Narrowing down my decision on a new saw

[stihl only]

I was shocked that he would not sale his nephew a saw at his cost considering he has more money than he knows what to do with....

Well I think you should show him and buy a Stihl!

If you buy the MS270 and treat it right, you can get close to what you pay for it on ebay a few years down the road.

 

[weimedog]

Since you are a budding "CAD" freak...first you MUST figure out what color looks best to you.

Husqvarna's..whatever
Stihl...Orange
Other...Jonsered, Dolmar, Echo etc.

Thats the most important descision. Endless churning and hashing to be done with this first and most important descision as it wil impact your CAD life until your fingers are too arthritic to type.

A big facter in the "color" descision is what type of personality do you have? Are you a conventional conservitive type or do you tend to be independent and like to buck trends.

Are you a "herd following" conservative type? If so, Stihl has to be your only choice. A little more independent, but still the more conservative type..Husky

A Maverick (Clutch Head) performance nut...look to Dolmar for inspiration.

Zeolet looking for a cause to champion...Solo

Infleuenced by the eastern cultures...Echo

Rebel without a cause...Jonsered.

You will be absolutely pleased with withever path you choose..and you can change paths as time goes on.

Second big descision is budget..which you have, $300 to $400. Seeing as you have already dragged this out a few pages...I'm going to suggest Husqvarna first, Stihl second, Dolmar third, with Jonsered a wild card.

For Saw particulars?

Husqvarna 359 is about the best medium sized all around saw you can buy. Period. You would have to ebay one and gamble with the financial goals you have set, but you would have a saw for all seasons and one you would probably keep as your main saw. (My Husqvarna 365 is my all around saw..my little 455 is going to try and bump it from that position this year)( The local TSC store has a "customer return" Husqvarna 359 for sale at $418 Dollars. They would take less. Absolutely nothing wrong and maybe a couple of tanks of fuel through it. Look at your Box Stores for deals, I got my Husqvarna 455 for $150 bucks; as a true CAD nut would do! I was brand new. Looks brand new, the chain was origional and still sharp. Little paint off the bar.)

A Stihl MS290, even a 310; is right in there price wise and have been around since the earths crust cooled off. My friend from the north part of my county loves his..and has for a long time. The problem is the folks here on this site will rip them for their lack of "Pro" ambitions. Thousands have been in use for years. Solid saws.

Your budget says Husqvarna 353....a nice saw with a good following. But will be relagated to backup and limbing saw if you do a lot of cutting.

Bottom line, pick a color, and then find a 55cc to 60cc class saw in your price range so you have a useful first all around saw. Forget the bleeding edge fringes (Dolmars 5100s and other hyper expensive small pro saws) untill you are a full fledged CAD nut with a solid saw to ensure your work gets done and have a budget to deal with them. (One thing I learn OVER and over again out here on the east coast with hard wood. There is NO replacement for displacement...period)

 

[SawTroll]

The 361 has quite a bit more power to go with a pound or two more weight. It's much better-suited for felling & bucking than the 346, which is basically an awesome, quick-handling saw for limbing and smaller wood. If you can have only one saw, the MS361 is a much better choice.

Depends on the size of the trees, but I tend to agree.

50cc is a bit small, regardless how good it is, for a one saw plan....

 

[Jtheo]

Pick a Color

Since you are a budding "CAD" freak...first you MUST figure out what color looks best to you.

Husqvarna's..whatever
Stihl...Orange
Other...Jonsered, Dolmar, Echo etc.

Thats the most important descision. Endless churning and hashing to be done with this first and most important descision as it wil impact your CAD life until your fingers are too arthritic to type.

A big facter in the "color" descision is what type of personality do you have? Are you a conventional conservitive type or do you tend to be independent and like to buck trends.

Are you a "herd following" conservative type? If so, Stihl has to be your only choice. A little more independent, but still the more conservative type..Husky

A Maverick (Clutch Head) performance nut...look to Dolmar for inspiration.

Zeolet looking for a cause to champion...Solo

Infleuenced by the eastern cultures...Echo

Rebel without a cause...Jonsered.

You will be absolutely pleased with withever path you choose..and you can change paths as time goes on.

Second big descision is budget..which you have, $300 to $400. Seeing as you have already dragged this out a few pages...I'm going to suggest Husqvarna first, Stihl second, Dolmar third, with Jonsered a wild card.

For Saw particulars?

Husqvarna 359 is about the best medium sized all around saw you can buy. Period. You would have to ebay one and gamble with the financial goals you have set, but you would have a saw for all seasons and one you would probably keep as your main saw. (My Husqvarna 365 is my all around saw..my little 455 is going to try and bump it from that position this year)( The local TSC store has a "customer return" Husqvarna 359 for sale at $418 Dollars. They would take less. Absolutely nothing wrong and maybe a couple of tanks of fuel through it. Look at your Box Stores for deals, I got my Husqvarna 455 for $150 bucks; as a true CAD nut would do! I was brand new. Looks brand new, the chain was origional and still sharp. Little paint off the bar.)

A Stihl MS290, even a 310; is right in there price wise and have been around since the earths crust cooled off. My friend from the north part of my county loves his..and has for a long time. The problem is the folks here on this site will rip them for their lack of "Pro" ambitions. Thousands have been in use for years. Solid saws.

Your budget says Husqvarna 353....a nice saw with a good following. But will be relagated to backup and limbing saw if you do a lot of cutting.

Bottom line, pick a color, and then find a 55cc to 60cc class saw in your price range so you have a useful first all around saw. Forget the bleeding edge fringes (Dolmars 5100s and other hyper expensive small pro saws) untill you are a full fledged CAD nut with a solid saw to ensure your work gets done and have a budget to deal with them. (One thing I learn OVER and over again out here on the east coast with hard wood. There is NO replacement for displacement...period)

Very well done. I am going to keep a copy of this.

 

[7sleeper]

Very well done. I am going to keep a copy of this.

What do you mean well? Excellent is the word!!!



But as all men living with a women have recognized a long time ago, it's all about the colour!



7

 

[Country1]

If you like Stihl, want one saw for general firewood cutting and want it to last a lifetime, a MS361 with a 18" bar is the best way to go. Pay just a little more now, but it'll make you happy everyday you use it after.

If you're just simply trying to save money and think heating with wood is the answer, put a new chain on the Poulan and start cutting. As long as it starts and runs ok, it'll get you going on your firewood. Then save up to get the pro saw that'll last you a lifetime. Just don't cheap out now and get a saw you'll end up regretting. I'll cost you more in the long run. Been there, done that.

Just my thoughts....

 

[Vibes]

Just a head up, there are a few JD cs62's on E-bay ight now for some killer prices.

 

[Simple Man]

I would like to tell everyone thank you for the time you took to help me make an educated decision. I finally made a decision this evening but it was one that I couldn't pass up. I had called the local Husqvarna dealer and asked them if they would bring the price of the 359 down a little so it would be in my price range. They told me that they were unable to drop the price any but top remember that if I bought from them instead of off the Internet that they would always be here to help me. I had really wanted to buy locally anyways so I went into the dealers shop after work. I walk in the door and there was this fellow standing there and greeted me as I walked in and then asked me what I was looking for.....so I told him that I really wanted the Husqvarna 359 but that it was a little out of my price range by about $50 and he says to me "well, lets see what we can do" and I said to him that I had already called and they said that "he" could not fudge on the price. So he tells me that his name is on the sign outside and has the ultimate decision. I'm getting my hopes up by this time and eagerly wait for him to return from his office. He finally comes back out and says to me "how does $475 sound to you?" I must have sounded like I had a speech problem when I was trying to get the words "I'll take it" out of my mouth.

For $521 I walked out with an extra skip tooth chain, 2 cans of oil mix, a Husqvarna hat, a free 15 minute lesson on the saw (from the owner himself) and a brand spankin new Husky 359 with a 20" bar. Oh, and he said he owes me a carry case at cost. You can't beat a deal like that!

 

[Guarddog1]

I say go for a 346xp good saws from what I read I just purchased one fro 500. from my local dealer it was a 18" 3/8 chain. Then when you decide that is not enough 372xp.

 

[slinger]

hey man, i climb trees for a living. meaning i run a saw daily.

go see your uncle, pay what he wants you to pay under the condition he replaces the catalytic muffler with another muffler (on him) the moment you hand him the money.

come back here and do some thorough research on the 359. by taking the catmuffler off that saw you just bought the hottest saw in the 59cc class.

i wont lie to you man. i own both the ms361 and that 359. i like the husky better. do the simple mods to this saw and you got yourself a runner.

you will be keeping money in the family and besides if you dont buy from your uncle you can forget about ever asking him a saw related question ever again, right?

win win, no?

good luck and dont let them talk you into a 270 or 290 if you can get that 3fiddy9 homeboy.

Good Advice

 

[Simple Man]

How can I tell which muffler I have on my 359? And if I have the cat one, where can I buy the no-cat muffler?

Thanks guys

 

[Simple Man]

I found the non-cat muffler at Bailey's....oh man, I can feel the CAD running through my veins!!!

 

[Country1]

congrats on a nice saw!
Be careful using it.

 

[2000ssm6]

Nice!

 

[brucew44guns]

glad for you

Nothing like some new iron, I hope that saw runs like crazy for many years for you. I can see piles of firewood cluttering your place real soon!!

 

[chugbug]

Thats a good question on cats , can you tell if its a cat just buy looking at it on the outside ?? I looked at a 359 eco-tech today and I couldn't see anything different .

 

[computeruser]

OK, I'm a bit late to the thread, but here's my 2c:

Buy the 290/310. Put the left-over cash into proper protective gear. You'll still be under budget and you'll have a saw that is as reliable as gravity. When you've got 30-40 tanks through it, you'll know whether it is the right saw for you (and you'll keep it) or not (and then you'll sell it for 85% of MSRP). My MS290 and Dolmar 7900 are the only saws I've ever owned that just work, each and every time I pick them up, no matter how I put them up after their last use.

As I understand it, your goal is to have a reliable saw for home firewood use, part of the aim of which is to save money. The 290/310 will help you achieve that goal, and should something happen, you'll have ready access to a TON of used parts on eBay.

 

[weimedog]

Congrates on the new saw! Get someone who knows HUskies to check and make certain it isn't running really lean and enjoy. If the saw has a "green" colored gas cap it probably has a "CAT" muffler, If it doesn't well then you probably don't have a "CAT" muffler.

 

[Simple Man]

I looked the numbers up on my muffler and I do in fact have the cat muffler. So I will be purchasing a non-cat muffler in a week or so...

 

[Country1]

Too bad you have to spend more money on a brand new saw....