What saw is the best? Husky, Stihl, McCulloch, Homelite, Echo, Pioneer, Dolmar?

[Adirondackstihl]

Brad hit the nail on the head. Husky is leading in design and technology and Stihl seems to be sitting on their hands. Seems they have become complacent. There doesnt seem to be any wow factor with them right now.

Some would say......if it aint broke dont fix it.
Others would say....if it aint broke - you aint trying.

Probably always be a STIHL guy, but always curious about Husky...know what I mean?

 

[Derrick flynn]

Stihl

 

[Cabin man]

I heard craftsman now owns husqvarna, is this true?
If so, are they committed to being the best in performance and technology still?

 

[Mastermind]

First saw I used was cutting up firewood with an old weird shaped metal Homelite 150Auto - I don't know that it was ever a great saw and by the time I used it, it got the job done but didn't do much else for me but take up room on the workbench.
Then the job got bigger and used my buddy's Husqvarna 350 for a bit. Dunno if it was cause he's tough on his equipment, if it's just a cheap homeowner Lowes bought saw, or if it's just a Husky thing - but having spent a good bit of time on the workbench too - it sorta got the job done but left me more frustrated than satisfied. Construction was flimsy, plasticy, tinny ricer sound, outboard clutch and cover, the way the chain brake clicked - felt like it was gonna break on me...just didn't do it for me.
Then the job got bigger yet and was time to make an investment of my own, modernish. Not looking for old heavies, and all the modern versions of the old classics are now junk unfortunately - today's Homelites, Poulans, Craftsmans, McCullochs are all now the same chinese rubbish as everything else at the big box stores anymore.
Naive to Dolmar and Jonserd at the time - still to this day haven't seen any dealers of them around here - the choice came down to Stihl or Husky - no wonder they are at the top of the poll. Both respected saws obviously. But on top of the bad taste left by my experience with Husky and the likes of no service HomeDepots, Lowes, and hardware stores that they resorted to selling them at, I soon found a comparably equipped Stihl cost 200$ less. I know some of you guys who have dozens of saws might shrug that off, but a young guy purchasing his first saw - that's a lot of money. I can go online and get 2 used MS260s for the cost of 1 used 346xp. Is that cause the Husky is better? Who knows? you say tomato I say potato - turns out they're both pretty solid tried and true saws and the difference in cost, for me, wasn't worth it. So I took a leap and tried the Stihl and right off the bat everything just feels like it's where it should be - no primer bulb to pump, no stop lever to reset, no decompression button to push, no flimsy blue choke to pull out, no screwdriver and 4 bolts needed to do something as simple as inspect or clean the damn air filter. Everything on the saw breaks down with a T27 the dealer threw my way and have proven simple to work on when I've wanted to make mods or preventative maintenance - good parts availability if I need something both online and more local dealers than Husqvarna (if you exclude the Home Depots - which again, just makes it hard for me to take them seriously). Even the homeowner clamshell and plastic Stihl's fit and finish just feels more solid to me than even the pro Huskies. I dunno, I want to like them, sounds like the 346 and 390s are a lot of fun, but the whole image of Stihl to me just means it's business time - get the job done - and so far my experiences with them have proven that.

I've since caught the CAD and have got 6 saws now (no thanks to AS!) - 5 Stihls from 021 up to 064 in the stable - and honestly they are all screamers for what they are. The 290 sure it's heavy but its solid and cuts with the best of em. Which is what it comes down to as far as I'm concerned - cutting wood.

I understand the interest of 'exciting new innovations' that other companies might be going ahead with - trust me, I'm a gear whore when it comes to my other outdoor interests - but like any thing how much of it is marketing and how much of it makes a substantial difference? Not saying there are not valuable advances being made - I am asking..
How many of these great new things would prevent you from getting the task at hand done in a timely manner if you were pushed into a time machine a couple years and didn't have them? I am inclined to say probably none of them - they are still 2-stroke gasoline combustion engines whipping around a chain with sharp teeth - and you either have the right size saw or you have the wrong size saw. Some might be better on gas or emissions but when half of yall are just cutting cookies for fun, wasting gas really isn't a valid concern here is it?
Give me an advancement that's interesting - like .0005" kerfs via solar-powered laser or something and I'll start worrying about my saws being behind the times..
"If it's not broke don't fix it"

my 2 cents.. haha

Safe sawing boys,
Dan

Great post!!!!!! Well thought out and written.

Thanks!!!!

Eh... Not really.

I got lots of saws, for some reason. Some are prettier than others, some are faded out jalopys, some are shined up GTG queens. Some were cheap, some...eh..not so much. Some are orange and white, some solid orange, heck even got a purdy red one and a couple ol' green ones.

I like em all, but I especially like the ones that cut wood.

And I like fast ones.

But, I got some slow ones I like too....

I saw a Sasquatch once.




Seriously....

I call BS.

That was just your reflection. :cool2:

 

[Sprintcar]

I heard craftsman now owns husqvarna, is this true?
If so, are they committed to being the best in performance and technology still?

Uh no, maybe the other way round.

 

[sunfish]

I heard craftsman now owns husqvarna, is this true?
If so, are they committed to being the best in performance and technology still?

Craftsman does not own anything...

 

[Doug Fir]

The Swedes have it!

Like most "homeowners" (or am I a "landowner"?), I care most about saws in the 45-60cc range. The latest saws from Husqvarna in this size range seem far ahead of the competition. AT is a very promising technology that others will be forced to copy in their smaller saws. In a single day of firewood cutting I sometimes find myself cutting at very different temperatures (in the 50s in the morning and 90s in the afternoon), and at very different elevations (2,000 feet versus 5,000 feet or higher). It's a pain in the arse to have to retune a saw frequently, particularly for those of us who aren't very good at it.

On the other hand, I can see an argument for Stihl based on the way they hold their value. I can't believe how much used 260s sell for around here. That speaks well for their durability. It also reduces the overall cost of ownership. You can use a Stihl for quite a few years and then sell it at a good price. The per-year depreciation is amazingly small! I can even see why a few people are fond of Echos, which are very reliable and always seem to start right up. But Husqvarna seems to have the best technology, the best power-to-weight ratios, and the best handling--at least in the smaller saws that I care about.

Heia Sverige!

Doug

 

[SawTroll]

Hmm, 44 votes for Husky, which is 44.44% of the votes - cool numbers! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Mastermind]

Uh no, maybe the other way round.

LOL.....

I'm amazed at what some fellers really know about Craftsman saws. A local guy here swears by Craftsman......I've even shown him that the newer Craftsman saws are in fact Poulans with different color plastics and in some cases cheaper made......he still likes the Craftsman colored ones better. Heck he says they last longer. :msp_thumbup:

 

[Jwalker1911]

I voted Stihl....they simply have more models that I have run? Dont get me wrong I like husky but my Stihls just seem to have better construction

 

[GASoline71]

Back in the 80's when I was just startin' out... Stihl was the king of the woods. I had no idear that Husqvarna even made saws... no one used them in the woods. They were dirt bikes and sewing machines for all I knew. There was still the occasional Pioneer/Partner/Poulan still in the woods. You could hear them old hot rods way down below the landing cuttin'... it was like music. Some big McCulloch gear drives were still being used for the BIG stuff.

I was a sheep... first "work" saw that was ever handed to me was a Stihl 076. From then on it was all Stihl for me...

But now... hell... as long as the chain is sharp... I'll use anything. I think JJ said it earlier in the thread... somethin' along the lines of... "great cutters make saws cut great, don't matter what saw". I've seen some wicked cool stuff done in the woods with all kinds of saws.

So I didn't even vote.

Gary

 

[SawTroll]

I voted Stihl....they simply have more models that I have run? Dont get me wrong I like husky but my Stihls just seem to have better construction

That's definately a false impression, maybe caused by the actual models involved?

 

[3000 FPS]

The other thing I like about Husqvarna is the trickle down effect. The technology that is being developed today and all the R&D that is being done will someday be perfected and cheap. When that happens I would not be surprised to see a autotune Poulan saw.

 

[Jwalker1911]

That's definately a false impression, maybe caused by the actual models involved?

Could be ST, the only husky Ive ever run was the 346xp....fantastic saw!....ok maybe I felt sorry for stihl....Ive run several pro model stihls....truth be told Ive never been much into the whole FordvsChevyvsDodge thing...if it runs reliably and does its job Im going to be happy with it...I think GASoline hit the nail on the head with his post. PS Saw Troll the only husky dealers close to me are the box store type and those models that Ive handled werent impressive.

 

[Trx250r180]

my favorite saw hands down View attachment 248080 View attachment 248081

 

[mile9socounty]

I voted for Pioneer. Granted I havent hit 30 yet, but my P45 was my first saw. It still runs today and Ive seen it out cut a friends 440 Mag. Very unique sound to it too.

 

[stihl023/5]

Husky then Echo:bang:

 

[SkippyKtm]

I voted Husky.
Yep, my favorite saw is a Husky 262XP followed closely by a 346xp, I also have a 394 that I hold in great esteem... Although I do like the Stihl MS200T and those 'ol 038 Magnums...

I do like the way Husky seems to be leading the way as far as technology goes. I secretly am pining for a 562...

 

[mdavlee]

I voted husky. Husky did have the most disappointing saw I owned and ran in the 346/2153. I know I'm in the minority on that one but oh well. All the other classes I like the husky/jonsered line over the stihls and dolmars. In the old saws I've used homelites and a few of the poulan 2300-3700s to cut firewood and clear shooting lanes. The 372xpw is about as good as a 70cc saw can get. The 044 might be lighter and a little more nimble but the overall package on the 372 is nicer to me. The 390 and 395 are just smoother and feel better balanced than the 660 to me.

 

[wigglesworth]

I saw a Sasquatch once.




Seriously....

I call BS.

That was just your reflection. :cool2:

Honest. If there weren't two other guys with me that saw the same thing, I would had thought it was the...um...substances we were partaking of.

We saw somethin....