my Uncle Harold "big boss" got two new stihls. 391 and 362. they are about the same saw. weight and power from what we gathered. we tached them both at about 1000 rpm apart. the 362 hit 14,600 rpm an hour out of the box. and the 391 hit 13,800 rpm about same time. we raced them cutting firewood this afternoon. and side by side there is no difference we could tell much at all. i switched back n forth and the only thing i could see it that the 362 is a little peppier on limbing but hardly noticeable. and the saws are almost $300 difference in price.
just a little story for yall.
any one have either of those saws and dislikes/likes about them?
Is the 391 a clam shell design? The 362 is a pro saw, and rebuildable.
Yes the 362 IS a pro saw but there's nothing about the clamshell 391 that makes it non rebuildable. Most wouldn't wear out either one of them unless they're running it every day. The 362 likely has a little better power to weight ratio. I had an 039 (predecessor of the 391) for quite a few years. Sold it, missed it, built up another one. They're both reliable saws.
To tell the truth clam shells are rebuildable also, if just the P@C then the 362 is easier, if replacing bearings the clam shell is easier. From reports it seems like Stihl is making better power with the 291 ,391 saws that the old 290 and 390 saws. Steve
What is a clamshell saw something to do with how the casing is put together?
the 391 is a midrange use farm saw and by no means a pro logging saw. the 362 has better antivibe3 ,filtration and build quality. you cant run fast enough to give me the homeowner 391. I build saws for a living and just shipped a ported 362 out. I will not touch a clamshell.
Quote from: Maine logger88 on February 12, 2014, 08:25:03 PM
What is a clamshell saw something to do with how the casing is put together?
Completely different design between a clamshell saw and vertically split mag case saw.
The clamshell saw "as we call it", is a complete engine block that is bolted to a plastic case. This design is more complex to work on, heavier, less durable, can't deal with heat well, and much cheaper to produce. The engine blocks are almost always made in house, and of lower quality, and lower performance.
A vertically split mag case has two halves that bolt together. It houses the crank, crank bearings, crank seals and is also the oil tank. The bar studs are mounted in the case as well, which is better for running longer bars. The mag also helps dissipate heat. I've seen many plastic case saws that were melted from overheated clutches, at that point the saws not worth fixing. The cylinder on a mag case saw is held on by four screws, making it extremely easy to replace the top end.
You really can't compare the two when you have experience with both designs. The 391 is in no way a logging saw, it is however a nice affordable firewood saw.
Quote from: Maine logger88 on February 12, 2014, 08:25:03 PM
What is a clamshell saw something to do with how the casing is put together?
The cylinder and top half of the crankcase are one piece . So, it is bolted together at the crankshaft. I think the average wood burner can cut wood until he is sick of it with one. Not for every day logging or tree service so much.
Quote from: lynde37avery on February 12, 2014, 07:34:08 PM
my Uncle Harold "big boss" got two new stihls. 391 and 362. they are about the same saw. weight and power from what we gathered. we tached them both at about 1000 rpm apart. the 362 hit 14,600 rpm an hour out of the box. and the 391 hit 13,800 rpm about same time. we raced them cutting firewood this afternoon. and side by side there is no difference we could tell much at all. i switched back n forth and the only thing i could see it that the 362 is a little peppier on limbing but hardly noticeable. and the saws are almost $300 difference in price.
just a little story for yall.
any one have either of those saws and dislikes/likes about them?
I found 14,600 too lean on my 362, turn her down to 14,000 to 14,200 Not sure about the 391 but it's likely lean as well, most saws are out of the box.
To most the performance difference will not be very noticeable, you have to do timed cuts to see the difference, but it's there and so is the difference in quality, and long term durability.
OK thanks! All the saws I have owned have the verticly split mag case so I wasn't aware of the clamshell
the 460 cutoff saw was a clamshell to they were junk had 2 and they both went the bone yard shortly after they were bought :)