suggestions. I've looked at what the Stihl retailer$ around here have to offer and this is what I'm looking at:
Stihl 280 CQS : 54cc - Is it powerfull enough to chunk out seasoned hardwood?
12.1 Pounds - lighter by around a pound than the 310, but this model is more expensive......Why? Maybe because of the magnesium lower engine case and all of the new features that the 310 doesn't have: The only two that I'm interested in are the quick chain adjustment and the extra anti-kickback grip release feature..... I've seen two guys who look like Dr. Mengella enjoyed doing surgery on their faces.
Stihl 310: 59cc - Is this one got the power to do the job?
13.2 Pounds - I little bit heavy for long firewood cutting jobs, but probably not too much ( allthesame, its hard to believe that the old 044 wasn't much heavier than this). It has the plastic case, but doubt if there will many times when the chance of dropping it will be higher than my shoulders. Pros: Better power and better price makes me lean toward the 310.
Cons: None of the new extras, esp. the grip release brake.
I've read threads about carberator mods, too weak oilers, etc. on other Stihl models, so maybe these have the same problems. Either way, I'm open to suggestions and comments on these and other saws. Please keep in mind I'm looking for 1. safety, 2. year round reliability, 3. enough power for the use, 4. not much heavier. 5. Oh, and compatability of larger chain size important.
Thanks,
Frank
===============
Hi guys,
This is my first post, and I'm sure not my last. I aquired some land and am going to a wood burning stove as primary heat next winter. I'm fed up w/the natural gas company raising the prices all of the time while capping wells around here
. I've used family saws before, but now I have a reason to buy my first next week. I don't want a consumer saw, because it'll see too much use cutting firewood and need something powerful enough to chunk out sections, (what's the right term?), of some big downed hardwood once in a while (larger than 24"diameter). I've heard mostly good things about Stihls and thought I'd go that route, but am keeping an open mind to other suggestions. I've looked at what the Stihl retailer$ around here have to offer and this is what I'm looking at:
Stihl 280 CQS : 54cc - Is it powerfull enough to chunk out seasoned hardwood?
12.1 Pounds - lighter by around a pound than the 310, but this model is more expensive......Why? Maybe because of the magnesium lower engine case and all of the new features that the 310 doesn't have: The only two that I'm interested in are the quick chain adjustment and the extra anti-kickback grip release feature..... I've seen two guys who look like Dr. Mengella enjoyed doing surgery on their faces.
Stihl 310: 59cc - Is this one got the power to do the job?
13.2 Pounds - I little bit heavy for long firewood cutting jobs, but probably not too much ( allthesame, its hard to believe that the old 044 wasn't much heavier than this). It has the plastic case, but doubt if there will many times when the chance of dropping it will be higher than my shoulders. Pros: Better power and better price makes me lean toward the 310.
Cons: None of the new extras, esp. the grip release brake.
I've read threads about carberator mods, too weak oilers, etc. on other Stihl models, so maybe these have the same problems. Either way, I'm open to suggestions and comments on these and other saws. Please keep in mind I'm looking for 1. safety, 2. year round reliability, 3. enough power for the use, 4. not much heavier. 5. Oh, and compatability of larger chain size important.
Thanks,
Frank
===============
there sure are alot of nice saws out there.
