Another this vs that thread...just have to ask

[weimedog]

A co worker of mind decided it was time to buy a new saw...his Stihl 075's ignition died and it was time.....we use Husqvarna's at work. Mostly 357xp's. But there is a Husqvarna 390xp and a bunch of older 272xp's in the mix as well. He was not brand loyal. Was interested in either a Stihl or Husqvarna and nothing else.

SO with $600 cash in hand he went hunting, along with his brother...and the local store has both Stihl and Husqvarna brands. They bought a pair of Stihl 391's. (390's?) What he spent was roughly the same as he could have had a variety of saws that are on the shelf there..Husqvarna 365 x-torqs, 555's etc. along with the smaller pro level 50cc saws.

So my question..two parts.

Other than a person liking the way a Stihl or Husqvarna looks, what is the thought process that a customer not new to saws, but also not an arboristsite tech weine; go's through that would pick one saw vs. another? Especially when you see them side by side.

Second. Did my friend make the right choise? Is that Stihl 391 the best firewood saw for blocking 24in and smaller wood in that price class? Seems to be a trend where that 390-391 series sell really well around here.

 

[Homelite410]

Did he buy 2 saws or he bought one brother bought the other?


Best saw for firewood? That's a matter of opinion depending on if u bleed orange, red, or creamsickle.... I have yet to run a a 390 stihl that wasn't a turd in factory form, now advance the ignition and muffler mod it retune and it will be a whole lot better. The trees DO NOT have stop watches but when Im cutting wood I HATE waiting on a saw, and y'all know what I mean. The 357 husky would have more torque but for a 24" bar on a saw under 70cc you will be waiting on it. 20" all the time and 24" occasionally you probably will be fine.

Hope this helps and again this I just my opinion.
my rule of thumb is 50cc = 18" 60cc=20" 70cc=24" 80cc=32"

 

[KenJax Tree]

Sawtroll will chime in soon with his thoughts and advice:msp_biggrin:

 

[mike047]

Personally, I would have bought a ms261 instead of the ms391. About the same price but the 261 is "pro" grade. The is a trade off in HP, the 261 being less but Stihl rates both at 20" bar max.

I own both and there is a significant weight difference. The 261 is about 2.5 pounds lighter so I could use it longer.[I actually use my 026 the most :msp_biggrin:]

 

[Trailtrimmer]

I would have gone 555 long before a Stihl 390/391. $80 more gets you autotune 2lbs lighter, magnesium case, etc.

Of course I've become a little snobbish in my saw ownership, the Stihl will work just fine for a long time, it just won't have the chain speed and will weigh 2lbs more.

 

[weimedog]

Did he buy 2 saws or he bought one brother bought the other?

Each bought a saw..a good day for the local dealer..as now Stihl brand accessories just got two more long term customers..

My choice given the same parameters is in my signature below....but that's not the point. To me it's understanding the marketing angle here..and I'm trying to.

 

[7sleeper]

2x600 = 1200 = 3x Echo 600p or 2x Echo 600p and 400$ still in my hand! Don't care what name is on the outside as long as the inside is a pro saw!!!

7

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Marketing angle is easy on this one. The name stihl sells no matter if junk saw compared to a better built saw in another name. I see it all the time in the used saw market here.

 

[sunfish]

A co worker of mind decided it was time to buy a new saw...his Stihl 075's ignition died and it was time.....we use Husqvarna's at work. Mostly 357xp's. But there is a Husqvarna 390xp and a bunch of older 272xp's in the mix as well. He was not brand loyal. Was interested in either a Stihl or Husqvarna and nothing else.

SO with $600 cash in hand he went hunting, along with his brother...and the local store has both Stihl and Husqvarna brands. They bought a pair of Stihl 391's. (390's?) What he spent was roughly the same as he could have had a variety of saws that are on the shelf there..Husqvarna 365 x-torqs, 555's etc. along with the smaller pro level 50cc saws.

So my question..two parts.

Other than a person liking the way a Stihl or Husqvarna looks, what is the thought process that a customer not new to saws, but also not an arboristsite tech weine; go's through that would pick one saw vs. another? Especially when you see them side by side.

Second. Did my friend make the right choise? Is that Stihl 391 the best firewood saw for blocking 24in and smaller wood in that price class? Seems to be a trend where that 390-391 series sell really well around here.

He made a poor choice! Probably thought bigger is better and a 'good heft'...

My guess is the sales person Sold him the saws.

550xp, or 555 would have been my choice, but even a ms261 would have been better than he got!

 

[mdavlee]

I would think a 555 would be a much better choice to me. Oh well they must like the cream sickle.

 

[7sleeper]

Sawtroll will chime in soon with his thoughts and advice:msp_biggrin:

Don't think so. There isn't a lot of info on the net about these rather new saws. So I have the impression he is a little hesitant to give them the death blow yet....

7

 

[struggle]

MS391 is a GOOD saw. DOn't let others tell you otherwise.

That being said it is not a pro saw but will serve your buddy well.

I know a guy here that has been running one on a farm and he has done everything he can to kill it and it keeps on going.

It can run a 25" if the need arises.

If he muffler mods it and retunes it it will wake it up even more.

People around here feel if it isn't a pro level saw it must be junk and that is not the case.

If he is happy with it it will be great for him. NO need to go down the road he should have bought this and that. We all do that and you can't live in the past but you can keep beating a dead horse if you want and let us know how that works out

 

[Saw Dr.]

391 is a great saw that sells itself. It is a bit cheaper than the 362, and it has a larger engine. While happier with a 20" bar, it will easily run a 25 if the need arises. Sure there may be other offerings from Husky that will do just as well, but a Stihll dealer is going to sell what he has. 391 is a great bang-for-buck saw, and really good for the firewood crowd. I see very few come back for anything other than a chain sharpening.

 

[weimedog]

391 is a great saw that sells itself. It is a bit cheaper than the 362, and it has a larger engine. While happier with a 20" bar, it will easily run a 25 if the need arises. Sure there may be other offerings from Husky that will do just as well, but a Stihll dealer is going to sell what he has. 391 is a great bang-for-buck saw, and really good for the firewood crowd. I see very few come back for anything other than a chain sharpening.

This dealer has the full Husqvarna line on the other half of the store as well....

 

[mdavlee]

I bought a ms390 once instead of the 361. I didn't want to spend the extra money on it. Then I bought a 460 and then an old 044 and was hooked on the 70cc pro saws. The 390 was sold to a good friend and he give me the new price minus tax and a new chain. I was lucky he made the offer and I got out of it.

 

[MindFork]

Marketing angle is easy on this one. The name stihl sells no matter if junk saw compared to a better built saw in another name. I see it all the time in the used saw market here.

People treat their favorite brand like it's a religion. Around where I live, it's Stihl Stihl Stihl all the way. Every pro tree guy I've had on my property in the last 10 years had Stihls. The only dealers within 30-40 minutes are Stihl dealers.

The first time I saw my neighbors Husqvarnas, they looked weird to me because I had only ever seen Stihls in person. Thanks to this site, I have an awesome "unusual" 50cc saw and am looking to pick up a Husky 372 eventually.

As for your friend, as long as he's a strong guy he'll be perfectly happy with that 391 for firewood duty. Muff mod it and he'll be even happier.

 

[spike60]

It's really not unusual for a dealer who carries both brands to push one over the other. Often whichever one he had the longest is the favorite. Something he's comfortable with; knows what works.

And that being said, I agree with Sunfish that walking out with the 391 instead of the 555 was mostly the dealer's doing. MS391 is a fine firewood saw, which is what those guys were looking for. But by almost any yardstick, the 555 is really a much better choice.

Yet even in my store, the 555 has a hard time selling against the 562. :msp_rolleyes: They are really much closer than most people would believe and the 555 costs $100 less.

 

[bryanr2]

I bought a ms390 once instead of the 361. I didn't want to spend the extra money on it. Then I bought a 460 and then an old 044 and was hooked on the 70cc pro saws. The 390 was sold to a good friend and he give me the new price minus tax and a new chain. I was lucky he made the offer and I got out of it.

Shame Shame unloading that on a "good Friend"otstir: :jester:

 

[mdavlee]

Shame Shame unloading that on a "good Friend"otstir: :jester:

He voluntarily wanted it. He wasn't into pro saws and probably still isn't. Power to weight doesn't matter to him as much.

 

[blsnelling]

Should have bought a Husky 365.