Pork loin vs butt?

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Either can be a juicy cut of meat.

Just don't over cook the loin.
 
It's apples vs oranges. The loin is nearly free of fat and connective tissue, so is best cooked to 145° internal temp. It will be tender and juicy at that temperature, but like you found out, dry and tough if overcooked.
The butt on the other hand, has more than its share of fat and connective tissue. So much so that it needs to be taken to a much higher internal temperature to be tender. Most say 180° for slicing, and 195°-205° for pulled pork.
Time is also another factor. A loin can be done in a few hours, while a butt takes much longer.
 
The loin is a very lean cut of meat.  I would consider cooking it to 135-140 degrees(final rested temp), but i usually get pork sirloins, from Costco, instead.  They are so much cheaper(they are ~$1.70/lb) and they taste very similar.  Costco also "Enhances" them with solution and they always come out juicy.  I accidentally overcooked a couple to 155(rested temp) the other day and they were still good.  

Pork shoulder is the cut you want to use for pulled pork, pernil, braises and other stuff that takes a long time, as stated in the posts above.  
 
You can also butterfly parts or all of the boneless pork loin for boneless country style ribs, cut it into chops or roasts.  Like others have said, you can make a loin tender and juicy as described above.  The "rib eye" end of the whole pork loin tends to be a tad more tender as a rule.  It has the most fat internally of the the whole loin.  I also make Canadian bacon out of the pork loin as seen in the Bacon forum.  Reinhard
 
I myself prefer the pork loin roast to the Boston butt. I rub it down with Jeff's rub, wrap in plastic wrap to sit for 2-3 hrs. Smoke at 220 with apple/cherry mix. Mop down with Mahogany sauce at 225 IT then every 30 minutes till its done at 145 IT. Dang it, now I got a hankering to smoke a loin, as if I need an excuse.
 
I like getting creative with pork loins smoked/cooked to an IT of 145F.  Juicy and tender.  You can do all kinds of things with fruit; apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, strawberries, pears, raisins, cranberries, yada yada.  Can do magic with maple syrup too.  Been on a Canadian bacon kick though with loins recently.   

Butts always end up pulled at our house.  A coworker said he was moving in with me after eating my pulled pork today at a pot luck.  My wife cracked up laughing and said "okay." 
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I found a huge piece of meat at Market Basket this weekend, "whole center cut boneless pork loin" at $1.89 / lb.  How does this differ to Costco's pork loin boneless piece at $1.99 / lb?  Same piece?  The Market basket one looked much bigger? It did weigh 3lbs more.  Costco = just cut short?  Smaller pig?
 
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I found a huge piece of meat at Market Basket this weekend, "whole center cut boneless pork loin" at $1.89 / lb.  How does this differ to Costco's pork loin boneless piece at $1.99 / lb?  Same piece?  The Market basket one looked much bigger? It did weigh 3lbs more.  Costco = just cut short?  Smaller pig?
One was probably a half loin and the other a whole loin......
 
M, try a stuffed pork loin,the stuffing options are endless. It's a crowd pleaser at my house ! Hit the search bar above  for great ideas and hints.
 
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Butt is the better of the two , you have to cook the Loin to 165*F and wrap and rest for a juicy cut . They dry out too quickly.

Butt is great , you get  lots of Bark , it pulls great and if you want sliced meat , use the Money Muscle , the roundish part in the center of the mass. his is great

with a nice flavorful Sauce .

Have fun and . . .
 
 
Butt is the better of the two , you have to cook the Loin to 165*F and wrap and rest for a juicy cut . They dry out too quickly.

Butt is great , you get  lots of Bark , it pulls great and if you want sliced meat , use the Money Muscle , the roundish part in the center of the mass. his is great

with a nice flavorful Sauce .

Have fun and . . .
The USDA reduced their pork temperature guidelines to 145, recently.  I know we all grew up cooking the crap out of pork, and it's scary to not cook it done, but it sure does taste good for the leaner cuts, like loin and sirloin.
 
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Definitely agree with oldschoolbbq, go for the butt.  Very hard to mess up and always juicy :D
 
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