3120 vs. MS880

[kkottemann]

Ok, what are your thoughts on 3120 vs. MS880. quality of saw, toughness ect... I ran a brand new 3120 last week for a tree service a friend of mine owns. It was awsome. He runs nothing but husky. I personally run sthil and have no complaints. I will be buying a big saw for a few big jobs coming up. Like I said the 3120 was awsome, But I have never ran an 880 to compare. I do have a 660 which is great. give me your thoughts, recommendations and personal expieriences with the two saws.

 

[hornett22]

never seen an 88 around here.

everyone i have run into has husk'y for everything other than a climbing saw.we have a 3120 we bought used just because it was hard to justify paying for a new one when we only use it once in a blue moon.personnally,i like the 2100 better but the 3120 is a mean saw.

 

[jomoco]

88vs3120

The 88 is a great saw, but I can't understand why they did away with the manual oiler. It's not really an issue until I put my Cannon six foot bar on it, at which point even with the automatic oil adjustment wide open, I find myself having to take it out of dry deadwood and pour bar oil directly on the bar and chain to avoid damaging an expensive bar and a very expensive saw.

This was never a problem with the old 084 that had a manual oiler in addition to an automatic one.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Stihl has a knack for stupid design changes on some of their saws.

I don't know much about the 3120 husky, but if it has a manual oiler setup like the old Stihl 084, I'd say go with the husky, their Air Injection filtration system rocks!

Work Safe

jomoco

 

[Mr.]

880 out grunts the 3120 BAD.

Fred

 

[kkottemann]

the 3120 does have an manual oiler.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I got a 385 because the 3120 was just too heavy, the manual oiler is nice with big bars though.

at 700-800 I could justify the 385 and it has only a little less output the the 088 (MS880). On a 3ft bar I run a skip chain and it does what I need with little effort.

I've never needed anything bigger, around here 4 ft DBH is something to call your friends about.

 

[04ultra]

I could justify the 385 and it has only a little less output the the 088 (MS880)

That is like saying a MS 460 is only a little less output then a 3120xp..

Now that is real funny..


..

 

[vctree]

regardless of which one you buy, be careful. i own the 3120 and i don't think it has ever been realy tested. i have done some big wood with it and it rips through it with ease. no opinion on the 088, i stick with husky.
wear all you ppe when using them, they are desighned to destroy everything.
have you considered going to a 395 or 066? there isn't much they can't do.
the mfg is your own preference, people will argue(justifiedly so) that one is better than the other. my true feeling is they are a bit in the overkill class when running your own tree service, unless you are working on monsters.
keep in mind, i own a 3120 and i use my 395's daily compared to pulling out the whore(3120) seldemly. i think i bought purely through ego.
good luck and be safe. i hope this helped.

 

[ShoerFast]

That is like saying a MS 460 is only a little less output then a 3120xp..

Now that is real funny..


..

He ment "Simonized 385"

 

[SawTroll]

....
I don't know much about the 3120 husky, but if it has a manual oiler setup like the old Stihl 084, I'd say go with the husky, their Air Injection filtration system rocks! ...

I don't either, but one thing is sure - the 3120 does not have the air injection system.

It is an old design, from before Husky started using that system, and it has never been updated with it.

 

[SawTroll]

......
the 385 and it has only a little less output the the 088 (MS880). ....

That is like saying a MS 460 is only a little less output then a 3120xp..

Now that is real funny....

Yes, that's right, Ultra.

 

[Lakeside53]

Now I'm agreeing with both you AND Ultra!!!

 

[SawTroll]

Now I'm agreeing with both you AND Ultra!!!

The world will probably not last until next easter.....
(old Norwegian expression, translated).

:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[kkottemann]

a twist of fate today. I have been doing some work with a buddy of mine and he knows of a 3120 that might be avaliable. details are sketchy but someone owns one with a 59" bar they only used a couple of times, the saw was purchased a couple of years ago and has been kept in a shop. I might be able to pick it up for $500

 

[TimberJack_7]

In my past experience, I worked with a big tree outfit that had an 088. The few times I used it, hate to say but it was pretty worthless. It didn't really seem to have any balls. With that being said, I do not know how well the removal crew had maintained that saw or if the bar size was mismatched. Personally I was more impressed with the 066.

On a personal note, several years ago I needed a big ground saw. I was going to go with a 395 since I had used them quite a bit and was impressed with their performance. However I ended up going with the 385 and have not regretted it one bit. Besides, anything bigger than what my 385 can handle is not really a job that I am willing to take on.

If you are trying to choose between a big stihl or a big husky, I say go with the husky.

Stihl's in the trees, husky's on the ground.


What are you going to be cutting anyways? Swamp willows or something that grows massive at the base?

 

[Ax-man]

QUOTE=jomoco]The 88 is a great saw, but I can't understand why they did away with the manual oiler.[

Gotta agree with you on this one, we have an 88, good saw, but why there is no manuel oiler on it is beyond me, we need to rip down big pieces sometimes to be able to handle them or get them out of backyards I hate seeing that 88 do that kind of work without a manuel oiler

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Stihl has a knack for stupid design changes on some of their saws.[

Yes, we have a 64, no de-comp valve, it would be nice to have on on that saw, but they put a de-comp on a 361, DRR makes no sense to me

Larry

 

[kkottemann]

I will be using the saw on 3 different circumstances. I do a lot of crane work. It makes it really nice when the saw is big enough to reach all the way through the trunk on the stump cut for a good clean lift with out a lot of shifting and tugging from the crane to make the darn thing break away. I regularly get into oaks with hugh stumps. last week two measured over 60" one was 73". second I chase bottom land hardwood loggers and cut tupelo stumps for duck decoy carvers. In standing water these trees have huge stumps. third, I will rip some of those big oaks in order to get them on a buddy of mines saw mill.

I have an 660. I love the saw. I usually run an 32" bar with 3/8 skip tooth chain. bought a 42" bar which ran .404 and ran that on a couple of those big oaks. The saw struggled to pull that through the wood. It was too much of a work out for me and the saw. Everything I have been reading here seems to point to the 3120 with the manual oiler being a major plus.

 

[SawTroll]

I am not sure of this, but I think that I have read something about the newer 3120s running at lower max rpm and beeing sluggish in performance - or something like that ????

Does anyone know more about that?

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

I do know one thing ,a 3120 will cut very poorly for the first 25 hours after that they cut real nice,i'm overall pleased with mine..

Can't speak about the Stihl never used one,but i'm sure both need a few hours to run in,my guess is the 088 is a good saw

 

[oldsaw]

That is like saying a MS 460 is only a little less output then a 3120xp..

Now that is real funny..


..

Well, numerically you would be right. There is only handfull of horsepower difference. As a percentage...that's another story entirely.

Mark