Husky 346xp 353 359 recommendation - all purpose

[grostig]

Farmer / Rancher saw needed for lifetime of occasional (but maybe intense and hot) use trimming and cutting down trees (large and small) and for cutting firewood etc.

Purchase Criteria:

• Enough power
• Reliable
• Good Safety
• Durable - strong case and body
• Easy to repair / fix / rebuild
• Large numbers sold for good new and used parts availablity in long term future & good part prices
• Quality of manuals & exploded parts diagrams & part numbers
• Price between $300 and $420 (incl. bar and chain, ++)
• Central and East Texas location.

1. Should this be a 20" bar?
2. Should I worry about the .325 chain versus 3/8 chain?
3. I'm thinking the plastic in the 455 might not be a good idea.
4. Stihl saws sound good too, but they seem to limit the methods of marketing of saws (and parts??) and that worries me.
5. Should I be thinking about another model?

Thank you for your assistance!

 

[jack-the-ripper]

Welcome to the site . I am fairly new to the forum also. Try using the search feature (use the advanced search). Click on the word search on the tool bar at the top of the page, then click advanced search. Type in 346xp v. 359 in the keyword box and click the search now box at the bottom. Hope this helps.

 

[HiOctane]

Go with the 359 if you intend to cut firewoods,more hp than 346 or 353,but heavier tho.With 359,you can run a 20" and i would use it with a 3/8 chain.There is also the 357,lighter than 359,with good hp that is a very good saw,but i guess out of your price range,i dont know the us price.

 

[spike60]

I agree with HIOCTANE 100%

The only exception would be if the larger wood is only occasional, then you might go for the 346XP.

 

[coveredinsap]

The best advice would be for you to go somewhere where you can look at and feel/handle each one. A saw is sort of a personal-preference type of purchase....what feels good to someone else may not feel good to you, and vice-versa.

I chose the 455 for a few reasons. First off, the dealer sells a boatload of them, and had plenty in stock. Everything else in that cc range looked like it had been sitting there a while, with no other ones in stock. The 455 felt good compared to the 359/353/350...I didn't see a 346. It seemed like a more solid saw for the money. I'm not afraid of composite (plastic) as I've had a Paslode framing nail gun for quite a few years that is totally composite and that thing takes some abuse...and it's a 'pro' tool. The only other saw that tempted me was the 365...but at a $200 difference....(and it appeared to have been sitting on the shelf for a while too.)

By the way, my dealer has a tool rental section. All the rental chainsaws were 350's....a 'non-pro' saw. Go figure. The poor things looked like they had been thru hell too

Addendum: Glocks are plastic. All you guys who insist on 'metal' saws need to send me your substandard 'homeowner' Glocks ASAP. And tell all those cops who carry Glocks that they're using a homeowner POS. You might get to meet Mr. Nightstick.

 

[clearance]

Go for the 346xp, the xp saws always have more power than the non xp saws of the same displacement. This coming from a guy who uses xp saws, has used the others, knows xp is the way to go. If you just want a homeowner/middle of the road saw, get something else.

 

[hydro2]

I have a 353 and just love it. Wife was going to buy a 372 for my B Day, but I just can't justify the heavier weight. I think it would sit most of the time and I would still be using the 353. I use the saw for firewood. Has plenty of power and is very light.