Husqvarna 346 XP or 455 Rancher, for a one saw owner, which is better?

[The Count]

if you get the 346 XP you won`t regret it for sure; and something tells me you`ll never use the Poulan again. Don`t get rid of it though; it`ll make a good loaner.

 

[brages]

MS261 does have decomp, if it matters... (IMHO, not a valuable feature in this size range)

 

[sawfun9]

The 346 has a decomp as well. If the $100 or less difference in price doesn't bother you then get the 346. If your cutting firewood then the 555 might be best. If your limbing and cutting smaller trees then the 346 will be more nimble.

 

[SawTroll]

Regarding Stihl saws, nothing against them at all, I was also considering a 261, in fact the dealer I went to sells both Stihl and Husky's.

I specifically like two features on the 346XP and even 455 Rancher that Stihls in the same price range do not have, the decompression switch for starting capability, and the way the airflow is routed on the Husqvarna, I forget what they call that, but basically the air flows moves chips away from the air filter, so supposedly less filter clogging. Yes I am aware the filter should be cleaned every cutting session regardless.

I am still possibly considering the Stihl 261, but again, am leaning towards the 346XP at this time.

Obviously no one saw is going to do everything I need, but I only cut 1-3 cords a year for my own use. So having multiple saws does not necessarily make sense. If I was cutting more, I'd certainly get two saws. Actually I still have my 14" consume grade Poulan, and it still runs OK, so I guess I'll have two saws. I'm just looking into getting my first "Pro" or "Heavy Duty" level saw.

Just forget the heavy and clumcy handling MS261. Trigger responce also is a bad point, I have been told, and that is pretty important in the woods as vell as the handling.

Just continue to lean towards the 346xp, until you own one! :msp_biggrin:

 

[SawTroll]

The 346 has a decomp as well. If the $100 or less difference in price doesn't bother you then get the 346. If your cutting firewood then the 555 might be best. If your limbing and cutting smaller trees then the 346 will be more nimble.

I can see no use for a decomp on a 50cc saw, and never use them on mine. :msp_wink:

 

[rburg]

My 346 came with a narrow kerf bar with 95vpx chain. Since I have had it I have run RS stihl chain on it and Woodsman pro 20 nk chain and woodsman pro 20 rc chain on it all on the narrow kerf bar. I have yet to run the lpx on it yet but I have some of that to try when I get some more wood to cut. All of them do a good job if you keep them sharp. The 346 definitely has a good filtration system, but from all I have read the 261 has a very good filtration system also.

 

[Anthony_Va.]

Yea, I can't tell you which one to pick between the ms261 and 346xp. I can tell you that either of them are great saws. They are pretty much equal all around. I like the 261 better because it seems to have more grunt and the air filter setup is second to none.

I just think the ms361 would make anyone an all around firewood saw and you would need nothing else to go with it. They are great on anything up to 25" timber. A 20" bar and 3/8th chain fits them perfectly.

That said, I still like the 362 better than the 361. If I were you, I'd go handle the 346, ms261, 555 and ms362 and see which one feels right to you.

 

[SawTroll]

....

That said, I still like the 362 better than the 361. If I were you, I'd go handle the 346, ms261, 555 and ms362 and see which one feels right to you.

Well, the answer to that is pretty obvious to me, and it doesn't include any Stihl saws....:biggrin:

The MS361 is a great saw though, and ported about like a Husky xp - but mostly NLA.

 

[johnfawn2000]

346 or 353

i've been doing a lot of reading on these forums, and have been trying to do some research on other sites as well.

I'm buying my first "real" saw, having owned consumer grade saws in the past (poulan).

I just put in a new wood fireplace and am planning on cutting 1-3 cords of various firewood per year. I have friends on property with trees of various types. I have a little 14" poulan saw that got me thru until now, but i am ready to step up to a real saw.

After a lot of research i am trying to decide on either a husqvarna 455 rancher - 20" or an 346xp 20", the cost difference between the models is not an issue for me.

What is an issue, is the torque of the 455 vs the h.p. / speed of the 346. Assuming i am going to buy and keep just one saw, what would be the better choice?

I am leaning towards the 346, however i have seen some discussions that the 346 is with less torque might not be the perfect "one saw for all around everything" option, and that the 455 while slower, has better torque and is therefore a better "all around" saw.

Any help is appreciated.

i have (2) 346xp's i love them,this is my 90% go to saw unless i am cutting over 16in. I have another thought. Buy the 353 which i have save some money.then send it to gary hunt(1cut) have him do his magic and you will love to cut wood he is something else makes the saw a pleasure an exciting 2 run.talk with gary he is down to earth person.i am confident you will enjoy cutting wood and get a lot more wood cut,thanks john

 

[Carl Anderson]

My 346 came with a narrow kerf bar with 95vpx chain. Since I have had it I have run RS stihl chain on it and Woodsman pro 20 nk chain and woodsman pro 20 rc chain on it all on the narrow kerf bar. I have yet to run the lpx on it yet but I have some of that to try when I get some more wood to cut. All of them do a good job if you keep them sharp. The 346 definitely has a good filtration system, but from all I have read the 261 has a very good filtration system also.

My 346 came with the .058 bar/chain (which I guess is standard gauge for .325 vs .050 which is narrow kerf). I had them switch it out to nk to match the brand new extra chains I had from my old saw.

I was told that I could always use the .058 chain on the narrow kerf bar, you just can't go the other way around or your cut might be too slim for the bar to slide into and through smoothly. So if that's true I will probably give it a try just to see how it I like it. Right now I'm still running the OEM Husky chain on it (95vpx I guess?). I should probably throw one of the nk Woodland Pro chains I have on it now to see how that cuts.

Someone asked what narrow kerf is, not sure if you needed a detailed explanation but here it is, hopefully it's correct. As I understand it, the kerf is the thickness of the metal of the bar on either side of the chain groove. So if you have a narrow kerf bar you have a narrower bar overall but the groove down the middle of the bar that the chain rides in is the same width as a standard kerf bar. Therefore if you have a standard kerf bar you cannot run a narrow kerf chain as the chain won't cut a wide enough path for the bar to properly go through but if you have a narrow kerf bar you can run either a narrow or standard kerf chain, in theory anyway, I don't know how well it works in practice (haven't tried it yet). If anyone knows of any drawbacks to running a .058 chain on a .050 bar please speak up before I go buy one.

If anything I said in this post is incorrect, please feel free to correct me. Anyone, Sawtroll, Murph, Brad, anyone, Bueller, Bueller....

 

[hamish]

My 346 came with the .058 bar/chain (which I guess is standard gauge for .325 vs .050 which is narrow kerf). I had them switch it out to nk to match the brand new extra chains I had from my old saw.

I was told that I could always use the .058 chain on the narrow kerf bar, you just can't go the other way around or your cut might be too slim for the bar to slide into and through smoothly. So if that's true I will probably give it a try just to see how it I like it. Right now I'm still running the OEM Husky chain on it (95vpx I guess?). I should probably throw one of the nk Woodland Pro chains I have on it now to see how that cuts.

Someone asked what narrow kerf is, not sure if you needed a detailed explanation but here it is, hopefully it's correct. As I understand it, the kerf is the thickness of the metal of the bar on either side of the chain groove. So if you have a narrow kerf bar you have a narrower bar overall but the groove down the middle of the bar that the chain rides in is the same width as a standard kerf bar. Therefore if you have a standard kerf bar you cannot run a narrow kerf chain as the chain won't cut a wide enough path for the bar to properly go through but if you have a narrow kerf bar you can run either a narrow or standard kerf chain, in theory anyway, I don't know how well it works in practice (haven't tried it yet). If anyone knows of any drawbacks to running a .058 chain on a .050 bar please speak up before I go buy one.

If anything I said in this post is incorrect, please feel free to correct me. Anyone, Sawtroll, Murph, Brad, anyone, Bueller, Bueller....

Will correct you, yes Bueller you are wrong. the gauge of chains (0.50/0.58/0.63) in the thickness off the driver on the chain and respectively the groove in the bar, bigger cant be run in small, small can be run in bigger but your cut will be as crooked as hell (works in a pinch when needed).

NK aka narrow kerf chain is not as wide (built on a narrower chasis versus regular chain of the same gauge 0.50) on paper it works, but in reality in the real world it means very little.

The side to side play in the chain when cutting makes the difference between an nk and regular chain, damn near to the c-hair measurement scale, the cut kerf between the two is negligible.

 

[SawTroll]

The real issue with NK chain is that there are no chisel chain available of that kind, and that is a biggie to me.

You can run regular .325 chisel chain like the 20LP/LPX or 23RSC on the bars though, usually with no issue. If you use semi-chisel, .325 NK chain is fine though, but the selection is limited to the 95vp/vpx/H30 and the WP (Carlton) 20nk.

 

[Officer's Match]

I use my Jonsered 2153 (which is a red 346XP) as part of a two saw plan, combined with a MS441 M-Tronic. If I were doing a one-50cc-saw-plan, I'd take the MS261 for it's better torque (if we're talking stock vs stock). My Jred is ported, MM'd and unlimited-coiled, and will trounce a stock 261, but that's not the point. My point is I pick up the 441 when I can't push as hard as I want on the 2153.

BTW, I think the 261 also pre-filters like Husky's do, and its filter setup is better than a 2153/346. The 261 should also get better mileage being as its a strato.

 

[SawTroll]

I use my Jonsered 2153 (which is a red 346XP) as part of a two saw plan, combined with a MS441 M-Tronic. If I were doing a one-50cc-saw-plan, I'd take the MS261 for it's better torque (if we're talking stock vs stock). My Jred is ported, MM'd and unlimited-coiled, and will trounce a stock 261, but that's not the point. My point is I pick up the 441 when I can't push as hard as I want on the 2153.

BTW, I think the 261 also pre-filters like Husky's do, and its filter setup is better than a 2153/346. The 261 should also get better mileage being as its a strato.

I suspect Stihl overdid the air filter thingy on the 261, and just added to the bulk and weight of the saw, really. I never find much dust on my 346xp etc filters, so it really was nothing to improve upon. I agree on the milage though, but in case that is an issue, the "strato" 550xp isn't far away, as the user manual and IPL already is out. As it looks, it will be a tad lighter and a tad stonger than the 346xp - and of course much lighter and slimmer than the MS261.......:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Officer's Match]

I suspect Stihl overdid the air filter thingy on the 261, and just added to the bulk and weight of the saw, really. I never find much dust on my 346xp etc filters, so it really was nothing to improve upon. I agree on the milage though, but in case that is an issue, the "strato" 550xp isn't far away, as the user manual and IPL already is out. As it looks, it will be a tad lighter and a tad stonger than the 346xp - and of course much lighter and slimmer than the MS261.......:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

My filter has done a great job of blocking dust, but it does clog up on heavy cutting days for me. So far my MS441 is superior in this area.

 

[mikelleen]

That said, I still like the 362 better than the 361. If I were you, I'd go handle the 346, ms261, 555 and ms362 and see which one feels right to you.

Yeah, that's a good idea, the problem now is that frankly I do not know the finer points of these saw, and now we are talking about chain types as well. So getting a lot of great feedback, however now I'm a little confused.

So with all of these great suggestions, I'm going to make lighness and handling one of my chief measurements for my decision. I was cutting a neighbors tree last week, and frankly the ole' back was feeling it later.

If a 555 or 261 or 361 is only marginally heavier I might consider that with the extra power. However as was pointed out earlier, a lighter saw could be ported at a later date if more power was needed, or again, maybe just end up with 2 "pro" saws if I find myself needing it.

So maybe I am now evloving my question to what is the best saw for lightness to power ratio, still handling let's say an 18" bar?

 

[rburg]

The 346 is definitely the lightest of the ones mentioned. I don't think there would be much difference in power between it and the 261.

 

[Officer's Match]

The 346 is definitely the lightest of the ones mentioned. I don't think there would be much difference in power between it and the 261.

Nor do I in quantitative measures, but they do feel different in how they deliver their power. I prefer (obviously) the 346/2153, but I would strongly consider the 261 if doing a one-saw-plan at 50cc, but a 361 would be better yet.

 

[Carl Anderson]

Will correct you, yes Bueller you are wrong. the gauge of chains (0.50/0.58/0.63) in the thickness off the driver on the chain and respectively the groove in the bar, bigger cant be run in small, small can be run in bigger but your cut will be as crooked as hell (works in a pinch when needed).

NK aka narrow kerf chain is not as wide (built on a narrower chasis versus regular chain of the same gauge 0.50) on paper it works, but in reality in the real world it means very little.

The side to side play in the chain when cutting makes the difference between an nk and regular chain, damn near to the c-hair measurement scale, the cut kerf between the two is negligible.

I stand corrected, thank you, learned something again here. Now, I have to remember where I got that bad info about kerf.

 

[mikey517]

I've been doing a lot of reading on these forums, and have been trying to do some research on other sites as well.

I'm buying my first "real" saw, having owned consumer grade saws in the past (Poulan).

I just put in a new wood fireplace and am planning on cutting 1-3 cords of various firewood per year. I have friends on property with trees of various types. I have a little 14" Poulan saw that got me thru until now, but I am ready to step up to a real saw.

After a lot of research I am trying to decide on either a Husqvarna 455 Rancher - 20" or an 346XP 20", The cost difference between the models is not an issue for me.

What is an issue, is the torque of the 455 vs the H.P. / speed of the 346. Assuming I am going to buy and keep just one saw, what would be the better choice?

I am leaning towards the 346, however I have seen some discussions that the 346 is with less torque might not be the perfect "one saw for all around everything" option, and that the 455 while slower, has better torque and is therefore a better "all around" saw.

Any help is appreciated.

Last February i went to buy a 450 Rancher at my Husky dealer, and ended up getting a 353. I'm glad I did.
It's basically built on the same frame as a 346, with a slight difference in the P&C configuration (right SawTroll). I've used it with a 20" bar, and it's OK for my usage, but it really cooks with an 18" and the Woodland Pro 20NK chain.

And it's cheaper than the 346XP.

I'm very pleased with the 353.