supercut469
ArboristSite Lurker
Hey all. I fall and block my own firewood, about 5 full cords per year. It is a mixture of red maple, white birch, and some softwoods. The hard woods are mostly 8 inches and under and never more than 16 inches (and that may be say only 3 trees per year that big). Softwoods range but mostly 8 to 10 inches and under. Right now I use a Stihl MS250 I bought new this year. Very happy with this saw, I feel for the price it's high quality and it does the cutting I ask it to with no trouble at all. I also used it to help a good friend block 8 cords of roughly 8 inch softwood this fall.
But.... this is turning into a hobby/obscession and it seems like 1 saw just might not be enough for me. I'm saving money over the winter and hope to have something like 600-800$ in my savings account by spring to buy a new saw. Not a "I need saw" but a "I want saw".
I figure the MS250 has me covered for the 45cc range - yes I know it's not Pro but I take very good care of it (clean air filter every couple hours of cutting, file chain every couple of tanks, only use fresh fuel mix using Stihl oil, planning a new spark plug and fuel filter each spring) so I don't think it would be smart to buy another same sized saw. I feel my Stihl dealer gave really good service (not pressure on me when I was buying, slight discount below the stihl canadian flyer price, discounts on chains, files, and oil I buy there, checked saw with his tach for proper idle and open throttle RPM) so I probably will buy my next saw from him because of his customer service.
I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a MS361. I know this would be a big step up in power for me and put a stupid smile on my face. Couple questions:
1) What size bar should I get for it, assuming at first my budget only allows 1 bar the first year? 16 on my MS250 is big enough, but maybe a 18 or 20 would save some bending over a bit. Would I lose my horsepower to drag going 18 or 20?
2) Is there any way I should consider the MS390 to save about $100-$150? It seems to be almost as much power, a little heavier. I am NOT a 8 hour day 5 day a week cutter, so should I look at this saw instead? I once spoke to a husqvarna dealer in another area who told me a homeowner-type user like myself had no business buying a pro saw because "the way it's made, if it's not running right you'll burn it up worse/quicker than if it was an older design saw" (said specifically about a 357XP vs. a 359). That made no sense to me, and I think that guy was off his rocker.
3) Husky is the only other dealer within a reasonable distance of where I live. The dealer seems good but never having bought from him I can't say for sure. When I've had such good experience with my Stihl guy I don't know if I should even consider buying from someone else? Saws I would look at here would be the 357XP or the 359, maybe the 460.
For what it's worth to you all where I live I can get the MS361 for about $700+tax (15.5%) or the 357XP for about 780$+tax.
But.... this is turning into a hobby/obscession and it seems like 1 saw just might not be enough for me. I'm saving money over the winter and hope to have something like 600-800$ in my savings account by spring to buy a new saw. Not a "I need saw" but a "I want saw".
I figure the MS250 has me covered for the 45cc range - yes I know it's not Pro but I take very good care of it (clean air filter every couple hours of cutting, file chain every couple of tanks, only use fresh fuel mix using Stihl oil, planning a new spark plug and fuel filter each spring) so I don't think it would be smart to buy another same sized saw. I feel my Stihl dealer gave really good service (not pressure on me when I was buying, slight discount below the stihl canadian flyer price, discounts on chains, files, and oil I buy there, checked saw with his tach for proper idle and open throttle RPM) so I probably will buy my next saw from him because of his customer service.
I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a MS361. I know this would be a big step up in power for me and put a stupid smile on my face. Couple questions:
1) What size bar should I get for it, assuming at first my budget only allows 1 bar the first year? 16 on my MS250 is big enough, but maybe a 18 or 20 would save some bending over a bit. Would I lose my horsepower to drag going 18 or 20?
2) Is there any way I should consider the MS390 to save about $100-$150? It seems to be almost as much power, a little heavier. I am NOT a 8 hour day 5 day a week cutter, so should I look at this saw instead? I once spoke to a husqvarna dealer in another area who told me a homeowner-type user like myself had no business buying a pro saw because "the way it's made, if it's not running right you'll burn it up worse/quicker than if it was an older design saw" (said specifically about a 357XP vs. a 359). That made no sense to me, and I think that guy was off his rocker.
3) Husky is the only other dealer within a reasonable distance of where I live. The dealer seems good but never having bought from him I can't say for sure. When I've had such good experience with my Stihl guy I don't know if I should even consider buying from someone else? Saws I would look at here would be the 357XP or the 359, maybe the 460.
For what it's worth to you all where I live I can get the MS361 for about $700+tax (15.5%) or the 357XP for about 780$+tax.
I didn't see any warning signs saying be careful of the sharp chains. I guess they figured people were going to use common sense!
