question on 361 & 362

[tmroper]

I have seen a lot of comments on here about folks not liking the 362 compared to the 361 and I was curious why?  I am sorry but didn't have the best of luck when doing a search to see if anyone had already said.  What are the differences in the two saws and how does it affect them? 
Thank you for your help

[beenthere]

I don't recall seeing any posts of anyone that has used the 362. Comments may be based on expected results. We are all about "change" now....not for he better either. It's the kind of change we are all used to getting of late.
Not available yet at my dealer. Still has 361's available.
Change touted is a larger air filter and housing, and a little more weight and maybe a fraction more hp. Suspected to be more in line with new EPA standards, so prolly less performance. Dealer says it is not a big change, but some mention of it being an ongoing smooth transition (rollover). At least that is how I interpreted what he said.

[quietrangr]

The 362 is 3/4 pounds heavier, and only .2 horsepower stronger. That's not so good. I've been seeing them for sale barely used on ebay. Not a good sign. That's why I decided to get a new 361 instead of the 362.

[windthrown]

The 362 is 3/4 pounds heavier, and only .2 horsepower stronger. That's not so good. I've been seeing them for sale barely used on ebay. Not a good sign. That's why I decided to get a new 361 instead of the 362.

I looked at and briefly ran the 362 here yesterday at the dealer I buy my Stihls from. It is noticably heavier than the 361, and wider/bulkier. The spring A/V systems is about the same, tucked in under the saw. I did not notice that it was any smoother cutting than a 361. The weird thing is that the air filter is bolted on, so it does not have the snaps that the 441 has, or the easy screw-off air filter cover that the older pro saws have. Supposed to clean it less than often than the 361, as it has the centrifugal air cleaner on it. But you need the scrench to get the air filter cover off. So much for going more tooless... The torque curve is a bit different but not that much different. The one I ran had a 25 inch bar with full skip. Price tag is heavier, by about $80. *Cough* The 362s are popping up here locally on Craigslist too. Used they are the same price as a new 361. 

The new 361s around here are all drying up, and fast. An era has passed. The dealer was miffed that the 361 is going away, even though it is a relatively new saw, and very very popular. They have not sold very many 362s. Same thing happened when the 441 come out. They sold tons of 440s, and few 441s. Now they sell more 460s and not that many 441s. BTW: the 310 and 390 are next to go away. They have already replaced them in Europe with the heavier and more expensive 311 and 391. The 2010 EPA laws are in effect now. Husky and Stihl are both replacing most of their saw lines with new saws.
   

[tmroper]

windthrown or others,
If you aren't so excited about the 362's cost to performance balance which model would you reccomend?

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

The 362 is 3/4 pounds heavier, and only .2 horsepower stronger. That's not so good. I've been seeing them for sale barely used on ebay. Not a good sign. That's why I decided to get a new 361 instead of the 362.

I looked at and briefly ran the 362 here yesterday at the dealer I buy my Stihls from. It is noticably heavier than the 361, and wider/bulkier. The spring A/V systems is about the same, tucked in under the saw. I did not notice that it was any smoother cutting than a 361. The weird thing is that the air filter is bolted on, so it does not have the snaps that the 441 has, or the easy screw-off air filter cover that the older pro saws have. Supposed to clean it less than often than the 361, as it has the centrigugal air cleaner on it. But you need the scrench to get the air filter cover off. So much for going more tooless... The torque cure is a bit different but not that much different. The one I ran had a 25 inch bar with full skip. Price tag is heavier, by about $80. *Cough* The 362s are popping up here locally on Craigslist too. Used they are the same price as a new 361. 

The new 361s around here are all drying up, and fast. An era has passed. The dealer was miffed that the 361 is going away, even though it is a relatively new saw, and very very popular. They have not sold very many 362s. Same thing happened when the 441 come out. They sold tons of 440s, and few 441s. Now they sell more 460s and not that many 441s. BTW: the 310 and 390 are next to go away. They have already replaced them in Europe with the heavier and more expensive 311 and 391. The 2010 EPA laws are in effect now. Husky and Stihl are both replacing most of their saw lines with new saws.
   

WELL  WE WILL HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THIS. OWN A 2 OF EACH OF THESE MODELS. THE 362 IS A LITTLE HEAVIER ON PAPER,BUT NO ONE IS GONNA TELL ME THEY CAN FEEL A COUPLE OF OUNCES.i run each of mine with 20 &25"bars,all full skip chains. with both saws buried in hardwood,either bar,the 362 just makes alot more torque. it revs way quicker also,very responsive. aside from the high price ,these new saws are awesome. i hope they last like the old ones,the 362 is very well built,that may be where the extra heft comes from. as far as air filter access goes,i can cut all day,and the filter is hardly even dusty. try that w/361. i think the 362 handles the 25"bar a little better. it also is definately better on fuel,i had to run about 20 tanks thru mine before it came to life. the 361 is definately a good saw,but in my opinion the 362 is a step foward for stihl.

[quietrangr]

windthrown or others,
If you aren't so excited about the 362's cost to performance balance which model would you reccomend?

I won't need a saw for a while, so I can keep an eye on owner satisfaction with the 362. If not that, 357 Husky or 2156 Jonsered spec out for weight and power almost the same as the 361, and I believe they are EPA approved. Also the 656 Solo has the same power, but weighs half a pound less.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

not trying to hijack this thread,but i just bought an echo cs600. it is a very nice saw for the money.it pulls a 24"bar good. it runs a lot like the 361.it can be bought for 450-500.

[bill m]

 
WELL  WE WILL HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THIS. OWN A 2 OF EACH OF THESE MODELS. THE 362 IS A LITTLE HEAVIER ON PAPER,BUT NO ONE IS GONNA TELL ME THEY CAN FEEL A COUPLE OF OUNCES.

Yes, if you put the two saws side by side the difference in weight is not very noticeable. But run that 362 10 hours a day and than switch to the 361 for the last half hour  and you will not want to take that 362 out of the shop. That weight difference is huge at the end of the day.

[windthrown]

WELL  WE WILL HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THIS. OWN A 2 OF EACH OF THESE MODELS. THE 362 IS A LITTLE HEAVIER ON PAPER,BUT NO ONE IS GONNA TELL ME THEY CAN FEEL A COUPLE OF OUNCES.i run each of mine with 20 &25"bars,all full skip chains. with both saws buried in hardwood,either bar,the 362 just makes alot more torque. it revs way quicker also,very responsive. aside from the high price ,these new saws are awesome. i hope they last like the old ones,the 362 is very well built,that may be where the extra heft comes from. as far as air filter access goes,i can cut all day,and the filter is hardly even dusty. try that w/361. i think the 362 handles the 25"bar a little better. it also is definately better on fuel,i had to run about 20 tanks thru mine before it came to life. the 361 is definately a good saw,but in my opinion the 362 is a step foward for stihl.

Do you have to SHOUT?

The extra weight in the 362 is not due to better build quality. It is becasue the engine has air intake ports for EPA regulations. That makes the engine casting larger, which adds more weight. It is also a wider saw, so the top handle is wider, and the case is wider, and that all adds weight. More weight is not a good thing in a chainsaw, sorry. Also 3/4 of a pound is more than a couple of ounces. Its 12 ounces, actually. And side by side at the dealer, the 362 was obviously heavier than the 361, and bulkier. The 362 has more power to make up for the added weight, so that it has the same power to weight ratio as the 361.

I did not see or feel that much more torque running the 362. Its a matter of physics. Power is revs times torque. The revs are the same in the 361 and the 362; 14,000 max RPM. The HP of the 362 is 4.6 bph (same as the European 361). The 361 has 4.4 bhp. So do the math, and the 362 has 4.5% more torque than the US model 361. Mod a 361 muffler and you will more than make up for the power and torque difference, and pull ahead of a 362 easy. Mod a 362 muffler... no wait a minute, it is strato-charged, and does not take a muffler mod well. Oops.

I think that the 362 is a giant step backward myself. Heavier, bulkier, and more expensive. It solves problems that were and are simply not problems for me on the 361. Gas milage? Give me a break. After using a 460 or a 660, these things both sip gas. Air filter? I blow mine off with an air compressor after a day of use. So what? Takes 10 seconds, tops. The 361 saw is a great design, and I will keep all of mine, thanks. And I agree with the above post; after a full day of use, that extra 3/4 of a pound is a lot more tiring. Face it, Stihl was FORCED to make the 362, just like they are being forced to make the 211, 311, 391, and 441. And Husky is being forced to change saws like the 372. Its the EPA 2010 laws, and the EU A/V laws. They are making the best of it, but what they have come up with simply does not beat what was there before in many cases.

[Ianab]

I seem to remember all the same fuss when they changed the 360 to the 361, it was going to be the end of chainsawing as we know it. 

I dont know if the 362 is a better saw or not, but if you are worried about a few ounces, maybe be thankfull that you dont have to carry a 660 around all day 

My buddy is out cutting firewood, with a Husky 3120 and 5ft bar, and still has to walk around the log and finish the cut from the other side!

Whats a few ounces?

Ian

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

sorry,not shouting,forgot the caps thing again.  i think i you ran a 362 for a while you would like it. if we are going to run stihl saws,we dont have much choice. i still say get 20-30 tanks of fuel thru one,and then tell me it won't eat a 361 for lunch. just my 2 cents worth,nothing more. sorry if i ruffeled any feathers

[Ironmower]

Not tryin to argue, but I'd like to know how you can make more power, with less fuel??? It don't add-up.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

the 362 is diffinately a few onces heavier,but it does have more power&torque,and will burn less fuel. these are proven facts,both on paper , and in real world useage.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

the 362 is diffinately a few onces heavier,but it does have more power&torque,and will burn less fuel. these are proven facts,both on paper , and in real world useage. that is one of the advantages of the strato design,they are more efficiant.

[John Mc]

Not trying to argue, but I'd like to know how you can make more power, with less fuel??? It don't add-up.

If you were already using the fuel to maximum efficiency, you probably couldn't. But that's a big "if".

One obvious example would be if the timing were off. Another might be if the fuel and air were thoroughly mixed or not (this can effect flame propogation within the cylinder). Opening up a muffler is another example: this does allow the saw to burn more fuel, and gets extra power that way. However, a better breathing, less restricted saw is also better able to make use of the fuel it does burn. (One of the reasons tuned exhausts have become a popular upgrade on piston aircraft engines. With that set-up, you can get more power burning more fuel, or you can throttle back and get the same power as before burning less fuel, and running the engine cooler. I'm not enough of an engine guy to explain how this works, however.)

[John Mc]

Mod a 362 muffler... no wait a minute, it is strato-charged, and does not take a muffler mod well. Oops.

What is it about strato-charging that does not take muffler modding well? Or is it that the muffler is not as restrictive to begin with?

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Mod a 362 muffler... no wait a minute, it is strato-charged, and does not take a muffler mod well. Oops.

What is it about strato-charging that does not take muffler modding well? Or is it that the muffler is not as restrictive to begin with?

some guys have modded them,with decent results.(look on you tube) the 362 has a bigger muffler than the 361,but with both saws stock the 362 makes a little more noise.

[windthrown]

sorry,not shouting,forgot the caps thing again.  i think i you ran a 362 for a while you would like it. if we are going to run stihl saws,we dont have much choice. i still say get 20-30 tanks of fuel thru one,and then tell me it won't eat a 361 for lunch. just my 2 cents worth,nothing more. sorry if i ruffeled any feathers

Well, you can run the new Stihls. I will stick with my 044s, 026s and 361s myself. They should last for 10 more years at least.

[windthrown]

Not tryin to argue, but I'd like to know how you can make more power, with less fuel??? It don't add-up.

"In theory" the starto saws are more efficient with the strato engine design. 2-stroke engines push a lot of unburned fuel out the muffler. The strato ports inject a layer of fresh air between the exhaust gasses and the incoming fuel mix. That way the fresh air layer is pushed out the exhaust instead of fuel mix. That is what theoretically makes it more fuel efficient.

However, I have yet to see any comparisons 1:1 between the fuel use of a 361 and a 362. Stihl ads compare 'previous model saws', but not the 361 specifically.