Returned the 5100, brought home a 359

[huskystihl]

awesome saw

Awesome saw!
We purchased two of them back in 01 for are firewood business and have literally cut tens of thousands of cords and are still working great. Can't say anything good or bad about the 5100 but if all they say is true they sound to good to be true but I can say that in the last seven years we have put 3 carb kits into bone stock 359's which I would call tried and true. Oh yeah we run 24" bars most of the time. Don,t get me wrong I have an 044 that I wouldn't trade for the world and recently purchased 575xp which I am undecided on but you made a great choice should last you a lifetime.

 

[berryman70]

Not great by any means, only fair - unless you mod it - sorry! :greenchainsaw:

I'd say highly overrated, because it responds well to mods (that most real people don't do).

Compared to the 5100, it weights a lot more (more than the specs tell you), has an outboard clutch, lesser quality cylinder, and hardly more power for the extra weight, not even low end torque.......:censored:

I certainly don't want a 359, but the 5100 is great!

SawTroll, I have always valued & respected your opinon since I started coming to AS, But you always hammer on the 359. DO YOU OWN ONE? HAVE YOU EVER RUN ONE? I know you do own some very nice saws, the 359 isn't as bad as you think. I have two. Yes there are some better saws out there. I tell ya, if I had the extra cash just to prove a point, I'd ship one over the ocean to you to use, & then have you tell us what you think.

 

[dustytools]

Laurinburg, about 45 minutes from Amicks. There are several Dolmar dealers that surf this place. If I didn't feel like the Amick's drive, a saw or parts is a phone call away. Sorry to hear those guys have turned you off of Dolmar. Dolmar is about the only other brand I would run....

Why are you so dead set against Husqvarna? Have you ran any of their saws and if so what didnt you like about them? Not trying to start a pissin match with ya, just curious.

 

[Andyshine77]

I'm sure the 359 is a good saw, that will last a long time with proper care.

The thing that concerns me about the quality of the 359 is the fact that the cylinder is supposedly of poor quality when compared to a Mahle cylinder.
With that said, I'm sure it will do what you need it to and then some, so get out there and tell all of us what you think of it.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

SawTroll, I have always valued & respected your opinon since I started coming to AS, But you always hammer on the 359. DO YOU OWN ONE? HAVE YOU EVER RUN ONE? I know you do own some very nice saws, the 359 isn't as bad as you think. I have two. Yes there are some better saws out there. I tell ya, if I had the extra cash just to prove a point, I'd ship one over the ocean to you to use, & then have you tell us what you think.

I dont know if Niko has ran one but I have and I agree with most of his statements.

As I said before its an OK, Ho-Hum kind of saw. If you want a saw to simply be a tool, then it is fine for you. Personally, I want a little more out of my saws. I wanna look like this:hmm3grin2orange: :chainsawguy:

 

[2000ssm6]

Why are you so dead set against Husqvarna? Have you ran any of their saws and if so what didnt you like about them? Not trying to start a pissin match with ya, just curious.

LOL. I watch after a 272xp that runs good, I have ran a 385xp and a few of the cheap huskies. They run ok but Stihl just seems to be a better built product. I also have a lot of support for parts and if needed, service. I have 2 dealers within 5 miles of my shop and home, they stock just about anything that seldom breaks. I have quite a few parts stocked up for all of my models shall they need attention.


I'm going to buy a Dolmar one day, LOL.

 

[bookerdog]

LOL. I watch after a 272xp that runs good, I have ran a 385xp and a few of the cheap huskies. They run ok but Stihl just seems to be a better built product. I also have a lot of support for parts and if needed, service. I have 2 dealers within 5 miles of my shop and home, they stock just about anything that seldom breaks. I have quite a few parts stocked up for all of my models shall they need attention.


I'm going to buy a Dolmar one day, LOL.

You must have a garage full of parts to keep them running.

 

[2000ssm6]

You must have a garage full of parts to keep them running.

Hey look, you missed the Stihl sign. LOL!!

 

[bookerdog]

Hey look, you missed the Stihl sign. LOL!!

I didn't miss the stihl a DA sign on the back of your head.lol

 

[SawTroll]

I dont know if Niko has ran one but I have and I agree with most of his statements.

As I said before its an OK, Ho-Hum kind of saw. If you want a saw to simply be a tool, then it is fine for you. Personally, I want a little more out of my saws. I wanna look like this:hmm3grin2orange: :chainsawguy:

That's my point as well.

I haven't ran one in wood, but I have handled one - and that really is enough when put together with other info, like specs and independant test reports (dyno results) + some info gathered at the AS and other saw forums.

 

[MAG58]

I have one Jonsered 2159 same as the Husqvarna 359,and it's the saw that I use most of the time, and this saw really came to life after the brake in period and seems to running better and better, and I think it's a good saw whit good power and torque. Here on AS it's very under rated, but in real life the 2159/359 seems to be a good saw.

:greenchainsaw:

 

[berryman70]

+1 Great saw very under rated because the paper numbers don't look so good. But since we are talking about actually using the saw you will like it!

There is nothin' wrong with a 359. Toss an 18" or 20" bar on it and cut to your hearts content.

Good all around saw.

Gary

FWIW I have the 359, and after a muffler mod I'm very happy with it. Many will not place it high on the "saw to buy list" But if you do a search I think you'll find that you will be very happy with the results. I will say that the Dolmars do seem to be well liked here. And by the way, after break in is when I really appreciated it more. At first I was not overly excited.

I disagree slightly. I liked the saw fine before it was modded. The only thing that I didn't like was that it had no tolerance for being over choked. Once I learned to start it, the saw was fun to use. After modding it's alot of fun.

For the price its a great little firewood saw. For a guy going out and cutting 5 cords a year nothing wrong with it for your first saw. You could do alot worse. Then down the road if he wants to have something stronger. He could mod it and get a whole lot more out of it. 359 come alive when modded. IMO

Awesome saw!
We purchased two of them back in 01 for are firewood business and have literally cut tens of thousands of cords and are still working great. Can't say anything good or bad about the 5100 but if all they say is true they sound to good to be true but I can say that in the last seven years we have put 3 carb kits into bone stock 359's which I would call tried and true. Oh yeah we run 24" bars most of the time. Don,t get me wrong I have an 044 that I wouldn't trade for the world and recently purchased 575xp which I am undecided on but you made a great choice should last you a lifetime.

I have one Jonsered 2159 same as the Husqvarna 359,and it's the saw that I use most of the time, and this saw really came to life after the brake in period and seems to running better and better, and I think it's a good saw whit good power and torque. Here on AS it's very under rated, but in real life the 2159/359 seems to be a good saw.
:

Not everyone here thinks they are that bad of a saw. I use mine more then my 371, unless I have a lot of bigger wood to saw, the 359 will cut just as fast up to about 16" or 18" wood.

 

[SawTroll]

Not everyone here thinks they are that bad of a saw. I use mine more then my 371, unless I have a lot of bigger wood to saw, the 359 will cut just as fast up to about 16" or 18" wood.

I don't think anyone said it is bad, more like there are some better options out there - like the MS361.... ......

 

[ropensaddle]

There is nothin' wrong with a 359. Toss an 18" or 20" bar on it and cut to your hearts content.

Good all around saw.

Gary

Wow, that is progress even from a pnw oil man:hmm3grin2orange:

Admitting it is half the battle Gary! Orange aint all that bad,bud.

 

[sawinredneck]

Other than being a bit aneamic in stock form, which is pretty easy to fix, nothing wrong with a 359.
A good woods port and you'd better hang on to it, cuz that sucker is gonna run like a scalded ape!!!

 

[RiverRat2]

The 359 is a great saw. You can do so much to it mod wise down the road to make it that much better. Sorry to hear about the kid.

+1!!!!!! get well!!!!!

 

[Darl Bundren]

+1!!!!!! get well!!!!!

Thanks, everybody, for inquiring about my boy. He's all stitched up and headed back to school tomorrow. He was pretty tough through the whole thing except when the nurse practitioner snuck an injection into his upper lip. He wasn't too fond of that surprise.

And as for all the comments about my fancy new saw, well....:angry2:

I got so upset at the negative reviews I threw it into the mighty Swannanoa River and will now file an insurance claim to get my money back!

Actually, I kind of expected the comparison between the 359 and the truly great saws that are out there, and it is a comparison that does not really favor my saw. No worries, though, as the consensus is that it is a good saw.

I am seriously considering getting the non EPA muffler just to have if the "what if's" get the better of me after the saw's broken in. The dealer said that the saw would wake up after a few tanks of gas. Is changing the muffler out simply switching the part and tweaking the carb settings?

And, here's a newbie question--the bar is 18" and has 68 on there, so I'm assuming that I need to get 68 links of whatever chain to get it to fit? I am looking at the LGX on the Amick's site.

 

[huskystihl]

cords of wood

Just for u no whats and giggles I half @#% figured how much wood our 359's have cut and I am here to tell you, I wont be on ax-men next week but I am A third generation logger from OHio and the best we had figured was about 7500 cords in 8 years.These arent always the first saws we reach for but they are always the the last saw we put away, Next to the 036, a stihl plug, and a darn good one. For 309 dolllars which is what they cost back when, U R fine

 

[Woodie]

Just out of curiousity...why is it, on this board, that the 260, which is a spec-sheet turd in comparison to just about every single other 50cc saw out there, is a "tried-and-true performer," but the 2159/359, which weighs a few OUNCES more than other saws, and has a couple TENTHS fewer horsepower, is a second-rater? Hell, the 260 is a spec-sheet has-been, vibrates like a paint shaker, and can't keep it's filter clean to save it's own cheap carburetor. But it's a "solid, proven runner," right?

Facts is facts, folks...the 2159/359 is a tried-and-true performer, priced right, and will be a very, very fine saw for many years to come. I live in the tenth largest metro area in the country, and we have a total of *a* Dolmar dealer. Yup, in numeric terms, that is an "uh." And he's an axehole to deal with. (Yes, there is another rental yard listed on Dolmar's site, and no, he hasn't stocked one in ten years. He didn't even know he was on the site.) And the one "dealer" doesn't even carry the danm 5100. What incentive is there to buy one? I don't work on my stuff either...I've got too much woodworking yet to learn.

I think the OP made a danm fine choice. He weighed his priorities, and ended up with a great saw. I loved my 2159, and it was still picking up speed after 20 tanks.

p.s. I had a sh!tty day at work today, so anyone want to go a few rounds, I'm lookin' to PARK one tonight!

 

[04ultra]

I bought a 359 build off winner copy that was built by a friend...........Its a strong runner......Dont use it much because I have so many others I like better in my stable.....






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