if i knew more about saws id jump on the makita. wanna get one from a local shop tho...
Go to the dolmar web page and look up your local dealer if you want to buy local.
DOLMAR Power Products
You're in the right place to learn about saws. I dumped my tea-pot craftsman and Poulan Wild Thing a few years back and picked up a 6401 (dirt cheap) and have never looked back with regret. In fact I caught the CAD bug and am now doing full rebuilds. Speaking of which...
The 6401 will blow the 311/391 away. Everyone is right there is no compairison. Having rebuilt many of the Stihl clamshells now I will agree the maintence is much easier on the Makita/Dolmar and the power is much better too. That being said, I can only argue that a Stihl clam shell saw can be built for $100 if you can find a DOA 029/290 and put an aftermarket top end on it. They do have a decent amount of power once you have the 390/391 top end on them. Still heavy on the power to weight ratio. They are a good cheap starter saw for the average Joe that will only put 5-10hrs of cutting a year. If you plan to do a lot of cutting... Save yourself the time and buy a 6401/6400.
I also have to say the HD air filter kit is a GIANT improvement over the stock 6400 air filter system. You can really see the faults in the stock AF systems and see the extreme faults in the Stihl AF systems. I've only done a few huskys but have been told the HD 6400 AF system is on par or better than the Husky AF systems (and husky is known for their good af systems).
How does a 6400 compare in performance to a 036/360/361/362?
JayC
I haven't run them back to back so can't speak to power differences directly... However the maintence is still easier and the air filteration still much better. Plus the ability to swap a 64cc P&C to a 79-84cc P&C is a huge plus (one that the 361 doesn't have).
For anyone worried about maintence and parts... IF! you need maintence, a general small engine shop or saw shop will be able to fix your saw (if you don't do the work yourself). Parts were a concern for me when I got my 6401 but I realized that it's easy enough to get parts from a dealer or over the internet...