War: Husky vs. Stihl

[joe_indi]

 

I find that comment a bit odd, to say the least.

...and there is no 365xp, and no Stihl equivalent to the 365..........

Mea Culpa for the "xp" after the 365.


As per Stihl's own comparison charts the Stihl equivalent of the 365 is the MS 390

[TexasTimbers]

joe i was looking for that comparison chart the other day on stihls website and could not find it. i have seen it before but just couldn't locate it - just`tried again and still could not find it.

[sawguy21]

The 365 and MS390 are close to the same displacement and both are saws but that is about the only similarity. 

[joe_indi]

joe i was looking for that comparison chart the other day on stihls website and could not find it. i have seen it before but just couldn't locate it - just`tried again and still could not find it.

kevjay, you won't find the comparison chart that I refered to on any website.It is a booklet given to Stihl distributors only.I was fortunate to have a look into one of those and note down Stihl's equivalent of its competitor's models.

The 365 and MS390 are close to the same displacement and both are saws but that is about the only similarity.

Very true, sawguy21, but that is Stihl's opinion regarding an equivalent for the 365.
The 372xp is equivalent to a MS440. The only differences between the 372xp and a 365 are the piston,cylinder and the carb.Change these on a 365 and you have a 372.
Talk of converting a MS390 into a MS440, people would thing you are ready for the funny farm.Because the MS390 has a horizontally split shortblock in  a polymer casing which does not belong to the professional class of saws. But the MS440 has a vertically split crankcase of magnesium alloy. Ditto the 372 and the 365

[windthrown]

For cutting thousands of trees? You did not say what sized trees, or if they are soft or hard wood. If you are going to cut thousands of trees with a 20 inch bar, you are going to need/want a good power to weight ratio pro model saw. I do not have any experience with the Husky line of saws, and I am biased toward Stihl. I cut hundreds of trees here; felling, thinning, and cutting firewood. Hard and softwoods.

I would go with either the Stihl MS 361 or the MS 441. Both are newer bullet-proof EPA friendly models with good spring-mounted vibration dampening. Read: smooth. The 441 has slightly better power to weight ratio. But it is heavier and wider. After all day sawyering you are going to be wiped out with that kind of weight (with your light body frame). You said that you have a larger saw already, so you may want the 361. The 460 is a good high end saw and will cut through anything, but it is a bear to manage all day long (been there, done that). It has a lot of vibrartion. Vibration can lead to white finger, tendonitis, or arthritis, or aggrivate them if you already have them. The 441 would be a better option. You are also going to want something lighter and less vibe prone than a 390, and the 361 would be a better option.

Now, for modifying them, the 441 has a new type of flow-through design, and it does not lend itself to great performance improvement when muffler and/or port modded. The 361 will dance if modded (though it will be louder). Open the muffler up a bit and it will probably give you all the power that you need. Both of these saws will drive a full range of bars in the size that you want. Both have full pro features and will last and put up with extreme use.

BTW: if you do not already have a smaller saw, I would also advise a small 30-40cc saw for limbing and thinning small diameter trees. Even the 361 can get heavy after a day of use. Switch to a smaller light saw and it is easy to trim and thin. For that I would get an MS180 to MS250 size saw. Or the new MS192 non-top handle model (I have not tried it yet). For the price of the MS441 with bar and options, you could probably get the MS361 and an MS180.

You may also want to look at the Dolmar line of saws. You could get a Dolmar 5100s and a 401 for the same purpose, and get the pair for about the same price as the Stihl 361. Both of these saws have had rave reviews. Their quality over time, new company ownership (Makita), limited local dealerships and model availablity and previous sporatic brand availability in the USA leave some questions as to their overall quality as a saw brand. But you might want to look at them just the same.

[TexasTimbers]

 I saw it at my local Stihl dealer then Joe. Bet he will let me have a copy.

Hi windthrown, welcome to the Forestry Forum. 

[SawTroll]

The 365 and MS390 are close to the same displacement and both are saws but that is about the only similarity. 

Yes, the 365 is a pro quality saw, and the MS390 a consumer one - they are not comparable at all, the Husky wins by a wide margin on all accounts.....

Stihl should have listed the MS361 as the counterpart of both the 357xp and the 365.....

Welcome to FF windthrown, nice to "see" you again!

[rahtreelimbs]

So what about the Stihl 441 with it's "new" prefiltration air intake system    Anybody got one   They any good

I have a deuce of 441's. Good running saw!!!

[Frickman]

90% of professional loggers worldwide run Stihl. Stihl must be doing something right. I've tried the MS361, nice running little saw. 18" bar is perfect. If you need a 20" bar then get a MS441 or MS460. I run an MS460 all day long sometimes and I'm just a little guy, only 5' 6" or so. I get more tired running a small saw, waiting for it to cut, than carrying around a bigger saw and getting the work done faster.

[jokers]

90% of professional loggers worldwide run Stihl.

I`d like to see you back up this statement with a credible reference, not something your Stihl dealer said. Don`t get the wrong idea either because I think that I currently have more Stihls than Huskies or Dolmars but it wasn`t that long ago that I saw with my own eyes that Stihl`s top sellers were the 017 and 029, not many pro loggers using either of those beauties.  I just hate marketing bs and Stihl IS king when it comes to marketing bs.

[jjmk98k]

 there we go.... THAT just put WAR back in this thread!

 

Yeah, hard to think Stihl has such a large stranglehold on the pro logging market.... otherwise they should be able to BUY Husqvarna!

[sawguy21]

I am not going to touch this one. No how No way

[SawTroll]

.....   I just hate marketing bs and Stihl IS king when it comes to marketing bs.

No doubt about that - they win that one by a wide margin....

[MISDH]

Great information guys!  I really appreciate all of your responses, and have learned a lot more than I ever would have thought of.  I'm leaning toward the MS361, but had a MS 260 in my hands and really liked it.  The 4,000 trees I'm cutting down are Austrian pine, average 10" dbh,  (up to 18"-22" for the big ones at the base), most are probably 14" to fell.  I'll be dropping these down "rows",  felling 3-4 at a time, cutting in 16' lengths, and triming the branches off the tops for reduction (tight working quarters).  Then I've got to pull them out to make working room for the next batch.  Once this is done, I'll be cutting 10-20 hardwood trees each year for fire wood.  The dealer says I can buy two MS290's for the price of the 361, and won't be able to tell the difference.  I've got a Dolmer dealer even closer that I'll be visiting before I make a decision. My Husky dealer is too far away, but I'm still considering them.  Thanks again everyone, this has been a great forum.

[TexasTimbers]

I get tickled when I see people get all riled up defending a huge corporation that doesn't give a bandicoot's behind if you live or die. Both companies make great saws. Some particular saws in certain classes shine and some stink.
I have Stihl and Husky and am fixing to buy a Dolmar weedeater that weighs half of my heavy Stihl and cut twice as good. Buy the tool not the brand. If someone is proclaiming one brand over another just let them run around thinking it matters. Their ignorance isn't hurting anyone but them.

[SawTroll]

The dealer says I can buy two MS290's for the price of the 361, and won't be able to tell the difference.  .....

I surely wouldn't trust that dealer - he is way off the mark......

[Ken]

Interesting topic.  For years I ran Huskys until the local Stihl dealer offered me a deal I couldn't refuse.  Ever since Stihl has certainly been my saw of choice.  The MS 361 is a solid saw that performs extremely well.  The 440 Stihl is probably the most dependable brand of saw I have ever owned.  Haven't had a chance to try out the new 441 but don't like the idea of it being quite a bit heavier than the 440 (1.5 lbs I think). 

As we do not have a lot of overly large timber to cut here in the east we only use 16" bars normally.  If you don't need a longer bar why bother  .  The saw is going to perform that much better with less teeth too push through the tree. 

Although this thread, to date,  has only discussed power saws I would like  to recommend that anybody who is thinking of a thinning saw to consider the 550 Stihl.  Bulletproof saw that is consistently more reliable than the equivalent Husky model. 

My two cents worth.