Heated handles, Stihl won't sell them in us, Husky 346xpg???

[THALL10326]

You're assuming quality = more powerful. That's not necessarily the case. You're not refuting troll's point. Also, you're not saying the German factory has not also received the highest Stihl award, so even if quality = more power, your post is pretty much fluff.

It says what it says, wink! Its says Va Beach wins their highest quality award among all the manufacturing plants they have, thats all. Now where ya wanna buy yours from,LOL Power does not mean quailty and I never mentioned that at all,LOLOL

 

[black-dog]

about the Husky 346xpg...

Hi SawTroll,
Can you tell me about the 346xpg? I went into the dealer here, which is just the back corner of a hardware store. I did buzz the service desk and someone came up who works on chainsaws..... I asked if he could tell me about the 346xpg or order me a 346xpg without committing to buying it, and he said.......well, much to decide, all the Huskys are good.....

What do you think? Do you like your saw???

I have never seen one. I see the weight and horsepower are similar to the Stihl MS260. But it also has the heated handle which Stihl will not sell me here in the u.s..

Please tell me about your saw. If I am going to pay maybe $500-$600 for a new saw I would like to know that some experts think it is worth the price.

Thanks a lot for any feedback you can provide.....

What is the weather like over there now?...

 

[black-dog]

Dolmar???

By the way......never heard of Dolmar around here.....I might try the internet to search it out.... Both the Stihl and Husky dealers, closest to me, are quite unimpressive. Maybe my problem is I live close to a larger city (La Crosse, 55,000 pop.). I might go a little further out into the country and see if there are some more knowledgable dealers.....If you are reading this and you want to sell me a professional saw, I am ready to buy......

 

[huskydave]

The 346xp is quicker and has a smoother engine and less vibration than the 260. The older 346xp is a screamer with a narrow powerband and is an excellent choice for limbing and smaller trees. The new one has a grey clutch cover and a few more cc's and a nice wide powerband making it better all around. I own a 260 why? I can get them cheap fix them for peanuts and they run forever if you take care of them they are reliable bulletproof saws the inboard clutch is a big plus. The 5100 is another option and for the price is worth considering and you could also consider a 2153 Jonsered (same as 346xpne) if you have a better jred dealer nearby.

 

[handyhelper]

black-dog,

Where the heck is "lots of trees"?
Other's suggestions/recommendations might be dependent on your location.....

What are you planning on cutting (mostly) with the new saw?

I don't have much experience with heated handles but, on few jobs up North, found them to be a handy option. In my personal opinion, If it doesn't get below 0, don't worry about them.

 

[SawTroll]

You could buy a Dolmar PS5100 with heated handles




Scott

Yes, you sure can!

I know that you sell them.........

 

[SawTroll]

Hi SawTroll,
Can you tell me about the 346xpg? I went into the dealer here, which is just the back corner of a hardware store. I did buzz the service desk and someone came up who works on chainsaws..... I asked if he could tell me about the 346xpg or order me a 346xpg without committing to buying it, and he said.......well, much to decide, all the Huskys are good.....

What do you think? Do you like your saw???

I have never seen one. I see the weight and horsepower are similar to the Stihl MS260. But it also has the heated handle which Stihl will not sell me here in the u.s..

Please tell me about your saw. If I am going to pay maybe $500-$600 for a new saw I would like to know that some experts think it is worth the price.

Thanks a lot for any feedback you can provide.....

What is the weather like over there now?...

Both the old (45cc) and new (50cc) versions of the 346xpg are great saws!

The NE one is prefereable for allround use, because of more power and a wider powerband.....

The old one is more of a typical high-speed limbing saw....

 

[Wortown Mick]

Well maybe if you accept Dolmar's so called dealer finder as gospel.
One of the guys Dolmar says is a dealer in my area has a shop that consists of half a a two car garage and a Dolmar sign over the garage door. No saws, no parts.
And this is in logging country..

Did you ever give this guy a chane?

My local dealers got NO dolmar sign, a briggs & stratton sign, an ancient jonsenred sign you cant see from the road, etc.

He has NO saws in stock, but I know from experience that I can get any part I need or a saw overnight.


Ive never broke my 7900, its not like they vibrate stuff loose like a husky. & its not like the antivibes break like a stihl or husky either.

Unless you drop saws out of trees alot , I wouldnt worry too much bout parts.

Blackdog,its too bad you werent a month sooner or you would have no troubles gettin a dolmar or husky shipped to your door.

the 5100 has quite a followin round hee

 

[cmetalbend]

To SawTroll,
Thanks for your reply. No, not in the entire u.s.*.a, you cannot buy the smaller Stihl saws with the heated handles. You have to go for the 441 or larger--my dealer didn't even have even ONE of those. They have one MS361. We just want to cut some fire wood over here. I made my post because I thought if I was going to shell out the big $$$ for a new saw then I would look for all features I wanted (like heated handles).

What is the weather over there? It was -11F this morning. Last year on March 26 it got up to +83F. It is going to turn soon. I am a gardener so I am just itching to get out there.

I was out there this morning cutting some wood with my Stihl MS180. It is a little saw and I like it a lot. I have a piece of junk Poulan saw that is bigger but I hate to use it. The main reason is that I cannot get it to start. I suppose I should bring it in to a dealer, but there is no Poulan dealer near here.

Well, I suppose I am asking if the heated handles are worth paying for. The Stihl dealerships in the entire u.s. will not sell you one unless you want a giant saw. I am looking for feedback from the Husky owners.....

Thank you....

If your interested in a good Poulan That Will start I know a guy poulan 3300 20 inch bar, damn nice saw for $160 Back to sub--- Why not get in touch with a member who can ship you what you want?opcorn:

 

[bowtechmadman]

I have a old edition 346XPG and absolutely wouldn't part w/ it. Found that the heated handles aren't needed very often...just get too hot for me. Probably b/c i do most of my cutting in March - May and some from late Sept. - november. Never out when it's brutally cold.
I've heard that having the heat on the handles will reduce power a bit (when they are on) but i can't tell a difference.
Good luck...if your consistenly cutting in 10 or below weather I would definately get the heated handles.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

I have a Jonsered 2156 with the heated handles and I love it. I haven't used it when its really cold out. But it works out great around freezing when you got snow melting on your wood and the five pairs of gloves you brought with you are all wet. The dealer thought I was nuts wanting the heated bars but then agin he would not sell it to me with a 3/8 chain said it was not recommended for the saw. Funny it says I can use it in the manual and once I put it on it cut much better that the .325 that he sold it to me with.

Billy

 

[cedarfarms]

034

i don't notice any loss of power on my 034, but i do have to turn the idol screw up a bit when the heated handles are on, but that could be because the saw is getting old and tired...
heated handles work best when i can saw all day and someone else to handle the wood ...

 

[black-dog]

Thanks a lot everyone for your comments....wood boilers....

Hi, I want to say thanks for your comments. I am convinced that the 346xpg would be a heck of a saw to own. I suppose I could get the ms260 and some good gloves. I liked that comment about only cutting the wood and get someone else to pick it up.

I guess I was just thinking that if I was to go for the new high quality saw, I was going to look at every feature that I might want. Because I want to take care of it and own it forever. And I thought it was kind of odd that the ms260-W is sold in England but not Wisconsin.

I have been cutting firewood, and misc downed trees. My real project for this summer is to get a high quality wood boiler. I suppose the chainsaw forum isn't the right one for that topic....

I want to get the boiler and also some solar panels. They would put heat into a water tank 200 or 400 gallons. And the house and the hot water system takes the heated water out. The tank makes it so you only have to burn every few days in the spring and fall.

Here is something to bring this rambling back to wood. I found out last year that if I bought a $20,000 solar system, then that system could provide our hot water and about HALF of our heat. One cannot heat their home with solar energy only. You have got to add the woodburner. I suppose maybe that shouldn't be a surprise.

The solar guy had a funny comment for me. He said the main problem with the wood boilers was that you had to put wood into them.....

I have been looking on ebay some at the stihl saws. They sure get a pretty good price even though you don't know if they were taken care of....

Thanks again. I am going to look at the husky saw. The closest dealer wasn't too keen on ordering one just for me to look at, so I will have to see what I can figure out. Thanks a lot everyone.

 

[handyhelper]

If you're planning on cutting mostly firewood, you might want to consider the next step up (60cc)?
The 357xpg and (if you decide against heated handles) 361?
The 346's and 260's are great saw's..... but they don't hold a candle to the next size up!
I'll sell you one of my 026's, 353's or the 260 and buy myself another 361!

 

[SawTroll]

I have a Jonsered 2156 with the heated handles and I love it. I haven't used it when its really cold out. But it works out great around freezing when you got snow melting on your wood and the five pairs of gloves you brought with you are all wet. .....

Most of the time, that is why I use them - cold wet gloves and hands are no fun........:censored:

I don't cut much in the winter.

 

[SawTroll]

If you're planning on cutting mostly firewood, you might want to consider the next step up (60cc)?
The 357xpg and (if you decide against heated handles) 361?
The 346's and 260's are great saw's..... but they don't hold a candle to the next size up!
......

Don't forget about the Dolmar 5100SH - it has heated handles, and is a great saw for firewood duty - depending on the size of the wood of course!

 

[foxeye]

All this talk of heated handles. SInce I live n the deep south where its hotter than he double hockey sticks, I wonder if they will ever come out with air conditioned handles for us southerners? :greenchainsaw:

 

[PES+]

No more 361 Arctic?

 

[SawTroll]

Yea, if he could find a dealer....

You just did.........

 

[bowtechmadman]

Not sure why you would want to worry about solar panels if you were to put in a wood boiler. The wood boiler will fully heat the home and water w/o any problem...well yes you do have to keep wood in it.
If you can turn the solar power into electricity to run the pump for the boiler I guess I could see it. Take an awful long time to pay for that 20K investment.