Which is the best pro saw of each brand?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Shoot... my little sub-60cc 357xp is rated for as much HP in stock trim!! 357xp for the win!!! LOL!


Just ribbin' a little bit guys... don't kill me! ;)

Really like my father-in-laws Dolly 6400, ESPECIALLY for what he paid for it new. IIRC he paid a smidge under $600 OTD... Dolmar definitely worth a close look. No experience with Echo, but dang if I'm not hearing alot of good things about them here.
Yes you hear about them "here"[emoji1]
 
The husky 562XP and 555 saws are pretty much the same except the 562 has the larger bar mounts and is set up a bit different for the XP (Xtra Power) . Difference between the 2 models is hardly noticable and the 555 is about $150 ish less than the 562 .
I have a Husky 555 and really like it , would like to compare to a MS 362 Stihl sometime . I have 357XP and 262XP project saws I'll get together during the winter months and looking forward to comparing those in the 60cc class as well , heard good about both :)
 
Quit mentioning that 5 yr warranty. Once you take out normal wear items(pull rope, bearings, piston, rings, linkage, recoil, oil pump, clutch), non covered items(bar, chain), and the fuel system that only gets about a 6 month warranty because frankly anything after that time frame will most likely be ethanol damaged from leaving fuel in it 24/7 and therefore not covered. What does that leave you with?

An ignition coil that has a lifetime warranty anyway

That's very true and in the end what may get done is pretty much the dealers call . Some will push for the end user more than others and having been in the Stihl Tech dept. head office for Canada the squeeky wheel often did get the grease if the dealer presented his case properly and in a professional way to convince us we should have a look .
There are always exceptions when it comes to warranty coverage and I can say that with certainty having had to OK those myself on quite a few occasions .
A longer warranty can benefit equipment that is cared for and looked after , this was a consideration on going beyond warranty claim coverage in some cases .

Again , bottom line was it depended on the dealer in most cases and some just cannot be bothered which is unfortunate for customers and makes the product look bad .
 
Weight:
Echo: 13lb 7oz Dolly: 13lb 4oz (The Echo comes standard with DD's and Mag clutch cover) Those are my weights from my scale. Real world not paper specs

Power:
Echo: 4.4hp on the Japanese site which is likely higher than the US version that is subject to EPA emissions Dolly: 4.5 hp

Speed:
Echo: 13,200 Dolly: 13,800 ????? not an important thing to compare. Loaded in the cut rpm is the important number and from my testing the 6100 was 2 seconds faster thru the same wood with the same chain so that equals a higher loaded rpm and that is the important number to compare

Echo 620P w/20" $649.99 Dolmar 6100 w/20" bar $574.95(quoted list prices for both so it was fair)

Bar length:
Echo: Up to 27" Dolly: Up to 20" dont think many people listen to what a manufacturer says for bar length.

They are 60cc saws.: 20-24" bar max for most people that run this size saw. If i need longer than a 20" bar I move up to an 80cc saw. Most of my logger/tree trimming customers run 20" bars on their 90+cc saws.

Looks to me like we are splitting hairs here:).
 
That's very true and in the end what may get done is pretty much the dealers call . Some will push for the end user more than others and having been in the Stihl Tech dept. head office for Canada the squeeky wheel often did get the grease if the dealer presented his case properly and in a professional way to convince us we should have a look .
There are always exceptions when it comes to warranty coverage and I can say that with certainty having had to OK those myself on quite a few occasions .
A longer warranty can benefit equipment that is cared for and looked after , this was a consideration on going beyond warranty claim coverage in some cases .

Again , bottom line was it depended on the dealer in most cases and some just cannot be bothered which is unfortunate for customers and makes the product look bad .
That is exactly right. A well cared for clean saw with 100 cord of wood under it's belt is more likely to be warrantied than a 5 cord saw that spent it's life riding in the bed of a pickup. A dealer knowing what they are doing and being professional with both the customer and the manufacture can push thru allot more warranty items than a hack dealer that can't answer basic questions about tests performed and informed answers as to why the item in question should be warrantied
 
Can I ask where you get the idea that faults on 562's are mostly catastrophic? Or is that just something you've heard or picked up around these and other parts? Because that's not what I hear, but I don't state it as fact. Gossip is for old women.

On the reviews point, well, I don't see much point in reading reviews on manufacturers website, or many dealers pages either. Most of them when you waste the time reading them are guys who bought them a week ago, or have run 2 tanks through them, yet feel it appropriate to jump online giving 5 stars and raving about the saw, or else they killed it with straight gas or not bothering to tension their chain before bringing it back and swapping it for another saw. I bet if you could follow some of these clowns you'd find them jumping from one brand to another and complaining about everything because they're not qualified to even think about running OPE, let alone giving a valid review!

I apologize, I left out details on lunch. I would be lying if I said I didn't hear a few sqwals from AS but actually most reviews on here are pretty fair to good. My experiences are from talking with people in general. People who log, people who cut firewood, or people who just don't screw around with homeowner level **** and get a $600-$700 pro saw to take care of storm damage. My experiences are from them, as I personally have only blocked for a minute or so with a 562. They ARE quick revving, high spun snots. They will outcut a 362 in a log merely on the speed in and out of the log. (If that makes sense) I have a good friend who logs a single man team. Who has had 2 562's; first lasted 2-1/2 months before the top end came lose. Husqvarna's warranty comes into affect and he is given a replacement 100% over the counter. This was two weeks ago and I got the text today said it sounded like this one was bouncing the piston skirt again. That's less then 2 weeks on a guy who has logged for 40 years. Yes it could be bad gas... Yes it could be defect... Yes it could be a poor sharpened chain but from my point of view I don't find it justifiable for a $700 purchase. This is one of my most factual/close encounter with the failures so I may not have physical proof of the rest but of the 10-15 562 owners I have talked to, one had two top end failures, one had crank issues, one had electronic issues, one was carb solenoid. Two others had failures that when I asked what fixed it they were the oblivious homeowner style and said "I don't know". I am in NO way saying the 562 is a junk box. All I'm stating is from a reliability standpoint, I would not take that as an only saw to the woods with me.
As far as the reviews go you are correct. Most reviews are worthless as they are saws being judged on first tank of fuel. I was merely stating that although most reviews are premature some do have decent information if you can sift through the nonsense. If a person is reviewing a MS211 and claiming it "cuts like butta" (hate that statement) we can translate that to it cuts swell for its size.. I apologize if my reply was taken offensively.
 
I've got a few years on my 562xpw not a lick of issues running a 32" bar which might help keeping the rpms down in the wood, about 90% or so of its life has been in over bar length as well.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
I apologize if my reply was taken offensively.

Not taken offensively at all and thanks for taking the time to reply. I've had good experience with my 560XPG and while I'd heard of a few problems with early carbs and a service bulletin which recommended sealant be used to help set the gasket on 560/562's which had the cylinder removed/replaced, I wanted to know more. It's not something I'll worry about to be honest as there are literally so many of them out there at this stage, a failure here and there will happen. Doesn't matter the brand or model. Interesting to hear about your logger friend having two failures in a very short timeframe. I think it's reasonable to say that this isn't the norm and something unusual has happened there.

Anyway, nice to hear input from a Stihl guy who's happy to run his preferred brand without wanting to have a row with the Husky guys! :) I like Stihl products, but personal preference pushes me into Husky ownership where all else is pretty equal.
 
I wish I had a husky dealer worth 2 cents in my area but I have not found one. Heck I would be even happier if there was a jred dealer. Still none exist. Our stihl dealers are not people I want to give my business to. So that leaves me with dolmar or echo for any new saw purchases.
I can live with that.
 
I wish I had a husky dealer worth 2 cents in my area but I have not found one. Heck I would be even happier if there was a jred dealer. Still none exist. Our stihl dealers are not people I want to give my business to. So that leaves me with dolmar or echo for any new saw purchases.
I can live with that.
The sponsors on AS that are Husky and JRed dealers will treat you better than anything you'll find local.
 
The sponsors on AS that are Husky and JRed dealers will treat you better than anything you'll find local.
It also depends on who you have to you and if they trailor to a pro faller or a home owner.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top