Help me choose my chainsaw lineup

[motownbrowne]

I want three or four of them. Well, for now anyway. I've got a Shindaiwa 488, 50cc saw which is great. That one's a keeper. I've also got a Stihl O36 and an MS 361. They're both 60cc. The MS has double dogs and a full wrap. I'm either gonna sell the 036 and buy a Husky 272xp, or sell the 361 and buy an MS 460. So the lineup will either be 50, 60, and 70 cc, or 50, 60, and 80cc. Any thoughts? The option with the MS 460 will cost maybe $150 more, and I'll lose the newer of the two 60cc saws, but the Husky is older and smaller than the big Stihl.

All opinions are appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[TomSeller]

Right now i am running a 30cc top handle and a 50cc ms261 and 70 cc ms441 in my 3 saw plan. A few spare saws that sit in the woodpiles, but those three are in my truck. All Stihl of course. I might trade the 30cc top in for a ms241.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Top handle? Look at the Echo. IMO, its a better saw and it is the about half the price of the Stihl too.

Full disclosure: the Echo was demoed to me by our regional Echo rep and when I told him that was looking at the Stihl, he knew all the right buttons to push. Lower weight, better handling, and so forth.

ECHO CS-271T 26.9cc Top Handle Chain Saw - ECHO USA | ECHO USA

 

[TomSeller]

Top handle? Look at the Echo. IMO, its a better saw and it is the about half the price of the Stihl too.

IMHO my HO is better than your HO. . Stihl rules!

 

[motownbrowne]

I was pretty stuck on Stihl too, but now I've owned an Echo cs-341 top handle. It was fine for what it did, and came to me for free. Also, I scored my Shindaiwa for $60 with 3 new chains and a gallon of bar oil. It runs flawlessly. I've also run Huskies for work. Honestly, I'd rather have all Stihl, maybe a 260, 360, and 660, but it's not in the cards right now. So, two Stihls and a Shindaiwa, or a Shindaiwa, a Stihl, a husky, and $150 in my wallet?

 

[dstig1]

When I started logging my place (not far from you. MTB...) I got a MS362/20" which was brand new at the time. I also picked up a weenie little Ryobi for real small stuff. At the same time, my friend who was helping me got a 660 with a 32" bar and also got a 20" bar and some chains for that too. He wanted to upgrade as he had an old 026? or something (Don't know the old Stihl models, but it was pretty heavy and powerful). He figured the big job was a good excuse. The difference was night and day. With a 20" the 660 rips through anything as fast as you could want. The 362 takes more patience and is definitely more sensitive to having a sharp chain. For stuff that is 14-16" and under, the 362 is fine as long as you don't start pushing on it hard. When it gets bigger, and especially oak, I grab his 660 (he was kind enough to continue "storing" it at my place ). Later on he also picked up a 441 for some reason (probably because I had the 660 ) That is a good saw for sure, and would probably make me happier than the 362, but nothing beats the 660. The problem is the weight. It is not bad for bucking when you can hold it vertical, but for a lot of felling, it wears on you. ESPECIALLY with the 32" bar for the big stuff. Ooofda

 

[newbury]

Go big, go small, chain saws are cheap, get them all.
I've two 35 CC - Stihl 021/Efco 600

a 60CC JD CS62

two 90CC+ Stihl 660's (ported, muff modded, HO oilers)

a 120CC Stihl 088.

The 021/Efco 3600 are too small for other than limbing, the 088 is too big for other than serious felling and CSM. But they all have their uses.

Then after you get them and have cut some lumber you graduate to a sawmill

 

[RalphVa]

Had the smallest Stihl I could buy back in about 1990. Finally had to give it away a couple years ago after getting an ICD for my heart. Using battery ones now. Had a couple 18v B&D ones for 3 or 4 years. They're okay for small stuff that I can't use lopers on. Got a Kobalt 40v one now. It has some real power to take down some bigger stuff.

I always rented a bigger saw when I needed one. Could barely pull the cord to start them though, as I don't have a rotator cuff in my right shoulder.

Ralph

 

[MotorSeven]

I grab my top handle Stihl 192T more than my other larger saws. It goes with me on the tractor/atv & utv....the thing is a great little saw for small stuff & limb-ing.

 

[s219]

Here's my lineup with some comments:

Echo top handle (can't remember the model number, but it's 32-33cc)

Echo CS-400

Stihl MS-261, 50cc

Husky 562XP, 60cc

Stihl MS-461, 77cc

After getting the 562XP, I will probably sell the Stihl 261. The Husky is as nimble, but much more powerful. Just don't see a benefit to the 261 for me anymore, but it will make a great saw for someone who might want a 50cc saw as their main saw.

I am a Stihl man at heart, but I have to say the Husky 562XP walks all over the Stihl 362. It's just sad how much better the Husky is.

The 461 is my goto saw for big wood, and is also my milling saw. Probably won't ever need to go bigger than that. I have the 28" ES Light bar for the 461, which gives the same balance as the stock 20" bar. It's a great large saw, and the power is intoxicating.

I don't use the Echo CS-400 very much, but there are cases where it's the best choice, so I will keep it around. When I had to notch the top of the pilings on my pier to accept beams for a boat house roof, there was no question that would be the most "surgical" choice, and it worked very well.