Dedicated 28" bar powerhead poll

[TreeLife]

If you were selecting a saw that would solely run a 28" bar, which powerhead would you pick and why?

I decided not to make a poll, I'll just tally responses and post them in a first post edit, as I'm sure people will have many selections.

Aaaaaaaand GO!

Dolkita 7900/10: 7
Husky 288: 3
Husky 395: 1
Husky 576: 1
Jred 2171: 1
372OE: 2
920 super: 1
Solo: 2
661: 1
Stihl: 044/440: 1
Stihl 44/46 hybrid: 2
Stihl 461: 4
Echo cs670: 1
Mac 5700: 1

 

[dustinwilt68]

7910 FTW

 

[TreeLife]

7910 FTW

Why?

 

[Lightning Performance]

One saw plan.
Dolkita 79xx best av in 80cc saw with good support and no major problems.
Mac 8? if your tough and have lots of money! And

 

[dustinwilt68]

Has really good antivibe, one of the most impressive saws ported I have ran to date, even w a limited coil at 13,000, which only serves to save the saw from damage, so it's gonna run for a long time, I feel a 28" bar needs closer to 80 cc then 70cc if your going to run it w that combo all the time, HD filter is great setup also for working, reg filter might pull more power but for work I prefer the HD.

 

[Onan18]

288 XP.

 

[Dub11]

288 XP.

What about a 16" bar ?

 

[Onan18]

What about a 16" bar ?

346 XP

 

[Dub11]

346 XP

I would of bet 288...........

 

[Ryan Browne]

For me, it'd depend on what I was using it for. If your talking about a saw to bring to the woods every day, it'd be a 461 or a 661, even though I love a 28" bar and I don't own either of those saws. My reason for those two would be that I can drive downtown and buy parts. And if they're out of what I need, there's half a dozen other Stihl dealers within a 30 minute drive. I'd take the 661 if I wasn't planning on much walking and the 461 otherwise.

Now, if we're talking about occasional use, or in a situation with a handy backup saw, I'd probably pick a Dolmar. My stock 7900 is a nice saw. Very nice AV, good air filter (though the hd clips seem kinda chinsy and the filter does fill with sawdust pretty well), lightweight for the power, and it's not a saw that you see every day around here. That said, parts are impossible to get around here and it's still not a perfect saw. The clutch cover is pretty minimal in terms of finger protection when equipped with the full wrap. Also the wrap has a tendency to block chip flow, especially when noodling.

 

[TreeLife]

288 XP.

Why?

 

[Onan18]

I would of bet 288...........

What can I say, I am partial to good saws and the 288 is THE LEGEND!!!!!

 

[T.Roller]

Has really good antivibe, one of the most impressive saws ported I have ran to date, even w a limited coil at 13,000, which only serves to save the saw from damage, so it's gonna run for a long time, I feel a 28" bar needs closer to 80 cc then 70cc if your going to run it w that combo all the time, HD filter is great setup also for working, reg filter might pull more power but for work I prefer the HD.

Stock coil on 7910 is 12,800. 6400 coil fixes that lol

 

[T.Roller]

My vote is 7910

 

[Onan18]

Why?

Power to weight, rock solid reliable, decent A/V especially the ones with springs, easy and cheap to fix if anything happens to it, excellent parts availability, balance nice with a 28" bar, outboard clutch, oils insanely well, etc...

 

[dustinwilt68]

My coil is from a 665, got me to 13,000

 

[T.Roller]

My coil is from a 665, got me to 13,000

6400 will get you a bit more. Be careful tho, even tho its rev limited you can still run it lean just as easy.

 

[dustinwilt68]

2nd choice would be a 281/288, for the reasons mentioned above, no Stihls make the cut for me.

 

[T.Roller]

Ran a tank and half thru it today on a good sized oak. It responded very well to the muffler mod.

 

[beaglebriar]

My 395 wears a 28" all the time. Haven't found anything that can't be whittled down with it. [emoji41]