[Grateful11]

I've owned both, all Husk's a 55 and 371XP wew stolen. I replaced them with
Stihl. A used 028WB and MS180. Stay away from Stihl MS290, 310 and 390.
They're overweight boat anchors. If I were buying one Stihl saw it would be an
MS260Pro, a bit pricey but they've been making it for years, it's light says you
can put a 20" bar on it but I'd go with an 18"

 

[Grateful11]

I have a buddy who is a John Deere Nut and has both an Echo and a JD chainsaw; other than colors you cant tell them apart; looks like any part from one will directly swap with the other.

JD got out of the Chainsaw business with the last saws being made in Italy and were
good saws but just didn't sell. Now almost every JD dealer sells Stihl.

 

[illinilefttackle]

:thThumbsU I just had a tree removed by a Tree Company-The guy up in the "Bucket" and the team leader used "Stihl" saws. But all the rest of the guys-5 or 6- used "Husqvarna" Both brands performed well all thru the process-AL

 

[~aRBy~]

I’ll speak for Husqvarna this time.

The saw you said that you had before was a 45cc craftsman. I really think that with any 45cc Husqvarna or Stihl you will notice a difference.

With the Husqvarna I wouldn’t go with anything under the 445 (45.7cc). The 445 is a very good saw, and I really think it will outperform & out last your craftsman. I would stay away from the 455 rancher. The 450 or even the 445 will out cut & out perform a 455 rancher. Now the next ones up, the 359 or the 460 rancher I would skip on those two as well. I would go with the 346xp instead you would get about the same power output from a lighter 50cc “pro” saw. If you really want or need a bigger saw then that, the 357xp would be a very good choice. Its only 56cc but...

Those 4 would be my recommendation, the 455/450 if you are on a tight budget or the 346xp/357xp. I don’t think you will find too many saw better than the 2 xp’s.

Assuming that you have good dealers for both Husqvarna and Stihl, I would go with Husqvarna,

I have both Husqy & Stihl the ones I have right now are:
Husqvarna,
340, 345, 445 & 346xp
Stihl,
MS250, 280 & 260 pro
The 346xp is better than them all!!!

 

[wayneb]

I have a Husqvarna 281XP (81 CC.) with a 24 inch bar. I've had the saw for many years, so far its been trouble free. Great saw for cutting firewood. The only drawback is that its a little on the heavy side.

 

[so2315]

I really can't believe nobody has suggested this, but if you have a friend that owns a Stihl and another friend that owns the other brand, why no have them bring em over to your place, and let you try each saw out on the same log. Then pick which ever one feels right to you.
Both are good products, but Stihl gets my nod. Just look and see what most tree services are running for your answer.

 

[~aRBy~]

I really can't believe nobody has suggested this, but if you have a friend that owns a Stihl and another friend that owns the other brand, why no have them bring em over to your place, and let you try each saw out on the same log. Then pick which ever one feels right to you.
Both are good products...

It’s not a bad idea as long as both saws are about equal that you will be comparing. If you compare a Husqy 346xp to a Stihl MS170/171, or comparing a Stihl ms260 pro to a Husqy 142 (or the new 240e) it will not even be close.

Best thing to do would be to go to a dealer for both and see what they have, and then compare saws that are equal. Not just equal in price though, Husqvarna saws are normally cheaper than an equally equipped Stihl.
Most saw shop will let you test out a saw.

 

[Johndeere & Fords]

I just got rid of the last Stihl I'll ever own. It was a POS from the begining. Bought new 3 years ago (MS290), it never ran right and was worked on several times. It would sit and watch my Husqvarna Rancher 55 and my Poulan do all the work.
Every Stihl ANYTHING I've ever had has just flat laid down and died.

I have also recently bought a Dolmar saw. Light weight, fast and runs like a bat.

Of the two mentioned, though, stay away from Stihl....:thSick:

I may have to think about it before I buy a Stihl.

One of my friends that owns a Stihl brought it down for me to try out.. I wanted to do that before I bought one. Well he never told me that he has been having problems with it.

When the saw gets warmed up after running it for a while, and then you turn it off. "It is hard to start back."

He doesn't know what the problem is, and I don't either.

I haven't got to use a Husqvarna saw yet.

 

[Johndeere & Fords]

TSC and lowes both sell "Husqvarna chainsaws."

TSC has a Husqvarna 455R-56cc with a 20"-Bar for $419

Lowe's has a Husqvarna 455-Rancher-"55cc" with a 20"-bar for $419

:Note: One saw is a 56cc and one is a 55cc for the same price.

Does anyone have one of these chainsaws ??

Would Lowe's or TSC be a good place to buy a Husqvarna chainsaw ??

 

[munderhill]

You can come by and pick up my 028 any time.:biglaugh:
I can assure you it'll run fine and re-start when needed.

MU

 

[~aRBy~]

TSC and lowes both sell "Husqvarna chainsaws."

TSC has a Husqvarna 455R-56cc with a 20"-Bar for $419

Lowe's has a Husqvarna 455-Rancher-"55cc" with a 20"-bar for $419

:Note: One saw is a 56cc and one is a 55cc for the same price.

Does anyone have one of these chainsaws ??

Would Lowe's or TSC be a good place to buy a Husqvarna chainsaw ??

Both the “ranchers” are the same they should be 55.5cc. I would avoid them both. They are underpowered for their size and weight. I have no problems with TSC, the box stores are fine as long as you have a good dealer locally if you need servicing sometime down the road.

Now back to the saw choices. Instead of the “rancher” you could save a little money and go with the 450. It’s about the same power output as the ranchers but lighter, higher revving faster cutting saw. The 450 should be about $370, the rancher is not worth the extra $50.

If you think you need “more saw” go to a saw shop and look at the 346xp. It will be just slightly more than the rancher but definitely worth it!

You are looking at a rancher for $420, the 345xp sells for about $490. I would definitely find the extra $70 for the xp!!!

 

[Grits&Gravy]

346xp husqvarna, do a muffler mod and tighten up the squish a little and you'll never look back.

I have a nice collection of huskys from a 142 all the way up too the 2101xp and quite a few inbetween, and a 346xp with a little tweaking is one of my favorite saws too run.

If you want too really cut in 25" hardwood I would consider going as bit bigger, perhaps a 372xp which I have one of as well. The 372 is a bit bigger and a bit heavier but I have found that sometimes that can be a good thing.

One thing I can say for sure... if you are really cutting a "lot of firewood" get a professional grade saw, you will not be sorry you did.

 

[Cariboo Harry]

I live in logging country and the pros all seen to use Stihl, or Husqvarna with occasional Jonsered. They are all good saws. I have an old Stilh 066 (93 cc) that I use on my sawmill and a smaller Stihl for falling and cross cutting.

I get long service out of my saws mainly because I look after the bars and sharpen often. A dull chain or worn bar puts a lot of extra strain on the saw.

I always use a dremel grinder in a jig and sharpen frequently. You should see chips when cross cutting, ribbons when you hit a knot and course sawdust when ripping.

Sorry to get preachy about sharpening but I often sharpen saws for others and find most complains about performance come from people who neglect the bar and chain.

 

[lovemysan]

I would only buy a saw from dealer. My local echo dealer usually beats the HD prices by a good margin. All chainsaw's break. Find a good dealer and buy from him. I purchased an echo hedge trimmer new from the dealer($10 under HD). It got hard to start after a few hours. I stopped in and the dealer checked the machine and ordered the part. I was able to keep using it until the parts arrived and was only without it for 24 hours.

I feel the 300 hour statement from echo is marketing. I put 60-100 hours a year on my shindiawa t260 trimmer. I've had it 9 years. It is still very reliable and strong running. I wouldn't be surprised if it went 1000hrs+. I use quality oil.

 

[bryan1980]

Somebody might have already mentioned this, but check out RedMax, if there's a dealer in your area. They make good equipment.

 

[ArborServe]

I was on another forum and found out about TSC selling a relabeled Poulan Pro 330 for $200. I am not a Puolan fan but this thing is a real work horse and it is getting great reviews. It might be something to look into- I have used mine quite a bit in a week and am glad I got it.

 

[Rcardo292]

Nothing but Johnsered for me.

I like my Jonsered 455 I've had it for over 17 yrs, the only thing ever to go wrong was the knot came out of the pull cord a few weeks after I bought it.
Great saw !

 

[Simon Smith]

What ever you do stay away from the domestic user Stihls like the MS170 and MS180. These are horrible things with tiny useless oil pumps and frequently give carburettor problems. We see loads of these in the workshop, and they just aren't worth the money.

 

[ford4500]

I sell 40plus cord a year and have had no problems with my huskies, have an old 61 with more hours than can be counted and never made any major repairs, also running a 350, 359 and my big dog is a 385xp with 36" bar, 350 and 359 are perfect for felling, limbing and bucking but only use the 61 on rare ocasions cause it is just to **** heavy and vibretes your arms off compared to the new saws and the 385xp is just used on larger trees cause theres just no sense in running a saw that size unless your dealing with big trees but as far as I'm conserned all I'll buy is husky

 

[rwairforce]

I have been away for a while and I sure have missed this group. What great exchanges; from worthwhile on topice responses, to humor with no real help but funny as heck and when the thread has ended you will find all you asked for and more.

Good luck with whatever saw you end up with. Not that it makes any difference now but both of mine are orange.