Need advice for new saw

[Big Neb]

5100 handles a 28"? That's impressive.

I knew the 361 has been shown to cure cancer and improves one's sex life but the exaggeration has to stop someplace. And I get ridiculed for running a 25" on my 361s. Go figure...

I believe you can mount a 36" bar on a 260 and it would probably spin the chain as long as you didn't touch any wood.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

the husky 359 or jonsered 2159 seems tempting but i see they have a cat muffler on them does that make a difference? How does the ne346xp compare to the 359 they are within 20.00 of each other.

You can get a non cat muffler from Baileys for $39 + shipping. I just ordered one for my 2156 Hope it will be here early next week My brother has the 2159 and it is a great running saw. I hear you have to richen up the mixture a little when you put the non cat muffler on.

Billy

 

[THALL10326]

5100 handles a 28"? That's impressive.

I knew the 361 has been shown to cure cancer and improves one's sex life but the exaggeration has to stop someplace. And I get ridiculed for running a 25" on my 361s. Go figure...

I believe you can mount a 36" bar on a 260 and it would probably spin the chain as long as you didn't touch any wood.

So true. Every man that has bought a 361 from has had tremendous growth in producing off spring. Sure hope their wives don't find out,LOLOL

Yes a 28 inch bar on a 5100 is abit much. Hell a 361 doesn't want any parts of a 28 inch bar if it can get away from it.

 

[Erick]

As far as Stihl's go, since the 361 is out of your budget, I'd recommend the 260 Pro over the 290. Since I'm a small guy, the lighter weight of the 260 is a worth more than the power gain of the 290. I have a 260 that I use to cut 10-18" firewood and the guy I cut with has a 290. I'll take mine over his any day. The main thing is finding one that's comfortable for you to handle. Any of the saws recommended will cut wood. Get something that wears you out and you'll be running the chain into the ground or worse.

Good advice I was gonna tell you the same thing. An MS 260 w/16" b&c would be perfect for what you say you will be doing, my only problem is cutting firewood often leads you to bigger wood and I think you would be wise to spend the money on the MS361.

Yes you are correct those are the only differences except the addition of a pro sticker. IMO I don't think they are worth the extra $50.

In my opinion I think the Pro model is worth the extra money not because I think you need a decomp valve on a 50cc saw and not because I think your really gonna adjust the oilier (you'll likely do the same thing everybody else does and turn it up all the way and forget it). I think the Pro model is worth it for one reason and one reason only..... it stops oiling when the saw is at idle. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal but I have both non-Pro and pro and I can't stand the thing pumping oil at idle. If you set the saw down to move some brush and leave the saw running it's pumping oil so when you pick it back up it's sitting in a puddle of oil, if you hold the saw while it's idling it's pumping bar oil down your leg. I tend to leave my saws running a lot and it's really aggravating to me, a small thing I know but hey it's my opinion and your entitled to it.

well i got some side work lined up for tommorrow for a extra 100 to the budget so i will have 600 going tommorrow afternoon and offer the dealer 600 out the door for a 361 or 357xp surely i can get one of them.this will be the only saw i can buy for awhile so im going to get a pro model so maybe i won't have any doubts that i should have got one in the 1st place

well just got back from stihl/husky dealers offered him 600.00 out the door on the 361 or husky 357xp cash and he said no 599 plus tax for the 361 and 639 plus tax for the 357xp i also stop by another stihl dealer 1 mile from the house and he said no to the 600 too but would take 500 out the door for a 260 pro.I have 5 dealers within 30 miles of me but all them act like the don't
care if you buy anything or not.

I think your dealer will sell you that saw for the $600.00 but even if he wont I would highly recommend you spend the tax money and get the MS361, well worth the extra investment if your gonna be a one saw operation. I think your dealer knows your gonna buy a saw from him no matter what and he knows he can make more money selling you a MS260 for $500.00 than he can selling you an MS361 for $600.00 and if he knows your gonna buy a saw from him anyway why should he make less money off of you? If he was truly worried about losing the sale completely he might just be more motivated to sell you that 361 for the $600.00.

If I were you I would do whatever it takes to get that MS361, it is the perfect "one" saw for firewooding and capable of handling a 24" B&C or even a 28" (limited use w/skip chain) for the larger projects your likely to run into in the years ahead. If you absolutely can not swing the 40 bucks then I would highly recommend the MS260 Pro, the saw is reliable as gravity, absolutely bulletproof with untold numbers of saws out in the market for used parts, and a commitment from a dealer who will have new parts in stock for many many years to come.

I have not run the NE346 so I can't speak for it myself but all of the post's around here seem to indicate it is a faster saw than the MS260 even if it's not a better one, so I guess it could be considered a good choice as well. My only concerns would be that the original 346 was on a fairly short production run and I have to wonder how long it will be around in it's current configuration. Is Husqvarna going to make the commitment to these shorter production runs to have new parts available 5, 10, or 15 years from now???

In short spend the money and get the MS361 and be glad every time you use it that you did, you'll never regret it.

 

[micah5634]

very good advice thanks to all went to another dealer this afternoon and so happens the manager over the power equitment i went to school with.we got to talking and he agreed that the 361 is his favorite firewood saw and i would like it much better then the 260 pro so he gave me a price of 565.00 plus tax with an 18' bar couple of ?? what size bar does every one use on this saw for most of their cutting a 18 or 20 only 10.00 diff. and does the 361 stop oiling when at idle?

 

[OilHead]

I would'nt get an 18" so its up to you 16" or 20". Dont forget to tell them you also want the outside dawg for the clutch cover .

 

[Erick]

very good advice thanks to all went to another dealer this afternoon and so happens the manager over the power equitment i went to school with.we got to talking and he agreed that the 361 is his favorite firewood saw and i would like it much better then the 260 pro so he gave me a price of 565.00 plus tax with an 18' bar couple of ?? what size bar does every one use on this saw for most of their cutting a 18 or 20 only 10.00 diff. and does the 361 stop oiling when at idle?

Yeup the MS361 is a full on "Pro" saw and does not oil at idle. You will not be sorry that you spent the extra money on the 361. At this point I would say get the 18" B&C, I really prefer a 20" B&C on an "all rounder" but it sounds like you have a good supply of under 20" wood in mind right now and the 18" bar will handle all of that with ease. After you have exhausted that supply of smaller wood and find you need something bigger you will have saved enough on your heating bill to be able to afford a 24" B&C to compliment the 18 incher you already have. An MS361 is right at home with the 20" B&C and would be an excellent choice, but the 18" is a little faster in the bigger wood and a little more nimble for the limbing duties. An 18 and 24 inch combo is the ideal situation for a 361 in hard wood and if you ever pinch the saw you can take the pinched bar off and put the other one on and cut the pinched bar out. (always think ahead ) Glad you finally found a dealer who would work with you and you made a wise choice on the saw. Good luck, cut safe and wear the PPE.

Come back and let us know how you like it and keep hanging around lots of stuff to be learned here, like how to sharpen a chain for instance.

 

[Big Neb]

20" Balances nicely. I run 25" on my 361.

 

[JT78]

Wow you better jump on that offer on the 361 thats a pretty good deal. I own a 359 and changed the muffler on it and with the non cat muffler it runs really good with a 20 inch bar on it. But if you can get a 361 for that price I would get it as it has more power and is a better saw than the 359.

 

[doubletodd]

glad you found a deal on a 361, I had my first chance to get into some real wood today. it was tough going in the snow but my 361 performed flawlessly. I started a few years ago with a 019, good saw but i literally melted it down cutting bigger wood. next saw a used 038. great saw very torky but started having various issues last year that had me tinkering with saw instead of cutting wood, so this year while my 038 was in the shop again i had to get some wood cut and tax money came in so i went shopping lots of good saws out there but since my 038 apparently has good compression and will survive i opted to stick with stihl and use the same bar and chain combos since i'm used to the pro saw i did not want to step down, i'm so glad i bought the 361 it makes it fun to cut again and it does'nt shake my hands off. having someone you know at the dealer should be a great plus too. i would definitely get the spare bar as others have said, i got pinched today and did'nt have a spare, that kinda sucked good luck! I went back to cutting wood several years ago when gas prices started to soar and have never looked back. toying with some outdoor furnace options this year but it is very cold here

019
038
ms361

 

[doubletodd]

p.s.
thanks to everyone on this site for ideas and experience with saws, it was very helpful in purchasing the right saw for me

 

[wanab]

Baileys sells em for 499.00 but some local dealers have more markup.

that is the no B/C price.


if you want to spend $400 contact this site sponsons or a 5100. if you want to spend $50 go for the 346xp plus non-CAT muffler.

anther saw that you would like is the redmax 621, seems it may be the best saw on the market for the money.

 

[Big Neb]

Now that you've got your saw, SHUT OFF YOUR COMPUTER!!! NEVER EVER COME BACK TO THIS WEBSITE! Otherwise strange things will happen to your saw both inside and out. They also have a tendency to invade your living space and will multiply like rabbits.

Here is my latest 361... 3/4 Wrap, Dual Dogs.... Oh yeah!

 

[doubletodd]

my theory is if its worth doing, its worth overdoing:greenchainsaw:

 

[Erick]

micah5634, I forgot to mention make sure you get the saw with the 3/8's chain, some of them are sold with the .325 set-up IMO the 361 is at it's best with the 3/8's and it will make your future long bar upgrade a lot easier later.

 

[huskydave]

Yeup the MS361 is a full on "Pro" saw and does not oil at idle. You will not be sorry that you spent the extra money on the 361. At this point I would say get the 18" B&C, I really prefer a 20" B&C on an "all rounder" but it sounds like you have a good supply of under 20" wood in mind right now and the 18" bar will handle all of that with ease. After you have exhausted that supply of smaller wood and find you need something bigger you will have saved enough on your heating bill to be able to afford a 24" B&C to compliment the 18 incher you already have. An MS361 is right at home with the 20" B&C and would be an excellent choice, but the 18" is a little faster in the bigger wood and a little more nimble for the limbing duties. An 18 and 24 inch combo is the ideal situation for a 361 in hard wood and if you ever pinch the saw you can take the pinched bar off and put the other one on and cut the pinched bar out. (always think ahead ) Glad you finally found a dealer who would work with you and you made a wise choice on the saw. Good luck, cut safe and wear the PPE.

Come back and let us know how you like it and keep hanging around lots of stuff to be learned here, like how to sharpen a chain for instance.

I agree 100 percent. 3/8" chain and an 18" if you later want two bars then go up to 24" or a single 20" bar If you want only one bar. I run a 20" bar on my large firewood saw most of the time. You will be very happy that you spent the extra money and have a saw that won't let you down and the 361 is one of the best Stihl saws on the market.

 

[wanab]

the 361 is one of the best Stihl saws on the market.

and one of the most overpriced and overated on the market too!

 

[Erick]

and one of the most overpriced and overated on the market too!

Spoken like a true wanab.

 

[huskydave]

I ran a demo and I was impressed with that model. It was a quick accelerating saw and ran high rpms in the cut. I challenge you to name anyone who regret buying one.

 

[Erick]

I ran a demo and I was impressed with that model. It was a quick accelerating saw and ran high rpms in the cut. I challenge you to name anyone who regret buying one.

and that was from a guy named Huskydave

I'd rep ya for that if I could but all out right now........ it's comming