lets uncover the Husqvarna Brand....

[redshift]

What does medium and heavy duty mean? The size of the wood that is getting cut? or the frequency of the usage??

This is kind of a silly thread and that's why youre not getting good responses.

What do you want to do? how much do you want to spend? what kind of wood do you want to cut??

it is not that silly I think
I asked this question because as a newbie I faced a lot of difficulty recently picking the right model for me. I consulted dealers, forum experts but everybody appeared to choose his own way. :msp_confused:

obviously everybody cannot research as much as I did, so I thought it would be a god idea to get experts opinion in a single thread where we can generalize proven models for different commonly performed tasks. I hope that makes sense :rolleyes2:

 

[redshift]

Opinions are like ___oles; you know the rest. Without any qualifying or quantitative statements to use as discriminators this won't go far.

What size wood?
Hard or Soft wood? (Species you're cutting most often helps)
Frequency?
Duration?
Quantity?
Bar size(s)?
Budget?

All of these are relative and necessary questions to be answered to be able to answer your question capably. Anything else is just BS.
No offense intended.

actually I tried to generalize things over there so that everybody could benefit from the information
you can answer my question for both hard and soft wood

 

[Locust Cutter]

actually I tried to generalize things over there so that everybody could benefit from the information
you can answer my question for both hard and soft wood

OK,
For firewood may could do with the following, again dependent upon their needs:
1 saw plan 60-70cc saw:
455, 460, 555, 562xpAT, 570, 365, 372xp or 576xpAT. I'd lean towards the 562xp, 555 or 365 if you really want some bang for your buck.

2 saw plan: 50cc - 70cc
350, 345, 353, 543, 450, 346xpNOS, 550xp.
55, 455, 460, 570, 365, 372xp, 576xpAT, 385xp
My old 55 Husky was a fine little firewood saw and routinely pulled a 20" bar with .325 chain. With a 16" bar it flat ripped.

3 saw plan would be the aforementioned saws plus a 90cc +/- saw added in for bigger work:
390xp, 394xp, 395xp, 2100xp, 3120.
Used 2100s can be found and while they run more slowly than newer saws, they pull like a freight train.

There are two caveats to this.
1. The newer strato saws pull very well and usually outpull their predecessors. Kind of like the 600cc bikes now compared to 1000cc bikes 6 years ago.
My 562 is a nasty saw for it's size and would likely pull a 24" bar if I needed it. I've seen videos from builders with them pulling 28" bars and longer just to prove a point after being modded, but that would not be a good idea in the long term.

2. There is no good, reliable, long-term replacement for displacement.
By that I mean that a small block V-8 will pull a trailer. A big block pulls them easier while consuming a similar amount of fuel and lasts much longer before breaking down. The following is a break down, based off of my own experience of what size bars I would run on various power heads depending on which wood I'm cutting.

If your cutting hard wood I'd say the following:
50cc - 14-16" bar (On the 50cc saws and some 60s the matter of .325-vs-3/8 or .375 pitch comes into play. The less the bite, the longer the bar you can run to a point.)
60cc - 16-20" bar
70cc - 20-24" bar
80cc - 20-28" bar
90cc - 24-36" bar
100cc+ - 28-42" bar

For soft wood:
50cc - 14-20" bar
60cc - 18-24" bar
70cc - 20-28" bar
80cc - 20-32" bar
90cc - 24-42" bar
100cc+ - 24" and up.

I run 3/8" or .375" chain (fraction and decimal way of saying the same thing) on everything I own. That way I have only file size to buy and choosing chains for saws is simply a function of length as they're all the same gauge. Modularity can be a very good thing. It limits the 261 a bit, but not much.

 

[SawTroll]

.....

I run 3/8" or .375" chain (fraction and decimal way of saying the same thing) on everything I own. That way I have only file size to buy and choosing chains for saws is simply a function of length as they're all the same gauge. ..... .

The pitch of those chains actually is around .366, so calling them .375 in marketing is nothing but a plain lie (.37 would have been OK).
Calling them 3/8" can be defended, as a sort of "rounded off" number though.

 

[rocketnorton]

Well, I do know they used to make a so-so dirtbike years ago. :msp_biggrin:

I used to have a 400CR.

me too, better than anything from japan @ time... maico was pretty good too. swede vs. german, sound familiar?

 

[1Alpha1]

me too, better than anything from japan @ time... maico was pretty good too. swede vs. german, sound familiar?

Yup, I also had a 501 Maico back in the day. My younger brother loves Maicos (now called M-Stars), as he has five of them at the time of the last count.

 

[computeruser]

It would be hard to go wrong with anything that is 2**XP.

 

[SawTroll]

It would be hard to go wrong with anything that is 2**XP.

True, but then we are dealing with quite old used saws. :msp_smile:

 

[rocketnorton]

Yup, I also had a 501 Maico back in the day. My younger brother loves Maicos (now called M-Stars), as he has five of them at the time of the last count.

MAD... wish I could afford...

 

[Locust Cutter]

The pitch of those chains actually is around .366, so calling them .375 in marketing is nothing but a plain lie (.37 would have been OK).
Calling them 3/8" can be defended, as a sort of "rounded off" number though.

True, but a .38 special fires a projectile that is .357" identical to another famous caliber and a few lesser ones... (for reference 9mm is .355"). However trying to explain that to those who don't re-load or are too lazy to grab a micrometer... It's often easier just to identify it by it's adopted name, however incorrect. Being married, I am learning to pick my battles...

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Back to my original response to the OP, I dont think a 545 priced around $500 is a budget saw. A $350 450 is in my opinion a good budget saw, and others might say a Walmart special is a good budget saw. Lots of opinions around here, but if you make a strong statement I see no problem with someone else asking for clarification.

I paid $400 shipped to my door 545 brand new. Best bang for the buck in husky 50cc. Take it over a 346xp anyday.

 

[boxygen]

I paid $400 shipped to my door 545 brand new. Best bang for the buck in husky 50cc. Take it over a 346xp anyday.

The build quality of the saw appears to be pretty impressive. I don't know if it is supposed to be a homeowner saw or not, but put it next to a 445 and its a no brainer.

 

[SawTroll]

True, but a .38 special fires a projectile that is .357" identical to another famous caliber and a few lesser ones... (for reference 9mm is .355"). However trying to explain that to those who don't re-load or are too lazy to grab a micrometer... It's often easier just to identify it by it's adopted name, however incorrect. Being married, I am learning to pick my battles...

True! :msp_smile:

Btw, the 44 Mag and 44 Special usually are .429 - and so it goes with many other gun calibres.....

 

[tolman_paul]

True, but a .38 special fires a projectile that is .357" identical to another famous caliber and a few lesser ones... (for reference 9mm is .355"). However trying to explain that to those who don't re-load or are too lazy to grab a micrometer... It's often easier just to identify it by it's adopted name, however incorrect. Being married, I am learning to pick my battles...

That one actually makes some sense as originally the 38 caliber originally used an externally lubricated heeled bullet, think of a 22rf where the bullet dia is the same as the case diameter. So originally the 38 revolver rounds were truly 38's. When they switched to inside lubricated smaller diameter bullets the 38 caliber name stuck, even though the bullets shrank. I guess the marketing folks figured 36 caliber just didn't have the same ring as 38 caliber.

 

[sunfish]

The build quality of the saw appears to be pretty impressive. I don't know if it is supposed to be a homeowner saw or not, but put it next to a 445 and its a no brainer.

Not your typical 'Homeowner' saw... :msp_wink:

 

[redshift]

good answers guys, just keep it going, should I add a poll at this moment??

 

[bryanr2]

ok guys, lets dig Husqvarna brand a little deeper...
so as to help people like me who find it difficult to choose the right model, when they are just starting out ...


Every Husky user/lover, please answer:
->best Husqvarna chainsaw for medium duty use
->best Husqvarna chainsaw for heavy duty use
->best Husqvarna chainsaw for low budget

1) 372
2) 390
3) 288xp

 

[computeruser]

it is not that silly I think
I asked this question because as a newbie I faced a lot of difficulty recently picking the right model for me. I consulted dealers, forum experts but everybody appeared to choose his own way. :msp_confused:

obviously everybody cannot research as much as I did, so I thought it would be a god idea to get experts opinion in a single thread where we can generalize proven models for different commonly performed tasks. I hope that makes sense :rolleyes2:

I'm gonna chime back in here. I think that you are over thinking this. There is no *right* model for you, rather there are a range of models that would potentially meet your needs. Perhaps this is where some of the challenge and confusion is coming from. So with that, it is often most helpful to identify your intended usage, whether this will be an only-saw or part of a multi-saw mix, and then go from there.

But ultimately it is far less about the saw than it is about everything else, anyway. Your safety and productivity depend far more on your skill at sharpening your chains, your cutting technique, your safety practices, and saw maintenance when you get back to the garage or the shop. If you like buying new whiz-bang toys, go for it. But do not for one minute think that a new high-tech powerheads is somehow going to make you a faller, an arborist, or anything like that.

 

[kz1000]

True! :msp_smile:

Btw, the 44 Mag and 44 Special usually are .429 - and so it goes with many other gun calibres.....

If I'm dealing with a 36 c cup verses a 36 d cup, It all depends on the handler and the performance of the machine that it is attached to that makes the difference. Some machines of the same rating perform much better than others.

 

[Locust Cutter]

True! :msp_smile:

Btw, the 44 Mag and 44 Special usually are .429 - and so it goes with many other gun calibres.....

True, although my Smith especially likes the Keith profile 240 swaged to .431.

That one actually makes some sense as originally the 38 caliber originally used an externally lubricated heeled bullet, think of a 22rf where the bullet dia is the same as the case diameter. So originally the 38 revolver rounds were truly 38's. When they switched to inside lubricated smaller diameter bullets the 38 caliber name stuck, even though the bullets shrank. I guess the marketing folks figured 36 caliber just didn't have the same ring as 38 caliber.

True. The .460 Smith and .454 Casull are both .45's. I think that the old .38 S&W may have been a bit bigger and I know that the heel-lubed RF versions were... Then there are the .38-40 and .44-40 which are a whole other story unto themselves...

Now back to our regularly programmed saw discussion. The best or worst saw out there is still only as good or bad as it's operator. Price and capability are no substitution for solid fundamentals, training and experience.