Just Bought a 361 - Should I Upgrade to 441?

[Muffler Bearing]

???? I can assure you that small inconvenience will be met with a huge increase in air filtration ability of the 362 and about 10 times less air filter cleaning, plus it has a prefilter unlike the 361.

My dealer popped the 362 air filter cover off faster with a scrench than someone could unscrew the 361's filter cover.

Is the 361 a bad saw, absolutely not, but the 362 is a great step forward.

My opinion,

Sam

oke:oke:

 

[MuleyJ]

Too late!

Right now, I'm trying to fool myself into thinking that this will be my last saw for another 10 or 15 years - my wife can only hope....

Too late, you are alredy infected. So u dun good with the 70cc 50cc combo. Then theres 90cc and you gotta have two.............. You will be lucky to make it a year without replacing your small saw if you stay here.

No one that enters this site can ever be saved! EVER.

 

[nanuk]

We need to start comparing apples to apples here....

you have to realize where the opinions come from.

My kid and I went into a burn area 3/4hr drive, where there was a bunch of crooked stuff not fit for posts and too small for pulp.. left on the ground in nothing longer than 6 ft.
stuff had the burn knocked off with the limber.
I had a 2T with a 8x12 box, and a 42cc saw with 16" bar.
it took us maybe 4 hours to put 2 cords up, cut into 16" lengths.
a week later we went back and did it again.

Are you telling me that a guy with a 046 would have been so much faster that it would have been only 3/4 day used instead of a full day?

come on... the OP is putting up 6 cords... he needs to allow about a cord a day, and with the 361, he'll be fine! Does he really need to cut all his wood in ONE day?

 

[ihookem]

Fetchemup, I just bought a 441 25" bar for firewood. It is a little clumsy but after 4 tanks it is starting to really scream. I bought a big saw cause my firewood comes from the city and everyone gets the tops and noone wants a 30" trunk. I sometimes wonder if I should have got a 361 but it's done now. I can say it is a very fussy starter, it floods easy. I even thought the coil went out . It took 50 pulls and then started. I'm not all that happy with it yet, I hope that changes. I can say it goes through wood in a hurry compared to my 034 (361's little bro) hope this helps.

 

[scotvl]

Fetchemup, I just bought a 441 25" bar for firewood. It is a little clumsy but after 4 tanks it is starting to really scream. I bought a big saw cause my firewood comes from the city and everyone gets the tops and noone wants a 30" trunk. I sometimes wonder if I should have got a 361 but it's done now. I can say it is a very fussy starter, it floods easy. I even thought the coil went out . It took 50 pulls and then started. I'm not all that happy with it yet, I hope that changes. I can say it goes through wood in a hurry compared to my 034 (361's little bro) hope this helps.

Open the L screw a 1/4 turn and see how it it starts.

 

[Fechmup]

Fetchemup, I just bought a 441 25" bar for firewood. It is a little clumsy but after 4 tanks it is starting to really scream. I bought a big saw cause my firewood comes from the city and everyone gets the tops and noone wants a 30" trunk. I sometimes wonder if I should have got a 361 but it's done now. I can say it is a very fussy starter, it floods easy. I even thought the coil went out . It took 50 pulls and then started. I'm not all that happy with it yet, I hope that changes. I can say it goes through wood in a hurry compared to my 034 (361's little bro) hope this helps.

I've only run two tanks through it - but was happy with it. I did flood it once, but I didn't think much of it. I'm glad I decided to move up to this saw.

 

[Wild Knight]

Fetchemup, I just bought a 441 25" bar for firewood. It is a little clumsy but after 4 tanks it is starting to really scream. I bought a big saw cause my firewood comes from the city and everyone gets the tops and noone wants a 30" trunk. I sometimes wonder if I should have got a 361 but it's done now. I can say it is a very fussy starter, it floods easy. I even thought the coil went out . It took 50 pulls and then started. I'm not all that happy with it yet, I hope that changes. I can say it goes through wood in a hurry compared to my 034 (361's little bro) hope this helps.

I put mine on full choke, and pull until you here it pop or catch (just barely try to start). This generally takes about 3 pulls, never more than 4-5. Then before the next pull, put it on high speed idle. It always catches on the next pull. See if this helps you.

 

[the westspartan]

I put mine on full choke, and pull until you here it pop or catch (just barely try to start). This generally takes about 3 pulls, never more than 4-5. Then before the next pull, put it on high speed idle. It always catches on the next pull. See if this helps you.

+1

2 to 3 pulls at choke, 1 pull at fast idle let her warm up a minute and then were cutt'n!

 

[talltreeclimber]

I have both the 361 and a 441 and they are pretty different saws. I am somewhat of a chainsaw enthusiast and i am working on buying every pro model saw. next is a 260 pro then. but i keep a 20" on my 361 and a 25" on my 441. I cut alot of wood so i like to have a saw for just about every cutting condition. im not going to use a 20" saw for something larger than 20". But if you are not cutting alot of wood sometimes just hold your money and stay with a 20" 361.

 

[belgian]

I am somewhat of a chainsaw enthusiast .....

Are you sure you are in the right forum....???:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[ihookem]

Thanks guys for the advice on starting the 441. was starting to figure out how to start it and was just like you guys said. I will turn out the L screw 1/4 turn. Thanks.

 

[JPP]

Alright... After thinking about it all night - and a scouting session in the woods this morning, I gained a little better perspective of the work I have ahead of me, so I went back and picked up the 441. .

Good choice.
You'll be very happy with the 441.
As someone said: choke- two quick poulls, take choke off-one quick pull. Away she goes every single time.

Good luck.

 

[ihookem]

JJP, I will give that a try and hope it works. Stihls don't have an easy reputation for starting in my book.

 

[lapointe]

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.

100% correct. I'm not a pro by any means, just a landowner with a moderate addiction to chainsaws thanks to this forum... I have a 346xp, fairly similar in size to your 290, it has a 16" bar and just rips. I bought a 361, and had it for a week. It's not that I didn't like it, but it was just too similar to my 346. I went up to a 460 with a 20" bar and love it. The majority of the hardwood I'm using for firewood is less then 20". My 346 does fine in it, species dependent. If I run into a situation where I need a bigger saw, I have one with significantly more power. I'm also pursuing the possibilities of milling with my 460. Do I need a 460 for firewood? Not really, a 361 would be fine for your homeowner who heats with wood, especially if you only could have one saw. I have some significant felling in the future mostly of 28" plus pine for my timber frame home I'm going to be building and a 50cc and 70cc saw combo is ideal for me. I just wanted some more options for the future. If I could only have one saw it would be a dolmar 7900.

 

[SteveH]

Good choice.
You'll be very happy with the 441.
As someone said: choke- two quick poulls, take choke off-one quick pull. Away she goes every single time.

Good luck.

Starting my 036 I choke it and have to pull maybe five times to get a cough, then choke off and it starts on one pull. As the manual says. My 441 does not like this, and I use the above method. Choke on, two pulls, choke off, one pull and start, every time. [for starting cold, I mean.]

 

[daverx1]

Lets get this straight, you got the fire place to save money on gas bills. If you realy want to save some $$ and be WARM, get a wood stove, forget the new saw. Keep the 290, give it a muffler mod, set the high speed jet to 1.25 turns and cut wood

 

[john inglis]

firewood saws ,090 or 441

just wondering if the 441 would be better for limbing than my 090, i only run 16" .325 full skip with lightened bar and have drilled holes in air filter to save weight . have thought that perhaps the 084 with a 12' reduced weight bar and full skip .325 might be a bit easier on the back but still have enough power if i port it and fit a race pipe .

ps have already tried 076 with 36" bar to save bending over for the really small limbs but it didnt help .

pps , anyone know a good chiropractor

 

[Fechmup]

Not sure if that previous post was a lame attempt at sarcasm or not :censored: - I'll let it go either way.

As it turns out, the main source of firewood I have is the stuff that's 30" and above that the chippers at the tree service I work for can't handle.

My 441 has done a nice job getting me through 36" + oak sections in a timely manner.

I'm really glad I moved up and bought a little bigger saw.

 

[Fechmup]

Lets get this straight, you got the fire place to save money on gas bills. If you realy want to save some $$ and be WARM, get a wood stove, forget the new saw. Keep the 290, give it a muffler mod, set the high speed jet to 1.25 turns and cut wood

Wood stove doesn't work in my living room - that was what I wanted initially.

Kept the 290
Love the 441
Fireplace easily keeps the house in the 80's...
Life is good.

 

[Pain Cow]

I'm one of those weird people that bought an MS390 and really like it. I'd really be fooling myself if I said I needed any other saw.