A good saw choice

[Dok]

My stock answer is Husky 350. Great saw for the price. Good power to weight ratio. I've been beating mine for six years and no problems.

Since dealer support is important and you have Stihl dealers nearby, I would suggest you go with Stihl. The MS290 is a fine firewood saw. The power to weight ratio doesn't excite the enthusiasts around here but for a firewood saw it will last a long time and be dependable. It will out run anything you have now. If you can get a deal on a larger Stihl consumer saw go for it. Go to your local Stihl dealer and handle some saws and ask lots of questions. I don't think you could go wrong with anything in their lineup.

Brad

 

[aandabooks]

Like I said earlier, I ran a ms310 for a few cuts and the weight of it doesn't bother me. I don't carry my saws though. Everywhere I cut, I can drive right up to the tree and start cutting. Even when I can't get the truck into the field, the 4-wheeler will.

I can swing in and buy a 350 at the farm stores for around $300 or order one online from norwalk and get some free chains but i won't be gaining by not buying from a dealer that I can go back to. All I'm looking for is the best saw for the money with good dealer support. I even stopped by an old Husky dealer a couple miles away, he hasn't been a dealer for 20 years but still works on all brands of saws. He's 87 years old. When I asked him what brand I should be buying, even he said Stihl because of the lack of Husky dealers.

Matt

 

[Dok]

Like I said earlier, I ran a ms310 for a few cuts and the weight of it doesn't bother me. I don't carry my saws though. Everywhere I cut, I can drive right up to the tree and start cutting. Even when I can't get the truck into the field, the 4-wheeler will.

I can swing in and buy a 350 at the farm stores for around $300 or order one online from norwalk and get some free chains but i won't be gaining by not buying from a dealer that I can go back to. All I'm looking for is the best saw for the money with good dealer support. I even stopped by an old Husky dealer a couple miles away, he hasn't been a dealer for 20 years but still works on all brands of saws. He's 87 years old. When I asked him what brand I should be buying, even he said Stihl because of the lack of Husky dealers.

Matt

There you go! Having a good dealer close is important, especially if you don't own a whole bunch of saws. When you need some little part the day before you are going cutting you will be kicking yourself for getting a saw from a dealer 30mi away. I used to have one saw and rely on wood to heat our house. In that situation the dealer is the most important choice, the saw model second.

It sounds like you have more than one Stihl dealer near you, so try them all. Ask them about parts availability. You want a dealer that stocks the parts and if they have to order a part won't charge you shipping. My local dealer gets two shipments a week, so long as a special order can wait for one of those regular shipments they don't charge me shipping.

Find out about turn around times for repairs and ask them when their busy seasons are. A slow turn around isn't necessarily a bad thing. My dealer has a several week turn around in the fall, but thats because they are the best around and all the pros use them. I once had an oil pump go out, my only saw, and I needed wood for heat. Despite being backlogged for weeks, once they knew my situation they turned the saw around in one work week. They knew I bought the saw from them, I bought all my supplies from them and were willing to help me out. Pick the dealer then get the most saw you can afford. I don't think Stihl has a stinker in their lineup, but the 290, 210 and 390 are all good.

Brad

 

[Billy_Bob]

I and my logger friends prefer Stihl - feel they are very reliable.

I like the purchasing experience with Stihl because their model numbers go up with weight, power, and price. So I can choose the lighest weight with the most power. Or choose the most power for the price. Easy to see the differences on their chart...

Stihl chart...
http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/comparison.html

Then Stihl has a safety and maintenance DVD which is fantastic. Get that at a dealer or here...
http://www.stihlusa.com/information/info_lit_video.html

 

[rickyrooster]

If you can work on saws your self you can get a lot more saw for the money.I like to pick up 266,268,272 huskys or 625,630,or 670 jonsereds. there easy to work on,easy to find parts for,and fairly cheap. You will then have a top notch pro saw and have 60cc's to 72cc's which will put you way ahead of the smaller saws you are talking about. You will also have a saw that will pull a 24 to 32" bar if need be. On flee bay you can get a piston & ring kit for around 35.00,a gasket set for 10.00, bearings run 16.00 for the pair,seals for around 11.00,carb kit for 10.00. If you get a complete parts saw for less than 200.00 you can have a saw running like new for less than 300.00 and have around a 5hp to 6hp saw by just doing a muffler mod to any of the above saws after rebuilding it. Plus as a added bonus by being a member of this site you have a wealth of information rite here from the other member willing to help you with any problem you might run in to while working on any saw. Good luck with your discision! Rick.

 

[CharlieG]

How about the New Edition 346XP (50cc). It's $399, or thereabouts, at Baileys, Alamia, or Norwalk Power Equipment. A professional grade saw at 3.4 HP in your price range. That will get you out of the gate quick enough.

 

[aandabooks]

The 346xp is a saw that I have been really considering. It is a matter of finding a dealer that has them or can get the new edition at a reasonable price. It seems the consensus on AS is that it should be right up there with the 5100.

Matt

 

[WVhunter]

In that price range I like something like a Stihl 260, 270 or 280, but that Dolmar 5100 is probably the way to go. IMHO.
Tom

 

[computeruser]

I laughed when I read the other thread - the 361 is not the solution for every problem! Especially where there is a budget involved.

If I was limited to $400 and needed a saw to cut firewood with, I'd try to find a good used Stihl 038, 044, 046 or something like that. Sure, it would be heavier than necessary for a lot of the smaller stuff, but at least I wouldn't be tapped out on the bigger stuff. I would try my darnedest to buy a good used saw, since they tend to give a much bigger bang for your buck.

But if I was stuck buying new and wanted to take advantage of my local Stihl dealer network, I would take a look at Stihl's 290 and 310. These would make better firewood saws, in my opinion, than any Husqvarna 350 or Stihl 260, neither of which I find to have that much speed or grunt despite their popularity as firewood saws. Having put a fair bit of time on the 290, I think it is underrated for non-professional firewood duty, and what it lacks in power-to-weight will be made up for in reliability.

I know a lot of guys get by just fine with a 50cc/3hp saw for firewood, but I think it may have a lot to do with how you're getting your firewood. If you're dropping a small/medium sized tree or cutting up deadfall, working the entire tree with one saw, then it might make sense to use a 11lb 50cc saw. But if you're going to be taking on bigger trees, or blocking up straight logs of 12"+ diameter, the 50cc saw will get a bit tedious if you have any quantity of cutting to do. By way of example, I blocked up and split a hair under a full cord of 12-16" ash and maple logs yesterday, taking them from the 48" lenghts they showed up in and cut them to 18". Half of the cutting was done with my Husqvarna 154 (a hot 50cc class saw, 3.8hp) and the other half was done with a Dolmar 7900 (79cc, 6.5hp+). The 154 was quite capable at this sort of cutting, but I definitely wouldn't want to have to ask it to run a longer bar and cut big stuff.

At the end of the day, a nice used saw (or steal on a NOS saw...) is probably a better way to spend $400 for an all-around firewood saw. Otherwise, a slower-revving, torqey saw like the Stihl MS290 or MS310 would be a good choice given the number of Stihl dealers in your area.



If you can find a good one at Home Depot's rental department, you could bring TWO home for about $400:

A smaller saw can do firewood duty, but it won't be quick and will require more attention to keeping the saw in its peak powerband than you'd need to devote with a larger saw. This stack of ash and oak was blocked up with the 238se:

These saws cost less than $400 for the pair - the 238 was NOS and the 154 got a new piston/rings and a cylinder hone. The 154 cuts just about as quick as a Dolmar 5100s, at least in my hands:

 

[rx7145]

I got my MS 290 used for $250 from my local stihl dealer. I put a 20 bar and skip tooth chain on it, cuts fine for me. Would a 441 Mag cut faster/better? Sure. Do I want one? Yes. Will I get rid of my 290? Never. It's just too handy of a saw.

 

[aandabooks]

computeruser,

I fall a lot of the stuff that I cut. I've pretty much cleared out all of the dead fall stuff that I can get to or isn't entirely rotted away. Thanksgiving morning I took down a 20" white oak with my 16" Poulan in about 10 minutes. Proceeded to limb it and begin cutting back. When it came to bucking up the trunk, I got out the 18" Craftsman. Each cut took probably 3-4 minutes and I ended up with a total of 11 18" sections out of the trunk.

I spent just about 3 hours getting the tree cut up. What I have now may not be fast or efficient but it has gotten me by for 3 years. I'll still be keeping these saws for backups and incase I get stuck in a cut. That seems to happen to me atleast once per tree.

This is why I'm looking for the best firewood saw that I can find for the price. I will make whatever I buy work for me. I just want something reliable and with good power. A better saw should cut my cutting time and let me cut more for the time I have.

I could spend more than my self-imposed/wife imposed budget for a saw but I don't really see the need and at some point of price it would not be cost effective to do so. I heat with wood to save money on energy costs. I don't sell any of the wood I cut and the more I spend on a saw the longer it will take to pay off in energy cost savings.

Matt

 

[aandabooks]

Oh yeah,

It amazed me how at the beginning of the thread in the chainsaw forum I started out with alot of recommedations for the 5100 but by the end the 361 was about the only thing recommended even though it was $200 over budget.

Matt

 

[cuttinstuff]

After reading your last post it sounds to me like you could use a saw bigger than 50cc. The Lowes Makita is a good idea. There are alot of saws in the 60cc range that would work well for you. The MS361 is supposed to be a great saw but there are others that can be had cheaper that will cut just as good or better. When I started cutting to heat my house several years ago a friend said I could cut all I want from his place {180 acres}. I bought a 50cc saw and started cutting a big ash that had already been felled, I made a few cuts and went right back to where I bought the saw and traded it in {Husky return policy} on the 365 special I have now, and never looked back, the difference is huge. You seem to watch your money close and that is a good thing, you already have a couple small saws so why buy another? If you can spend a little more and get a bigger pro saw you will save yourself some time, labor and probably some money in the long run because chances are you will end up with a bigger saw anyway.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

In the end there's only so much you can buy new with $400. Your choices are fairly limited. I'd go with the biggest saw in the 290/310/390 class that will fit into your budget. They're not pro saws, but as it's been said, they're reliable. I have 2 friends with them, and one of them cuts for 3 households with it, and has for 4 years now. He never even got it tuned up for the first 3 years till I convinced him to take it back to the dealer for tuning and new filters.

Ian

 

[aandabooks]

Personally, I think that I might be on the way to stretching the budget just a bit and buying the 390 with an 18" bar and looking towards a 24" on the side for big cuts. It would put me at 65cc and not be any heavier than the 290/310. Therefore a better power-to-weight ratio. Unless I can happen across something in the pro class just as large on the used market. I would be very leary about buying used on ebay so it will have to come from the local area trading paper. Before I lay down the money I would want to hear and see a used saw run.

Matt

 

[computeruser]

Well, if you go the 390 route then you're looking at $500 +/- a few bucks, and that's getting you into pro-saw territory, and you've entered a pricepoint that expands your options substantially. I don't know that an MS390 would be my choice for how to spend $500. Incidentally, I just sold a low-hours Dolmar 7900 for $450, and it will easily outcut anything shy of 90cc while weighing about the same as the MS390. But like you said earlier, the presence of a lot of Stihl dealers in your area may be a deciding factor for you.

If you're at all amenable to mail order, Dolmar/Makita 6400/6401 can be had new for that price from Bailey's and it makes a super firewood saw. It has a lot of potential for future upgrades (79cc piston/cylinder bolts right up), and is a gutsy saw right out the box. Air filtration, anti-vibration, power, and ease of servicing are superior to the MS390. But you have no dealers for it nearby, so we're back to square one, in a sense.

As you're seeing, there is no "perfect" solution here. Each saw model or family or brand has its own set of trade-offs and compromises. So I guess the parting advice is to go buy something and cut some wood. If the saw works for you, then you're good to go. If not, sell it on eBay and try something else! That is, after all, the best way to find out if a particular tool will work for your purposes...

 

[CharlieG]

I've looked at a lot of used saws, but was worried about the crapshoot of a saw with a troubled past that I prefer to by new.Yeah, I can fix it, but that adds up after a while. My Partner was a freebee and after a few parts-sparkplug and tank vent, a goodsharpening, and I was off bucking rounds. Replacing few fuel lines is one thing, a total rebuild after a straight gas run isn't! Buy new, whatever brand =MS290/Husky346/350/etc. Have fun

 

[ciscoguy01]

+1

reply.. I have said it before and I will say it again. for under 400 bones can not beat em.

Hands down... For $400 there's nothing out there that even comes close... You can bank on it...

 

[Brushwacker]

Buy a saw big enough to suit your purpose, in your price range and especially if you have 1 major saw be sure you have reliable service. Some saws retain resale value better then others and that could be an asset if you should decide to upgrade in the future.
If I had a very good dolmar-Makita servicing and well stocked dealer ,their saws would tempt me. If you have a very good Stihl dealer I do think it would be hard to go wrong with the ms280 or 310. If you are running a bar longer then 18 inch much I would pick the 310, otherwise the 280. I would say you more likely would want to keep it in the future if you upgraded with out trading then the 310 as it probably is more comfortable to run. Either saw seems to go high used on ebay very consistantly. A tree trimmer freind of mine went from an 346xp to an ms 280 about 3 years ago and the worst thing I heard him say of it is he really likes it. He has told that to at least 2 or 3 times.

 

[aandabooks]

Will the 5100 out cut a 310 both with 18" bars and brand new out of the box chains. I think I'm going to stop by a Dolmar Dealer in Peoria on Friday. The nearest one didn't stock the 5100 and didn't seem to interested in selling a saw that he would have to order when I checked with him. Also wanted prepayment before ordering one.

Matt