Wild Knight
ArboristSite Guru
Hi everyone,
I'm new here but have been doing some research over the past week and this site has helped me tremendously. My first saw was a 290 with too much bar - 20." It was a company expense that my business partner purchased quickly because we needed "a chainsaw" that day.
My wife and I just put in a new fireplace insert and because of it, we've had the gas central heat off for almost two weeks. I'm very happy with it's performance so far. Since I need to put away wood for next year (if the fields ever dry out and I can get to it), I decided to buy myself a new saw that'll get some work done. I figure I'll have to put about 4 - 5 cords away for next year - anything more than that will have me prepared for the following year.
I went to my Stihl dealer just down the road which I've bought a fair amount of equipment from with thoughts of a 441. After doing some research, and a little soul searching, I decided I didn't have to go overkill ALL the time, and that a 361 with a 20" bar would indeed be a fine all around firewood saw and save us a couple hundred bucks.
I don't know if it's the Tim Allen in me or what, but I'm wondering if I should look into the the 7 day guarantee and the possibility of a moving up to a 441 or even a 460? At 32 years old, I'm 6'1" and 200lbs - what do you guys think my best bet is? This is firewood - whatever I can get my hands on that's suitable for burning.
FYI - We don't have any Jonsered dealers around and my Husky dealer isn't close. I'm pretty happy with Stihl and going to stick with them.
Thanks for all the info thus far, this is really a great site!
Kevin
If you only had one saw and only cut firewood, you would have many warm winter nights just owning the 361.
That said...
I don't see where you are going to notice any difference in a firewood situation between a 290 and 361. It's a 56.5 cc saw vs a 59 cc saw; the only difference is a little bit of weight. One of those two saws is going to collect a lot of dust. If you aren't going to go any bigger than the 361, then just get your money back and buy a bunch of RSC chains.
I would buy one size bigger (actually, I did) so you can power through the occasional larger round with a 25" bar. I spent quite a bit of time at the dealership holding the 361 in one hand and the 441 in the other. Put em down, switched hands and repeated. I didn't notice much difference just holding them, but you definitely will in the cut. The 441 is smooth, powerful and runs longer on a tank of fuel than the 361. Type in '441' into the search box above, grab a brew and start reading; you'll be waiting for the door to open tomorrow to trade that 361 in on a 441.