The 357XP showed up today packaged beautifully. It looked great when I took it out of the box and was just as described. It was sent with the modified muffler installed and a factory muffler also, 16" bar and a chain. I got it all put together and fired it up and man o man it sounds sweet with the muffler mod! Ran great so I took it out to sink it in some wood. I gotta say I'm really digging this saw big time the weight isn't bad at all and talk about power....... The 450 didn't even come close to this thing! I cut two bucket loads of wood with it and I think I may have just found one of my favorite firewood saws. Can't wait to run a few tanks through it. I feel like I got a pretty good deal on this one at $300 and it may stick around for quite some time!
I am still smiling about this thing. I really like the feel, sound, and looks of it I can't wait to cut a few cords of wood when I get a chance. Definitely seemed to have WAY more grunt than the 450 did and not that much more weight. (I know it's not a fair comparison). I would like to get a 18-20" bar for it eventually but will run the 16" for a bit and watch for a good deal on something.
I hate to tell you I told you so, but.......... have fun, that is a great saw. tlandrum might still have some bars available for that saw. I just got a Laser forestry pro from him which is a real nice looking bar at a great price.
Well I deserve it, You were right Don't know what it is but I'm definitely digging the Huskys lately.
Me too, used to have all stihls, then I got a 372. Only stihl that survived is my father's 041 farm boss (and the wife's 170).
Congrats on the XP. Isn't it amazing what a new saw can do to us crazed wood cutters? There are people I know that get excited about their cable programing so they can sit down and watch TV. We get excited about getting to go outside and work with our new saws.
And for the price of a big screened TV you can get a pro-grade saw which will make/save you money over the long haul in addition to the fun method of exercise.
Yeah a new to me saw makes me a bit crazy lol. I would love to get together sometime and run the 357 and 550 side by side. I still have my mind set on a 550xp eventually. Or way less than the price of a big screen
Certified, you have a golden opportunity here. The 290 you just put together is roughly the same displacement as that 357XP. Run them both and there will be no questions as to why a pro quality saw is worth the $$. Nothing like first hand experience! That 357 should bury the 290 in chips in a hurry.
I am planning on running them side by side but so far I like the 357 quite a bit better. I am going out on a limb here but I'm going to say the 357 felt stronger in the cut than my friends MS311 that I have run quite a bit.
I don't know it still seems weird to me since on paper the 311 is more CC's. I guess I just expected more out of it but was actually pretty disappointed when I ran it.
Cc's ain't the whole story. I have a 454 cu in monster in my driveway that makes 230hp. You would think that it would tow a 7000 lb trailer far better than my 323 cu in Half-ton but it doesn't. So how is it my 323 cu in daily driver makes 85hp more than the big block? Surely it can't just be the electronics right? It's mostly in the engine internal design. The open transfer ports vs closed ports, compression ratio and combustion chamber design all play a role in why one 57cc saw will absolutely wipe the floor with another saw of the same displacement.
