Mini-Mac
Seriously Scotty, lay off the posts about porting. Your not gonna win. I dont even have 100$ in my porting tools. And would be glad to do it with a file and emery cloth if thats all I had.
Just to run a saw, and feel the difference from stock to a descent woodsport is awesome. Especially if you know you created that difference with your own hands.
A 660 is a better cutting saw than a 880 out of the box. They say no replacement for displacement... WRONG! A 660 will walk over a 880 till you get past a 36" bar.
No need for the bigger saw when a smaller one gets the job done. I mean yea, I have a 3120 with a 6' bar. Big deal. Ill carry the 394 toting a 36" over the 3120 anyday.
Also a ported saw takes no more maintanence, just keep the filters clean, screen unclogged and the tanks full.
It may take tuning for altitude, but I dont see you going from 2000 to 8000 in a day? Thats a heck of a climb up a hill.
And if you would have kept up with the original "worksaw build off" thread. You would have seen that it was a WORKSAW build off. The rules were strict, and a race saw would have burnt up during the testing. A woods port is something that time and time again has been proven in the woods. Yea it may shorten the life of a machine, but I think that a small amount of every paycheck should go towards a backup saw plan. Just logical thinking when you make a living on the shoestring.
Now, back to the Mini-Mac build off!