Going to look at a 361 - how to tell if it's fake?

[kielbasa]

Hi guys, my wife is going to pick me up a used 361 for me (she's going to the other side of the state for some seminar), anyways the owner swears up and down he bought this from the dealer 3 years ago, maybe 5 at the MOST. Possible or is it a knockoff??? I think if I would would look at it, it might be obvious, but my wife hasn't the slightest clue of what she's looking at when it comes to chainsaws.....I'm still waiting to hear back from the owner on the serial number....Thanks for any info!

 

[gary courtney]

serial # stamped on case next to clutch cover is the best clue for her

 

[kielbasa]

so a fake saw would not have a serial number?

 

[cus_deluxe]

i think some of em have started to put a serial # on em, the same serial on every saw haha. there are lots of clues, but as gary said, thats the best way to determine that at least the case is oem.

 

[Tom B.]

This Stihl Serial Number Info PDF may help with ID.

 

[Tom B.]

so a fake saw would not have a serial number?

They may or may not have serial numbers. Location, layout, font are good clues.

 

[Sleepy]

Considering the ease of taking and sending pictures now, tell the seller your concerns and let him prove to you it's the real deal.
Then all she has to do is compare the seller's photos to the saw.

 

[kielbasa]

this was a last minute deal that just came up and i had approx 30 minutes to close this up... momma got the saw, it must have seemed ok to her with the few details i was able to provide to her - i guess i'll find out tonite when she gets home!
Thanks for all the help!

 

[cus_deluxe]

good luck, post pics when u can

 

[Mad Professor]

Nice saws except flippy caps and limiters.

I've not ran one against my 036s.

 

[gary courtney]

so a fake saw would not have a serial number?

the only way to not have a serial number would be a damaged pto side replacement. they come blank from stihl

 

[kielbasa]

 

[kielbasa]

seems to be a legit saw??? runs nice....
serial number 271889102.....real?

 

[Tom B.]

Looks to be taken care of. Not beaten to sh%^ anyway. Pull the muffler & look at the piston & cylinder for scoring, damage. See if it can be held up by the cord & a few pulls should indicate compression or lack of. See the condition of the plug... oh hell, choke it & give 'er a rip!!!
Let's see if she runs, runs well, video would be cool too!
Congrats!
Hope I'm not premature in that. (No comments needed lol)

There are a few here that can look up the ser#

P.S. the file I uploaded earlier in this post is about serial numbers. Interesting little read.

 

[buttercup]

A copy cat saw don't have "Stihl" written on them, they seem kinda like a blank sheet in compare. Study pictures of the real thing and you know one when you see it I'd say.

 

[jltrent]

You got a nice saw looks like..Pull on the recoil and if it has good compression you did well if the price was right. One of my favorite saws. About a pound less than a MS362, simple to work on.

 

[kielbasa]

ya, she passes the "drop" test with flying colors! i gave wifey instructions on how to do that this morning......that was the first thing i checked when it came home......the owner also installed a new oregon (LPX) chain last night and topped off the fuel and oil tanks!
i do wonder how old it is though, no holes i the clutch cover for an extra set of dawgs.....no elastostart either....i thought the newer 361's had that? i can only imagine that the original owners timeframe of 3~5 years is more like 10~15 (just like my dad).....

 

[buttercup]

You already bought a saw and suspect it's a copy cat? Then you're either suspicious by nature or not happy with Stihl. Or maybe - it's a copy cat!

 

[kielbasa]

no, the price was too good to be true, the owner said he bought it 3 to 5 years ago (new, from dealer) and that's all i had to go by.....wifey was out in that part of the state and i told her to jump on it......all within 30 minutes.......now that it's home, it indeed does seem to be the real thing.....

 

[SteveSr]

i do wonder how old it is though, no holes i the clutch cover for an extra set of dawgs.....no elastostart either....i thought the newer 361's had that? i can only imagine that the original owners timeframe of 3~5 years is more like 10~15 (just like my dad).....

The manufacturing date (M.D.) is on the EPA engine family label on the bottom of the handle. I believe the format is YYMM (European).