The endless debate - Husky or Stihl?? Why??

[raptor]

I'm too poor not to buy good equipment the first time around, so I'm gonna buy one premium chainsaw. I've narrowed it down to a Husky 55 rancher, or Stihl 260. The Stihl runs about $100 more than the Husky. Both appear to be excellent saws. Remember I'm only buying a chainsaw once in my lifetime. Which one? Why?

Thanks for your time, and thoughts..

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Raptor, I went through the same process as you and arrived at the same conclusion, they are both excellent saws. My impression is 1) chain saws are relatively simple machines that are dependent on their operator/owner for longivity. This was the statement from one of the largest dealers in both brands in Dallas, Texas and 2)the Stihl was significantly more expensive than the Husqvarna and if No. 1 is true, why pay a premium? I've owned and used the Husqvarna for some years and it is easy to start and use. Good luck on your decision.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

If you indend to by the best you should be looking at echo, one hell of a saw, certainly better than sthil. (thats my point of veiw)

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yup, but that Echo has one BIG problem. It runs so long on a tank of gas, you miss half of the beverage breaks.
At least that applys if they still build em the way they did 21 years ago.

 

[Boondox]

Terry -- You can't go wrong with either. Why not check out the features you want/need instead? Is the chain tensioner easy to reach on both models? Do you like the ergonomics equally? Do they start the same, i.e., does one have a compression release that makes it easier? Do you have a better feel for one dealer over the other?

I've used em both -- Husky for now -- and don't have a bad thing to say about either.

Pete

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I've had my Husky 55 for several years and it has performed flawlessly. I have the 18" bar and an extra chain. It has cut a mountain of hickory, oak, ash, cherry, elm, and a whole bunch of other "soft" hardwoods. Starts on the third pull - every time when cold. First pull if warm.

The Husky is not to fussy either. This fall I was helping the kids build their fort in the woods by cutting down some standing dead trees. With all the activity - kids, dog, wife, neighbor, I poured bar oil in the gas tank. Oops. I finished refueling with the pre-mixed fuel leaving the bar oil in the fuel tank. It was pretty cloudy for a while. No loss of power.

When I bought my saw, it came down to the dealer. The Stihl dealer was arrogant, no dealing - not even a free gallon of bar oil. "The price is on the tag." When I walked out, the saleman chortled to his co-worker "He'll be back." I wanted to buy a Stihl that day, but I didnt want to give that dealer my business.

Then I looked at Jonserd and Husky. The Jonserd is a good saw, a logger friend of mine has three. His big one sounds like a motorcycle. The Husky dealer is a local family owned and run hardware store. They service on site, and open until 5 pm on Saturdays! Like so many things - its the service after the sale that's important.

I would recommend either the Husky, the Stihl, or the Jonserd. In that order. Just my opinion.

 

[Steve_in_Ont]

I own a Stihl... Great saw. But if I has seen a Husky for $100 less, I'd have considered buying it... They're both good machines. Independent of the $s, if you're convinced that they are similar saws, I'd try to go with the one that is represented by the dealer that you like doing business with the most. If the dealers are the same... buy the less expensive one.

I do like that the Husky 55 has a bit more displacement (53.2 vs. 48.7), and a bit larger fuel tank (1.27 vs 1).

I really don't think that you can go wrong with either...

 

[poorboy]

Raptor, I may be wrong but I think that you are comparing a higher end stihl to a little lower end husky. According to others the 55 is a semipro model and the even # stihl are the professional line, or is that the 26 pro. Now I am getting confused. Any ways I used a 55 rancher for the past two years cutting heaps of firewood along with my 350 husky. Seems like a good saw especially for the money. If the dealers support are the same I would seriously would think about the stihl. I do love my second weedeater which is a stihl fs85. I seriously abused the first and it outlasted me. We would run it from daylight to dark only stopping to refuel. This was on the other farm which we would run a couple of miles of electric fence. When it finally slowed down we began using round up. Husky I think has an XP(I think that's the model) line That Is supposed to be good. All have horror stories so make sure abou the dealer support. I can't say that enough.

Patrick

 

[BigDave]

Raptor,

First, and foremost..DO NOT BUY A HUSKY FROM LOWES!!!! I purchased 4 Husky tools from a small local dealer, rather than from Lowes. The dealer was cheaper than Lowes everytime, plus you get a full tank of gas, an operational demo, and service if you every need it. As far as chainsaws, I own a ~12 yr old Husky 61 Rancher w/20" bar which I inherited from my father-in-law. I spent $0.29 on a replacement hose, and it runs great. Unfortunately it is pre-antikickback safety device, so I opted to get a new saw about a month ago. After two hours B.S.ing with the dealer, I ended up with two saws. A Husky 350 w/16" bar for limb trimming, and a 372XP w/24" bar for real cutting. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif My wife wasn't too happy, even after I told her thaty the 350 was for her. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Of course the 372 is my favorite, but I use the 350 more often. Enough about me.

If I remember right, the 355 Rancher is about $350, but for $50 more I would opt for the 348XP. The only drawback is a .325' chain instead of 3/8". This Husky model is probably more comparable to the Stihl. It does run up to 14,700rpm. If you are willing to go up to a 359, Husky has deal at participating dealers where you get a free case of oil and 25 feet of chain. You would need to buy the saw by 30 Nov. I don't know anything about Stihl, I just really like my local dealer, and he sells Husky.

 

[knucklehead]

Terry

I bought a Husky after looking at Stihl, Jonsereds, and Husky. I worked in a woodyard for a while with sawyers who abused them, and I always respected them (the saws). So I was prejudiced. I have friends who swear by Stihl (not AT them, as far as I know).

Why I replied is that one thing I did was to look at specs on saws and try to get the most power for the weight. With the Husky, I settled on the 357XP, even though my heart wanted the 372. Then I went in to a dealer, an older guy who primarily dealt with pros, and talked with him. I told him I was cutting 8-10 cord of firewood, and occasionally doing clearing work. I also told him I wanted a quality tool, but I didn't want to buy more than I needed. Then I started talking about some of the other models, like the Rancher and so forth. He listened, talked to me about features, and reccomended the 357. I'd never even thought about "features" on a saw - guess I just thought they were engines with a blade bolted on.

I've been out of the saw hunt for a while, but I'd go get an idea of the features and differences between model lines of the same make. Maybe Mr. TwoSaws can help with that, especially since he has one of each, so to speak. I'm jealous.