spike60
Addicted to ArboristSite
Thanks to Brad for helping with the pics. I sent him a pic of the piston a few minutes ago, and I have a couple more that will transfer bit by bit here on my home dial-up. Piston looks kind of like a 576 piston.
To answer a couple questions that have come up. No Cat muffler. Actually uses the same muffler as before. While the exhaust exits at the same point on the outside of the cylinder, the opening on the inside is somewhat higher, so the slope down to the muffler is much longer. Looks kind of strange.
The weight difference, if any, was not noticed by three of us who compared it to a standard 372.
What's the point of this thing anyway? Well, the main reason that this saw exists is that the 372 is a real tough act to follow. To the AVERAGE customer, who still wants to run a 372, he still can, he will be happy, and at this point I don't think he will notice a difference. Keep in mind that most guys never even take the cover off to check the air filter, let alone put the thing under a microscope like we're doing. So it's kind of a "walks like a duck" marketing approach. It's certainly the right way to go from a marketing standpoint, because I tried to order a couple more today, and they are backordered til August 25th.
But for us saw geeks, (that's what we are; Gary said so. LOL), is it really the same thing? My feeling is that no matter how real an artificial Christmas tree looks, it's still not a real tree, and I suppose I've got a similar attitude with this saw. The heart and soul of a saw is the P&C, and if you change them, is it still the same model?
So, how'd it run? Pretty good. Had the impression that it was just a 372 that had some breaking in to do. Not too sure that the acceleration was as good as normal either, but I was trying to be as critical as I could. Had I not disected the thing before hand, I'd have thought I was indeed running a good ole 372. Had the sound and had the feel. But I kept thinking there was something different. Most of this nonsense is probably in my head, because in my mind it's not really a 372, and I was all set to dislike it before I even took it out of the box. A more conclusive opinion can only come from running it side by side with some other saws.
How it compares to the old 372 may not be as important as how it compares to the 576. My personal opinion is that I'd rather have a 576AT than the 372 X-Torq. If your going to run a strato saw, why not run one that was designed that way from start to finish, instead of one that was converted from an older design?
I'll try shooting Brad another Pic or two, and I'm going out to the shop to look over the Lombard Comango I brought home today. Be back later.
To answer a couple questions that have come up. No Cat muffler. Actually uses the same muffler as before. While the exhaust exits at the same point on the outside of the cylinder, the opening on the inside is somewhat higher, so the slope down to the muffler is much longer. Looks kind of strange.
The weight difference, if any, was not noticed by three of us who compared it to a standard 372.
What's the point of this thing anyway? Well, the main reason that this saw exists is that the 372 is a real tough act to follow. To the AVERAGE customer, who still wants to run a 372, he still can, he will be happy, and at this point I don't think he will notice a difference. Keep in mind that most guys never even take the cover off to check the air filter, let alone put the thing under a microscope like we're doing. So it's kind of a "walks like a duck" marketing approach. It's certainly the right way to go from a marketing standpoint, because I tried to order a couple more today, and they are backordered til August 25th.
But for us saw geeks, (that's what we are; Gary said so. LOL), is it really the same thing? My feeling is that no matter how real an artificial Christmas tree looks, it's still not a real tree, and I suppose I've got a similar attitude with this saw. The heart and soul of a saw is the P&C, and if you change them, is it still the same model?
So, how'd it run? Pretty good. Had the impression that it was just a 372 that had some breaking in to do. Not too sure that the acceleration was as good as normal either, but I was trying to be as critical as I could. Had I not disected the thing before hand, I'd have thought I was indeed running a good ole 372. Had the sound and had the feel. But I kept thinking there was something different. Most of this nonsense is probably in my head, because in my mind it's not really a 372, and I was all set to dislike it before I even took it out of the box. A more conclusive opinion can only come from running it side by side with some other saws.
How it compares to the old 372 may not be as important as how it compares to the 576. My personal opinion is that I'd rather have a 576AT than the 372 X-Torq. If your going to run a strato saw, why not run one that was designed that way from start to finish, instead of one that was converted from an older design?
I'll try shooting Brad another Pic or two, and I'm going out to the shop to look over the Lombard Comango I brought home today. Be back later.
)
