Can you spot the fake MS361?

[Frogfarmer]

So it is a fake. Has anyone used one of these fakes to see how they stack up against the real thing?

 

[tickhound93]

Its not OEM. But... You guys are looking at it. Hell I just built an 066 out of a cas . Tank handle and a cylinder looks close to OEM

 

[Jacob J.]

So it is a fake. Has anyone used one of these fakes to see how they stack up against the real thing?

I've been inside some of the fakes- mostly the Husqvarnas. When I was still at the dealership we had a few of the Chinese 365s roll in. The quality was so low, and tolerances so sloppy, that the service life was about 10-12 tanks. You could wiggle the throttle shaft back and forth in the new carburetor. A couple had pistons that fit so loose in the bore that you could rock them back and forth with a pick. One had a piston that was so tight you could barely pull it over.

 

[MnSam]

It obviously looks wrong when new. I think I might have a problem telling it was fake if it had a few years worth of use on it, if it even lasted that long.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I have a few Stihl saws with a couple of aftermarket parts on them, doesn't make them not a Stihl. Most of the critical parts are OEM like the engine, clutch and functional stuff. The plastic covers are usually what is broken on saws that I get in and AM seems to work as well as OEM. I've used a few AM parts on small trim saws with no complaints from the owners, they want them fixed as cheaply as possible.. The people around here buy chainsaws to use, mostly around the farm and they get beat around pretty good.

 

[windthrown]

So it is a fake. Has anyone used one of these fakes to see how they stack up against the real thing?

Last I looked online at 361 knock-offs in China, they were around $280 delivered to the US. Never ran one though.

 

[windthrown]

Problem with this saw is that I do not see anything Stihl on it. Except maybe the bar. The starter cover badge is not centered right and is missing the trademark (circle R). The AF cover is missing the stenciled carb turnout arrows and numbers and the creases are wrong. The top cover is missing the stenciled brake positions, the raised gunny site is too high and the creases in the plastic are wrong. The clutch cover is missing the Stihl lettering and looks off. The starter handle is not OEM. The muffler does not have the white paint dot on it. It is missing all the stickers, which no real Stihl would ever be sold without. The stickers include the one on the brake lever, two on the back handle, the bar code up front, and the UL sticker above the gas cap. There are two more stickers out of view that are for the gas cap position, and one for PPE. The gas and oil caps seem slightly off for some reason. Also from that position you should be able to see the decomp button, even if it is pressed in.

The large dawgs and the tank protector on the bottom are aftermarket as Jacob mentioned. My guess would be that it is that it was a power head shipped in from China and a Stihl bar was added with the aftermarket stuff. Cost the seller maybe $350 tops? Selling it for $650, he is making a fast $300 off this deal.

 

[Sagetown]

Thanks guys for an interesting as well as enlightening Read.

 

[windthrown]

Thanks guys for an interesting as well as enlightening Read.

Hey, you want to buy a new 361 chainsaw?

 

[windthrown]

I've been inside some of the fakes- mostly the Husqvarnas. When I was still at the dealership we had a few of the Chinese 365s roll in. The quality was so low, and tolerances so sloppy, that the service life was about 10-12 tanks. You could wiggle the throttle shaft back and forth in the new carburetor. A couple had pistons that fit so loose in the bore that you could rock them back and forth with a pick. One had a piston that was so tight you could barely pull it over.

Did people think they were real Husky saws?

 

[Sagetown]

Hey, you want to buy a new 361 chainsaw?

I tried to at the local STIHL shop, and they laughed and said they were long gone.

 

[RedFir Down]

I must say it looks real at a glance.

@windthrown, your slacking... your buddy brush ape is here.

 

[Ironworker]

Somebody pony up $650 and we can find out for sure what exactly it is.

 

[Definitive Dave]

I bought 4 of these preassembled from Farmertec, they ship separately from the regular parts order.
They look "OK".
The bars and chains are El Crappo, Cheapo I threw the bars away and gave away the chains for stumping duty, no idea if they self destructed, but hopefully they met a chain link fence and saved the life of a real chain.
I gave the first two to a local tree guy that we do a lot of parts business with for cost (think they were about $320.00) and those two are still running daily with normal wear items replaced.
The third went to a local "landscaper" who does great work but abuses the crap out of tools. He used it for blow down cleanup this spring and after two months returned it with a burnt up bottom end bearing and the original unsharpened chain
I never charged him, but told him I didn't have any more saws for sale I installed a new Farmertec crank and BB top end, it passed the pressure vac test but never started, I replaced with AM carb, still no love, it is sitting on a shelf looking unloved.
The fourth ran rough with poor tuning from the start, eventually I replaced the carb and it tuned and ran great.
A guy who bought an OEM MS660 for milling on his farm saw it and wanted to buy it, I tried to talk him out of it, but he really wanted it. We took it out to the test log and it ran like crap and then died. Out of gas. Refilled (still full of bar oil) and the fuel tank leaked like a sieve at the cap, swapping caps multiple times including to both types of OEM flippys didn't help, so I told him I couldn't sell it. It is sitting next to its Chinese brother on the shelf, unloved and waiting for a new patron of the saw repair arts. When I let Farmertec know they said I should put Vaseline on the o ring on the fuel cap.
In completely stripping the ham hands 361 down to replace the crank it is obvious these go together assembly line style and not Stihl style. Wrong length fasteners, no dressing of buggered holes, bam bam bam put it in a box. To be fair most Ebay buyers probably replace parts the same way, I doubt most check ports for a little flash or pay attention to proper perfect fit and finish.
At the price I think people are better off buying and repairing a nice used MS361.

Dave

 

[a. palmer jr.]

A lot depends on how and how often you use a saw. I bought a new Stihl pole saw two years ago and paid a pretty good price for it and have used it one time in two years for about 30 minutes or less. I could have bought a Poulan pole saw for less than half what I paid and as it turns out, would have been what I should have bought..

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I tried to at the local STIHL shop, and they laughed and said they were long gone.

Yeah, they've replaced that with another number I'm sure. I have a 361 here that looks to be 25 years old. I'll probably use it to prop up something or maybe prop the door open in Summer..

 

[windthrown]

@windthrown, your slacking... your buddy brush ape is here.

Which one?

 

[PA Dan]

Anyone contact the seller?

 

[DSS]

That's not even close to OEM.....
Not even the bar

The lettering doesn't match side to side

 

[Wood Doctor]

There is a new shop here that has a license to sell Stihls and Stihl parts. I had to blink twice when I saw an MS361 resting right next to a 362 and among all the other newer models, all the way up to a 461. It was priced at $700, which is a tad higher than what I paid for mine 8 years ago. The 362 was listed at $800 and the 461 was listed at $1,100.

I noticed that the shroud's machine screws had larger heads than my saw does. Maybe there are a few 361s still out there.