What is the big concern with Stihl vibration levels?

[Woodie]

My godfather has been working with his hands and running old Stihls his whole life. He now wears an XXL glove and a size 20 wedding ring. His hands are swollen from nerve inflammation and a little thing called arthritis. It will never go away. He loves his 361 b/c he says he can run it and still move his fingers. He wishes he had one twenty years ago. He is no nancy, I can assure you.

I'd like to believe we are intelligent enough to not have to repeat the lessons learned by our fathers. You can learn real-life lessons vicariously.

I guess some guys rely on their Neanderthal instincts and go about life using only their brawn while bragging about their physical prowess to others. They compensate for their lack of intelligence by criticizing those who use their brains first and brawn second with indignant playground terms like Nancy. Whatever makes you feel all big and strong in your little sandbox.

The rest of us will rely on our intelligence and enjoy our dexterity when we are old, rather than facilitating their attrition and reminiscing about how strong they used to be.

This is an excellent post.




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[Paul001]

maybe it is just me...but i have put several thousand hours on saws. both husky (372,385,394,395) and stihls (044,046,066&and the newer MS version) and i don't know what all the hype is about stihls having such hight vibration levels. I honestly don't notice any difference in the vibration between the two. I used to think that huskies were just ever so slightly smoother...but i have ran more of them lately, and i must say that i don't realy think one is any smoother than the other. Is it just that i run these saws for a living and don't have a choice? I don't know what it is. but i personally believe that the people that whine and cry about how much stihl saws vibrate need to man up and quit being a bunch of skirt wearing nancies. the old timers saws vibrated alot more than now.......o thats right tho...they were MEN!!

Perhaps you're like me, after so much time with the older saws, we don't feel much at all.

 

[Brian S]

I am personally sensitive to vibes. I don't know for sure why, but I think I may be predisposed to problems with carpal tunnel. My parents both suffer from it. I am 31 and I've spent the last 12 years behind a computer 8 hours a day. Some days my wrists and fingers ache mildly and go numb, I play a lot of racquetball and that aggravates it.

My fav saw is an 026, running it for 3-4 hours dosen't cause me much more discomfort than anything else I do. That being said, running a non anti-vibe saw DOES cause me pain and weakness and makes me feel like I have no strength in my fingers. Running the 6401 is better than the 026, but I usually pick the 026 for its light weight and nimbleness.

So all that being said I think there is just way too many personal factors affecting a way a person feels after running any particular saw. I'll admit that the Stihl I have is not the smoothest saw I have ever run, but it is good enough for me. I can understand that there are some people who rave about the Husky antivibe, it is great but it is not enough reason for me to want to ditch my Stihl, yet....

 

[whitedogone]

http://www.hillcountryoutdoor.com/

 

[Raymond]

Man you just wear gloves and hold the saw but don't squeeze the hell out of it.

:computer:Let the saw do the work and just go along for the ride.

 

[parrisw]

Keep your same attitude about this, and in another 10 years of it, your attitude will change along with the sensitivity in your hands. I don't have problems with my hands and want to keep it that way. All my huskies are great, I can feel a little more on the 046. I had a 066, I sold it after running a few tanks of gas through it, it bothered my hands quite allot, was quite an uncomfortable feeling after running it for a hour or two.

 

[sILlogger]

I think the whole point of this thread has got misinterpretted. It was not to show off my neanderthal instincts or to bash anyone. I hear people all the time (both on her and in the logging community) make a big hype about how huskies are so much smoother than stihls. and i'm sorry but i do not see it. And in my personal beliefs i do not believe that there is enough of a difference for it to be as big of a deal as it is. But, if somebody believes that it makes a difference great for them, i just don't look at the difference in vibration levels as a main obstacle in between brands.

btw....don't refer or conclude that i am just a dumb logger that utilizes very little brain matter, couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

[sILlogger]

Keep your same attitude about this, and in another 10 years of it, your attitude will change along with the sensitivity in your hands. I don't have problems with my hands and want to keep it that way. All my huskies are great, I can feel a little more on the 046. I had a 066, I sold it after running a few tanks of gas through it, it bothered my hands quite allot, was quite an uncomfortable feeling after running it for a hour or two.

If i can start to notice a difference in between the saws then then my saw lineup will change. but the whole purpose of this is that i CAN'T tell the difference in between the saws, even while running them back to back.

 

[rngrchad]

Keep your same attitude about this, and in another 10 years of it, your attitude will change along with the sensitivity in your hands. I don't have problems with my hands and want to keep it that way. All my huskies are great, I can feel a little more on the 046. I had a 066, I sold it after running a few tanks of gas through it, it bothered my hands quite allot, was quite an uncomfortable feeling after running it for a hour or two.

I have a ms360. Dam strong running saw. I just don't use it much because after an hour of use the vib's destroy any feeling in my right hand/forearm. My 372 feels like butter compared to it and I don't even know the 346xp is even running if it were not for the noise. Now that ms360 like I said...it'll make your hands tingle for hours after it's use. So maybe, just maybe, I am a bonified NANCY. But I'm ok with that. I'll trade my ms360 for anyone's 357xp. By the way, my 390xp is even smoother than my ms360. Whats up with that?

 

[Jacob J.]

If i can start to notice a difference in between the saws then then my saw lineup will change. but the whole purpose of this is that i CAN'T tell the difference in between the saws, even while running them back to back.

I couldn't tell the difference either back when I had 22 year-old cartilage....now that my cartilage is much older, it's a different story...But then again there's a lot of things my 22 year-old body did that my much older body won't do.

 

[parrisw]

If i can start to notice a difference in between the saws then then my saw lineup will change. but the whole purpose of this is that i CAN'T tell the difference in between the saws, even while running them back to back.

Ya, the only Stihl so far that has bother me is the 066, but me, I don't run em enough for it to really matter much. But I can definatly tell a difference between the 372 and the 046 that I got, but its not substantial

I have a ms360. Dam strong running saw. I just don't use it much because after an hour of use the vib's destroy any feeling in my right hand/forearm. My 372 feels like butter compared to it and I don't even know the 346xp is even running if it were not for the noise. Now that ms360 like I said...it'll make your hands tingle for hours after it's use. So maybe, just maybe, I am a bonified NANCY. But I'm ok with that. I'll trade my ms360 for anyone's 357xp. By the way, my 390xp is even smoother than my ms360. Whats up with that?

I hear ya. Sign me up to the nancy club too!!

 

[parrisw]

I couldn't tell the difference either back when I had 22 year-old cartilage....now that my cartilage is much older, it's a different story...But then again there's a lot of things my 22 year-old body did that my much older body won't do.

Yes, this is why I like to be careful. My dad had carpel tunnel, he had to have his hands operated on to fix it, I'd rather just avoid it all together.

 

[Dok]

When saws went to the isolated engine with rubber mounts that was a huge reduction in vibration. Further advances are going to show smaller reductions and we may not even be able to feel the difference. The point is, vibration damage to your hands, wrists and forearms is cumulative and that means a small reduction added up over years of use may be enough to mean having full use of your hands when you are 50, 60, 70.

It's up to the individual whether vibration numbers are enough to sway a saw purchase. I sure don't care which you choose. I think reducing vibrations is a good thing and look forward to the new saws coming in the next couple years.
Dok

 

[Jacob J.]

When saws went to the isolated engine with rubber mounts that was a huge reduction in vibration. Further advances are going to show smaller reductions and we may not even be able to feel the difference. The point is, vibration damage to your hands, wrists and forearms is cumulative and that means a small reduction added up over years of use may be enough to mean having full use of your hands when you are 50, 60, 70.

It's up to the individual whether vibration numbers are enough to sway a saw purchase. I sure don't care which you choose. I think reducing vibrations is a good thing and look forward to the new saws coming in the next couple years.
Dok

There's no reason to go backwards in terms of certain technologies. The old timers toughed it out because they had nothing else. Like my grandpa once told me: "I've worked extremely hard throughout my life so my sons, daughters, and grandchildren don't have to work as hard as I did. It would cause me more pain to see my children have to do and endure what I did to make a living."

 

[Gologit]

When saws went to the isolated engine with rubber mounts that was a huge reduction in vibration. Further advances are going to show smaller reductions and we may not even be able to feel the difference. The point is, vibration damage to your hands, wrists and forearms is cumulative and that means a small reduction added up over years of use may be enough to mean having full use of your hands when you are 50, 60, 70.

It's up to the individual whether vibration numbers are enough to sway a saw purchase. I sure don't care which you choose. I think reducing vibrations is a good thing and look forward to the new saws coming in the next couple years.
Dok

Well said.

 

[Wild Knight]

I personally believe that the people that whine and cry about how much stihl saws vibrate need to man up and quit being a bunch of skirt wearing nancies. the old timers saws vibrated alot more than now.......o thats right tho...they were MEN!!

I think the whole point of this thread has got misinterpretted. It was not to ... bash anyone.

Seems pretty straight forward. :angrysoapbox:

Changes in technology are often a product of necessity. Chaps and chain brakes evolved out of need resulting from real world, often traumatic and tragic, experiences. Avoiding nerve damage, early onset arthritis and Raynaud's Syndrome is just as important.

While I am a Stihl loyal guy much like you appear to be, I am elated that the popularity of Husky's anti-vibe systems has pushed Stihl to upgrade their products.

 

[Wild Knight]

There's no reason to go backwards in terms of certain technologies. The old timers toughed it out because they had nothing else. Like my grandpa once told me: "I've worked extremely hard throughout my life so my sons, daughters, and grandchildren don't have to work as hard as I did. It would cause me more pain to see my children have to do and endure what I did to make a living."

Well put, Jacob

 

[willsaw4beer]

My position on the av is that a decent av is good enough. I don't have any big Stihls, only one is an 034 av and after growing up running junk crapsman with no av I don't even notice it vibrating at all. Maybe the bigger ones are bad, I wouldn't know. Why not wear gloves if it's an issue? What does vibrate and give you carpal tunnel was the big IR air ram I ran in the old foundry for a year and a half.

 

[sILlogger]

Seems pretty straight forward. :angrysoapbox:

Changes in technology are often a product of necessity. Chaps and chain brakes evolved out of need resulting from real world, often traumatic and tragic, experiences. Avoiding nerve damage, early onset arthritis and Raynaud's Syndrome is just as important.

While I am a Stihl loyal guy much like you appear to be, I am elated that the popularity of Husky's anti-vibe systems has pushed Stihl to upgrade their products.

wow...it never ceases to amaze me out how thin skinned people are over the internet. If you had been around here long enough you would know that for the most part i am here to have a good time and share and collect technical information and techniques. not to aggravate or bash people. a person an a public forum has to be able to sense sarcasm and humor.

Trust me i like the advances that have evolved in chainsaw technology and PPE. and i don't wanna go back to running things the way they were. I like av systems on my chainsaws and i think it would be great if they could eliminate all saw vibration. But the whole purpose of this thread was that i do not believe there is that much of a difference in between chainsaw brands to justify the hype that people give it. stihl, husky, dolmar, shindiawa, they are all great saws, if one tickles your fansy more than another then run it.

I kinda look at the chainsaw vibration levels about the same as i do as teh belief that a 361 is a big, heavy, powerful saw. but to each his own, if it makes that big of a difference and if it is important to which saws you purchase than i can fully understand that.

 

[parrisw]

wow...it never ceases to amaze me out how thin skinned people are over the internet. If you had been around here long enough you would know that for the most part i am here to have a good time and share and collect technical information and techniques. not to aggravate or bash people. a person an a public forum has to be able to sense sarcasm and humor.

Trust me i like the advances that have evolved in chainsaw technology and PPE. and i don't wanna go back to running things the way they were. I like av systems on my chainsaws and i think it would be great if they could eliminate all saw vibration. But the whole purpose of this thread was that i do not believe there is that much of a difference in between chainsaw brands to justify the hype that people give it. stihl, husky, dolmar, shindiawa, they are all great saws, if one tickles your fansy more than another then run it.

I kinda look at the chainsaw vibration levels about the same as i do as teh belief that a 361 is a big, heavy, powerful saw. but to each his own, if it makes that big of a difference and if it is important to which saws you purchase than i can fully understand that.

I didn't think you were bashing anybody. I'll be the first to say, that SILOGGER is a stand up good guy around here. I do enjoy your posts with all that you share with us.