Talk me into or out of a new saw

OK, because of boredom mostly I've been thinking of another saw. My "go to" bigger saws are both Echo cs8000's one with a 28" and the other with a 36" bar. In 20ish years both dead nuts reliable. I also have a mint stihl ms880 with a 59" "floppy as a lasagna noodle" bar and a 42" bar. That saw is just tedious, not enjoyable but handy for some huge silver maples. Also the oiler on the stihl is stingy but the echos are quite capable.
So I was looking on line at a Husky 395xp.......never even fondled a Husky let alone run one. But the dealer who we have used forever is a Stihl dealer so how is a 661 ? Not sure if I like electronics in my saw though as I am quite competent at tuning.
All of them weight wise are what I'm accustomed to. What can I expect performance wise over my echo's ? They ain't no slouch no matter what "Echo bashers" say.
Thanks for any input.

 

Do you remember the line Eli Wallach spoke in the movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly? He said: "If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk about it!"

Buy the biggest baddest saw you can afford, don't talk about it.

 

So....what one is the biggest and baddest ?

 

Easy, it's the one you can best afford and like best. Everyone has an opinion about the best saw but in the end, it's still what you can best afford and what you like best for your cutting needs.

 

Echo cs8000s are really nice saws. My uncle has one of them and an ms880 which is a good saw also. I think blacksmith bought a new 661 and had some issues Scotty Overkill may know too ( they cut treed together). I have never ran a 395 but I can say my 288 and 562 have been super reliable. The 288 has been my main felling saw for many years and before that the guy I bought it from logged as a full time job with it. It's been run over had trees dropped on it but just keeps going. This past winter I finally rebuilt it and honestly it looked almost new inside when I tore it down. If it were me I would lean towards a husky or jred but I have a really good dealer for them nearby too.

 

Unless I'm mistaken I don't see much of a price difference. Just looking for information, hopefully from someone who used both a pro's and cons thing.

 

Best I can say is I have a Stihl 661 so if I were you I'd get the 395XP. That 661 is a bitch to start after it's hot and sometimes it won't start at all when it's hot. My 461 on the otherhand is a one or 2 pull start always. Go figure!

 

Thanks ! That's the kind of information I'm looking for.

 

Also have the same starting issue with a 362. Bought both saws from the same place at the same time. I think its Stihls M-tronics. Its great when its working, but not so great when its not.

 

Want & need are 2 different animals
Old saws wok fine
New saws have some nice features

You are asking a bunch of "enablers" here
BUY NEW
, post pics,
give us a review.

 

Get it

 

Thanks for the replies ! How are the ms660's compared to the new saws I mentioned ? I see one has been sitting in the classifieds section for a while now. Never bought a high dollar saw blind before, hafta admit it is scary.

 

So...if you came here to ask permission...
The answer is always yes...

We'll be waiting for a review thread.

 

My vote is for the Husky 395 XP. I do not think you will be disappointed with one.

 

I'm the wrong person you should ask regarding whether or not to buy another saw...

From all the info I've seen on both the 395 & 661 over the past few years I'd be leaning towards the Husky.

 

I just want to make sure that enough of a difference exists between the cs8000's and the others to make it a worthwhile purchase. On another site all I seemed to read was Echo prejudice calling 8000's pig's ect. It would be great to hear from someone who has experience cutting with all 3. I enjoy cutting and basically I want to have fun while I still can.

 

I have an MS660 that I picked up a few years ago. PO put a big bore kit in it and it runs great. A little to much saw for me and think about selling, but when I run it selling it is all that much harder. Love my Husky, and I am sure either one would make you very happy.

 

I've noticed that my 362 floods pretty easily. And the spark plug boot has popped off twice on me while cutting. Other than that I have no problem with the mtronic


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I have a 395XP and really like it. The AV is very smooth and it has a good balance when running it. I have ran several 660's and find the 395 to be a better saw.

This is coming from a guy who prefers Stihl saws!

 

I have a feeling all 3 saws will be at the gtg the end of May at my farm. I will make it a point to run all of them if they do make it and compare. I have no preference for brand what so ever.