Tor R
Addicted to ArboristSite
It is an opinion you are completely free to say.So, $300ish for a saw, plus whatever parts it needs (hey, they are all used now), $200 to port it, $125 for a carb to make it run, we are at $625 without issues.
$750 I can buy a new 562XP and run 19-28" bars, with ease.
$250-300 I can get a used 5100, then about $20? in Dremel bits and I can run a 20" bar with 3/8" chain buried in Hedge all day.
I just don't see the return for the investment! I only paid $600 for my ported big bore 046 PHO! I assure you it WILL out cut that 346!
I get the 346 is "endeared", but look at the big picture, what does it take to make it perform, what does it cost? Then look at other alternatives in that price range and see how much more versatility those other options give you for the same price.
If you believe that their modification is too pricey, well, you can actually do it yourself.
Brad, Randy, Monkethree have had some very good 346 threads, where they have shown step by step how they modify 346.
Brad also have absolutely right in everything he says in this thread. You can make small modifications to the base plus muffler and get a nice increase in performance, costs nothing except a little time.
I did it with 242, was very pleased and found out that I had to modify 2147 (346OE), modified base, muffler and an easy porting and were very pleased with the end result. To me it seemed like they went half class up in performance.