olyeller
ArboristSite Guru
Well, I've tried to sneak this question into two other threads and I've gotten zero replies. So now I'm asking directly for guidance.
I'm a weekend warrior cutting firewood for personal use, working California oak that sometimes gets to be 24" or more in diameter. Therefore, I selected a saw with the most horsepower for the money, a Stihl MS 390 with a 20" b&c. I've already read many of the posts flaming the 390 as an overweight turd with lousy AV, but it has worked very well for me in this hard, big oak. Also, I chose the 390 over the 310 or 290 to get the most horsepower in this 13-pound package.
After cutting with this for a while, I must admit it's not the most handy package around. I could use something smaller and lighter for limbing and slicing up kindling. Also, CAD is seeping into my brain so I'm looking for a second saw, one that is lighter and handier. So do I stay with Stihl and choose between a 170, 180 or even a 192 T? Or do I step up a class to a MS 250--again, the most power in that package? I want to keep the price around $300 or so, and I'm open to other brands as well.
So chime in, boys! And to get my own thread sidetracked before we even start, to give you an idea of how bad my CAD is getting, I almost bought a pristine used MS 460 today--even had the guy agree to my price--but got snaked on it just before I got in the car to go see it. What I was going to do with that saw, I have no idea...
I'm a weekend warrior cutting firewood for personal use, working California oak that sometimes gets to be 24" or more in diameter. Therefore, I selected a saw with the most horsepower for the money, a Stihl MS 390 with a 20" b&c. I've already read many of the posts flaming the 390 as an overweight turd with lousy AV, but it has worked very well for me in this hard, big oak. Also, I chose the 390 over the 310 or 290 to get the most horsepower in this 13-pound package.
After cutting with this for a while, I must admit it's not the most handy package around. I could use something smaller and lighter for limbing and slicing up kindling. Also, CAD is seeping into my brain so I'm looking for a second saw, one that is lighter and handier. So do I stay with Stihl and choose between a 170, 180 or even a 192 T? Or do I step up a class to a MS 250--again, the most power in that package? I want to keep the price around $300 or so, and I'm open to other brands as well.
So chime in, boys! And to get my own thread sidetracked before we even start, to give you an idea of how bad my CAD is getting, I almost bought a pristine used MS 460 today--even had the guy agree to my price--but got snaked on it just before I got in the car to go see it. What I was going to do with that saw, I have no idea...