dolmar ps7900 or stihl ms 460mag

[deer slayer]

I am recently new to the fire wood scene, i have a ms290, ms 170. I am very happy with both. BUT looking for some more horse power. doing a little research, i've narrowed it down to the 2 mentioned within my budget. today i picked up a loaner dolmare ps7900. I liked it, just not sure due to lack of dealers. they would not take a trade inn.(asking 699.99 w/20"bar) went to the stihl dealer in which over the phone they quoted me 750.00 for the 460 20" bar( sticker 869.00). took my 290 in, they said we can do 170.00 off of sticker. so in a nut shell they were gonna give me 60.00 for my well maintained, clean 290 which is 5 y/o but hasnt cut 10 to 15 cords if lucky. i understand they need to make money also, but damn i felt like they had no faith in their product to resell or they wanted to rake me over the coals. if i new how to post pics im sure most would agree w/ me on my 290. yes i want what everyone wants a good saw w/ power, least amount of down time possible, and good parts network for when things do go wrong now that i burn full time. any suggestion??

 

[Zodiac45]

Both great saws and looks like decent prices too. The Dolmar is a heck of saw for the weight/power and the 460 is also a super reliable excellent choice. If it were me and I was going the stihl route, I'd pay the ($750) cash price and resell the ms290 on flea-bay. Personally the next saw I buy will be a 7900w20" B&C. I've had very good luck with all of my Dolmar saw. Which ever you choose, I think you'll be quite happy with the power and speed that either of these gives you.

 

[wkpoor]

7900 without question. Nothing wrong with the 460 other than the price and its slower hahahahhaha. No really never yet talked to anyone who doesn't love there 7900.

 

[iCreek]

Might try CL

You might also try to sell the 290 on your local Craigslist, kind of the hot bed with free listing, selling, and free for the buyer, post it with pictures. With the 290s selling in the upper 300s new, 225 - 250 seems to be what people are asking around here for used ones, I passed on one the other day for $200, did not really need it, was looking more for a light weight saw and found an 025 for less money.

I drove out to a dealer that sells Dolmar the other day, with Jonsred and Shiwa, had one Dolmar on the shelf, said that they 'picked' up the Dolmar line a few years when another dealer went out of business, mostly for parts, etc. I bet he would sell more if he had them on the shelf.

Did you even consider the MS 361 ?? he he, had to throw that in.....
Search this forum on 361, you can read for hours.... some say it cures cancer

 

[deer slayer]

Yea thats my next route to sell on craigs, thanks for the info, i am lucky to have a dolmar and stihl dealer within 5 min from the house which is making the decision harder!!! to me the the 460 felt comfortable, dolmar was different but somthing i prob could get use to. my next problem is whos gonna take care of me better in the long run standing behind their product. I am true to local buisness and the dolmar is small lawn mower shop with not much history, and the stihl is here to stay for sure. what to do, what to do???

 

[kevin j]

For those moneys, buy the 460 or 7900 and keep the 290. Always need a backup, and buddy saw.

I had the same debate, 7900 or 460. bottom line for me was the 460 is proven, durable, parts anywhere, workhorse in the woods. 7900 more the sports car, tinker or chase parts, oddity. Since I have other saws to fall back on, I went with the 7900 because it is different. Found a nice one used super shape from AS sponsor. Limited usage, love it so far. Power is awesome, smooth running. course the 6400 with big bore 85 kit would be better than the 6400 with the 79 kit.....


kcj

 

[deer slayer]

ur right, a lot about the 361. never gave it a thought. seems to be a couple good then a few bad. a lot of info here, what a awesome site. thanks to all!!

 

[deer slayer]

i'm no different than most. momma says get ride of one to get another. I say keep it all so it looks like i'll be selling the 290 first!!!!

 

[Swamp Yankee]

+1 on the PS7900

Incredible machine, they just don't quit. I've had no issues with mine other than I don't get to use it enough.
I don't have much experience with the MS460 so no comment other than it too has an excellent reputation.

I don't think you loose either way you go.

Take Care

 

[iowa]

Deer Slayer. I was in your exact same shoes. Had a 290, 310. I sold both on ebay and went to my Dolmar dealer today and picked up a 7900. Can't wait to go cut now.

But I will probably cut the same amount wood you do for your own personal use. Can't go wrong with the Dolmar. I plan on getting a 5100 or a 460 later.

Good luck..

 

[deer slayer]

just put it on craigs and got a reply already. asked 250.00 w case and xtra chain. now i feel i shouldve asked more. oh well. let me no how that dolmar works for you!! i feel like i got a 50/50 situation here, i guess thats good. thanks to all, been a big help!! still havent made up my mind.

 

[iowa]

just put it on craigs and got a reply already. asked 250.00 w case and xtra chain. now i feel i shouldve asked more. oh well. let me no how that dolmar works for you!! i feel like i got a 50/50 situation here, i guess thats good. thanks to all, been a big help!! still havent made up my mind.

That's a fair price for it I think. Mine brought $320 on ebay. However, it had 10months left on the waranty, 2 nib chains, chain guard, tools and manual. Around 10-15 tanks run through it.

I was looking at the Dolmar 6400-7300-7900's. Also look at the Makita 6401. Same as the 6400 dolmar. Just different color. They're on ebay all the time. There is a new 7900 on ebay right now too..

But I looked at it this way. A 361 costs $610 and its only 59cc and 12.5lbs. My 290 was 13.5lbs. I was used to carrying the 290 anyways. Why not go for more power. And if you run into felling a 30" tree, the saw won't wear you out as it'll be doing the work.

 

[stihl025]

I, too, am in the market for a larger saw. This post has made me investigate the Domar a little more. I find it very interesting that the PS-7900 is almost 12 ounces lighter than the MS460 with almost .3 bhp more horsepower. I have used the 460 with a 28" inch bar and have been extremely impressed (and surprised) with the power and balance of the saw. It is also surprisingly lightweight for such a large saw. The PS-7900 make me curious. The closest dealer to me is about 40 miles which is inconvenient, but I am willing to explore options. For those of you who have the 7900, I have one question: is the air filter on the saw as small as it seems in the photos? It appears to be really small compared to the one on the Stihl. Not sure if that is the case, and if so, has it been a problem?

Thanks for the info.

 

[iowa]

I too thought the filter looked small. From looking at it from the outside it does. But after popping it off, if you look on the bottom side, it is concave and has several "waves" or serations. So there is a lot of surface area for dust to collect on. Also my dealer showed me that the new saws have a pre-filter type screen on the black cover that pops off. It is very fine mesh too..

 

[CentaurG2]

Lots of discussion about this saw and air filters down in chainsaw. The air filter on the dolmar 7900 (and all Dolmar saws) is not the best in the industry. The filter is small and has a tendency to allow some ”fine” dust through. So far it has not been a major issue. Stihl filters are not all that great either. Husky air filtration is excellent. The dolmar 7900 is a wonderful and very powerful saw for the money but it is a little heavier than advertized. If you decide to go with the dolmar, just buy a spare filter and clean/switch them out often. Great saw!!

 

[stihl025]

Lots of discussion about this saw and air filters down in chainsaw. The air filter on the dolmar 7900 (and all Dolmar saws) is not the best in the industry. The filter is small and has a tendency to allow some ”fine” dust through. So far it has not been a major issue. Stihl filters are not all that great either. Husky air filtration is excellent. The dolmar 7900 is a wonderful and very powerful saw for the money but it is a little heavier than advertized. If you decide to go with the dolmar, just buy a spare filter and clean/switch them out often. Great saw!!

Does anyone know the true weight of the saw?

The filter, is it a fleece filter or the nylon "winter" type filter? I have seen some mention on their website about using the fleece filter in dryer conditions. Not sure what comes standard.

 

[LTREES]

I'm sold on the Dolmar.

 

[Wet1]

First, there's no comparison from a 7900 to a 361... huge difference in power. I have an 036 Pro (close enough to the 361) that does nothing but sit since I bought an 7900. The 7900 and 064 have become my two "go to" saws. They are fairly light and have plenty of power to cut 30" wood if you need them to.

I considered the 460 and the 372 before buying the 7900, the 7900 out performs both and costs less. I paid $635 out the door for my 7900 with a 20" bar on it... quite a savings over the 460!

Parts aren't much of concern IMO, Domlar parts can be delivered to your door within 24 hours if you don't have a dealer close by. The air filter is small on the 7900, but I've yet to have an issue with it. I do know Dolmar is releasing a massive optional HD velocity stack/filter for this saw within a few months. This setup has a list price of $80 (don't know what it will street for) if you think you're going to be cutting trees around a volcano blast.

Wkpoor had a good point, you never really hear anything bad about the 7900, but there sure has been a lot of praise... so many people can't all be wrong!

 

[fredmc]

7900 filter

I hear you guys talking about the filter on a 7900. I don't like the design myself so I took matters into my own hands. Problem is: when big wood chips get into the air filter area they tend to clog the filters under side in the filter flutes. I "engineered" a felt pre-filter sock that goes over the filter-keeps out the big chips that get stuck in the grooves. Works real good on dry seasoned wood. Greasing the filter to carb mating surface also helps keep out fine stuff.

 

[Wet1]

Does anyone know the true weight of the saw?

The filter, is it a fleece filter or the nylon "winter" type filter? I have seen some mention on their website about using the fleece filter in dryer conditions. Not sure what comes standard.

The saw is very close to the advertised spec when dry. If it's over the advertised spec, it's certainly not by much. Someone weighed theirs not to long ago and it was right there.

They have sold a couple of different filters, nylon and fleece. I can't remember what came on mine off the top of my head. What I can tell you is I've never had a single issue with the filter on mine to date.