MS 361

[Moose1908]

Hey guys, just became a member of this site and pretty excited. This site always came up for references and seems to be loaded with allot of knowledge! I have been doing allot of research on chainsaws trying to determine which one would be best for what im wanting to do.(cutting firewood 6+ chords a year) It seems everywhere i researched the MS 361 was always mentioned! I seen one the other day on Ebay and was told it sold for 750.00 ( auction was ended early)
But are they really worth that much? Im not really saw savvy in any way. Im in the military and currently deployed, this will be my last one then im done!! I used to go up with my father and grandfather when i was younger to go cut firewood, but when i joined the military i fell out of it. Now a little older, i still dont know very much and my father quit cutting wood just do to old age. But i would like to get back into it and hopefully learn alot from you guys!! Any help on this saw would be great!

[thecfarm]

Welcome to the forum. Not a Sthil man,but nothing against then either. But for a $750 saw and only cutting what you claim you do,that sounds like a bigger saw than what you need. Others will be on here to help you out. I always push you must like the dealer,no matter what he sells. If you have a good Sthil dealer,but the Husky dealer is a dupe,no point in buying a Husky. I feel you should be able to walk in to any good chainsaw shop and tell them what you told us and they should be able to help you out of your money. 

[Cut4fun]

You can  pick up good used for $375 shipped. Also know where there is light used like new for around $500. New they were $589 with 20".

[Moose1908]

That is spendy i agree! My brother is actually the one who's been getting my mind spinning on this whole chainsaw thing. He wants to start cutting firewood for profit, i know my dad and grandfather did it years ago. And i know there's good money in it if you work hard enough! I just want to get a saw thats gonna last me, and thats cheap to maintain. Eventually i would love to get into cutting firewood for profit, but im still currently enlisted in the military. 1 step at a time! I know i could wait ans see and thats a good chance of whats gonna happen. But i know the MS 361 is no longer being made, so i was wondering if finding a brand new MS 361 would be worth the investment......and the cost.

[WDH]

I cannot speak to the cost and the investment, but I love my MS 361.  One of my better decisions.

[Ianab]

The ms361 (now the 362) is one of the better chainsaws you can buy, because it's designed as a professional tool, for guys that are cutting all day / every day and still expect a saw to last for a couple of seasons. The 362 is a new model, so the jury is out on it still, but no reason to think it wont be of comparable quality. If you can find a good 2nd hand one, at a sensible price, or dont mind paying top dollar for the best, and have a good local dealer, then that's the saw to buy.

But the saw that Stihl would actually suggest you buy is the MS 311 which is one of their mid-range saws. Cheaper, slightly heavier, not quite the same power, not quite as durable. Designed for part time firewood cutters, farmers etc. Need a reliable chainsaw, but don't actually use it enough to wear one out. I have a ms 310, and it's been a great saw for my part time use.

I would suggest you decide if you just want a part time firewood cutters saw, or you intend to work at it full time. Then a saw that weighs 10% less and cuts 10% faster pays for itself after couple of months.

Stilh arent the only option either, Husky, Jred, Dolmar etc also make some very nice saws

If you are serious you will end up with more than one saw anyway. You will realise why the first time you get the bar pinched in a log 

Ian

[Moose1908]

Thanks Ian, gonna do some research on that MS 311. That sounds like a more likely candidate for what i will be doing!  

[Bill Gaiche]

Moose1908, welcome aboard. I have the 361 with 20" bar. Bought last fall and I really like it. If you can find one used check it out that its in good mechanical condition or buy new and you wont go wrong. bg

[ChuckinVa]

I have a MS311 and have been very pleased with it. It is in the mid range Stihl saws but I believe it is still built on the pro platform. Check with your Stihl dealer to verify. Mine has the 18" bar and has been a pleasure to operate. I would love to have a MS361 04 MS 362 and Maybe that will be my next investment but more than likely I will get a 14 or 16 " bar saw for limbing. Something not quite as heavy.

[Moose1908]

Thanks guys for all your replies. Turns out my wife wanted to surprise me and bought that MS 361 off of ebay !! She cant keep secretes! I wont get to see it till this fall unfortunately just due to my deployment But i have high expectations for it just from all the research and the input i recieved from everyone. Down the road i'm sure i will be adding another saw and definetly will be checking out the MS 311! Thanks again to all who replied!!

[Ianab]

If you have a ms361, don't buy a MS311, you will be subtly disappointed in it. It's too close to the other saw, just not quite as good.

If you have smaller trees, then get a smaller and lighter saw for limbing (and it will still be able to cut you out of stuck saw trouble)

Or if you come across larger trees, or are blocking up large logs into firewood, get a bigger saw. I bought a Dolmar 7900 (80cc) to go with my ms310 as it just wasn't big enough for some of the local trees. My buddy has a 7900, and a Husky 3120 as his 'big" saw.

Ian

[SawTroll]

Thanks Ian, gonna do some research on that MS 311. That sounds like a more likely candidate for what i will be doing!  

That is one real heavyweight lump (of plastic) for the power it has - research over!   

[stihlsawer]

Turns out my wife wanted to surprise me and bought that MS 361 off of ebay !! She cant keep secretes! I wont get to see it till this fall unfortunately just due to my deployment [/quote]

Moose, where are you at? Good for your wife! That's great and I know you are excited about the 361. A great balanced and good cutting saw. I am deployed also. I'm at AJ until the end of the year.

Stihlsawer

[Warbird]

You will be happy with that 361.  I picked up a used 361 last summer.  I ended up selling the 270c I used to have because it is so much better.

[downunder Trav]

If you got a 361 you don't ever gonna need a 311. The 361 is a pro saw thats roots stem from the old 034, which are one of the most revered saws ever made, especially in their class. They are small, light and powerful and are as at home with a 25 inch bar as they are with a 16 inch bar. I do everything from pruning the roses to cutting some big aussie hardwood with mine. Unless you are a jockey you will find you never need anything smaller and unless you plan on tackling some monster logs you will find you are rarely under powered. They are a great allround saw and if cared for properly will last a lifetime. Use the good stihl oil and avoid ethanol fuel (it is not good in 2 strokes) and learn about how to tune a 2 stroke from someone that you know is good at it. Forget the 311!!! 

[Warbird]

It is about impossible to avoid ethanol fuel here. 

[outback]

what ever saw you choose i would like to say thanks to Moose and Stihlsawer for your service. please stay safe and come home safe.

[drilldog]

Ditto. Thank you & God bless Moose & Stihlsawer.

[John Mc]

It is about impossible to avoid ethanol fuel here. 

Same here, unless you want to use aviation gas (100LL) which brings its own set of problems.

[windthrown]

I would opt for a 310 before a 311. I have had many 029-390 saws (I still have a 310). The 311/391 are heavier and have less power than the 310/390. I prefer the 310 in the series as they have the least vibration in that series and with a simple muffler mod, they have the same power as a stock 390 (which like the 290 has a lot more vibration). The 029 non-super model is a dud though. I tried every trick trying to modify that saw and nothing woke it up. I have to agree with the Troll on that one; its a boat anchor. The 029S and the 290 do quite a lot better with a muffler mod though.

I would also opt for a 361 before a 362. I have a set of 361s, and I prefer them to all the other saws I have and have owned (somewhere around 50 Stihl saws?). The later model 362 is heavier, and the earlier model 360 has quite a bit more vibration.

You will like your 361 after you get back from deployment. Your wife did you a great favor! I wish my ex did stuff like that! If she did, I would likely still be with her. I did several mods to my 310s and I got them to cut nearly as fast as a stock 361. The 361 has a higher rev limit though, so even stock they can outcut a modified 310. The 310 has the clamshell engine, so they are rather limited in what you can do to modify them (you cannot really port or squish them like you can a pro engine like the one in the 361).

For those that have a 310 (or a 290 or a 390) open up the muffler and trim the limiter tabs from the carbs and re-tune them richer so they breath like the UE models. That will add about 10% more power. This mod will not make them very much louder, but it will make them run cooler and a lot better. They were originally designed with the EU quad port muffler (US model has a dual port). Some guy is selling quad ported mufflers for $100 on Fleabay... it takes all of 10 minutes with a Dremmel on the US muffler to do that mod. It also looks like they stole my 310 mod from another forum. Or maybe that is actually one of my modified mufflers... I bought, modified and sold a lot of these saws in the great recession.