New Chainsaw Selection - Advice Needed

[BradyHeath]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in the market to buy a new chainsaw and my first chainsaw. (2nd first one I bought was a Chinese fake stihl and broke within a week)
I've decided I want to go with a stihl as I've read a lot of reviews on not being able to beat the brand, but I'm needing help deciding which model is best for my use.
I do a fair bit of camping and also have a fire pit at home which gets used regularly over the winter time, so I'm cutting decent sized wood.
I have researched that I'm better spending the extra money and getting a professional chainsaw over a farm owner saw in the long run. (I plan on not having to upgrade for a very long time)

Any help would be appreciated. I live in Australia so its going to cost me an arm and a leg either way!
Cheers,

Brady.

 

[johnnyballs]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in the market to buy a new chainsaw and my first chainsaw. (2nd first one I bought was a Chinese fake stihl and broke within a week)
I've decided I want to go with a stihl as I've read a lot of reviews on not being able to beat the brand, but I'm needing help deciding which model is best for my use.
I do a fair bit of camping and also have a fire pit at home which gets used regularly over the winter time, so I'm cutting decent sized wood.
I have researched that I'm better spending the extra money and getting a professional chainsaw over a farm owner saw in the long run. (I plan on not having to upgrade for a very long time)

Any help would be appreciated. I live in Australia so its going to cost me an arm and a leg either way!
Cheers,

Brady.

if you can get your hands on a farm boss,go for it....durable, good power, and big fuel tanks...seemingly cut forever before running out...good luck

 

[stihlman27]

I second what Johnny says for what you do a farm boss would work good for you.

 

[BradyHeath]

So it's not worth spending the extra couple hundered dollars and getting a professional saw for the long run?

 

[ArthurB]

G'day Brady - I wouldn't be concerned about going away from Stihl - the air filtration system on Huskies works much better, and that's a big consideration for Australian (ultra) hardwood - lots of very fine powder dust - I sold my Stihl FarmBoss years ago to get a Husky, and have not looked back - IMO (a lot of others also) better ergonomics and balance, and faster revving motors - better accessories, and at least equal in reliability

If you don't mind spending a few more dollars, I'd go for a professional saw - you'll forget the extra dollars soon enough, and the saw will give you years of trouble-free / high performance running

I'd also be a bit generous with the cc's - probably mid-high 50s to mid 70s, depending on how much big hardwood you're cutting - 70+ is good if sectioning big trunks (eg red box in pic below) - you can get a couple of different bars, and swap those over when cutting smaller stuff

 

[turnkey4099]

So it's not worth spending the extra couple hundered dollars and getting a professional saw for the long run?

Not in my opinion for your purposes. I have been cutting around 10 cord a year since 1976. First Stihl was an MS310 somewhere in the 80s. Still using it heavily although the compression is down a bit. I have added a couple pro models which will outperform the home owner speed wise but I see no difference in reliability between the two grades. Curant stable is MS192T (Home owner), MS210 (homeowner) MS310 (homeowner), MS361 (pro), MS441 (pro) Each and every one gets heavy use except for the MS210. Idt was my brush cutter but the MS192T leaves it way in the dust - the 210 is pretty much a shelf queen.

 

[MountainHigh]

how big is the wood you are cutting is the main question that will determine what size saw is right for you. imho, Pro saws are worth getting, even if you won't use it daily.

The sweet spot in new Pro quality saws:

10" and under wood = Stihl 241cm if you want light weight. Stihl 261cm if you want slightly more power (and more weight) for better handling on 12 to 16" wood.
In this range, Stihls competition are 421 Dolmar (Makita EA4300), and arguably the strongest of the bunch a used Husky 346 or new husky 550 or its cousin Jonsered 2253.

10-20" wood = Stihl 362cm or Husky 555/562xp, Jonsered 2260, Dolmar 6100.

21"+ wood = Stihl 441cm, Husky 372, Jonsered 2172, Dolmar 7300,

Monstah sized wood = more saw than I'll ever need or want to carry, so others can chime in here.

Personally I've had a few Stihls and prefer the Husky ergonomics and slim factor handling. My signature tells my preferences, but each to their own.

fire pit at home which gets used regularly over the winter time, so I'm cutting decent sized wood.
I have researched that I'm better spending the extra money and getting a professional chainsaw over a farm owner saw in the long run. (I plan on not having to upgrade for a very long time)

 

[johnnyballs]

how big is the wood you are cutting is the main question that will determine what size saw is right for you. imho, Pro saws are worth getting, even if you won't use it daily.

The sweet spot in new Pro quality saws:

10" and under wood = Stihl 241cm if you want light weight. Stihl 261cm if you want slightly more power (and more weight) for better handling on 12 to 16" wood.
In this range, Stihls competition are 421 Dolmar and arguably the strongest of the bunch, a used Husky 346, or new husky 550 or its cousin Jonsered 2253.

10-20" wood = Stihl 362cm or Husky 555/562xp, Jonsered 2260, Dolmar 6100.

21"+ wood = stihl? _____, Husky 372, Jonsered 2172, Dolmar 7300,

Monstah sized wood = more saw than I'll ever need or want to carry, so others can chime in here.

Personally I've had a few Stihls and prefer the Husky ergonomics and slim factor handling. My signature tells my preferences, but each to their own.

as stated in other threads, the 562xp will rip through the timber with a 20" bar and chain...a lot of people that just cut firewood ( not climbing with it or using it in a bucket ) prefer the husky's on the ground while the climbers prefer the stihl top handles... but again, if $$$ is no object i personally would go with a 562xp but the OP wanted a stihl... either way...IMO you can't go wrong with either saw...keep'em both sharp and the chips will fly...cheers!!!

 

[HuskStihl]

I doubt you'd be disappointed with a 291 for what u'r describing. Give it decent fuel, and it'll last forever

 

[BradyHeath]

Yeah probably looking around 10-20inch wood majority of the time.

 

[user 122190]

You're not heating a home so you don't need to break the bank and get something top of the line. Stihl or Husky, 50 to 60cc and you'll have a good tool that will last a long long time, and cut an unbelievable amount of wood for you.

 

[BradyHeath]

So it's not really worth spending the extra $400-500 and getting a professional over a farm owners chainsaw? Would a 311 Or a 291 be suitable for my use or should I spend the extra and get a 362 or 381.

 

[cuinrearview]

Yeah probably looking around 10-20inch wood majority of the time.

Everyone wants to ignore the details of people's requests here. Believe me, I do too buuuttt.... Since you only asked for a brand new pro Stihl recommendation to cut 10"-20" hardwood the 261 seems the logical choice to me. I don't own one, haven't ran one, but that's where people looking to do what you want to do find long term happiness within the Stihl lineup IMO.

 

[BradyHeath]

I'm happy to buy a other brand just I've googled a fair bit and stihl seems to be a lot more popular. But as you know I don't know much about saws so I'm not really biased or fussed on what saw I get.

 

[cuinrearview]

So it's not really worth spending the extra $400-500 and getting a professional over a farm owners chainsaw? Would a 311 Or a 291 be suitable for my use or should I spend the extra and get a 362 or 381.

If cost only comes into question I would stick with my first opinion. If you want to talk brand well..... They sell Dolmar down there?

 

[user 122190]

I have a pro and a farm saw. The pro is for the really really big stuff. I use the farm saw twice as much as the pro saw. I've probably cut 40 or 50 cords with it and it runs like brand new after 4+ years of use.

So it's not really worth spending the extra $400-500 and getting a professional over a farm owners chainsaw? Would a 311 Or a 291 be suitable for my use or should I spend the extra and get a 362 or 381.

 

[cuinrearview]

I have a pro and a farm saw. The pro is for the really really big stuff. I use the farm saw twice as much as the pro saw. I've probably cut 40 or 50 cords with it and it runs like brand new after 4+ years of use.

I have pretty much the same setup, except my smaller saw is a pro 50cc Dolmar I rebuilt. It cuts the majority of my wood as well.

 

[Country bumpkin]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in the market to buy a new chainsaw and my first chainsaw. (2nd first one I bought was a Chinese fake stihl and broke within a week)
I've decided I want to go with a stihl as I've read a lot of reviews on not being able to beat the brand, but I'm needing help deciding which model is best for my use.
I do a fair bit of camping and also have a fire pit at home which gets used regularly over the winter time, so I'm cutting decent sized wood.
I have researched that I'm better spending the extra money and getting a professional chainsaw over a farm owner saw in the long run. (I plan on not having to upgrade for a very long time)

Any help would be appreciated. I live in Australia so its going to cost me an arm and a leg either way!
Cheers,

Brady.

I have a 290, 026&261 that I use regularly. The 261&026 are the ones I grab first. They're lighter & have the magnesium case instead of plastic. The huskies xp's are nice also. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Jeffkrib]

Hi Brady,

If you want a pro saw as you know you will have to open your wallet here down under. With the amount of cutting you'd be doing a pro saw would'nt be necessary but it would most likeley last you a life time, with spare parts avaliable for a long time into the future. The brands to look at would be Stihl, Husky, Makita (which is Dolmar from Germany) and Echo. If I were you I would get a 50cc pro. If your going to cut big logs like the pic Arthur posted you will need a 70cc plus saw.

 

[unclemoustache]

Sounds like you're not too terribly concerned about money, but for what you're doing I'd suggest not spending the extra dough for a pro saw.
Husky has a Rancher that's pretty good. Just make sure that whatever saw you get, you maintain it. Here are some tips:

Use only the fuel octane rating the saw calls for.
Always use the right oil mix in your fuel, and get good quality oil - not cheap junk.
I don't know if you have ethanol in your fuel down under, but never use any fuel older than 3 months.
Keep the air filter clean.

And most important of all, post lots of pics here on AS!