Stihl or Husqvarna?

murph226

I went to buy a new Husqvarna 372XP recently and was told that the new Stihl saws are better.


Are they a better saw, are the new Husqvarna saws giving trouble?


They said they stopped selling Husqvarnas because the Stihl was so much better.


Any opinions on this?

ford2600

murph226 wrote: »

I went to buy a new Husqvarna 372XP recently and was told that the new Stihl saws are better.


Are they a better saw, are the new Husqvarna saws giving trouble?


They said they stopped selling Husqvarnas because the Stihl was so much better.


Any opinions on this?

Douglas lawnmower centre? I've found them sound to deal with and they supply a lot of pro users.

I think you can't decide on a brand basis. Choose what size saw you want and research the UK and USA forums for reviews of that specific model(s).

Have a look at Jonsered, Echo and shindawga also.

murph226

Yeah I didn't want to mention any names but I agree they've been very helpful any time I've been up there before.

Looking at a few reviews there now and I don't think theres much between them at this stage, I'll call up there in the morning and see what they say, they are grand and close too!

316

Stihl all the way, far superior saws in the pro range anyway which is what im basing my view on. I used work husqvarnas but moved to Stihl and never looked back. Alot of old school fellas who had old Husqs e.g 242, 254, 61, 266 still stick with Husqvarna. Like car owners who drove Toyotas stick with Toyota.

BreadnBuddha

Forget the brand. Focus on the saw.

Stihl 362 CM or Husky 560/562XP, Stihl 441/461 or Husky 372/576XP, decide what saw you want to buy, don't just be sold on a brand.

You pay your money and you bring your saw home. The writing on the label or the colour of the plastics isn't a feature.

Buy the saw you like from someone you'd like to buy it from, but don't be swayed by someone who only sells the one brand.

Some Echo saws are getting very good press lately too. Have a look at them if you can for an oddball option.

BreadnBuddha

316 wrote: »

Stihl all the way, far superior saws in the pro range anyway which is what im basing my view on. I used work husqvarnas but moved to Stihl and never looked back. Alot of old school fellas who had old Husqs e.g 242, 254, 61, 266 still stick with Husqvarna. Like car owners who drove Toyotas stick with Toyota.

There's a lot of Stihl guys who find it very hard to part with a 550XP once they'd had one too....

316

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

There's a lot of Stihl guys who find it very hard to part with a 550XP once they'd had one too....

They must not have had the privilege of working a 261.

BreadnBuddha

The point about it is that brand has nothing to do with it. Fellas who go on about Stihl being better than Husky or vice versa usually are NEVER the person who has used both long enough to be able to say one if definitely better than the other. It's rubbish.

The 550XP and 261CM are both very nice saws. I'd prefer a Husqvarna as it's familiar to me and I have a great dealer to support that decision. If I had a crap Husky dealer, I'd be just as happy I can imagine with the Stihl.

Fiskar

316 wrote: »

They must not have had the privilege of working a 261.

My favourite saw, very economical on petrol and there seems to be nothing it cannot cut.

316

Fiskar wrote: »

My favourite saw, very economical on petrol and there seems to be nothing it cannot cut.

It has some torque for sure, by far leave the 550xp for dead. Away nicer features too no silly primer bubble which makes them a pain to start cold and hot. Better quality bar and chain, tool less caps that works and better air filtration system.

Reindeer

316 wrote: »

They must not have had the privilege of working a 261.

The 550 handles quite a bit nicer than the 261, and comes alive after a simple muffler mod.

The 261 does have a lot of power, and more can be had if you know what you are doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJJPskXoE8Q

Personally, I use a 241cm I ported last winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8fsSv8UEQ

Each brand has it's pros and cons. As with most things in life, there's much more gray than black and white.

BreadnBuddha

316 wrote: »

It has some torque for sure, by far leave the 550xp for dead. Away nicer features too no silly primer bubble which makes them a pain to start cold and hot. Better quality bar and chain, tool less caps that works and better air filtration system.

Leave a 550XP for dead? There's an overstatement for sure.

Silly primer bulb; A pain to start hot and cold?

Better quality bar and chain, tool-less caps that work and better air filtration?

You've nailed your colours to the mast with those remarks and it shows little understanding for what the 550 offers.

550XP is lighter, well balanced and everything works very well on it. It's a nice machine to use and own.

I've no doubt the Stihl is also a nice saw. There's not much between them really and only a fool would take what you're saying without a pinch of salt if you think the 550XP can be criticised in comparison!

murph226

Went with a Stihl 441 in the end thanks for all the replies!

316

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

You've nailed your colours to the mast with those remarks and it shows little understanding for what the 550 offers.

550XP is lighter, well balanced and everything works very well on it. It's a nice machine to use and own.

I nailed my colours to the mast earlier in this thread when I said I was always using husqvarna and moved to stihl.
0.2 kg weight difference is a real deal breaker for sure but take into account the stihl has more power so does the 0.2kg extra weight cancel out with the extra power. Stihl 261 is well balanced and everything works as it should. Them 550s get cranky to start between refueling, yours is probably fine though.

There's not much between them really and only a fool would take what you're saying without a pinch of salt if you think the 550XP can be criticised in comparison!

Not much indeed only the stihl is a better machine, and that is all they are. Someone getting offended over a piece of equipment is silly. They aren't human.

BreadnBuddha

550XP is .3kg lighter. That's enough to matter to many.

It has much lower vibration levels on the 'real world' KWF test reports.

It has a higher power to weight ratio, 1.75kg/kw, compared with 1.8kg/kw on the 261, so even though the 261 is heavier but has a little higher power rating, it still comes out behind the 550!

The 550 you ran might have been hard to start after fueling but you're right, I never had that problem. Two different experiences, that's all.

Your opinion is that the Stihl is a better machine but it's not supported by cold hard facts. It's only your opinion. Like mine is only an opinion.

Either way, I'm not offended. We can agree to disagree

timfromtang

Reindeer wrote: »

The 550 handles quite a bit nicer than the 261, and comes alive after a simple muffler mod.

The 261 does have a lot of power, and more can be had if you know what you are doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJJPskXoE8Q

Personally, I use a 241cm I ported last winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8fsSv8UEQ

Each brand has it's pros and cons. As with most things in life, there's much more gray than black and white.

Hi Reindeer,
I use a 261 and a 260 regularly and i am intrigued, what is the muffler mod you did to your 261 to improve its performance?
tim

Reindeer

.3kg is 11 ounces. In that displacement class that is a very large difference since the 261 is actually closer in weight to the Husqvarna 555(60cc) than it is to the 550xp, and is one of the main reasons why the 550 handles significantly better than the 261. In fact, the 550 handles more closely to my 241 than it does to the 261. I would say the Stihl has more low end grunt. But the 550 is much more responsive, and a better top end on it. If I had a choice in which to use for a day, I would go with the 550 myself. Bars and chains are added by the dealer, not the manufacturer. Both saws come with a wide range of B&C's. I see no difference in quality of the available chains, but the bars can vary widely on either side. If I had to choose a top bar, I would say the optional Tsumura that Husqvarna has available is the top of the list in my book.

Tim - the 261 has a small, but very effective baffle inside the muffler. Removing this baffle makes a big difference in the performance of the saw - especially on the 261CM(M-Tronic). It requires a long reach carbide burr, or splitting the muffler.

http://m7.i.pbase.com/g9/22/22/3/158364757.gbjFojnk.jpg

kay 9

This would have opened a can of worms on other forums. Nothing between them for the occasional user imo but after being a stihl owner, I turned to huskies, I like a fast saw instead of using its torque

timfromtang

Reindeer wrote: »

.3kg is 11 ounces. In that displacement class that is a very large difference since the 261 is actually closer in weight to the Husqvarna 555(60cc) than it is to the 550xp, and is one of the main reasons why the 550 handles significantly better than the 261. In fact, the 550 handles more closely to my 241 than it does to the 261. I would say the Stihl has more low end grunt. But the 550 is much more responsive, and a better top end on it. If I had a choice in which to use for a day, I would go with the 550 myself. Bars and chains are added by the dealer, not the manufacturer. Both saws come with a wide range of B&C's. I see no difference in quality of the available chains, but the bars can vary widely on either side. If I had to choose a top bar, I would say the optional Tsumura that Husqvarna has available is the top of the list in my book.

Tim - the 261 has a small, but very effective baffle inside the muffler. Removing this baffle makes a big difference in the performance of the saw - especially on the 261CM(M-Tronic). It requires a long reach carbide burr, or splitting the muffler.

http://m7.i.pbase.com/g9/22/22/3/158364757.gbjFojnk.jpg

Many thanks for that reindeer, I shall get a spare exhaust for mine and have a go. When it comes to the weight difference, i agree the 261 is a little heavy, and prefer to use the 260 for handling reasons, but for grunt, well my 261 is a little animal.
tim

Tony Beetroot

My local dealers all dropped Husqvarna, two went Stihl and the other one became a general model, mainly the Chinese Ama. Enough said.

Cowabunga

It could be argued either way, some love husky and some love stihl. I've worked with both in the past and the stihl always was a longer lasting saw. And less problematic, in saying that, I've toyed with the idea of looking at husky and others again. Reason being the build quality of stihl IS getting worse. The 361 was an amazing saw (16 inch bar) though!!!

Will_mck

Has to be stihl, my father bought one about forty years ago and it's got a relentless appetite for timber! He took it in to be fixed about 15 years ago, the mechanic claimed it was done but he give her a service anyway and it still refuses to give up the ghost!

FISMA.

Most of my stuff is Stihl, but I am equally impressed with Husqvarna.

Which has the better guaranty/warranty? Which is easier to source parts?

memorystick

I need a chainsaw for maintenance of ditches and fences. No real felling, just furs and cleaning back light bushes. No experience of saw so safety a priority. Thanks in advance.

JohnBoy

get something small and light for that kind of work.

I recently got my wife a stihl MS180, and assuming I dont need to cut bigger than 8 inches (and she hasnt mullered the edge on it again) it's becoming my go to saw.

It's just so light, and with the pico micro chain the small stihl's come with it's incredibly safe (well as safe as a chainsaw can be anyway) it's almost impossible to provoke any sort of kickback with it.



That kind of work will make it fierce easy to destroy a chain though, you'll find all sorts of stones and wire in the ditches.

Consider an oregon powersharp bar and chain, they make the saw quite grabby seemingly, but are supposed to be great for that kind of sh*tty work.

memorystick

Thanks. Not too much wire just furs in ditches. So I can get a different bar for saw if need be?

Nekarsulm

If you get a Still 170/171 type saw, with the micro pico chain (thinner chain than larger saws come with) then you wouldn't be going for a longer bar, as the saw won't have the power to run it. But you can certainly fit different aftermarket bars and chains if you wish.

JohnBoy

Saw in the journal this week stihl dealers seem to have some good deals on the go at the moment.

I assume husqvarna will have similar deals the week of the ploughing

kay 9

The stihl 170&180 have the dumbest carb set up I've ever seen. The only adjustment is the idle screw from what I remember.

viztopia

I seen this too. One of the adds had a price for a 391 and I checked this on another dealers website and he had it advertised at a lower price. ...

JohnBoy wrote: »

Saw in the journal this week stihl dealers seem to have some good deals on the go at the moment.

I assume husqvarna will have similar deals the week of the ploughing