Why pick a husky over a stihl (And vice versa)
- Thread starter Vintage Engine Repairs
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
D
Deleted member 117362
Guest
I have a 550 that was used to run a wizzer, hard on saws running them at half trottle. Did a complete case up rebuild except carb, 2018 saw. That saw changed my mind on 50cc saws, never cared for any of them. Yours needs to be rebuilt and made right, our are you just done with it. What are you asking for it, or I can have local dealer hook it up and figure it out. Cost would only be parts.
Brent Nowell
Addicted to ArboristSite
Duce it gets one more chance here, I’m talking about it in another thread.
I don’t like giving up on 700$ equipment, so I have to literally try everything before I decide to sell. Before it’s sold it has to be replaced with something else anyways.
I don’t like giving up on 700$ equipment, so I have to literally try everything before I decide to sell. Before it’s sold it has to be replaced with something else anyways.
We have 10 or so saws in use for lot clearing and road building and have had for years. Most used are in the 50-75 cc range for small trees and brush. Likely close to 50/50 stihl and husqy at this point but moving more toward husqy. (We also keep both Ford and GM trucks just to keep the debate lively.) In dry dusty conditions the stihl filter needed cleaned (ie slapped over a stump) every tank or two or they started to die at idle. The husqy never have an issue there. On a bigger job with contracted help we usually end the day with less operable saws than we start. Usually the operators arent exactly stellar so that plays a part. When one starts giving trouble we just put it on the truck and take another. Fix the small problems later or drop them off for the bigger ones. When they are trash we throw them in the parts pile and move on. The failure rates are pretty similar but I believe (admittedly with no tracking or evidence) the stihls have failed more plus they cost double so even if they fail at the same rate, why pay more. which is why we are choosing more husqy. For most of the newer models we have used the power is similar. I do prefer stihl chain and inboard clutches if I had my choice. But neither are deal breakers.
We Also have 5 weedeaters. 2 husqy and 3 stihl and we have gotten better service from the husqys. One of them has not been rebuilt while the stihl has been 3 times. Both bought new in 04 within a week of each other and both used simultaneously their entire lives. All service done by the dealers. I did put a fuel line on the husqy and every couple seasons after winter I have to adjust the carb to get it to run for some strange reason. and I know that the hours on that machine make it the anomaly not the norm. Even the cutting head is original, although it's pretty much shot as of this year. The stihl trimmers have noticeably more power for the same ccs and are harder on fuel and heavier. If I want to run a blade I'd grab the stihls every time. They hold thier RPMs better under heavy load. Thats just IME. I may try red max soon since our Husqy dealer sells them and speaks highly.
All our saws and Trimmers are "pro" models i believe except 1 440 husqvarna that rides on my atv to clear fence and trails ( which is a real dog cutting but it fits in my box and has been very reliable and I don't care if it gets beat up) and one top handle stihl we use for climbing and building (also a non-idling, oil spewing pos that has been to the mechanics too much). All are stock, we dont try to build anything up, if we need more saw we go get the next size up from the truck. I rarely need more saw because I usually just grab one 3 sizes too big to begin with. We tend to buy competing models and the only stihl I've ever ran that I'd chose over the husqy is the 660 vs 390. The 440 or 372 are close enough that I will grab either. But the 372 is cheaper. We have had 1 complete piece of trash from both brands so that's a wash. One early autotune (but our 550s have been great) and the above mentioned top handle stihl. We also got shorter than typical life from our 257 xp saws [replaced with 550s after a few rebuilds) but they cut great.
My dad has also ran a logging business with his brother most of my life. They went from McCulloch to stihl in the 80s. Then later to husqy 272s because of short life spans of their stihls and haven't went back. Since around 90 he has only had 3 felling saws that I recall And until a few years back he worked 40+ hour weeks. 2 72s and a 75 cc husqy now. That's pretty good service. We dont have huge trees but I know far more loggers locally that use Husqvarna, while more of the lawn care guys I know use stihl.
As far as dealerships I have 5 husqvarna and 3 stihl shops within 45 minutes that ive actually used. And I know of a few more. I dont know of any other brand dealer locally so we all use the big two. One of each brand dealers are real a-holes. So much in fact, that they are in different states but people joke about them being brother and sister.
Bottom line they are similar enough that If i only had one brand dealer nearby I'd choose that brand. But since i have both i choose husqvarna most of the time.
We Also have 5 weedeaters. 2 husqy and 3 stihl and we have gotten better service from the husqys. One of them has not been rebuilt while the stihl has been 3 times. Both bought new in 04 within a week of each other and both used simultaneously their entire lives. All service done by the dealers. I did put a fuel line on the husqy and every couple seasons after winter I have to adjust the carb to get it to run for some strange reason. and I know that the hours on that machine make it the anomaly not the norm. Even the cutting head is original, although it's pretty much shot as of this year. The stihl trimmers have noticeably more power for the same ccs and are harder on fuel and heavier. If I want to run a blade I'd grab the stihls every time. They hold thier RPMs better under heavy load. Thats just IME. I may try red max soon since our Husqy dealer sells them and speaks highly.
All our saws and Trimmers are "pro" models i believe except 1 440 husqvarna that rides on my atv to clear fence and trails ( which is a real dog cutting but it fits in my box and has been very reliable and I don't care if it gets beat up) and one top handle stihl we use for climbing and building (also a non-idling, oil spewing pos that has been to the mechanics too much). All are stock, we dont try to build anything up, if we need more saw we go get the next size up from the truck. I rarely need more saw because I usually just grab one 3 sizes too big to begin with. We tend to buy competing models and the only stihl I've ever ran that I'd chose over the husqy is the 660 vs 390. The 440 or 372 are close enough that I will grab either. But the 372 is cheaper. We have had 1 complete piece of trash from both brands so that's a wash. One early autotune (but our 550s have been great) and the above mentioned top handle stihl. We also got shorter than typical life from our 257 xp saws [replaced with 550s after a few rebuilds) but they cut great.
My dad has also ran a logging business with his brother most of my life. They went from McCulloch to stihl in the 80s. Then later to husqy 272s because of short life spans of their stihls and haven't went back. Since around 90 he has only had 3 felling saws that I recall And until a few years back he worked 40+ hour weeks. 2 72s and a 75 cc husqy now. That's pretty good service. We dont have huge trees but I know far more loggers locally that use Husqvarna, while more of the lawn care guys I know use stihl.
As far as dealerships I have 5 husqvarna and 3 stihl shops within 45 minutes that ive actually used. And I know of a few more. I dont know of any other brand dealer locally so we all use the big two. One of each brand dealers are real a-holes. So much in fact, that they are in different states but people joke about them being brother and sister.
Bottom line they are similar enough that If i only had one brand dealer nearby I'd choose that brand. But since i have both i choose husqvarna most of the time.
Funny Pete!
Freudianfloyd
Clinically Diagnosed with CAD
My whole life I was raised with Stihl. As an adult, I find myself purposely going with brands that aren't as common around me, therefore I prefer Husqvarna.
If everybody drove Mustangs, I would buy a Camaro.
If everybody drove Mustangs, I would buy a Camaro.
Stihl because dealers are everywhere around here.
Also...they cut faster.
Also...they cut faster.
cuinrearview
Red saw lover
Also...they cut faster.
U&A
Addicted to ArboristSite
[emoji1787]
Is there any particular reason? Jist bad experiences?
Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]
I find myself welcomed at all dealers/shops, its best to keep a good working relationship between all of them . I prefer to run Stihl for my own personal saws, they just fit me better and feel best in my hands.which are rather large.
RED-85-Z51
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ive worked on most and see the benefits and shortfalls of all of them.
My wall is covered in
Homelite XL
Poulan W/T
Husqvarna 142
Husqvarna 350
Echo CS-520
Stihl 026 Metal Tag
Stihl MS-311
McCulloch TimberBear
And im not ashamed of any of them
Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
My wall is covered in
Homelite XL
Poulan W/T
Husqvarna 142
Husqvarna 350
Echo CS-520
Stihl 026 Metal Tag
Stihl MS-311
McCulloch TimberBear
And im not ashamed of any of them
Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2019
- Messages
- 4,240
- Reaction score
- 8,488
KiwiBro
Mill 'em, nails be damned.
Here in NZ, Stihl Whangarei gave me the most morbidly elitist, tragically disconnected vibe of any chainsaw store I've ever been in. They lost a potential 880 sale on the spot. Never been in again and wont ever.
Similarly, Gardening Aids North Shore treated me like **** because I had the disrepctful audacity to walk in there with a Poulan that needed some love. The owner (I'm only assuming bc nobody else could treat a customer that way and expect to keep their job) told me, in his loudest voice, before I had even finished detailing the problems with it, that they don't repair such **** and I should get a real saw. Never been back in and my one and only NZ-bought saw, a 395, was most certainly not bought from them.
Then there was the scoundrel at Whangare Chainsaws and Mowers that told me I could use their .058 chain on my .063 bar (they had none of the latter and I was in a pinch). again, never been back in.
I'm an equal opportunity flamer of w@nkers no matter what flag they are waiving.
Flip side, Stihl Kaitaia have been good, as have Regent Lawnmowers and Cycles (Husqvarna) in Whangarei.
Similarly, Gardening Aids North Shore treated me like **** because I had the disrepctful audacity to walk in there with a Poulan that needed some love. The owner (I'm only assuming bc nobody else could treat a customer that way and expect to keep their job) told me, in his loudest voice, before I had even finished detailing the problems with it, that they don't repair such **** and I should get a real saw. Never been back in and my one and only NZ-bought saw, a 395, was most certainly not bought from them.
Then there was the scoundrel at Whangare Chainsaws and Mowers that told me I could use their .058 chain on my .063 bar (they had none of the latter and I was in a pinch). again, never been back in.
I'm an equal opportunity flamer of w@nkers no matter what flag they are waiving.
Flip side, Stihl Kaitaia have been good, as have Regent Lawnmowers and Cycles (Husqvarna) in Whangarei.
Stihl, out cuts all other manufactures , weight is less, customer service is better , looks better, you also look better walking out , after..... your high on life , even your wife is happy you bought a new saw? say what ? , then the next day when you look at your wallet , and it looks like your have been robbed .... ....i do like stihl saws but?
....i do like stihl saws but?Attachments
It isn't the dealer that is to blame for that one, it is the regional distribution. I will tell you right now, the dealer gets bent over with shipping. Sure, I can order a carburetor, or a ignition, and have it in a day or two, but the shipping with be almost as much as the part.
So, if a dealer wants to stock $10,000 in parts (which would be dumb)
Another way is to order the parts and lose income paying shipping.... (which isn't very smart either)
Charge the customer for the shipping (which is gonna tick off the customer)
Wait until you have the minimum order for parts (which is also gonna tick off the customer)
In other business... related to this thread. It is all about where you started from, where your family started from.
I like a Stihl. My father started out in the 60's with a Mac with a whopping 16" bar on it. I was a young boy and I hated the thing. It was loud, it looked dangerous. Eventually the old man tried a newer Mac (plastic thing with beaver chain on it, Awful). He got fed up with that quickly, and went down and got talked into the 041 Stihl. If he had bought a Husky.... instead, wanna bet I would have been a Husky guy?
The old man bought a lot of Dodge's until he met Betty, she drove Chevy's. I prefer a Dodge, but will run a Chevy.... Until everything went to he77. The daily driver is a Ford, until I can get rid of it!
Nothing particularly wrong with a Husqvarna, once you get to the pro series. I got beat up pretty bad with a guy running a 372xp. However, at this point I am up for a rematch.
chop chop
I like all brands, but my all time favorite as of now, is my stihl 661...
The stihl 462 is worlds above the husky 372 in feel, and about the same on power, but I don't think it will take the abuse I've seen the 372 take. The 572 may be better than the 372.
The 394 is a hair faster than the 661, but handles like a tanker ship anchor.
The makita 7900 that I have is dissatisfying, and doesn't live up to the hype... but it is well built, & I expect it to last well.
My stihl 290 has been the most durable saw I could hope for & it always performs, albeit slowly by comparison to my larger saws.
The husky 460 rancher is good, especially for the price, but not my favorite saw.
The stihl 462 is worlds above the husky 372 in feel, and about the same on power, but I don't think it will take the abuse I've seen the 372 take. The 572 may be better than the 372.
The 394 is a hair faster than the 661, but handles like a tanker ship anchor.
The makita 7900 that I have is dissatisfying, and doesn't live up to the hype... but it is well built, & I expect it to last well.
My stihl 290 has been the most durable saw I could hope for & it always performs, albeit slowly by comparison to my larger saws.
The husky 460 rancher is good, especially for the price, but not my favorite saw.
cuinrearview
Red saw lover
Nobody blamed the dealer, they all do it. It's the business model. Husqvarna parts are almost always cheaper and they don't tack on shipping. Plus the saws are smoother and cut faster. No brainer!
I own both, I grab my husqys more then my stihls. They just feel better in my hands. Cant spit without hitting a dealer for one or the other around here. Most of them are in it for the initial sale, and after warranty just want you to buy a new saw/trimmer/blower ect. About all my other thoughts have been covered already. Both are great saw manufacturers.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
Please recommend a small chipper- Boxer x7 vs Vermeer bc700xl or....- Latest: Crftrapper535
-
-
