MS 362 opinions

[holeycow]

I think Sawtroll has a personal mission to make the "world" aware that making chainsaws heavier is a step in the wrong direction. And that is a good thing. Thank-you Sawtroll!

After all these years, why has the so-called advanced technology produced tools that are not really any better than 25 years ago? Zero advancement, except in antivibe and to a certain extent, safety features. And antivibe "technology" isn't very sophisticated at all. The manufacturers have not really come very far, technologically speaking.

I'm eventually gonna see these new Huskies showing up on jobs. We'll see what the guys that run them 8-10 hrs a day, day in and day out 7 days a week in all weather conditions say about them. Those are the guys that know (and that I know). I already know what these guys say about a 362. That's why I bought one.

:smile2:

 

[linnjb]

Yeah to what holeycow said. Except for fuel consumption, the gains seem to have been slight or sometimes backwards where weight is concerned. And both saws are wrong anyway. Just buy a used 70 cc saw of Stihl or Husky and have it ported. Also, I would like to have my flying car, now, dangit!

 

[craig71]

I can say this about my limited time with a 362, the model that was -1 in model number was a much nicer saw. I am cutting a 50 acre stand of maple with my brother in law, the trees are mostly red maple, yellow birch and sugar maple, it varies in size and the 362 has plenty of power to handle it. What bothers me is the extra weight and the step backwards in balancing from the 361. It is manageable in hardwood but for softwood and limbs it would be almost like a 365 husky for handling. The weight seems to be very concentrated towards your left hand, I like the smoothness but not much else. PS I am using a 357xp Husky, dont love this saw either but it handles much nicer than the Stihl.

 

[holeycow]

Yeah to what holeycow said. Except for fuel consumption, the gains seem to have been slight or sometimes backwards where weight is concerned. And both saws are wrong anyway. Just buy a used 70 cc saw of Stihl or Husky and have it ported. Also, I would like to have my flying car, now, dangit!

don't you have a flying car yet?!

The flying cars around here have been working pretty well, although that orange and white one is too heavy for its power output. It also tends to lean to the left which makes it handle somewhat poorly. The orange ones, on the other hand, will fly circles around the orange and white ones, but they are seldom in the sky due to breakdowns.

I hope you get your flying car soon. Maybe they'll have worked some kinks out by the time you get them in your area.

 

[woodworkorange]

I tend to agree with Sawtroll. Here in the UK, if you check out the forums, it does not appear to be very warmly received, certainly not like the 361.

 

[SawTroll]

I can say this about my limited time with a 362, the model that was -1 in model number was a much nicer saw. I am cutting a 50 acre stand of maple with my brother in law, the trees are mostly red maple, yellow birch and sugar maple, it varies in size and the 362 has plenty of power to handle it. What bothers me is the extra weight and the step backwards in balancing from the 361. It is manageable in hardwood but for softwood and limbs it would be almost like a 365 husky for handling. The weight seems to be very concentrated towards your left hand, I like the smoothness but not much else. PS I am using a 357xp Husky, dont love this saw either but it handles much nicer than the Stihl.

Well said, the Centre Of Gravity should be as close to the bar as possible, for good handling. :msp_smile:

 

[Winchester356]

I love my 362 except for the flippy caps. It has plenty of power and not that heavy.

 

[freeridekid]

I recently bought a 362 about a month ago. In the time that I have had it I have cut a 26in oak tree, and other trees of the same diameter. I love the saw, it is the smoothest saw with the best anti-vibe that I have ever run. You cant go wrong with it. The saw makes it feel like it has your back when you run into big wood.:biggrin:

 

[stihl362]

i bought this saw a couple months ago. it had some fuel problem( bogging down) so i took it to stihl and they fixed it under warranty. This saw is great just replaced that anti-kick back chain that came with the saw. That chain slowed the saw down a lot. My friend makes all his chains and he made one for me, the saw cuts a lot faster since the replacement

 

[PEKS]

I find the 362 has good power and weight not an issue..
Worked it hard yesterday, Hickory and Maple, all 24" plus in diameter, performed great..
I have cut much larger rounds and it has proved to be very solid..

 

[Saw Dr.]

......After all these years, why has the so-called advanced technology produced tools that are not really any better than 25 years ago? Zero advancement, except in antivibe and to a certain extent, safety features. And antivibe "technology" isn't very sophisticated at all. The manufacturers have not really come very far, technologically speaking.........

I cannot disagree more with this statement.

Lets see:

Anti vibe technology? Yes, most certainly. Now the standard is springs which have an almost infinite useful life, and dampen vibes better than rubber. Many saws had NO anti-vibe 25 years ago.

Safety features? Yes, you are correct there as well. Brakes are required, where they were not 25 years ago. Many of them will now activate by inertia, as well as your hand hitting them for two levels of safety.

Ignition. Electronic ignition is now standard. This allows consistent timing 100% of the time, where points would change as they wore. Also electronic gives the advantage of ignition curves and protection against backwards running. Curves can help increase power, and the backwards protection makes the machines more user friendly. Instead of taking several spark plugs on a cutting job, one can now take zero spares and be almost certain they will finish the day with a saw that still makes sparks.

Mufflers. Stainless is becoming the standard here as opposed to steel. It is very common to see older saws with rotted mufflers. As much as we complain on here, the stock mufflers actually flow pretty well given the restrictions they are made under.

Air filtration. The inertial separator type air filtration is now pretty much standard as well. 25 years ago, most filters were screen so they wouldn't clog. If you put a true filter on to protect your engine, you got the chance to clean it alot. Now you can run for days or weeks on a GOOD filtration device, and not ever clean it. If it does get dirty, your carburetor will compensate. Good filters keep crap out of your engine for longer life.

Oil pumps. Many saws, and all commercial ones have full incrementally adjustable oil pumps. Not just adjustable, but you can do it with a screwdriver and not dis-assemble anything to get it done. Several older saws required dis assembly to adjust the pump, or you to add oil with a pushbutton of you needed more.

Inboard clutches. Yes, there are still some outboard, but the inboard ones are most popular. It is much easier to swap a chain on these, and inboard causes less stress on the crankshaft. I have seen a few inboard cranks fail, but plenty more outboard ones. Plus it is a PITA to remove the clutch to swap a sprocket.

I am tired of typing, but there are also improvements in plastics, ergonomics, starting systems, carburetors, and plenty that I forgot. Modern saws are pretty advanced in my book, and only getting better. While weight is a consideration, I still think things are going in the right direction. You are welcome to run a SXL Homelite while I go run a 362. I like the oldies, but C'mon.

 

[holeycow]

I cannot disagree more with this statement.

Lets see:

Anti vibe technology? Yes, most certainly. Now the standard is springs which have an almost infinite useful life, and dampen vibes better than rubber. Many saws had NO anti-vibe 25 years ago.

Safety features? Yes, you are correct there as well. Brakes are required, where they were not 25 years ago. Many of them will now activate by inertia, as well as your hand hitting them for two levels of safety.

Ignition. Electronic ignition is now standard. This allows consistent timing 100% of the time, where points would change as they wore. Also electronic gives the advantage of ignition curves and protection against backwards running. Curves can help increase power, and the backwards protection makes the machines more user friendly. Instead of taking several spark plugs on a cutting job, one can now take zero spares and be almost certain they will finish the day with a saw that still makes sparks.

Mufflers. Stainless is becoming the standard here as opposed to steel. It is very common to see older saws with rotted mufflers. As much as we complain on here, the stock mufflers actually flow pretty well given the restrictions they are made under.

Air filtration. The inertial separator type air filtration is now pretty much standard as well. 25 years ago, most filters were screen so they wouldn't clog. If you put a true filter on to protect your engine, you got the chance to clean it alot. Now you can run for days or weeks on a GOOD filtration device, and not ever clean it. If it does get dirty, your carburetor will compensate. Good filters keep crap out of your engine for longer life.

Oil pumps. Many saws, and all commercial ones have full incrementally adjustable oil pumps. Not just adjustable, but you can do it with a screwdriver and not dis-assemble anything to get it done. Several older saws required dis assembly to adjust the pump, or you to add oil with a pushbutton of you needed more.

Inboard clutches. Yes, there are still some outboard, but the inboard ones are most popular. It is much easier to swap a chain on these, and inboard causes less stress on the crankshaft. I have seen a few inboard cranks fail, but plenty more outboard ones. Plus it is a PITA to remove the clutch to swap a sprocket.

I am tired of typing, but there are also improvements in plastics, ergonomics, starting systems, carburetors, and plenty that I forgot. Modern saws are pretty advanced in my book, and only getting better. While weight is a consideration, I still think things are going in the right direction. You are welcome to run a SXL Homelite while I go run a 362. I like the oldies, but C'mon.

I think you're talking about 30 year old saws, not 25 year old saws.

 

[FGZ]

I love forums

I originally poked through this thread after coming across an MS362 near me for $500, trying to decide if it sounded like a good saw for me. My consensus - sounds like it will fit the bill. But then that seller never called me back.

And now I just found an MS361 even closer for $120. And again thanks to this thread I'm sure to love the 361 just as much ([sarcasm]if not more![/sarcasm]) than the 362. Now if I can just get this seller to follow through...


But still, this is why I love forums.

 

[SawTroll]

The MS362 looks very sedate and uninteresting, after the 560xp hit the market here, and it never looked good compared to the Euro MS361 either. The air filtration issue doesn't help either.

 

[naturelover]

I had a MS-362.

It was interesting to me.

Wasn't very sedate either... :smile2:

Wish I woulda got enough time with it to really get it broken in.

 

[K&L Landscaping]

The MS362 looks very sedate and uninteresting, after the 560xp hit the market here, and it never looked good compared to the Euro MS361 either. The air filtration issue doesn't help either.

Good grief, this again, over and over?? Your vitrolic statements about anything STIHL has really become stale and "uninteresting". I'm not a Husky guy but you don't see me turning up in every Husky thread continually bashing their products.

We all get it, you don't like STIHL's! That's great but good grief do you have the ability to detune these perpetual, negative posts?

Do we have an ignore feature on this forum??

 

[JVLII]

guess i've been guilty of the weight on paper thing before but half the time you would not notice 1/2 to 1lb extra on a saw if it feel's good go for it

totally nailed...you won't notice it half the time, the other half you will notice it, the second half of the day!:msp_wink:

 

[brncreeper]

I demoed a 362 for a while (5 days) and also ran one at Mitch’s GTG last year. It has good power and is great for dropping through a log and making cookies in front of a crowd but what about carrying it around all day? For me when it came time to buy, I chose the lighter 361. I was fortunate enough to snag the dealers last new one.
I feel that If they can’t build new saws that are the same weight or less as the old saws then I’ll run the old saws. Of course I’m running tractors built in the 60’s and don’t have a problem with that either.

 

[tommyus4]

...

About a month ago, I purchased s 362. After the big storm we had around Hallowen, I overly abused my 250. My neighbor with his 359 helped as did my neighbor with his 290. The 359 guy is my buddy. The other guy is a bit of a know it all. It pained me to go against a true friend and not buy a 359 or 555. Both felt better in my hands. His 359 is like a Ferrari and it does go the shop from time to time. I wanted a truck. I read forum after forum here plus the great experience with my 250.

This sealed the deal: My know it all neighbor called my 250 a chick saw. I asked him what his dream saw was and he said 362 but his wife would only let him buy the 290. Welcome to my new saw neighbor...

I would like to thank you all for your input. I also read the whole craigslist forum which was hilarious...

 

[saxman]

You showed your know it all neighbor who the "big dog" was in the neighborhood. good for you. The 362 is a great saw, seems like a wider power band with more low end torque than my 361 which is a great saw also. They just have different personalities. Now go out and throw chips on your buddy with the 290.

Steve