The 357XP is a great saw. No primer bulb on mine, thank God.
Not the 357, but the 261 yes. Excellent saw. Husky's 346 is excellent.
The 357 seems to be more comparable to a ms362??? I would go for the 562xp before the 357.
It is a 50cc or 60cc saw decision first, and for that you would have to tell us more about the wood you are cutting. Size/Avg. DBH? Hardwood or softwood?
mostly ash at the minute, average dbh is about 18inches..i would be leaning towards the stihl as i have a stihl already plus its lighter. i just haven't heard much about the reliability of this model(261). cheers for the feedback
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357 = 4.4hp 12.1lbs
261 = 3.75hp 11.6lbs
If you get a 357xp, make SURE it does not have a plastic intake clamp on it. I'm not sure if you are looking at used or what. I have a scored 357 in my shop right now with a (broken) plastic intake clamp.
Ireland is about to get the 550 and 560xp in "volume", so they are having sales on older models. Even the 365xt has gone down quite a bit on price.
You say you have a STIHL - what model? I assume you are trying to go for a smaller size?
The 357 is a great saw. It's not quite as light as the 261, but has significantly more power if you need to pull more bar. If you are looking at around 15" or so, the 261 will do fine in the Irish hardwoods. If the price is nearly the same - go with the 357.
I own them both along with several big / bigger saws.
the HUSKY is a little bigger than the STIHL in cc's and hp.
That being said my personal experience has been nothing but awful with my HUSKY. What a disapointment my 357XP has been.
It cost a lot more than my ms261 and has had the following parts fail - oil pump,trigger, and a cracked fuel line. Pretty sad for a brand new pro grade saw. It may very well be a lemon.
However my MS 261 has been a flawless performer. Granted it's a baby sized saw with serious limitations, but is great for trimming, small notching, grooving and the like.
The best thing to do is find a place that will let you run them both.
Bummer, my 357 has been great!
Have been using it hard for 2.5 years
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