357XP vs 361

Does anyone have direct or second hand experience with these two saws? I am considering either one for purchase. Application will be lots of firewood cutting in big pine and birch. Some felling, more limbing, and a whack of bucking. Dealer support is equal for both brands. I am looking for the usual: lots of power for fast felling and bucking, excellent comfort and ease of use, and reliability. I will be using the saw extensively several times a year and want a high power to weight ratio.

The husky seems on paper to be the zippier saw, but does anyone have field experience with both?

3...2....1.... and Glens will be happy to fill you in on the dastardly plot Husky has to blatantly lie about the weight of their saws.

I prefer the 372 over the 357. No experience with the 361 other than every Stihl I have ever picked up has seemed poorly balanced, bulky and wildly over priced. Not much help but my two cents.

David,

I bought a 357 xp a few months back. Check out my prior post.
I had huge issues with that saw...thank goodness I have a GREAT
local Husky dealer who I bought the saw from. I ended up with another 357xp and have never looked back! I love this saw!
It is my do everything saw for firewood & property care.
( I have a lot of trees ) The saw revs real quick and cuts fast.
I do admit it took a bit to get used to where the power is...way up and pretty unforgiving. Once I got used to it, I became a huge fan of this saw. I also like and have owned Stihls.
For me the combination of saw and dealer support are top notch
and I will run this saw as long as possible.
Good luck with your decision.

I almost forgot...welcome to the site!

Thanks - for the post and for the welcome. Nice of so many to share their knowledge and opinions.

Hi David,

As Max said, welcome to the site!

I`ve got a 357, 036, and an ms361 and I can tell you this much. A stock 357 will very slightly outcut the 361 yet more decisively outcut an 036 but they`re all so close that it`s more or less moot.

The 357 and the Stihls balance differently so you will have to find which one feels best in your hands. The 357 does weigh a tad more but the weight difference also seems moot. Stihl has done an outstanding job with the changes they incorporated into the 361. It`s extremely smooth to operate with excellent power and the air filtration is better than any other Stihl that I`ve seen.

Another feature that I like better on the 361 is the decomp. The 361 uses a typical button but the newer 357s have a more complex auto decomp which seems more likely to fail, to me.

Just my two cents.

Russ

357 vs 361

David,
Go to the Arborist Site main page and go to the Other sponsors forum, then get on Neigers Saw Shop and you will find a comparison of the 357 & 361 that I started with pictures and cutting times, I am in the process of modding bothe saws and then will post some more details.
Dave

Dave, I have both saws you mentioned along with 371&346 huskys. I would not have considerd an 036 Stihl, but the 361 is much improved. As far as a 361 VS. 357 they both have strong points and weak points. The 357 may have a little more snot, but my 361 is not fully broken in yet. The stihl is a complete dog for the first 3 tanks of fuel, But at 12 or so tanks it come on strong. If you compare both saws box stock it's very close, the 357 with husky or oregon chain is no match for stihl chain on the 361. The stihl is MUCH quieter and smoother, and a bit better on fuel. One thing that may just be my 357 is that the oiling system sucks. In the 6 months since new it has needed dealer service 3 times for various oiler problems. Other than the oiler it has been great. No problems (yet) with the stihl. Good luck with witchever saw you get they are both great.

Many thanks for the insights. I have browsed more and found several very good threads on the site on this very subject. Thanks to all for their work and opinions.

I had one of the very first 357xp's in the states. what a headache saw that was. I posted some of the problems I experianced. the biggest was the fact the saw burnt off more fuel then the tank was able to vent. the saw would run for less than a minute and quit. I would open the gas cap and you could actually hear the air rush in the tank. I notified husky and their fix was a vented gas cap. the cap had small holes in it and a diaphram covering them inside the tank. the problem I had with that was when working close to the ground, dirt would lodge in the holes and hold the diaphram open. gas would leak out all over. I sent a couple of e-mails and talked to couple of people for maybe some $$$ for my findings that may save them in the long run but I was told they would have found the problem sooner or later and it was not worth it to them to send me any money. OH-WELL.
I find the 357xp to be a very good saw in it's class. light, powerful and fast.
here is one of mine taking first at a local show.

OOPPs. that may be a 372xp looking at the size of the powerhead. marty

365 Instead

Given the price difference - in Canadian, so every dollar difference is grossed up by about 28% - the 365 is now mine. Took it out for a spin in the backyard this weekend. Stuck it into a deck of dry pine and it cut that soft wood like butter. It was like belgian chocolate mmmm..... It started snowing Saturday and dipped to -8C, and needless to say we had fire all weekend.

Is it common for saw to run rough at half throttle or does the carb need adjustment? No, I don't run at half when cutting, but it seems that it should be smooth all up the RPM curve. Someone please tune me in.

Overrall, the saw seems quite nice. I have run both husky and stihl years ago and recently stihls as rentals, and I do prefer the feel of husky. I wanted to get the 372 for the small weight difference and may have even considered the 440, but I do not use my saw for a living and could not justify the added $250 CDN.

The dealer says that the saw is fully broken in and it would not wake up after a few tanks of gas. Have others experienced otherwise with the 365?