Dolmar 5100s vs. Husky 359 for my needs

[mking7]

A few weeks ago there was a thread about the best saw for under $400 and the Husky 359 got some love but a comment was made that the new Dolmar may be the saw to beat if it lives up to the hype for under $400.

I use a saw a few times a year to cut wood at my weekend place. I guess 3-4 cords of camp wood or so. Mostly oak, pecan, hickory, pine and mesquite (once a year on another property). Mostly firewood and a maybe a half cord or cord of the hickory/pecan/mesquite for cooking with. I cut a lot of down stuff mostly and have a 15 year old Homelite I bought at Sears that has been worth the $139 I paid for it but wanted to move up plus buy a saw I can probably keep for the rest of my life with proper mtc and care.

Looking to run an 18" and/or a 20" bar. Wood size varies but most in the 10-14" range I guess.

Looking at the $400 range. Was looking at the 359 real hard but am now considering the Dolmar too. And, if I decide to break the bank, I would go with a Stihl 361. No brand loyalty here. Don't mind and am capable of doing my own work so dealer service not that important but parts availability is (mail order is fine, just so I can get them).

Thanks for your input.

 

[jokers]

Hi mking7,

Welcome to AS.

Now that I`ve had a chance to run the 5100, 359, and 361 in stock and modified form I feel qualified to offer my opinion.

For mostly 10"-14" hardwood I would recommend the 5100, although with a 16" bar for balance. The 5100 is surprisingly torquey for it`s displacement right out of the box, not far behind the 359, and though it`s further behind the stock performance of the 361, it`s also quite a bit cheaper and lighter.

All three of these saws are actually very good being nearly identical when comparing features and user friendliness. It should be no surprise that in ascending order of power it would be the 5100, 359, then the 361 but on the other hand the 5100 may be smoothest and is lightest. If you open the muffler on any of these saws they get even better. Of course noone can comment yet on the durability of the 5100 but Dolmar makes a solid product and I`d be hard pressed to believe that this will be an issue with the 5100.

Russ

 

[brent denny]

Russ covered all the angles as usual. For the size of the wood you are talking, the 5100 gets my vote. I only have about 3 tanks through mine but it is light, well balanced, and has really good power.

 

[xring]

Mike sounds like all of these would work for you. I used a stihl 029 now a 290 I think this last weekend and it did a real fine job for me. What I would worry about most is service. Who will maintain it and repair it when needed. There may be Dolmar dealers in the Houston area but I know there are Stihl dealers.

 

[Stihl Crazy]

Here is some advice from a late uncle who was logging in his 70's. " Use the lightest saw that will do the job." That is advice I always follow. The Dolmar 5100 sounds good to me.

 

[TonyM]

I may be a little partial, but if you are cutting a lot of downed stuff, there is probably a fair share of trimming and reaching. For the amount of and size wood you are going to cut, a light saw will be the ticket. My vote goes to the 5100. Then later if you wish to add a larger saw to the stable, you'll have a little more difference between them, rather than starting in the mid sized range like the 359 or MS361. A 50cc and 70-80cc saw make a good combination.

 

[spike60]

Have to go with the consensus here and recomend the Dolmar 5100. Best saw in it's class and best saw for the money. I agree with Tonym that a 50CC saw in combo with a 70+ CC is the best way to cover all the bases.

But since you are not in a production mode and are cutting 3 or 4 cords for yourself, the lighter 5100 is all you are ever going to need. In addition to the power that the other guys have mentioned, I've never seen a saw accelerate as quick as the 5100. The RPM's don't rise, they jump! You'll love it.

 

[SawTroll]

I haven't touched a 5100 - but I think the balance issue Jokers mentioned with bars longer than 16" is important to take note of.
The question is if you really need a longer bar, it doesn't seem so from your description of the wood.
If you choose the 359 or 361, both would sure satisfy your needs, but stock the 361 has more power, less weight (at least the EURO versions) and an inboard clutch.
The 361 should really be compared to the 357xp, not the 359. The Stihl counterpart of the 359 is the 341 (N/A in USA I understand, but it is in Canada).

Provided I read the picture right, from what I have read about it, I would take a hard look at the 5100 with 16" bar, and keep an extra 20" one for the times when really needed.

PS: Over here it would have been a "no-brainer", as the 361 has the lowest price tag of these saws.......

 

[mking7]

16" bar might be a bit borderline for me. Like I said, most is 10-14" but some is bigger. If I said 18" bar instead of 20", would the Dolmar still be the choice?

 

[cuttinscott]

Well yesterday I sent out a PS5100 with a 208RNDK095 and 73LG 72 dr chain to a local logger that uses PS6400's, PS7900's and a PS9010 his initial test he loved it so he should give me a report thursday night Ill report back. so far all we have sold have been either .325 or 3/8 18" and the 5100 handles the 18" finee

SCOTT

 

[jokers]

16" bar might be a bit borderline for me. Like I said, most is 10-14" but some is bigger. If I said 18" bar instead of 20", would the Dolmar still be the choice?

Considering that most of the wood is 10" - 14" I would still recommend the 5100 which will blast through this size wood. You won`t appreciate the displacement advantage of the 359 or 361 until most of your wood is atleast 16" IMO.

Don`t forget that you can handle the occassional piece of 30" wood with a 16" bar but if your heart is set on an 18 or 20"er, go for it. Of course after you set the saw down and dirt the rotating chain a few times you`ll wish that you had listened to me.

Russ

 

[SawTroll]

..... Don`t forget that you can handle the occassional piece of 30" wood with a 16" bar but if your heart is set on an 18 or 20"er, go for it. Of course after you set the saw down and dirt the rotating chain a few times you`ll wish that you had listened to me. Russ

Excactly!

...but if you are accustomed to handling front heavy saws it will probably be OK.
Personally I don't like front heavy saws, but that's just me. :angel:

 

[SawTroll]

......so far all we have sold have been either .325 or 3/8 18" and the 5100 handles the 18" fine SCOTT

I am not doubting that the saw will handle 18" bar nicely in the wood.

The question is if it is really convenient for the user!

 

[mking7]

All good advice and I appreciate it. Guess I will give the Dolmar a try. Thanks guys.

 

[rbtree]

I agree with ya'll about a nose heavy saw being less than optimal. But, if a light saw has a lot of power and has been modded to the point where it easily can handle a long bar, then why not use it that way if need be. Out west, we traditionally have run long bars. Some even go overboard, i recall seeing a stock 028 equipped with a 28 inch bar , ouch, can you say overkill?!

 

[mking7]

Hey guys. I feel really bad because I asked for all of this advice and even got pricing on the Dolmar then backed out. I am not super uptight about dealer support but I got to thinking about how I buy my welding equipment and supplies locally to support the guy that keeps me running and develop a good business relationship. So I decided to find a local dealer.

Well, after a call to Dolmar (which was a recording asking me to leave a message) and a call to a very helpful distributor, I found that there were no Dolmar dealers either in the Houston metro area or anywhere near my weekend place (or along the 200 mile drive for that matter). Not bashing Dolmar AT ALL. Just gave me an uneasy feeling for whatever reason so I went and got a Stihl 361 this afternoon. Can't wait till Saturday to run some gas through it.

Even though I didn't follow the recommendations of this thread I did use the information in making my decision and I want to thank you all for your input.

 

[cuttinscott]

Mike, good luck with the stihl glad to be of help with your decision
as far as balance on the 5100S with 20" check out these pics

 

[mking7]

Mike, good luck with the stihl glad to be of help with your decision
as far as balance on the 5100S with 20" check out these pics

NOT FAIR! Now I may end up with one of those too! I believe the Dolmar is probably a great saw. I may end up with one someday. I fall into the weekend warrior class so I don't need 2 saws but with my work schedule I seem to not have enough free time to spend my money so I can see it happening. I think tractor is next on my list though...

 

[SawTroll]

...... I fall into the weekend warrior class so I don't need 2 saws

Of course you do!
It is allways nice to have an extra saw in case something happens, if not for other reasons.
Now you got the perfect excuse to get two extra saws, as you chose a middleweight to begin with. How about a MS200 (not T) for tops and light limbing and 660 for stumping?

Don't be fooled by the Dolmar picture. as far as I can see it sits on the corner of a table of some sort, and it tells nothing about how is will balance in your hand.... :alien:

Anyway, congrats with your decision - both on the saw model and on buying locally. I think you will be very happy with the saw!

I have about the same problem with Dolmar as you have - closest dealer is more than 1000 miles away.

 

[pinus]

The jug on 5100 seem being near vertical and the front handle over it, distance between front and rear handles not very large. Probably, such setup is wery comfortable for limbing with shorter bars. With longer bars the limbing to the up direction can tire the left hand somewhat