I'm not that bad but my projects run from 35cc to 110. Mostly old poulans with a homelite 360 and jred 111 mixed in to change the color up some.
Find a good dealer. Not the ace hardware stores. You can get a pro saw cheaper than list. Don't let them tell you they can't. My last 2 were OVER $100 off list price. On my 261 I told the dealer I wanted the yellow non-safety chain instead of the green chain. No problem. Good luck on you search Steve.
Ooo... good to know, the guy at the dealer shop said Stihl pretty much dictates price and shopping around isn't going to yield a way better price. And when I did look elsewhere, I found he was right. All 3 places I went were within $5 of each other for the same products. Where would you go if everyone charges the same thing apples to apples??
Don't go back to that guy. Ask to talk to the boss when you go to a shop. Cash Money talks. Not sure where in SD you are. I looked at a bunch of dealers there Rons Saw Sales was one that stuck out but there were a couple of others that didn't look bad.
Yes, a few different parts and a tad heavier than the X-series but I agree it's as close to a pro as you can go.
Ok, well I took everyone's input into account and, you know, I just couldn't do it on the pro saw. The other day one of the "elite" Stihl dealers in Aberdeen SD had a sale going. Everything Stihl was 10% off, so I saved roughly $50 on the MS 311 that I have been looking at. I had to have it ordered as they did not have one with a 20 inch bar on it. Used the sale savings to get another chain. I will post pics of it eventually.
Yep, Ron’s Saw Shop is the best around in SD. To bad there 90 minutes away from me. They sell nothing but Stihl! (Well maybe a couple snowblowers).
Thats great. I took advantage of a Stihl sale recently myself. Ive owned a 290 at 56cc which is 3 less than the 311 and have cut a lot of wood with it until i got bit by pro saw CAD in the last several months. I only used a 16" bar too. It will give you many years of reliable service. Looking forward to seeing some pics of it in action!
Just checked some YouTube videos. For now I’m going to stick with my big box store Husky. I think it is probably serving my needs fine for now
