zogger
Tree Freak
Stihl 044 or 440, favorites of a lot of people, cause they last.
I have read that a *lot* here, uber reliable and functional.
All time most reliable saws?
- Thread starter zogger
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
I have read that a *lot* here, uber reliable and functional.
MuskokaSplitter
ArboristSite Operative
028/038 series.
I do like the 044 the more i use it.
I do like the 044 the more i use it.
redheadwoodshed
Freebird
My old PM700 is still kicking hard after many years of cutting. In the newer class of saws, I'd have to say my Stihl 460 is the most reliable.
I'll base this answer on regular customers and their saws....
In the mid-range professional category it's hands down the Stihl 034 / 036 / MS360 series chainsaws, these seem to be one of the most reliable and robust saws ever built. My customers just refuse to part with them and would rather spend good money having these rebuilt when the saw gets tired, rather than go buy a new MS362. From a workshop perspective these are an absolute dream to work on, with simple, clean, and well thought out engineering. I think the fact these saws in good condition still fetch $500 up to $850 for a rebuilt saw here in Australia says it all. You will rarely see an old beat-up banger fetching less than $300 over here.
That said, the older Husqvarna 61 Hardwood, 266XP, 268XP are still very popular, super reliable, easy to work on, and still fetching reasonable dollars in good condition over here.
In the arborist saws there is only one contender, Stihl's MS200T. These are fetching $700 to $900 over here, and simply people refuse to part with them.
Moving up the range in pro end saws, the Husqvarna 372XP is as popular now as it was when released and always fetch good money. Again a saw that people would rather rebuilt than go buy a newer model. That said, the Stihl 044 / MS440 is on par with the Husky in the popularity stakes.
At the big boys end, the Husqvarna 288XP has a cult following over here as one of the most bullet proof 'old school work horses'. I must say I've got a real soft spot for these loud and powerful bone-shakers....sort of like the Harley Davidson of chainsaws
The Stihl 066 / MS660 has always been ultra popular over here, and once again a sound, solid and reliable machine. The popularity has dropped in recent years with the flood of Chinese counterfeits that's swamped Australia. Buyers are not really sure if they are buying the 'real deal' or just a rice muncher special, hence people seem to be steering clear of these second hand at least.
On the home owner end of the scales, The Husqvarna 36 / 136 / 41 / 141 and the Jonsered 2036 / 2041 type saws are still very popular even though they haven't been made in years. Solid and reliable little performers.
In the mid-range professional category it's hands down the Stihl 034 / 036 / MS360 series chainsaws, these seem to be one of the most reliable and robust saws ever built. My customers just refuse to part with them and would rather spend good money having these rebuilt when the saw gets tired, rather than go buy a new MS362. From a workshop perspective these are an absolute dream to work on, with simple, clean, and well thought out engineering. I think the fact these saws in good condition still fetch $500 up to $850 for a rebuilt saw here in Australia says it all. You will rarely see an old beat-up banger fetching less than $300 over here.
That said, the older Husqvarna 61 Hardwood, 266XP, 268XP are still very popular, super reliable, easy to work on, and still fetching reasonable dollars in good condition over here.
In the arborist saws there is only one contender, Stihl's MS200T. These are fetching $700 to $900 over here, and simply people refuse to part with them.
Moving up the range in pro end saws, the Husqvarna 372XP is as popular now as it was when released and always fetch good money. Again a saw that people would rather rebuilt than go buy a newer model. That said, the Stihl 044 / MS440 is on par with the Husky in the popularity stakes.
At the big boys end, the Husqvarna 288XP has a cult following over here as one of the most bullet proof 'old school work horses'. I must say I've got a real soft spot for these loud and powerful bone-shakers....sort of like the Harley Davidson of chainsaws
The Stihl 066 / MS660 has always been ultra popular over here, and once again a sound, solid and reliable machine. The popularity has dropped in recent years with the flood of Chinese counterfeits that's swamped Australia. Buyers are not really sure if they are buying the 'real deal' or just a rice muncher special, hence people seem to be steering clear of these second hand at least.
On the home owner end of the scales, The Husqvarna 36 / 136 / 41 / 141 and the Jonsered 2036 / 2041 type saws are still very popular even though they haven't been made in years. Solid and reliable little performers.
dbofdalton
ArboristSite Lurker
I have a Castor CP 55 I purchased in 1984. They had a deal you send them any old saw and you get half off the price of a new one. Still have it. Still runs great. Heavy? Yes. Loads of torque though. Wore the flocking off the airfilter like someone else mentioned. Would buy another one in a heart beat if they still sold them here.
merc_man
Addicted to ArboristSite
would have to say for an older saw would be my 041. bought it a couple years ago for 25 bucks as a project saw lol. all it ended up needing was an air filter and it starts evey time cold or hot. I find myself using this saw more then any other one i have. (guess i have a soft hart for the oldies). for a newer saw would be my echo cs520. nice light saw for the power.
Roy Cobb
ArboristSite Member
Know what ya mean my 10mm- 044 , just plugs and rim sprockets bought new in '93
Great commentary ,Im suprised that the chine clones have invaded so severely and replicated closely enough in
appearance that the model is avoided .Nice to know that saws you listed perform so well running backwards
and upside down .From up and over in the northern hemisphere President
D
Deleted member 83629
Guest
yeah my echo's don't scream but they have been reliable can't say that about other brands.
More modern catagory. Echo CS-340. 13 years old and still starts and runs the same as the first day I brought it home. When it's cold, either below zero or 90°F out, first time it's started that day it's the same procedure. Hit priming bulb 5-8 times. Pull out choke. Pull rope twice and it sputters & dies. Push off choke, pull rope twice with trigger depressed all the way. Let off on the trigger, let it warm up a bit and start cutting. The only thing that I dislike is that the dogs on it are part of the plastic case, and they're worn down to nubs. I can't tell you how many chains it's seen, and I believe it's on it's 4th or 5th bar. Yes, it gets used a LOT. Not as much as a tree service would use it, but it sees a LOT of use.
Some of the Chinese parts are very rough and easy to spot, in particular plastic moulded parts.
However, some alloy parts have been so well counterfeited they are very difficult to identify from genuine Stihl parts. They have gone to the point of using genuine Stihl production marks and part numbers on many of the castings, as well as genuine Stihl serial numbers on the crankcases.
The MS660 and MS380 appear to be the major targets, along with the Husqvarna 365. To the untrained eye it's easy to understand how people are being conned, and why now many people steer well clear of these models when buying secondhand.
One of the most recent example of high quality rice muncher parts I've seen were Stihl 20" Bars. They were almost perfect copies, and at first glance I was even fooled. It wasn't until you looked closely and compared the printing of the bar's tech info (gauge, pitch, DL and model number) against a genuine Stihl bar that it became evident these were fakes.
We run solo and stihl saws here. The first new saw I bought 31 years ago was a stihl 038 that saw has cut a lot of wood and has never had any major problems. Its heavy but still a hard running saw. When I bought it 31 years ago it was the pride of the neighbor. Most farmers around here would spent that kind of money for a saw.
zogger
Tree Freak
How is all that stuff holding up, people who use the whole saw clones or the fake labelled parts?
Looks like there are lots of reliable saws out there. My favorites are Stihl 038 and 034 (besides 051/076).
Just started up a McCulloch 795 (sold in the late 60s) the other day that had been sitting on my shelf since 2007. Took only a few pulls to start. And it still works like a charm. A bit on the heavy side, though...
Until the late 80s and into the 90s the focus was on reliability. Unfortunately, nowadays reliability and a long service life do not really sell new products any more.
Just started up a McCulloch 795 (sold in the late 60s) the other day that had been sitting on my shelf since 2007. Took only a few pulls to start. And it still works like a charm. A bit on the heavy side, though...
Until the late 80s and into the 90s the focus was on reliability. Unfortunately, nowadays reliability and a long service life do not really sell new products any more.
I have to put my vote on a Pioneer P52, I ran mine for ten years without a single hitch and when I sold it to a member, it started on the third pull after setting for the summer. Best of the best.
o8f150
Tree Freak
wild thing
D
Deleted member 83629
Guest
Best boat anchor i ever used very handy when used as one.
Similar threads
