Steer me in the direction for a first saw

I do land clearing for TVA.. All we run are 440,460 with 20 inch bars... They make great weed eaters!!

The reason we carry them is they give less trouble then other stihl models..

The design seems to be the best of the stihl line up....

as for weight

290 = 13 pounds..

044 = 13.9 pounds

372 = 13.4

As for two saws my two go to saws are the 046/064...

I guess I'm still young enough to not find the 046 heavy....

+1 460/880

As a fellow novice who got some excellent advice here, i'll let you know what I did-

(My situation- just got a new place, just about 10 wooded acres, a wood stove that'll probably take 4-5 cords/year to cover about 60-70% of the heating for the house)

So, i ended up going with a Stihl 260 pro... kinda smaller saw to start but i want to make sure this is something i want to do and don't want to sink big $$ into such an endeavor and find out it's not what i want to do. I figure this will go down 1 of 2 ways:

1) I will cut/split/process all the wood i need... the 260 should get me started on that task. Maybe not the fastest/most powerful but should get through the 8-10 cords in year 1 (in order to get proper seasoning) and the 4-6 cords each year thereafter. "Worst" case scenario, i add another bigger saw in the future.

2) I pass on all the processing and just get wood delivered... as it is, i'm debating having 3-5 cords delivered in Feb/March (as soon as snow is off ground) in order to get a headstart on next year no matter what option i choose. I am suffering through wet wood this year and look forward to having proper wood next year.

Personally, i see myself going with option 1 but there are some outside issues (like a medical residency) that may have me opting for the easier/lazier option since my time will be a little occupied.

Long term, the 260 Pro (if treated right) will last 10-15 yrs and will complement any larger saw that I end up getting. (I got a saw that was upgraded to 3/8" sprocket and bar so bars/chains will be interchangeable with any larger, future saw acquisition). I got a lightly used 260 Pro for $320 with a 20" bar.

So, my humble advice would be to start small (and smart) and grow into the hobby/addiction/sport. As a novice saw user, i figure handling the lighter saw will be safer and easier on me, too.

Good luck!

From the OP

"I would like to get a good saw right from the start, what do you guys suggest?"

046/460

If he buys a used 046/460 and things don't work out he can sell it on thebay and probably make money on it....

Went to the shop and he had both a 361(650) and 391(500) Whats really the differance and is it worth it?

361 is supposed to be a "pro" saw

391 is a home ownner....

Wait I like the 361.. My FIL has one but I would not trade my 046 for it you know what I mean????

+1 the 361 winds up quick and holds pretty well but there's just not the grunt to it. Oh and the pitch of that saw kills my ear's lol.

mod it

When I was doing reading it looked like the only advantage of the 361 over the 391 was that you could do some work in the feild easier if needed. He had a 460mag in stock but it seemed like a lot of saw for a guy thats ran one a handful of times. I am leaning towards the 391 unless some1 changes my mind. I plan on ending up with 2 saws( back up one) so maybe next year I go big after i get some cutting under my belt.

Both re great saw's....If I was planing on getting a 2nd saw later I would go with the 361/362 it may be a long time beforeyou want or need another on. A 361/362 and a 660 would be a great plan.

If when you get used to the 391 you will want more..It's ok we call it cad... I suffer from it happily....

When this happens you will have lots of saws to play with......


The 391 is built on the 362 platform but keeps the clam shell design and can be a pain to work on....

660 what???????

I thought the 460 was the sh**??????????????????????

You should have said two saw plan...

Easy 046/460 064/660

I like my 064 hybrid.....

361 would give him a good saw easy to handle. 460 is too much saw to start out on... I do feel the 460 is the very best but he's not ready for one.

We start new guys out all the time on 440 and 460.. I mean guys that have never run one...


Why is the tip smoking????

What do you mean I should have put oil in it???

good luck prollynot... one thing that irks me about the new stihls is the fuel and oil caps .... i like the old screw driver slot style, granted im a youngin and should love change/technology, but man they shouldave left well enough alone the new style is too hard to get back together.. any how its just my opnion.

flippy caps rule!!

really whats so good about them ... to me simple is better ,,, enlighten me please if im cutting i have my "sprench" in the box with the gas oil and chains any way so why the flippy cap?

Honestly if you're thinking you'll want 2 saws you should be thinking 2 different sizes as others have said, not just one as a back-up. Makes sense to get the smaller one first & get some trigger time before getting a bigger saw.
If I were you I'd be thinking a 50-60cc now and a 70-80cc later. I'd be looking at Husky 346XP Stihl MS260/261 or 290. Unless your log loads have plenty over ~18" diameter, then I'd start with a 60cc now.

Prolly, listen carefully: If your dealer has a new 361, you can probably make a sweet deal on it because, since it's been disco for a bit he must not sell a lot of high-end saws. Scoop it up--for what you're doing, a 361 with an 18" bar would be perfect. It's light enough to do some limbing here and there while having enough grunt to buck up/fell most everything you'd be doing.

If you find you need something bigger (most don't), look at the saws Jay and South are talkin' 'bout. But most would agree the 361 is a great one-saw plan.

S