Shopping for another saw.. And

I dont know what i "need" and i just dont know a thing about
other saws and what they have for different features.


I dont cut all day every day, i only cut wood maybe a few hours a week.
Sometimes none at all.

I currently cut with a Stihl MS290 with a Oregon ProAm 20" bar.
It does great IMO but its the only saw i have.
I want a back up or a replacement and bump the 290 down to my back up.

I cut things all sizes, could be 4" could be 30+ inch.



Thanks for the help
-Sean

 

Just tell us your credit card number, PM'd of course

 

OK, ok.....

new or used?
price range?
Any brand loyalty, or a good local dealer?

Bigger or smaller than the 290? For a firewood cutter, it seems 60cc is the one size plan; I like 50 & 70cc personally. You have a large 50cc so 60cc is a duplicate.

I'd sell the 290, and go 50 & 70cc and buy 2 used pro grade saws from either here or the AS classifieds.

 

Get the Stihl 362

 

Stihl 362
Dolmar 6100
Husqy 562xp or 555
Echo 590

All well respected 60cc machines that will capably make firewood out of 90% trees out there...and make your 290 seem silly and relegated to backup duty.

 

I was gonna say this, 036, MS360 or MS361 if you can find a good used one. I just got rid of my MS290 and replaced it with an MS260 much better cutting saw and a lot lighter, I knew I would never use the 290 again one I got the 260. Next on my hit list is a MS360 or MS361.

 

If the 290 is serving well enough, what is prompting you to acquire another saw? Do you just want a spare to have on hand? Do you get tired of carrying the 290 around to cut small stuff? Do you get impatient waiting for the 290 to make its way through big stuff? Are you just curious about the difference between what you have and the professional-grade models you've heard about?

 

I just sold my 029, do fire wood I really like the 2 saw plan. I would go grab a great small saw, something like the Dolmar 421. (35-45 cc) Once you see how useful that is you may find the only use for the 290 would be to sell it for something like the Dolmar 6100 or echo 590. This keeps your budget reasonable and gives you saws that will last a very long time.
A great small saw will get the most use so that is where I would focus first myself.

 

I use a 372XP for big stuff and bucking off a pile and a 346XP for everything else. If I had to use one saw, I'd probably get a 550XP (only because they don't make the 346XP anymore)

 

OK I got Stihls, only because got excellent deals on them. my 260 pro.. is my go to saw.. buddy I cut with has 461 with 24 inch bar. great 2 saw plan. since I don't fix saws important for me to have good dealer mines close 6 miles.

it might be sacrilege around here but I don't sharpen chains either. shop down street does 10 chains for $30. for that price not convinced it's worth time to learn. he also makes my chains so 1 is usually dead and chains cost is $15 for 24 inch bar and $10 for 16.

He is retired does it in his garage I know it's semi skip chain Oregon brand, basically he's got 1000s of feet of chain and doesn't want to be busier. he figures he does just enough to buy his toys and fun..

for what he charges I don't have to buy a tool or learn .. When he gets too old I should have 35 of each size chain it a a win win

Then I may have to learn. til then 4 sharp or new chains go with each saw. I am careful not to hit dirt but don't worry about much else

 

My next saw will be a stihl 362 as well I have two 290's and a 451 cm I think the 362 will serve me well

 

Alright, let me get caught up.. lol

 

LOl! I'll send a few

New or used, it doesnt matter to me.
Ive put probably 10 tanks through my MS290 and i bought it used.
Its been a great saw.

I think there is a good dealer in town, i need to stop by and see what all they stock though.
Ive only used Poulan and Stihl, never tried a Dolmar, Husqvarna or an Echo.

I need to make my way on over to AS.
Havent visited the place yet.

Ive been thinking about a 362.
Have heard alot of good about them here.

 

I dont know how the 290 compares to other saws weight wise.
Its been treating me well, i havent had any issues with it at all.
I really just want a spare or maybe something more powerful and keep the 290 as a spare.

It seems to cut well through larger stuff, only time ive had issues with cutting larger stuff was when my chain would be getting dull.

Thats another thing, i dont know chains. Dont know what is good, the differences, what is good for cutting what.
I literally just go and buy a a few oregon chains.
I have about 5 right now that need to be sharpened, i need to invest in a sharpener.

Definitely curious as to what other saws are comparable to mine, but are more powerful at the same time / more efficient.

 

The 290 is heavy for its power output, compared to the pro-grade saws that most people here will steer you towards. The 362, for example, has slightly higher displacement and almost 25% more horsepower, despite being slightly lighter. Dolmar and Husqvarna both have comparable current models.

If you buy a pro-grade saw of similar size then you'll rarely have any reason to pick up the 290. If you want to keep 2 saws around, the 50cc/70cc combination mentioned a few times above is a really nice way to go. I've acquired far more saws than I need, but for firewood purposes the last two I'd sell would be my 026 and 044.

 

Jon1270 has some great questions to think about. Many people use a Stihl 290 for several years and are very happy with it. I think they're pretty good saws, but spending too much time on these forums WILL make you start lusting for something different. If you truly want the 290 as a back up, I'd go for a 60cc pro saw like the Stihl 360/036/362. Or the Husky 555 is probably a better deal for a firewoodhoarder. But you'll probably find that you'll never, ever, want to use the 290 again after using a pro or semi-pro saw. So then I'd say go for a 70cc and 50cc set up like many have suggested. I find that my 50cc saw is used 85% of the time, just because it's so light and easy to handle. But I know I have that 70cc saw around for when I need to pull a larger bar.

 

Lets see 2 saw plan yep and then a deal 3 saw plan & on and on &........ I have Dolmars main go to units are the 64xx and the 79xx. These units cover 90% of what I need. But are on the heavy side by some standards. I have smaller units for limbing or brush work as well as a 084 Stihl(42"bar) for the real monster dia stuff. up to 12" in dia. mostly the 64xx 20" bar

 

So you're saying the 346xp is up for grabs?

 

Not just yet, but you're welcome to hang out in our waiting room. Enjoy a cup of the complimentary 6-hour-old coffee. Powdered creamer is in the cabinet underneath.

Edit: whoops, I misread that as 394xp. I need to take the 346 out of my signature line; I sold it last week.

 

Linkedxj, I consider myself a novice, I like tools that work, the other guys chipping in here are much more knowledgeable about saws and stuff. Do you have a local shop to buy sharpen chain cheap? what about a rental place HOME DEPOT or similar to rent a saw? you never know a saw til you run it!