Dolmar vs. Husqvarna vs. Stihl

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SawmillTroy

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I am looking to buy a new saw. We mostly cut northern Wisconsin hardwoods. I occasionally cut red and white oak firewood also. I have a Husqvarna 570 and a Jonsered 2152 but I do not like the weight of the 570. I am looking at the 372xp Husky, 7300 Dolmar, and 441 Stihl. I am wondering what the best saw is and the most reliable. I have always run Husky and J-red saws and don’t have much experience with stihl and no experience with Dolmar. Also what is my 570 worth to sell? Thanks
 
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The 372 would do you right. Rather than the 7300, I'd look at the 7900. Same weight, more power.

A 441 is going to weigh about as much as your 570, but will have more snort.

Price on your 570 depends on a variety of factors- how much time it has on it, how it looks, features, etc.
 
I like the 372 alot more than the 441 .. I wouldn,t buy a 441 and I,ve run one alot ... I may buy a 372 before spring .... The 7900 weighs the same as the 7300 Dolmar I think , may as well go for the snort of the bigger piston ....... It is REAL hard to beat a 372 Husky if not impossible ... If you have a good Dolmar dealer in your area that may be a good way to go ... As I just got a new 681 SOLO , I am quite pleased so far . but 3 months will tell .. The 681 Solo and the 7900 Dolmar are Very similar ..............I cut a cord of spruce with it yesterday and generally speaking am very pleased ........ I don,t like the 441 Stihl .....Just the thot of a non adjustable ( or nearly so ) 2 barrel carburetor.makes me mad .....I was running up to 2 gallons of gas thru mine a day for most of a month ... On the plus side it would pull a 25" bar quite well ... But it wasn,t any more powerful than an 044 Stihl and it weighed 1.5 lbs more .. It weighs the same as a 460 , but isn,t nearly the saw .... Its strong point for me was it has spring mounts ...... The grip and handlebar were spaced well also . IE it was comfortable to run ... But the 372 is more so !! the 681 Solo is as good as the 441 but alot more powerful and no heavier ................................. IMO&E.
 
Heres the 441
marchandApril2007HunaandGlacierV-1.jpg
 
Check for dealer support first.

Best shop that stocks spares and can be counted on wins.

My completely biased opinion is the 372xp would be the better saw overall.

Lots of dealers to choose from, very good aftermarket support, plenty of power in a good handling package, proven for many years, and above average durability.
And as a bonus, the local Swede's wont be talking smack about your Kraut Saw...;)

Stay safe!
Dingeryote
 
Not yet mentioned and a wonderful saw, especially if you're considering the ol' 372, check out a 460. Once its broken in I've found that with a ported muffler a 8 tooth and a 32" bar it'll still rip, with a half skip chain. Fine saw, light and nimble, fast chain speed. But, depends on dealers- who stocks parts, etc. Never ran a 441 yet. Mostly run 660s these days, depends on the timber, and the cut specs.
 
All them saw's in the real world are very close in wight. The 7900 and the 681 offer the most power in Stock form and are really in the 80cc class. If the 570 bothers you a 372/2171 is really not that much lighter. Have you thought of going with a modded 60cc saw? like a 2159/359 or 361 they are light. I love my 7900 it's light considering it's almost 80cc and quite too, but I use my 2159 more as I live in the land of small trees and it will keep up to the 7900 in 16'' wood. Just a suggestion but if you suffer from cad you can't go wrong with any of the saw's your looking at lol
 
The 460 is fast enough a 7 tooth sprocket is pretty ideal IMO . and 8 tooth is good on the 660 ........Especially pulling a 32" bar ...... With the 372 having a 75cc P&C it is right there with the 460 power wise ...... Not that the 460 isn,t a great saw , it is .... But I prefer the 372 ........and the 681 Solo has more on the stump ..
 
I don't know much about modding a saw. I wrench for CAT on big diesels and never really worked on chainsaws. I work on my 2-stroke sled engine a little bit. Is it worth doing anything to my 570? I have a 2152 j-red and would consider a 2159 but wouldn't know what to do with it. We are mostly cutting trees under 20" for the most part so a smaller saw should do just fine. Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
my vote for all around cutting,ms460 28"bar 7 hole sprocket,skip chain,max flow air kit(it really did wake mine up a bit)only 40 bucks,and what i did like is i could cut all day without the performance falling off due to the stock cleaner getting plugged :clap:
 
The 460 has flippy caps and the 046 has screw in. Other than that they are basically the same as far as engine size and all other parts.
 
The 372 would do you right. Rather than the 7300, I'd look at the 7900. Same weight, more power.

A 441 is going to weigh about as much as your 570, but will have more snort.

Price on your 570 depends on a variety of factors- how much time it has on it, how it looks, features, etc.

JJ knows his stuff man.
 
is an ms 460 any different thn a 046



Like mdavlee said, the only thing different is the gas and oil caps.

For the OP, if I were to chose from the three saws I think I would chose the 372. From what I read that is a pretty sweet saw. BUT, I also read that the 441 is a nice saw too. I went with a 460 because the saw is tryed and true, were the 441 was new at the time. The 460 was also a bigger saw and lighter. I know nothing about the Dolmar.

I went with a 460 also because of the dealer, but I just found out we have a nice Husky dealer. So I think it realy comes down to the dealer.
 
I really like the dolmar I got. I sold the ms460 I had after I bought it. I got the 372xpw after the dolmar. It is a real nice saw, also. I haven't ran a 441 but my brother in law really liked the one he had till someone else needed it more than him. Both the 372 and 7900 are lighter than the 441 or 460.
 
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