I am thinking about giving a ported saw a try. For you guys that have bought a ported saw,did you feel the extra money spent on porting the saw was worth it? Do you really save that much time cutting up firewood? How much extra fuel does it use than a non ported saw? Wondering if you would do it again or did anybody think it wasn't worth the money?
Cutting is the fastest part of the firewood process. Mod'd or not . most fun part too, why make it go even faster ?
Ported saws are worth it if you like them and not if you don't. As above, for a "production" cutter, the increased speed = increased $. For the rest of us, it's all about the "giggle factor." Stock saws are fine for non-professionals if that's your preference, cut fine, run clean and better fuel consumption. This is my experience, based on running stock and woods ported saws. Everybody's opinion will vary as to "was it worth it."
Most everyone here that has a ported saw, also has about 5 other ported saws to go with it. Its like fix to a crackhead. Once you run a ported saw, you won't ever run a stock one again. We are all gear heads and speed junkies, so we are biased. It turned into a hobby for a lot of us. cutting in the woods, you won't necessarily double the amount of wood you cut, but it makes running a saw for hours on end a pleasure. Especially when you have a smaller saw that runs better than next size up bigger saw, so you can carry around and run a lighter saw and not get wore outlike you would lugging a 80-90cc saw around all day. It is still a saw, it isn't going to turn into a light saber and magically cut up a tree, like some make them out to be.
Welcome to FHC! Posts #4, #5 and #6 hit the nail on the head. For a firewood cutter you wouldn't be able to justify the cost if that's what you mean by 'worth it'. It's all a matter of what you like. If you're considering dipping your toe into that pond my personal advice would be to get plenty of run time on a saw stock before having it ported. That way you'll know, based on the same saw before & after, if you're a ported saw kind of guy. As Freakingstang mentioned it's habit-forming for many folks. My personal experience is this. I have a handful of saws. Only one of them is ported; I don't regret having the work done, but I also have no intention of having any of my other saws ported due to the cost alone. My MS261 was a great little saw and I had no complaints about it stock. Then I went to a GTG (which stands for get-together and is a bunch of saw nuts out in a field cutting, racing, BSing, etc.) and ran a ported MS261. My face lit up like kid who just found a friggin' pony next to the tree on Christmas Day! The following Monday I shipped my saw out to be fully molested. It's a blast to run, but that's it - just a fun factor. Uses more fuel and is a LOT louder. I've had it for well over a year now and I still love running it. Think of it like buying a sports car as your daily driver or 'jacking up' your pickup when it sees pavement 90% of the time. Need it? Nope. Justifiable? Nope. Makes you smile? Hell yes. For some people that makes the cost worth it and for some it doesn't. So, I guess the question really is . . . what do you drive?
I've had 20-25 of them. Only 1 I paid for and I traded and got a few others had done. The rest I did myself so the money was usually $50 for machine work. I like them when I can run a 32-36" bar on a 70 cc saw instead of 90 or bigger.
It makes the saw more enjoyable to use. For a regular firewood cutter that's about it. Is it worth it? If you think you want one, it likely is. I enjoy mine. I'd like to have all of mine ported.
Great answers so far, you've gotten. Some pondering points for you. But for me it was worth it. Will I get that money back at the end, probably not. Did I cut that much faster, probably a bit, but it was in my mind more enjoyable. Fuel? I dont know, I dont use enough to see that effect. Heck yea, I'd do it again. I've transition in the small amount of time since I've gotten on here and started to find out what I like and dont like in my own personal flavors. Which may or may not be right for you.
Youre probably just trying to earn brownie points with the builder from Tennessee that uses bannannas
If you are talking about a 66cc Solo........that is a saw that would be very hard to improve on by porting. Solo built that saw to punish Dolmar........and they weren't phuckin around.
