Why do so many people love the 290/390?

[BarkBuster20]

You've got a lot to learn. Aweful bold for being a newbie!

better to be bold than meek. so you tell me then what differences there are between the 390 and the 361 aside from weight/ weight reducing parts.

 

[blsnelling]

LINK from last week.

 

[BarkBuster20]

alright. but aside from the engine design and weight diff the 390 is basicly the same as the 361, except that it wont mod as well, and is more difficult to work on.

 

[rms61moparman]

alright. but aside from the engine design and weight diff the 390 is basicly the same as the 361, except that it wont mod as well, and is more difficult to work on.

Following your logic,
except for the size, weight and habitat a lion is exactly like a housecat!

 

[BarkBuster20]

not exactly the 390 has the same amount of power as the 361. its heavier. engine design is different. big deal its worth the 300 dollars less for a lot of people.

 

[SawTroll]

alright i have never heard of anyone just "leaving" alder to rot. how is it not worth taking care of it burns hot splits like butter and stacks better than any other wood iv come accross. i live in oregon near the coast so basicly you got alder fir and cedar here. i would like you to explain the reasoning behind "letting the alder rot" and theres always a better saw to be gotten.

It doesn't smell good when burning, and the heat effect per volume sucks big-time - again, that is the alder we got here.

The willow we got actually is much better fire-wood, about on par with spruce.

 

[BarkBuster20]

thats weird all the seasoned alder i have burned didnt have a smell to it. burns quite hot as well.

 

[SawTroll]

thats weird all the seasoned alder i have burned didnt have a smell to it. burns quite hot as well.

You (and Windthrown) got me interested, maybe it was Witchy (or her father) that felt the smell was not good - too long sinse I last tried it, to be sure.....

I may give it another chance.

 

[joatmon]

Following your logic,
except for the size, weight and habitat a lion is exactly like a housecat!

RMS,

We're talking about homeowners and pro saws here. Why would you think "logic" belongs in this discussion?

Joat

 

[BarkBuster20]

well all i know is my 310 has cut more wood than a lot of pro saws out there. i work it harder than most pro saws are worked.

 

[SawTroll]

RMS,

We're talking about homeowners and pro saws here. Why would you think "logic" belongs in this discussion?

Joat

Good point doctor!

 

[BarkBuster20]

alder isnt the longest burning wood but it is very clean stacks nicely and its light. splits lite hot butter too

 

[tbuggle]

not exactly the 390 has the same amount of power as the 361. its heavier. engine design is different. big deal its worth the 300 dollars less for a lot of people.

yes it is worth it to some, some not so much.
good saws, just not AS "good".

 

[firstbassman]

An 029 is NOT a 290.

It's just frustrating to see ignorant people cooing over a mediocre saw.

Why?

An 029 is NOT a 290.

If they were really hard up for money they'd be running older stuff. An XL-12 can be had for a song and will keep you warm, and will almost keep up with a 290 in bigger stuff.

My point is, if somebody has the money for a new 390, it's stupid of them to not spend a bit more and get the 361 because they think it's "too much saw"

"Stupid of them..."? Is it any less so, to pass judgment without knowing a person, their sawing needs, and their budget? To some people, a couple hundred $$ is a lot of scratch, and if the 290 gets it done, that good enough. If they think they found a good thing, why p:censored:ss on their cheerios?

Maybe those who buy 290's don't feel knowledgeable enough to buy a used saw, which will likely need extra $$ put into it anyway, and even then it might not work right. Why hassle with all that when you can buy new from a dealer? The average Joe probably ain't into porting and modding and rebuilding a used saw--probably will just take it to the shop for a tune up once a year.

In my experience, the people with million dollar homes and $45K SUVs are more likely to buy a thousand dollar saw they'll use only once in a while, just so they can have "the best." For some people, the 290 is "the best" saw for them.
:greenchainsaw:

 

[liv4rc51]

I own a 290 And love it....I get in get out and split and burn.

My stihl dealer talked me out of spending a bunch of money, I wanted the big bad beautiful saws, but it didn't make sense. I didn't need it then, now I want a bigger saw and I may buy 1. Everyone starts somewhere, why throw crap @ someone just because you sh*t?

 

[SawTroll]

not exactly the 390 has the same amount of power as the 361. its heavier. engine design is different. big deal its worth the 300 dollars less for a lot of people.

About the same power at one point of the power curve, that is.


How many cuts at exactly 9500rpms, all the time...opcorn:opcorn:

 

[nmurph]

so for all you guys that cant handle a 13 pound saw go buy a 361.

i put my 310 on a good set of scales and the weight is an ounce or three shy of 14lbs PHO. it was retaining some fluids bc i dumped the tanks but i did not bother to drain the lines. i have never weighed the 361, but from what i understand the published weight is accurate.

i do agree that this series of saws i a good bargain. open the muffler if you think they are amemic. there are better saws, but they do serve their purpose and them some.

 

[Jon E]

I've been reading this thread with some interest, since I have one of the saws in question. Provides for some good discussion. I bought my 390 off eBay a few years ago, after a storm had passed through the central east coast and dumped a lot of trees. Some guy in West Virginia had bought the saw, with a 25" bar and two safety chains, probably ran two tanks of gas through it to clean up his yard, and sold the saw. This thing was mint condition and I think I paid $250 for it. Since then I've put a couple hundred hours on it, beaten it up pretty bad but not enough to break it, I really only use it for bigger stuff, noodling up large blocks or trimming logs on my sawmill. I used to own an 066, so I knew what to expect. It's not the greatest saw in the world, it's got decent power, it's heavy, but for the amount I use it, it's fine. It probably gets a total of 8-10 hours of work a month, on average, for the year. I feed it Stihl oil and keep it sharp and it does fine.

Would I like a bigger saw? Yeah. I wish I hadn't unloaded the 066. I could really use it to quarter up the bigger logs I get for my mill, and make some of the bigger rounds smaller. The 390 just can't handle it. Well, maybe my patience can't handle it. I haven't ported this thing yet, so I'm going to give that a try. I normally run it with a 20" bar and it seems to be fine. I'm neither happy nor unhappy with the 390 - it's just a saw. If I had gone to my dealer for a new saw, I would more than likely have gotten into an 036PRO or MS360 (I don't think the 361 was out when I bought this one). I use my little 025 90% of the time for firewood, and I don't think I'd be happy with a much larger saw. I ran a friend's 361 with an 8-tooth rim not long ago, and it was a nice saw, but not 'amazing' like some say.

 

[joatmon]

Time for a famous Niko post count.

At thread start:
AS members that like the 290/390: 1,501
AS members that have no opinion of 290/390: 29,001
AS members that hate the 290/390: 31

Current:
AS members that like the 290/390: 1,501
AS members that have no opinion of 290/390: 29,001
AS members that hate the 290/390: 31

Carry on,

Joat

 

[blackoak]

I had a 290 and was getting laid a couple time a week. I got rid of it and bought a 361, I'm getting some every night now.