Better saw ? Stihl or Husqvarna ?

[treesmith]

There are lots of things about Husky that annoy me, ie the afterthought that is the chain tensioner system that makes fitting a different chain an exercise in annoyance, the chain brake and dogs are usually poor, the way the airfilters won't filter anything dusty, fixings that aren't fixed, outboard clutches, QC from factory, the bars and chains arent as good, the way you cannot put two saws together by sliding the bar scabbard of one through the handle of the other and vice versa.

There's two things about stihl that annoy me, the prices and having to use dealers who are dumb, but that last one's not stihl specific


I have both, though my preference is stihl, love my 346, 357 and 372 and we had 540, 365, 576, 390, 395 and 3120 at work but certain things about them are quite irritating

warning - this sig causes splinters

 

[Stump Shot]

Also of a somewhat interesting note, anyone and everyone that works on saws says one brand or the other is easier to work on. I first thought it was probably just brand familiarity. I work on both in pretty much an even amount, sometimes at the same time and I do prefer working on one over the other. Next guy you talk to will be just the opposite and so on and so on. So for now I call it the right brain, left brain theory, as I can find no real reason for this to happen. Not any kind of big deal at the end of the day, just interesting.

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

Stihl fer me. Husky is like a Ford.......Buy a ford, buy the best....drive a mile walk the rest. Hell, ford even offers tow hitch mounted sofas so you have a place to rest after all the pushing!

JK. Buy whatever the hell you want, It's Your money. Only matters that what you get performs to your expectations. And my stihls and Chevys do that fer me so I one happy lad.

 

[skidooguy]

I like the spring AV on Jonsered and husky. The way that stihls are put together is more durable in my opinion. I like the torx head fasteners on the stihls as well. If I cut all day everyday for a living I would probably prefer Stihl. But I'm more of a weekend warrior so I really like my Jonsered it just feels smoother in my hands and always fires on the 3rd pull cold after sitting for weeks. This debate is similar to John Deere vs case IH between farmers. Run what your most confident in and what fits your wants and needs.

 

[Red97]

Pshh I can't afford either...

Used husky is slightly cheaper is my only appeal to them.

 

[Jon1212]

Chainsaws are dumb.

 

[CR888]

Chainsaws are dumb when you put them down and they roll over.

 

[drf256]

As they say, Stihl for work and Husky for play.

Onan18 said it best. Stihl are just more durable and reliable.

A well done 346 should always beat a good 026 in a race, but I'd take the 026 anyday if I had to actually cut wood and get the job done-day after day.

 

[Onan18]

As they say, Stihl for work and Husky for play.

Onan18 said it best. Stihl are just more durable and reliable.

A well done 346 should always beat a good 026 in a race, but I'd take the 026 anyday if I had to actually cut wood and get the job done-day after day.

Al I was talking mostly about current production, I personally believe that the 2xx series Husqvarnas are the most reliable saws ever built. My 272XP never lets me down, ever, and my Stihls have. The 3xx series as a whole are pretty reliable as well, I have just seen some 026/036/044s run when they had no right to whatsoever.

 

[Fishnuts2]

I prefer cutting with Husqvarnas and Stihls to sell. I do enjoy my 260 though.

 

[paragonbuilder]

I like Stihl and Husqvarna saws the best! [emoji41]

 

[MustangMike]

It does remind me of the old Ford/Chevy debate. Chevy was always easier to get high performance parts for, Ford parts were tough to get, and you had to know what to use on what motor. Chevy was more generic.

But, if you had the dedication, you could build a Ford to run with any Chevy on the street, and the Ford drive trains were second to none (9" rear & top loader 4 speed). I also beat the living daylights out of two 390 motors and inexplicably neither of them ever broke down.

One of the 390s was in a 68 Mustang Fastback and was the fastest car I ever owned, and the only one I never lost a race with. It was faster than my 427 & 428 Mustangs (both of which were fast), and it beat a 440 6 pack Superbee (that was not stock) like it was standing still. Too bad I wrecked that car, it was just a real good runner. They always said that blueprinting could add 100 Hp to a motor, and that motor must have just come off the line good, cause I never sent it to a shop (conversely, my 427 Ford Motor had the crank cut 10 & 20). The 427 was very strong, but the 390 had a more aggressive cam and was just faster. The 427 would run with about any car out there, the 390 would just pull away from them. (also, the 68 Mustang was lighter than the 70 Mustang).

 

[junkman]

You have had some cool cars Mike.

 

[MustangMike]

Thanks Brian, the current one is Mustang #10.

I also had a 67 390 GTA Stang that I did not like at the time, cause it was not a real runner. Had AC, overhead (and regular) console with map lights, tilt away steering wheel, brushed aluminum interior, and an 8 track player with a roller door compartment for the tapes. Looking back I wish I still had that one also, never seen another like it.

I also passed on buying a 68 428CJ (factory) cream puff for $1,000 cause it was not a fastback! Do you know how rare that car is??? If I only knew then what I know now! But I did have one that was fastback, also very rare. I was not real impressed with it as it would not run with my 68 390 or the 427.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Last week I noodle cut a whole bunch of big ash rounds in half. Normally I would use my Stihl 046 Mag, but I decided this time to give it a short vacation.

The first five I did with my MS 361 just to see how well it would stack up against a vintage Husky 61. It did almost as well as the 046 Mag but was slower. Then I pulled out the vintage Husky 61. It was a dead heat with the 361. Both were using almost new chains and 20" bars. The Husky's clutch cover seemed to clog up with noodles less frequently. Other than that, the saws were virtually identical.

 

[jake wells]

anything i got with a outboard clutch doesn't seem to noodle well.

 

[exSW]

It does remind me of the old Ford/Chevy debate. Chevy was always easier to get high performance parts for, Ford parts were tough to get, and you had to know what to use on what motor. Chevy was more generic.

But, if you had the dedication, you could build a Ford to run with any Chevy on the street, and the Ford drive trains were second to none (9" rear & top loader 4 speed). I also beat the living daylights out of two 390 motors and inexplicably neither of them ever broke down.

One of the 390s was in a 68 Mustang Fastback and was the fastest car I ever owned, and the only one I never lost a race with. It was faster than my 427 & 428 Mustangs (both of which were fast), and it beat a 440 6 pack Superbee (that was not stock) like it was standing still. Too bad I wrecked that car, it was just a real good runner. They always said that blueprinting could add 100 Hp to a motor, and that motor must have just come off the line good, cause I never sent it to a shop (conversely, my 427 Ford Motor had the crank cut 10 & 20). The 427 was very strong, but the 390 had a more aggressive cam and was just faster. The 427 would run with about any car out there, the 390 would just pull away from them. (also, the 68 Mustang was lighter than the 70 Mustang).

You're experience with FE Fords is similar to mine. They either ran or they didn't. I've been around and drove a few 390's that were real runners. Others turds. If you saw how long the line of different FE heads were that might give you a clue.

 

[sawfun]

Thanks Brian, the current one is Mustang #10.

I also had a 67 390 GTA Stang that I did not like at the time, cause it was not a real runner. Had AC, overhead (and regular) console with map lights, tilt away steering wheel, brushed aluminum interior, and an 8 track player with a roller door compartment for the tapes. Looking back I wish I still had that one also, never seen another like it.

I also passed on buying a 68 428CJ (factory) cream puff for $1,000 cause it was not a fastback! Do you know how rare that car is??? If I only knew then what I know now! But I did have one that was fastback, also very rare. I was not real impressed with it as it would not run with my 68 390 or the 427.

Kinda funny Mike, but I feel the same way about the 396 Chevys and 392 Chryslers. I seemed to have more fun and luck with those than I did with the more powerful 454's I've had and the later model hemi, which were superior in every way.

 

[MustangMike]

I knew a guy that yanked a freaky good running 396 out of a Chevelle and replaced it with the 427 he had to have. It was slower, and the sold the 396 to buy the 427!

 

[Stihlsmoking]

I think a lot has to due with geographical location ? I can drive less than 2 mi either way a be at a Stihl dealer. If I want pro husqvarna it's 10 or so and only know of one.
I've never bought a new pro grade saw either but for me to find one to rebuild Stihl by far outway in this area ?
I think it's due to the Husqvarna being in the big box stores those are all over around here? So no one wants to be a dealer cause most will look at pro price vs HD or Lowes and buy cheapist.
I've never ran anything but Stihl ? Which is why I want to go to a gtg to run different saws without buying one, but most are around the deer rut or gun season ?
So I voted Stihl but that's all I know.