Holzfforma 395 660 460 440?

[Johnny2186]

Has anyone tried any of these saws and if so what was your opinion of it? Been thinking about one for a while now. I know there cheap Chinese but the dang price..

 

[Ford3000]

If you really really need one, go with their Pro designated models,
they seem to spend more time on them, they hardened the crank
on them too, look at Ironhorse video on youtube he had a china saw opened up
and mentions the upgrades, its a smaller say though,

holtzforma g372 pro first start! I'll build it for one of you!

www.youtube.com

Speaking as someone who bought a china made saw from a brand you did
not mention / Efco, I would not buy again, cheap plastic, good enough engine though,
but parts were not too easy to get either, am in europe and so are efco, still can't find any
reason to buy one / china saw, waiting on a second hand pro saw to appear for sale.

 

[Maintenance Chief]

Whats your skill level when it comes to reapair?

 

[isaaccarlson]

I was looking pretty hard at them because I wanted a bigger saw. The more I looked at them, the more I didn't like them. I was tempted to go with one of the pro models, but the price was high enough to make the risk not worth it. I ran a 660 clone last year and it was ok, but with the failure rates I have been hearing about, I can't take that gamble. I found a nice name brand second hand saw locally and jumped on it. At least I can get my money out of it if I decide to sell it, where a chicom knockoff would be a money pit. (Hope I'm right) I will port the newly acquired saw soon.

 

[Ford3000]

Was looking at youtube regarding the G372, almost every part someone had an issue with, by the time
you sort them out, you will not want to use it, 300.00 , then start replacing parts, one even cracked the handle
along the side of the case, said cold weather could have played a part, and that is why the brand names cost
more, they are simply designed better, made better and use better materials for the most part.
Seems like a huge waste of time buying something then having to work on to the extent most of these
china saws require.

 

[Johnny2186]

Whats your skill level when it comes to reapair?

I’ve fixed many saws in different extents. I don’t need one just been thinking about checking one out. Probably pass on one like I have been.

 

[Ford3000]

I’ve fixed many saws in different extents. I don’t need one just been thinking about checking one out. Probably pass on one like I have been.

If you can pass one, that is a wise decision, I see people tried them for a decade, still not up to scratch,
the cost of them now makes them not worth it at all.
I get a sore head looking at the videos praising them, never mind the videos showing all the issues.

 

[isaaccarlson]

The price of a g372 pro is close to $500 shipped. Replace a few parts right away with oem and go through it to make sure ports are beveled and it's assembled right and you are over $600 and out a day's work. I picked up a nice looking 372xp oe for $650 this fall. I'd say that's a lot better than putting the same money into a knockoff full of gremlins.

 

[Stump Shot]

The saying "never throw good money after bad" definitely applies here.

 

[huskihl]

No sense dragging around a 70cc saw that runs like 60cc.
Can get a new Husky oe 372 for $850.

 

[isaaccarlson]

The holzfforma 660 I ran last year didn't have much more power than a ported 60cc or stock 70cc saw. It ran well, and felt very much like a real 660, and it cut wood. That's all I can say about it. I want a saw that I can trust to run for a long time without problems, and china crap is not confidence inspiring. The guy who owned the saw and let me use it had nothing but praise for it, but he was a weekend warrior and and pile of logs he was cutting at the time was still there the next time I drove by, so maybe it didn't hold up for more than a few logs? I don't know.

 

[mainer_in_ak]

Another "cheap saw" alternative is used echo saws. As cheap as clone saws and rarely beg for parts. If you ever do need quality replacement parts, tons of online vendors selling OEM echo stuff.

The cs 6700 & 670 are tough saws. Always $100-$225. Mild porting, they run right with a stihl 044 or a stock 372 xp.

Then the cs 8000's are usually $350-$450 used. Same deal, port up well. The 81 cc's of ported muscle easily outcuts any of my 70 cc fodder, ported or not.

Unlimited coils, rugged seals, long lasting Japanese bearings, smooth/balanced engines, good cooling, indestructible oilers (press fit metal oiler gears).

These simple, rugged designs might feel outdated to some, but they hang with modern saws after some basic porting work.
The 6700's balance well with a cheap 24" oregon powercut bar and the cs 8000's balance well with either a 28" or 32" powercut bar.

Most smiles per dollar.......

 

[Maintenance Chief]

I have a few that I've played with and get decent results from . They are not a saw for a first time buyer and like others have said a used pro saw is sometimes? a better alternative( i prefer McCulloch and homelite) .
The 660s are a pretty solid copy and "from my experience " an excellent saw for milling and stumps. The 372xp clones I have are definitely under powered to their oem counterparts but for less then 250$ delivered to the door it was a cheap project to grind on and do somethings I wouldn't have done to one of my OEM saws.
Honestly I have seen and experienced being burnt on so many used pro saws that were a "Good" deal that unless you buy one local its still a crap shoot. It really pisses me off when a young person buys a used 372 for 400.00 and the GD thing is so worn out that the bearings are about to fall out of it and everything on it is beat to death.
I know what I'm buying when I buy a saw at 1/4 of the price and am not delusional about the fact that its going to be just like a 1100.00 saw .

 

[dirter]

I recently got a G660 Pro and so far, so good. I actually decided to become a Holzfforma dealer for SE Ohio. I haven't even put in my first order yet but I figure what the heck. They are 20 year old tech so not going to hold a candle to current modern saws but in my case I use the 660 specifically to rip large diameter logs to fit through my processor. Works great for that. Vibrates like hell so I'd hate to use it all day, every day but for what I needed it's perfect.

 

[JB-PlantHeirloom]

My experience with the FarmerTec MS660 clone I bought off E-Bay is if your time is not worth much, you like tinkering, and replacing some parts for OEM Stihl, and you do not have the money for OEM, then the clones have a place. I posted a picture of my mis-drilled farmertec piston for a Husky 385, that I am still waiting on for a refund after 2+ years ... great customer service, NOT.

To get it to start and run properly more times then not, on the MS-660 clone, I had to replace the trigger group, I posted the obvious differences on the rods. I had to replace the clutch springs after one failed under light use. It was an okay purchase in total because I had to drop a tree about to fall on my house and it being 42+ DBH, I was not going to be using my Atlas 80v and my Husky 385 was DOA.

If i had to make a living with a chainsaw where my time and reliability does matter, it would be OEM Stihl, Husqvarna (pro saws), maybe Echo.

If you want to putz around and play around tuning and modding it, then it is a good choice, otherwise I would stay away from them.

I might buy a farmertec clone to use on my chainsaw mill, but, only knowing it will require hours of work and replacement parts before I even think abut using and abusing it. For my firewood processor where time is money, probably only a Stihl or make my own hydraulic saw.

 

[Ketchup]

They’re a gamble. And like all gambling, you usually lose. Saws cost a lot because they have lots of small precise pieces that have to be right. That takes time and care. Even the best pro saws have production and design issues and the Clones are produced at speed with almost no QC, often from sub-standard materials. It’s amazing any of them run at all. But many do because Asian manufacturers are very talented and can make almost anything out of trash.

If you’re the kind of guy who looks for solutions in a junk pile and doesn’t mind spending twice the time to McGuyver something, a clone saw can be interesting. There’s a whole Sub-forum here devoted to them and it’s a big rabbit whole. You’ll find friends down there.

Sub-forum for these Rice Burner 660 builds

opeforum.com

But seriously. Buy quality. You’ll still be running the same great equipment years after the sticker shock wears off.

 

[JT78]

Like most of the others have said if you have a lot of experience with building saws and don't mind changing out parts they are fun to tinker with. If you are not as well versed on the above stick with an OEM saw and save up to get a reliable saw.

 

[Johnny2186]

I have a lot of saws and have owned a hell of a lot of saws. I have no need for these saws, just got a hankering to buy another saw and since I’ve started this post 3 more saws are sitting on my shop floor...so the hankering for these Chinese saws has left the building.