I picked up a 311 parts saw about 1 1/2 years ago and then found a 391 with the plan to make 1 saw out of 2. I got them both running fairly easily but didn't do any serious cutting with either. I didn't need both (or either) so I recently sold the 311 and put a 20"bar and stihl yellow chain on the 391 and took it to the woods yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised, I was bucking a sugar maple on my property that is about 20" diameter and has been down about a year. The power was sufficient and the saw cut thru the log easily and quickly. The bad rap on the 391 is the power to weight deficiency and I won't disagree with that but the weight is almost unimportant when bucking. I'm sure it's no match to a 362 but it has decent power and I ran a tank of fuel thru it and had no problem when cutting, idling or restarting.
I'd like to try a 391. They are a way better looking saw than the 039, not to mention the better air filter and a/v. I like the one peice top cover they have. There was a 391 at the saw shop that needed crank bearings. I thought about seeing what he wanted for it but he had sold the top cover, air filter, fuel caps, and maybe a few others. It could have been made into a runner but I think it needed too much. How does this 391 compare to your 261?
If I could only keep 1 saw i'd keep the 261. The 391 is a lot heavier but has quite a bit more power. At my age I don't want to carry a heavy saw around the woods. My Dolmar 5105 has about the same power (just by feel) and is a little lighter than the 391 and I like it better but that's an unfair comparison as one is a pro saw and the other is a homeowner. I don't have much need for a 20" bar saw but if I was younger and had bigger wood to cut I would feel comfortable with a 391 in my 2 saw plan. I'm going to keep it for now so i'll have two saws with 20" bars. I have a couple years of tops to saw on and the 026/261 combo is all I need for that.
