I need chainsaw recommendations (Stihl)

I never had a bigger saw I have the ms290 and am considering a 362 or maybe even bigger. My question is my 290 has to be full throttle even when cutting little stuff. I cant put the chain against even 1-2" stuff to get it to "grip" then start cutting it wont budge. Even just thorns and briars will stop it up if it isnt full throttle first. So if i have a tree with brush around it i cant get the saw in and line up then throttle up i have to have it full throttle while im sticking it in. Do the bigger ones have enough low end to sping the chain while in contact?

Btw this is with the 20" bar which i have figured out is too big for the saw. Its more like a 16" apprently

Well, I can say I'm an expert on this. I had my own small engine shop, worked on all of them..I decided to sell something that (after a lot of study ) nobody in my area sold. I picked a German made product; Solo. I sold many brushcutters, saw's, ect. I never had one return except for normal service, never repairs. I had to give my shop up due to back trouble, but,I still ask people that bought them how there doing, same answer every time, like new!!! One large saw was sold too a timber company for back-up, still using it. To me that says quality!! Hope this helped a bit

It's funny, I'm trying to sell a Stihl 090 AV with 60" & 65" bars as well as an Alaskan Saw Mill for $3500 for a friend.

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The last Stihl I bought was an 046 Magnum. Piece of crap. The handle bar doesn't wrap fully around the saw ( BE SURE one you're looking at does ), instead ending on the side of the plastic gas tank with two sheet metal screws. Any kind of blow to the top of the handle bar shears the screws out of the gas tank, requiring a new tank, to the tune of a 100 bucks or so. Happened twice. First time, I thought 'odd happening'.....second time, bad design. Very bad.....

After years of Stihl devotion, I switch to a Husky 570. Starts better, runs better, and guess what ? The handle bar wraps all the way around the dang thing.

What husky saws did you have? I've ran them for a very long time w/ zero issues other than routine maintenance.... I've ran a 346 and 372 forever... both profesionally and here at the farm.

I also have Stihl 290 and 066 (new model is the MS660)....

Go with the Stihl pro line - I don't think you could go wrong with one of these. I am going with a Stihl MS 250, but I don't need the saw you do.

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I really like my Echo We have a 400

So far I have cut over 36 cords in the 3 years we have owned it

This. Most saws have safety chains. They aren't bad, but the rakes really hold back the teeth.

Also, Jonsered and Husqvarna are pretty much the same saw, with cosmetic differences. The "guts" even share part numbers.

I'd note that if you are buying a jonsered, husqvarna saw at Lowe's, Home Depot etc.. you are not getting a quality representation of the brand. Buy the pro grade saws from a dealer.

good luck w/ the stihl selections

My father got sick of spending good money on a chainsaw only to have it last a couple of years, then he bought a cheap chainsaw it broke in a couple of years too, but he didn't feel bad about tossing it out. I had the same experience I bought a $500 chain saw supposed to be a good quality one, in two seasons the self oiler died then I bought a cheap poulan it lasted about two seasons and it went to pot but since it was less than $150 I didn't feel bad and I bought another one so I could use the old one for parts, its cheap and probably somewhat of "a piece of garbage" but as long as it last a couple of seasons, its just the cost of making wood. Since some of the " brand names" are now made in China it doesn't seem worthwhile to invest the money.

I bouhgt an 034 in 1992. It was my first saw. I was 23. I had it almost 15 years. I wanted a bigger saw so I bought an MS460

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This is what I do. I'm on the Tractor Supply mailing list(email) and they sent me an email on the yellow, Poulan Pro, 18" bar last week for $129. My old one, 3 years old, that i paid $149 is still running so I've got a new one waiting. When they quit just use'em for parts. i do the same thing with the $99 gas blowers at Sears.

And, FYI - i don't cut any big wood, over 20". i like limb wood or a good straight 16" butt oak with very few limbs except at the top.

It's funny some of you mention Poulan-they are also owned by Husqvarna. Compare the controls sometime, they are very similar on some models/if not the same. I wonder if the similar Poulans are equal to their more expensive brothers.

I'm happy with my Stihl 361, which I got from an arborist (traded for gun stuff). They seem to be quite popular with arborists, for good reason, it's a great saw.

I work at a tree nursery, I regularly use my 361 since my boss's saws kind of suck (little Stihl 170 with idling issues and an old Stihl 036 that has lots of deferred maintenance issues).

They also make a Sach-domar (spelling? ) that parts interchange.

Wade

While the size (power/cc's) of a saw is certainly important, having a the right type of chain and keeping it properly sharpened is even more important when it comes to cutting fast in any wood. Also having the carb properly tuned for season/elevation and keeping your air filter clean is very important stuff that some folks tend to overlook.

You can go out and buy a brand new MS661, but if it comes with anti-kickback chain (and it happens to get a little bit dull off the bat) then you'll be no better than a crappy Husky with a neglected chain. Seriously.

Not saying you don't know how to sharpen and maintain a chain, because I have no clue if you do or not, but just trust me on this one: quality and proper maintenance of a chain is probably the single most important part of the equation you can control so don't overlook it. You'll have to practice hand-filing a bit and probably mess a chain or two up before you start to get the hang of it and see what's needed for different situations. Buy a simple raker/depth guide file kit and keep them filed properly so that your chain self-feeds into the wood instead of you having to push on it to get it to cut. Lots of folks forget about the rakers and it's pretty crucial to a proper sharpen.

Also, for cutting in conditions that are less than ideal (blow-downs, storm damaged trees, logs that have been skid and are dirty, sandy areas, etc) get some loops of semi-chisel chain. The Stihl designator for that is RM. Full-chisel (RS or RSC) is great and cuts like a maniac, but can very easily get dull and you'll be sharpening it more than cutting. Semi-chisel performs pretty darn close to full chisel and is a much more versatile style of chain.

As for saw recommendations, new or used? If used, I would look for a Stihl 044. Excellent power to weight ratio and is ideally suited for a 20" bar in hardwood. Longer for softwood is totally cool. If new, I guess a 441, but I personally prefer the models that start with 0 instead of the MS ones. It just takes a little more digging to find a good one used, but worth it in my opinion. You could find a decent, used 044 for $400-500 these days.

Husqvarna makes some great saws too in their pro line, so maybe you were just running the wrong Husky saws? Which models did you use? 372xp is the equivalent of the 044/441 in terms of size/power/price and a killer saw.

Just to put this into context so folks don't think I'm talkin' outta my arse, I cut tons of firewood all year round and also log part-time and operate a portable band mill, so I've learned some of these basics through experience in the field.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with!

I think you will have trouble finding a new saw with lots of torque. Due to EPA emission standards all the new saws are low torque/high rpm saws. I had a great old Homelite XL that I got back before they were bought out by an Asian company. It cut many cords of wood for me, but it finally wore out beyond repair. I had a friend with "0" type Stihl saws and I really liked it. I think it was an 046. When I went to buy one I found out that they had been replaced by a newer series, and got a "440" which should be roughly the same size. It is not a bad saw, but it doesn't really hold a candle to the 0-prefix saws they used to make. After talking with some friends who are foresters, it was their opinion that all makes of chainsaws had gone down hill after the EPA regs came out (I think that was about 1990 but I'm not sure).

If I had it to do over again, I would try to locate a good used 044 or 046 or something in that range. An 034 0r 036 would make a good general farm saw. Buying one in good shape that could be rebuilt and rebuilding it one would end up with a much better saw than the new ones.

BTW, the number is the approximate cubic inch displacement of the cylinder. An 036 (now 360 or ms360) would have a displacement of around 3.6 cubic inches.

One further suggestion; if you buy a new saw, or even an old one, try to only burn non ethanol gas in it, it will last much longer and work better. Here, I have to buy premium gas to get non-alcohol gas, but it is worth it.

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