338XPT Husqvarna vs.ms200stihl

[Pollock777]

I have always used stihl I have a chance to buy 2 almost new 338xpt's are they worth the $600.00 the man wants. I have friends that I work for on the weekends there big saws are huskys the climbing saws are stihls. I owen 2-020t's and 1-019. I'm just thinking for the price are they worth tring.I don't know that much about Husqvarna saws. Thank You for any help you can give me.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

How old are they, and what condition?
They better be pretty nice for that price.

 

[newb]

Ford vs Chevy. Its a matter of taste. There both good saws just depends what side of the fence the guy your asking is standing on. I run all Stihl equipment because then I only need one mix of gas and I know all my equipment is getting it right.

 

[notahacker]

$600 dollars is abnormally high for the 338 XPT. Don't buy it for more than $390! I have searched online and have found two places which sell them for this price.

http://www.*****.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d12.html

http://www.arborgreensupply.com/productDetail.asp_Q_catID_E_11_A_subCatID_E_4_A_productID_E_1

Anyway, I have owned both. As a climber I have found that my MS200T has been the most durable. The Husky's break at the spark plug cover (and are capable of giving a hell of a shock, trust me). Also the muffler gaurd breaks too easily (and are capable of giving you a hell of a burn, trust me). Then, I think there is unmatched power with the MS200T. I find mine consistant and reliable.

 

[skwerl]

skip 'em. You already have 3 climbing saws, the two 338's would end up being used as 'beater saws' by the least experienced ground crew since nobody else will want to use them. Once you've owned a 200T, nothing else comes close.

 

[Pollock777]

I Thank You for the help I do love my 020's And they have been though the fire and back and keep on running. Along with the 019 I don't use as much. And your right the ground guys use to grab the climbing saws all the time.Went and bought 2-009's and now there Happy they leave my climbing saws alone.

 

[daveyclimber]

I think he meant $600 for both saws . I prefer the 335/338 over the 200ms , We have 4 husky and 2 sthil and I cannot stand the awkwardnes of the 200ms ,it is like a shoebox with a handle . I do a mild mod on the husky ,port out the muffler to a 5/8" hole ,modify the filter cover and she will run like a raped ape with tons of power . I am constantly chunking 10-14" rounds in the tree with the husky . When Iran the sthil in the tree I would have to bring up the 360 to do the medium size wood . My 338 is that fast to pull double duty , I love it

 

[Stumper]

Newb, You only need one can of mix no matter how many brands of saws you run.

Brian, You decided that 200 is the one huh? Are the Echos just backups now? I have to admit -I'm going to buy a new climbing saw this spring-I'm still debating Husky? 192T? or 200T? I like the light weight of the 192 but I'm tempted by the performance of the others.

 

[daveyclimber]

Another trick with thge husky , go to the dealer and get a hard cover for the plug wire , they are used on the husky weed wackers , solves that problem , though I do agree with the earlier post about the muffler cover . When I port the muffler it takes care of the problem with the exhaust burning your hand when chunking , I have caught my gloves on fire with the factory exhaust direction . I am tinkering with the idea of making a new muffler cover out of expanded sheet metal so the breakage is limited

 

[skwerl]

Justin,
That 200T I bought last year when I was out there with you was the death warrant on my modified Echos. I have not used one of them in a tree since. A couple months ago the kill switch quit working on the 200T so I dropped it off for repair (warranty) and bought a second 200T. I need to replace the stale gas in the ported Echos so I can either sell them or use them as loaners. The 200T with the muffler screen removed will absolutely blow away any other climbing saw on the market. I stubbornly refused to admit it for many years and argued against the blocky, ugly Stihls. But once you own one you can never settle for any other climbing saw since they are all underpowered in comparison.

I did upgrade to the fancy 14" ultra-light bars (my local dealer gets almost $45 each for them) and they make a drastic difference in the balance of the saw. The rails wear extremely well and the composite center has a better memory than regular bars. I've gotten my saws in a couple binds but have not been able to bend one of those bars.

 

[notahacker]

I too though the 200T was "blocky," however, I went back to a 335XPT to prepare to sell. When I picked it up I noticed the tip of the bar pointed down. I immediately saw that the Husky's are not balanced well. Perhaps, I have muscle memory for my 200T?

As mentioned above, taking out the spark arrester makes the 200T scream like no other trim saw on the market. Hands down!

 

[a_lopa]

both should be banned top handled saws are a liability.

 

[skwerl]

lopa, nobody is forcing you to use them. But if you want to take my most valuable moneymaking tool away from me because you think "It's a liability", then you're gonna have to come over here and take it away from me in person. You can create all the stupid liberal 'save everybody from the stupidest denominator' laws you want down there but keep your dam laws offa my saw.

 

[a_lopa]

im not one for rules skwiril but top handle saws should be banned,there little death traps IMO.

im personally convinced using a bigger saw is far safer IMO what you do is up to you if you want to be one handing because you "can"its not my problem

 

[gumneck]

let's get ready to rummmmmmmmbbbbbbbbbbbblllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeee !!

 

[notahacker]

Seriously guys. Chill.

"Can't we all just get along?"

 

[daveyclimber]

Well that is interesting a_lopa , how many deaths do you think have occured with top handles as oposed to conventional saws ? Since conventional saws far outnumber top handles I am convinced more deaths and injuries can be contributed to conventional saws , Do you trim with a conventional saw ? Do you use a handsaw ? I will use a top handle thanks , evolution makes my life easier and I'll stick with the tools that were evolved for the work but hey to each their own , I not trying to disrespect a_lopa just dont understand his opinion

 

[Stumper]

I busted the pull cord on my Tophandled Saw the other day on a takedown. I had an assistant along so rather than do th eold one man show descend regroup reascend trick I just had another saw sent up. I got it done with a reahandled saw. But it wasn't easier, safer or better. It is very nice to talk about learning good climbing techniques so that a person can always position to use two hands on a saw. It is a crock of Maasian breakfast cereal. Tophandled saws fill a need for saw that is CONTROLLABLE with either one hand or two. Even when two handing a tophandle has some benefits -the fact that one hand can take primary control eases certain balance difficulties in awkward positions. Is a rear handled saw more controllable in a kickback event? Generally yes. Positioning and balance are still important determining factors. I would rather control a top handled saw in a contorted position than a rearhandled one. -AND the option of one-handed control helps AVOID some contorted positions. Tophandled saws Are seen as a liability by bureaucrats and lawyers and a few working climbers. Most working climbers consider them an asset. If you don't want to use tophandled saws don't-but don't try to take mine away from me.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Some like the 338 some don't! From what I have heard the 338 is not much of an improvement over it's predecessor 335. For me there has not been enough positive feedback to buy a 338.

The 020T/220 may be square and an ergonomic brick but there is no denying the stellar reputation and loyal following that the 020T/200t has!

 

[Koa Man]

I have two 020Ts and two MS200Ts and recently acquired a MS192T. I have been trying it out the past two days and it is a very good saw. The fuel consumption seems to be much less than that of the MS200T, unless Stihl made the fuel tank bigger. In any case, if I was to buy another climbing saw today, I would go and buy the MS192T for $279 instead of the $459 for the MS200T.

I have been one handing top handle saws for 20 years and never had an accident or even a near accident in that time. Just watch where the tip of your bar is and no problem. You should know where your bar tip is even with a rear handle saw. It is impossible for a saw to kickback if the tip does not contact anything.