Stihl or Husqvarna?

[tjay460]

Well, it is wood cutting season and I need to buy a new chainsaw or at least new to me. What do you guys think Stihl or Husqvarna, or does it matter? I am thinking about something in the 50cc range and 20" bar. I really like the features of the Husky 359. Anyone have one? What's your opinion of it?

[jroehl]

Orange or orange and white--your pick. One aspect that could (should?) influence your decision is the availability of local service. Are there reputable Stihl or Husqy dealers near you?

That being said, I once owned (now stolen) 20", 54ish cc Poulan. That's too much bar for that size engine. I now own a Husqy 372XP, which is a 71cc engine on a 20" bar. Great combo. It may be a heavier setup, but I spend a fraction of the time cutting wood than I used to. What used to take 6 hours to cut (my time limit for safety/fatigue purposes when it's 85+ w/humidity), I can now cut in probably 2 hours. With a properly sharpened chain, the saw pretty much stays at near full speed even with the bar buried in the wood. And, at this point, I'm only $120 or so away from having a 32" saw, since that bar will fit this saw (and I'm sure it will run it fine).

Remember, it's easy to upgrade bar length. Not so easy to upgrade the engine.

Jason

[pfogle]

You really can't go wrong with either saw. They both make a great, dependable product. It's basically which one you like the best.

[Ruckus]

tjay, I have a Stihl 032 AVE and a Poulan chian saw. Both are great and the Stihl is the best chain saw I have ever used. I wanted a new gas blower so while at Home Depot the sales guy told me that the Husky was the best seller. I took a chance and bought the $169 Husky. That is the hardest to start little bugger I have ever owned. I have tried choking and not choking every which way possible and it still takes maybe 20 pulls or more to get it started. After owning a Stihl, the Husky brand feels like a bad generic brand. Never again will Husky get my money. Good Luck!

[jroehl]

Let's not confuse "Husky" with "Husqvarna", which is sometimes referred to as "Husky" also. Husqvarna is a Swedish-made professional/"pro-sumer" brand. Husky is a cheap, consumer brand that is probably made in China.

My Husqvarna saw takes 7-10 pulls to start when cold, but once it starts, it's an eager beaver. I think it may have a design feature that helps the carb empty of gas after it shuts off so that it doesn't get varnished when it sits, therefore taking a few more pulls to re-prime the carb when you start.

Jason

[maticuno]

We own 4 Stihl's ranging from an 020 to an 066 Magnum. Only chainsaw brand I would ever own. Very dependable, very easy to work on yourself, and relatively easy to start.

[rebocardo]

> I really like the features of the Husky 359. Anyone have one

No.

> I took a chance and bought the $169 Husky

As I understand it, the low end Husky saws are just rebadged Poulans. From owning a Poulan Wildthing 2375 (18" 40cc) I can say it certainly takes a lot of POULAN to get one started.

I bought two Husky 365s. First one had problems, second one none. I like the saw for the weight and power. If I had to have only one saw I would have bought a bigger Husky 372. You can still find them at Bailey's.

I bought a Stihl MS-180c. It has been a great little 14" saw for the money. I broke the cord once, really my fault.

On the higher end, I think the Husky is the best, on the lower end small saws, the Stihl. For the med. range saws I think it is a toss up.

If you want to compare saw to saw, compare a Husky 365 or 372 to a MS660. To me the MS660 feels lighter or more nimble. I don't know what it is about the Stihl saws, spec wise they are the same or lower then the Husky in numbers, but, holding and using them they feel better balanced. Purely subjective I guess.

[sierraben]

I hear that the U.S. Forest Service mainly uses Stihl chain saws as well as other agencies.

Now that's what I heard.

We have no forests where I live except Golden Gate Park and I don't think they would appreciate me cutting down their trees.

[Beast12]

Well, either one would "probably" be fine. BUT, I am a STIHL man all the way. You might be interested at looking at this saw: http://stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS361.html Great saw in a nice package. That will give you are 59 CC.

STIHL also makes a MS260 which is a GREAT SAW. I am not sure if I would put a 20" bar on it though. At my old job (cutting trees) we had a MS260 with a 16" bar. We didn't really cut a lot of wood with it though.

IMHO go with a STIHL MS361 or a MS440 (for a little more OOMPH!)

Good luck in your decision buying! Oh and let us know what you got!

-Matt

[F2504x4]

If decide to buy a stihl saw, check out your local independent tool rental, their prices are on par with everyone elses, but you can't beat the personal service you'll get.

[cpnhgnjnky]

The Army keeps buying Stihls, but I am always fixin them.

I personaly own a Husqy, my last one went 15 years. Now I got another one, little bigger this time the 45 Special was nice, but I just needed a bigger saw. My father has a Homelite that is as old as they come, but its huge for cutting redwoods would be my guess. Its old but still runs.

CJ

[JD717]

I recommend a Stihl MS361 with a 20" bar. I work on these for a living, so trust me when I say anything not made by Echo, Husky, Stihl, Shindaiwa, Dolmar, or Efco is crap. I have a collection of older McCullochs that look ugly but kick butt on power. they just dont make saws as rugged as they used to. If you crave a HIGH power saw, a Stihl 088 will serve VERY well. As far as Stihls go, I've owned an 038, 064, and now an 024. I have nothing bad to say about any of them. all top notch pro grade machines for the money.

[Ruckus]

I need to revise my statement in post #4: 1. I actually bought a Huskqvarna blower, not a Husky brand. 2. I actually bought it at Lowes, not Home Depot.

[TigerDan]

As a former small engine mechanic, and having lived in Sweden, I'm somewhat biased. I've always liked Husqvarna products, they even make a full line of home appliances. My problem with Stihl is the vibration factor. They would literally come apart in your hands. I had to reassemble many customer's Stihl chainsaws, and even with red Loctite we still had problems. Admittedly, this was 15 years ago and the quality of Stihl has probably improved since then (it must have, or they wouldn't still be in business) but you know the saying, "Once bitten, twice shy" and I have never looked at a Stihl product with any interest since. Me, I'd get a Husqvarna. "Ja visst, ja!" -TD

[Beast12]

STIHL's anti-vibration stuff has improved DRAMATICALLY! That said I would still not operate a saw without gloves. Does the word carpel tunnel sydrome come to mind. OK, so it was 3 words.

-Matt