Did I make a mistake?

[joe912]

First post. Yippee!

I very recently purchased a Sthil MS 390, and now I'm wondering if I made a mistake. I was looking long and hard at the MS 361, but talked myself out of it for some dumb reason.

Now that I've done a bit of reading about the 390, I have a sinking feeling in my gut that my purchase was "uneducated"


Because I work out of town and had to leave the next morning after acquiring the saw, all the new saw has done is gone on a ride from the dealer to my garage. Never started, barely even looked at.


I'm going to call the dealer on Monday to find out about a return or exchange. Hopefully they will be understanding since they tried to sell me a MS 361 in the first place.

Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

-Joe

 

[chowdozer]

The 390 wouldn't be my choice but the 390 isn't that bad of saw for firewood duty. If you can afford the 361 and the dealer will trade, I say go for it. If the dealer doesn't want it back, cut wood!

 

[wigglesworth]

One word....EBAY. As much as I hate the giant, unchallenged, monopoly of an evil empire EBAY is, you can unload your 390, if it looks good, for nearly what you paid for it, then go buy you a 361 like want. Unless it is still unused since your purchase, or you have a really good dealer, he aint gonna give you nowhere near the trade in price you can get on Ebay.

Examples

Ebay Link $455

Ebay Link #2 $509

Ebay Link #3 $458

 

[labrax]

You can only ask...

I'd ask the dealer - I would not run it and certainly would not cut any wood with it before asking him. The MS290 I bought has led to some initial buyers remorse as I probably could have gotten a better saw by looking for a decent used saw, or spent around $20 more for a Dolmar 5100.

If I think about it though - I will not put the time on the saw where it really is going to matter, and I should just be happy with my purchase. When you read a lot of posts, and they all kind of put down the mid-range Stihl saws, you kind of wonder if you made a mistake. On the other hand, if you read through lots of posts, lot of poster say they have used the saw for years (029's too) and the saws owe them nothing.

If the shop won't take the saw back (find that hard to believe - especially if going to higher $$ model and it has the same fuel in it they put in) - then use your saw and enjoy owning a new, reliable and powerful saw for your woodcutting needs. This site is filled with professionals and chainsaw enthusiasts, so you are going to get people that look down on the mid-range non-pro saws. I think it is the professional tree guys that more often say that this Stihl model saw is more than adequate for a non-pro, homeowner/firewood type of user.

On a positive note for me and my new purchase. I have called a buddy who owns a farm in western MA and just purchased a used big professional Jonsered with a 28" bar to go along with his two Huskys. He is clearing another field and is taking down a bunch of trees. I am going to go up and get some experience running my saw felling some of the smaller trees and then limbing and cutting them up. He gets free labor and I get to watch and learn from him. I am sure the MS290 will be fine.

Good luck - Pete

 

[rarefish383]

I'd ask the dealer - I would not run it and certainly would not cut any wood with it before asking him. The MS290 I bought has led to some initial buyers remorse as I probably could have gotten a better saw by looking for a decent used saw, or spent around $20 more for a Dolmar 5100.

Labrax, from the pics of your yard an MS290 is fine. I have 100 CC pro saws and an MS290 Farm Boss. I grabbed the little Farm Boss on the spur of the moment as a small/medium saw for ground use when I was away from home and didn't want to spend a ton. I haven't been dissapointed with it. It's far better than a wild thang.

To the OP, if you haven't fueled or run the saw, my dealer would take it back as a return for a more expensive model. If you've run it then he might not, but I've never asked to do that. Good luck, Joe.

 

[joe912]

I hope you guys are right. The fuel in the saw is what the dealer put in it. As I said before, I haven't started it. I'm out of town for work and it won't be used at all.

FWIW, I'm a believer in the philosophy that all tools cost the same. Example: you buy cheap tool ten times, average tool five times, and good tool once. The only reason I talked myself out of the 361 was the thought of keeping the wife happy. But last night she asked me why I didn't get the pro saw, and was quite dismayed with my response. Apparently after eight years of marriage, she finally understands my thinking. Also, I won't be satisfied until I get the saw I should have bought in the first place. It was a poor decision on my part to compromise my purchase.

Will let you guys know what happens tomorrow when I call the dealer.

 

[Birddog1]

I have a 390 I have no problem? there is about 20 cords now, there will be 50 when I am done ! thats next years wood pile

 

[Birddog1]

couple more pics ! Stihl 390 did it! :rockn:

 

[joe912]

Glad to see that your 390 is working out for you Comments like that are confidence inspiring.

The saw i was replacing was my 290. It has lived a hard life without any major issues, but power was always a problem. The saw bogged down often and that made me rather unhappy.

I was going to purchase a Jonsered 2159, but that was derailed when the dealer and I could not come to terms on the deal. I didn't buy because of a $60 discrepancy between our phone conversation and the time I showed up at the dealer. Now I kinda feel that I should have buckled and bought the Jonsered. Ugh.

That's what led me in to the Stihl dealer, I was a bit put off by the last place and wanted a saw "now!" An impulse purchase without research. Ugh again.

Surprisingly, there are no stocking Husqvarna dealers in my area


My last R&R was not a good one, seemed as if I was the "Midas of Misfortune" Several poor decisions and a home improvement project that didn't go as planned. I think I'll chalk it up to my last hitch being 8 weeks long. Yeah, that's it, I'll blame it on the long hitch

 

[AdamL]

just so you know STIHL has a 7 day satisfaction gaurentee policy... I see this actually quite often where a guy buys a saw and then later thinks he should have gone bigger, at my dealership I had two guys do this same thing this last week, According to the satisfaction gaurentee we swapped out the power head at full price, and they just paid the difference to upgrade. One guy bought a 290 and upgraded to a 361, the other a 361 and upgraded to a 441.

 

[joe912]

just so you know STIHL has a 7 day satisfaction gaurentee policy... I see this actually quite often where a guy buys a saw and then later thinks he should have gone bigger, at my dealership I had two guys do this same thing this last week, According to the satisfaction gaurentee we swapped out the power head at full price, and they just paid the difference to upgrade. One guy bought a 290 and upgraded to a 361, the other a 361 and upgraded to a 441.

That's the best news I've read/heard all day!!!!

Will be calling dealer in the A.M., and will be sending my wife down for the exchange (i'm at work, out oft own)

 

[joe912]

I called my dealer this morning and he said, "no problem, bring the saw back". My wife ran the 390 down there and swapped it out for a MS 361 w/ 25" bar.

Thanks for the help guys

So to answer the question, "did I make a mistake?" Nope. All is well

 

[Birddog1]

A 361 with a 25" bar! wow now thats a mistake, good luck in advance!:jawdrop:

 

[joe912]

Go with a 20" and get the pro chain too.


I'm running 20" bars on both of my Stihl 036 and if wood is bigger....I just cut a little from the other side.

A 20" will save a lot of wear and tear on the operator and spare your back for other 'chores' around the house.

The single reason I went with a longer bar is because I'm tall (6'4") I can work longer comfortably with a longer bar.
Also, it's too late. bar is already on the saw.


My 290 has a 20" bar

 

[cmajor]

I put a 25" bar on my 361 last year to avoid bending over when cutting on the pile with the hope that it would be easier on my back. It certainly is easier on my back when compared to my 290 w/ 20" bar.

 

[josh1981]

I would like to add to this discussion. I bought a ms290 with 18 inch bar. It was a good saw for what its built for. I sold it to a friend of mine but its needs some work done on it so I am fixing it uop for him. I bought a ms361 20 inch bar last october. I am really enjoying the saw. Cuts through 30 inches veery fast. It is very light for its size and power. Dealer suggested a 390 for me but I am glad I got the 361 instead. No complaints here. I love the power of this saw and sounds very sweet.

 

[Burvol]

The single reason I went with a longer bar is because I'm tall (6'4") I can work longer comfortably with a longer bar.
Also, it's too late. bar is already on the saw.


My 290 has a 20" bar

The 361 is the best saw ever....

 

[nmurph]

Joe, the 390 isn't a bad saw, it's just that the 361 is a better saw. it will pull a 25" bar, but not fully buried in hardwood. i, like you, am 6'4" and i run 24"s (262, 361, 357, 7900) on anything i fell or buck with and 20"s on my limbing saws (026, 540) .

 

[Positrack]

Good choice on the saw. A 361 is a good saw and with a 24 is very balanced.

I'd have to agree. One of our work saws is a 361 with a 24" bar, and it seems to suit the saw great. It balances well, reduces bending over, and doesn't seem to bog the saw down as long as the chain is sharp. Of course it's mainly our ground limbing saw so we rarely bury it, but if I could afford a 361, I'd get the 24" bar on it. In any case, the 361 is a fantastic saw in my experience. You won't be sorry.

 

[joe912]

I'm liking all of this positive feedback. I'm now sure that the exchange for the 361 was a wise one.:biggrinbounce2:


Now I have 22 more days to go before I'm home. I really want to take the saw for a test drive. Going to be a long few weeks

By the way, the three major variety of trees in my area are birch, black spruce, and cottonwood. And yes, they are all present on my property. Mostly birch though