562xp or 362? Either have known problems? Advantages, disadvantages?

[rustyb]

A buddy of mine was asking me about 60cc saws and wanted to know which to get between Stihl and Husqvarna. It was tough for me to recommend the Husqvarna to him given the nightmare carb issues I had with my 500xp. But, that was a while ago, on a different saw... and I would assume (HOPE!) that Husqvarna learned from that.

So, of those two saws, which one has a better track record, and what are the pros and cons of each? He will leave it stock... so stock comparisons only, please.

 

[cuinrearview]

562

 

[sean donato]

I'm in the middle of rebuilding my 2012 562xp. It's been a fabulous saw. Original el44 carb is still on it. One if the bearings came apart in it. I cant complain. It's never had the bog or any restart issues. Must have been assembled on a Wednesday at the plant lol. I'd get a new one in a heart beat. I would think by now all the issues have been hammered out, mine is even a 5 bolt case. Never leaked. No comment on the stihl, I'm sure it's a strong runner as well

 

[full chizel]

2260....black and red 562 with small mount bar.

 

[rustyb]

I'm in the middle of rebuilding my 2012 562xp. It's been a fabulous saw. Original el44 carb is still on it. One if the bearings came apart in it. I cant complain. It's never had the bog or any restart issues. Must have been assembled on a Wednesday at the plant lol. I'd get a new one in a heart beat. I would think by now all the issues have been hammered out, mine is even a 5 bolt case. Never leaked. No comment on the stihl, I'm sure it's a strong runner as well

So... the 562 models did have known issues?

 

[Derf]

The 562 saw development during its production to address issues it had early on. The 5 bolt case went to a 6 bolt to prevent leaking. The carb went from a el44 to a el46, to a el48 to mitigate hot start issues. The fuel pipe was shortened and an extra hole was added to the top cover to mitigate heat soak issues.
Not all the saws had problems, but Husky did do upgrades over the years, most everything was fixed by 2016 and not much has changed since then.

The 550 has been replaced with a new mk II version. The first gen left a bad taste in too many people’s mouths - but it was lighter and stronger than the 346xp.

The 362 v2 is new, very lightweight and from what I hear well designed.

Either a 562xp or 362cm will be top shelf product, comes down to dealer support and brand loyalty. The 362CM is very nice, most expensive and lightest. The 562XP is amazing. The Makita EA6100 is well liked, though fatter than a 562xp but stronger and faster and cheaper. The Echo Cs590 is cheapest, but not nearly as refined.