Time for a saw upgrade, looking for recommendations

Another vote for the 261, especially for the size wood you mention.

 

I would also call it a hamster wheel.

 

Honestly like them both. I am not fixed on one particular brand, but I do seem to grab the 261 before the 550xp , why? I have no clue, but it just seems to happen that way.

EDIT: I will say that I am more used to the Stihl as far as ergonomics and the lay-out of it compared to the 550 since my other saws are Stihl. That might be part of it?

 

Depends what you want to spend, 261 is a great saw and durable if bucking in a pile lots and doing 30-35 chords a year I might lean towards the ms400 with an 18-20”. Will definitely save you some cutting time especially on the 14-18” wood.
I would buy the c version “mtronic” over the standard carb on any of them personally. But I still have my 026 that’s from 1991 that i cut 20-40 chords a year with first 20 years I had it between our 20 chords and my two uncles I cut for money.

 

Maybe you subconsciously prefer the ergonomics, balance and weight of the 261? Or its more torquey power delivery? Both? I know where you are coming from on just grabbing certain saws more than others. Some I know why, others, not so much. Its the reason I sold my ported ms201c. There are other saws I always grabbed instead.

 

Yeah , I am not sure why.
Like my old MS290 , that saw was like a cinderblock but for some strange reason that saw got more use than any other even though I had better , lighter saws.

 

There's definitely more to it, for me, than the saw being the fastest. I like fast, but its not the be all / end all metric I use for liking / keeping a saw. If it were, id have no stock vintage saws.

 

Sentimental plays a part too, a person is likely to keep their first saw or at least get another later in life just to reminisce. That saw is likely to get picked up over newer faster saws just because it was the first one or model you had.

 

290 is gone and I honestly don't miss that one.
The one I should have kept was my old Poulan that was my first saw , I made the mistake of getting rid of that years ago.

 

If I find a nice representation of your first saw, I'll snag it. That one in the box full I aquired wasn't worth fixing unfortunately.

 

Thanks , I keep my eyes open for one as well.
Not that I need it but one for the shelf would be nice. I should have kept it but hey , at this point it is what it is.
I do have Dad's old one that is a Craftsman labeled Poulan that is the same saw of a different color.

 

Mine had 18 inch bar and 325 chain. No complaints. I did buy it new and worked it hard.
Never let me down. I just was looking for an upgrade. It was honestly a good , reliable firewood saw.

 

Agreed. My 029 was my first Stihl and I had a mostly trouble-free run with it. But after running some other saws, going back to the 029 made it feel like it weighed about 60 pounds, and it felt generally bulky/cumbersome. I was happy to see the box of parts that it became in the end gone.

 

The saw that fits this job description to a tee unfortunately isn’t a Stihl.

 

XS543xp? XS346? XS501p / 4910? Lol

 

346XP OE stock or the 346XP NE ported… The latter will fill a ton of saw voids from the 40cc class to the 60cc class. Both are lighter than the 261, but I do get the same saw brand stuff. Bars, chains, preference etc.

One of the things that has shocked me and probably isn’t a coincidence in my collection is that Echo, Makita, Husky, Solo, Jonsered all use either a K095 or Doo9 bar.

 

So the 390 feels like a hot rodded 290? Power match's the weight better?

 

261 is dominating the thread. Let's hear it.



Ah too slow

 

I've posted it once before but it's a relevant point...