I already bought my last Stihl 20 years ago. I wont call it a POS, but thats what it is. My Craftsman is more saw for 1/3 the price. If you arent buying a comercial grade Stihl you are overpaying. And if you do, you are overpaying.
Echo for me next time.
Originally Posted by Archerhunter
Quit giving in inch by inch then looking back to lament the mile behind ya and wonder how to preserve those few feet left in front of ya. They'll never stop until they're stopped. That's a fact.
They put their name on them though, so its a Stihl. And a POS. But yes, You could pay $1300 for a stihl thats a $600 saw and get great life out of it too.
Originally Posted by Archerhunter
Quit giving in inch by inch then looking back to lament the mile behind ya and wonder how to preserve those few feet left in front of ya. They'll never stop until they're stopped. That's a fact.
Husky chainsaws for me. I have 2 and they cut around 6 cords of red or white oak firewood each year. I do have a stihl limb trimmer, about 4 years old, and it's been great.
I wouldn't buy anything from Sthil not in their professional line of chainsaws. Echo weed eaters and consumer chainsaws beat Stihl's easily.
I own 5 Sthil chainsaws.
Yeah my brother just had to replace his Stihl Farm Boss after only 12 years and 120 cords of firewood. Cheap POS.
I know you're trying to be cute but you're just proving my point for me. My dad's 034 super is older than I am and will still run along side anything. My 260's are all at least 10 plus years old too and still going strong. Homeowner grade Stihls are a waste of money.
Yeah and the Farm Boss cost him 300 bucks. He could have bought two for the price of a 260. He has an outdoor wood furnace that heats a 3000 sq. ft. house through a NY winter and also heats his hot water. It burns year round so he needs 10 full cords a year. Certainly no homeowner is going to wear one out in a lifetime cutting a few limbs or clearing a few trails per year. How much wood do you think each of your 260's has cut so far and how many more years do you think they'll last ? The goobers here who repeatedly tell folks they need a pro grade saw for homeowner use are the ones giving bad advice. My Husky 455 rancher isn't a pro grade saw either. It's also ten years old and it still runs like a raped ape. I cut 4 full cords of firewood a year with it so that's 40 cords so far and it cost me 300 bucks. I figure it'll probably do another 40 cords and by that time I'll probably be too old and crippled up to cut firewood anymore if I'm still alive.
I'm guessing you have little saw experience.
Won't say I have, it would be misleading. But I have run saws for farmers I worked for, cut the firewood for a good size maple syrup operation. Run saws for folks, helping them with firewood, worked on several mills and logging. In my youth to early 20s.
When I wanted a firewood saw, it was a Husky 372. 72ccs of pro saw. Not just because it would last me 11 years, but power, weight, speed, vibration.... How much I love opening up a good saw and throwing a shower of big white chips. Boring right through a big chunk of wood.
Not, standing holding a vibrating noisy little thing for minutes, walking around and cutting the other side.
I've heated with firewood my whole life. Also worked for the village for 10 years where we had to cut and trim trees regularly. My dad had me and my brother cutting, splitting and stacking our winters suppy of wood from the time I was 12. Used a bunch of different saws over the years. How well a saw cuts depends a lot on bar length to power ratio, the type of chain and sharpness. I'm damn good at sharpening chain. My 455 throws a good rooster tail and goes through a hardwood log like a hot knife through butter. It doesn't seem to vibrate too bad to me or be too noisy but then I wear muffs when I cut wood. In short, I bet I've cut at least as much as most who aren't doing it professionally. No doubt the power to weight ratio is better in a pro saw but I'm a big old boy and can handle it.
Not saying you don't know how to run a saw. You've done a good bit. Of what you have done. Deep experience in a narrow pool.
Until you have spent days running a 70cc+ pro saw, you can't understand what you don't know. I was 13 running a McCullough 700 cutting up dump truck loads of firewood. 70 cc pro saw.
Dad bought an 800, 80cc, then picked up a Husky 2100. That's 100cc, could run a 60" bar. Biggest going then. With a 24 you could bury it, pulling against the dogs. With a sharp chain and the rakers filed. And it didn't stall.
Never liked that saw for anything but bucking big logs. Over 20# in the powerhead, plus a quart of oil, quart of gas, bar and chain.
You have absolutely no clue what cutting through hardwood like a "hot knife in butter" really means. Not running a 50cc consumer saw. DGAS how you file it.
Crockett, as a Husky guy, their smallest homeowner saws are even worse.
Literally Poulons with orange plastic. And nothing more than that.
I don't understand modern business and marketing. They take a well regarded brand, see the value in that, and use that hard earned, valuable reputation to sell substandard junk.
It's not logical.
Last edited by Dillonbuck; 08/28/23.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
I wouldn't buy anything from Sthil not in their professional line of chainsaws. Echo weed eaters and consumer chainsaws beat Stihl's easily.
I own 5 Sthil chainsaws.
Yeah my brother just had to replace his Stihl Farm Boss after only 12 years and 120 cords of firewood. Cheap POS.
I know you're trying to be cute but you're just proving my point for me. My dad's 034 super is older than I am and will still run along side anything. My 260's are all at least 10 plus years old too and still going strong. Homeowner grade Stihls are a waste of money.
Yeah and the Farm Boss cost him 300 bucks. He could have bought two for the price of a 260. He has an outdoor wood furnace that heats a 3000 sq. ft. house through a NY winter and also heats his hot water. It burns year round so he needs 10 full cords a year. Certainly no homeowner is going to wear one out in a lifetime cutting a few limbs or clearing a few trails per year. How much wood do you think each of your 260's has cut so far and how many more years do you think they'll last ? The goobers here who repeatedly tell folks they need a pro grade saw for homeowner use are the ones giving bad advice. My Husky 455 rancher isn't a pro grade saw either. It's also ten years old and it still runs like a raped ape. I cut 4 full cords of firewood a year with it so that's 40 cords so far and it cost me 300 bucks. I figure it'll probably do another 40 cords and by that time I'll probably be too old and crippled up to cut firewood anymore if I'm still alive.
I'm guessing you have little saw experience.
Won't say I have, it would be misleading. But I have run saws for farmers I worked for, cut the firewood for a good size maple syrup operation. Run saws for folks, helping them with firewood, worked on several mills and logging. In my youth to early 20s.
When I wanted a firewood saw, it was a Husky 372. 72ccs of pro saw. Not just because it would last me 11 years, but power, weight, speed, vibration.... How much I love opening up a good saw and throwing a shower of big white chips. Boring right through a big chunk of wood.
Not, standing holding a vibrating noisy little thing for minutes, walking around and cutting the other side.
I've heated with firewood my whole life. Also worked for the village for 10 years where we had to cut and trim trees regularly. My dad had me and my brother cutting, splitting and stacking our winters suppy of wood from the time I was 12. Used a bunch of different saws over the years. How well a saw cuts depends a lot on bar length to power ratio, the type of chain and sharpness. I'm damn good at sharpening chain. My 455 throws a good rooster tail and goes through a hardwood log like a hot knife through butter. It doesn't seem to vibrate too bad to me or be too noisy but then I wear muffs when I cut wood. In short, I bet I've cut at least as much as most who aren't doing it professionally. No doubt the power to weight ratio is better in a pro saw but I'm a big old boy and can handle it.
Not saying you don't know how to run a saw. You've done a good bit. Of what you have done. Deep experience in a narrow pool.
Until you have spent days running a 70cc+ pro saw, you can't understand what you don't know. I was 13 running a McCullough 700 cutting up dump truck loads of firewood. 70 cc pro saw.
Dad bought an 800, 80cc, then picked up a Husky 2100. That's 100cc, could run a 60" bar. Biggest going then. With a 24 you could bury it, pulling against the dogs. With a sharp chain and the rakers filed. And it didn't stall.
Never liked that saw for anything but bucking big logs. Over 20# in the powerhead, plus a quart of oil, quart of gas, bar and chain.
You have absolutely no clue what cutting through hardwood like a "hot knife in butter" really means. Not running a 50cc consumer saw. DGAS how you file it.
Crockett, as a Husky guy, their smallest homeowner saws are even worse.
Literally Poulons with orange plastic. And nothing more than that.
I don't understand modern business and marketing. They take a well regarded brand, see the value in that, and use that hard earned, valuable reputation to sell substandard junk.
It's not logical.
Actually it's a 55 cc saw and since most of the wood I cut is tops left after logging, I have no need for anything bigger. It seems to cut about as well as my old Stihl ms310 and I think that was 60cc. It goes through an 18"- 20" diameter log effortlessly in seconds. Most of the saws I've used, either at home or when working for the village were in that size range and though I've been around and seen what a big pro saw can do, I simply don't need one that big for what I do. Neither does any homeowner for cutting the occasional downed tree or clearing trails or shooting lanes unless they live in a redwood forest.
This is what is putting chainsaw companies out of business.
Commercial operations just aren't using many anymore.
Weekend warrior woodcutters that cut 4 cords of wood a year to feed a wood stove and occasionally cut up a tree that fell from their yard into their wives flower beds that buy one saw every 10 years don't add up to piddly, compared to commercial operations that run saws 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year.
"You cannot invade mainland America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass" ~Admiral Yamamoto~
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. ~Thomas Jefferson~
I am not sure what one in better, but I have a Stihl 034 that went into the shop for the second time since I bought it in March 1992.. The bill was $131. Then a Stihl 026 and I like it but not as much. Then A Stihl 441 and like it but it is fussy but goes like crazy. Then I bought an Echo 620P and is a heck of a saw, so much so that I bought an Echo 501P , and I like it. I have 5 saws and like all of them, but that old Stihl 034 will be hard to beat . My 026 is likely my least favorite though.
But the fruits of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, Gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5: 22&23
I'd be pro consumer if I hadn't spent a lot of time on pro saws.
They aren't all big either. Still 26/260/261 has been mentioned. 50ccish pro saw.
Husky 346, the fastest rear handle, 50cc pro saw.
It's other things not mentioned. Consumer saws come 2 ways, a plastic clamshell crankcase, light but not robust, an aluminum crankcase, strong but heavy.
Pro saws use magnesium. Light and strong.
The real sweet spot is in the "Tweeners".
Usually 50-65cc, magnesium case identical to a pro saw model in most ways. They are set up for lower performance (speed) but that gives them increased torque. They chug along, don't bog down, will pull out of a pinch better than a pro saw. The ideal firewood saw. $100-200 less than their big brothers.
In older Huskies, it was the 359 and 365. I'm searching for a decent 359 right now. For small stuff, they will run very close to almost anything. While being able to pull a 24" bar and cut biger stuff decently.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
I have two Stilhs. One 029 Farm Boss that has cut at least 60 cords of wood and a newer 041. Both have been awesome saws. Zero complaints. What I can't stand is their requirement to provide all of your contact info, name, emails, Phone #, address...in order to buy one. That's not just for the warranty but to buy one. You can't walk out the door with one without provided that information. It's literally more info. than buying a gun. F that. They don't need my personal info and I'm looking past Husky for the next buy.
I have two Stilhs. One 029 Farm Boss that has cut at least 60 cords of wood and a newer 041. Both have been awesome saws. Zero complaints. What I can't stand is their requirement to provide all of your contact info, name, emails, Phone #, address...in order to buy one. That's not just for the warranty but to buy one. You can't walk out the door with one without provided that information. It's literally more info. than buying a gun. F that. They don't need my personal info and I'm looking past Husky for the next buy.
I bought a Stihl a few months back at our local Co Op. They didn’t ask for anything but cash.
I have a little MS170 for limbing and trimming. Not a terrible saw but can be fussy to start if you run it, shut off to fuel, adjust chain and fill bar oil. Starts easy when still completely warm or cooled down.
Not sure but it seems they switched carbs about 12-15 years ago and that's when some of the saws got picky. Schitt fuel at the pump doesn't help either, may actually be most of the problem.
It's like everything, get a good one and it's a good one. Get something junk and it's always needing work, brand doesn't matter to a point.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
I have my dad's old small Stihl. It's a work horse. I have a bigger Stihl that I bought 5 or 6 years ago. It too is a work horse. I'll probably never need another chainsaw in my life time.
A 380 in my pocket is better than a 45 in my truck!
Violence may not be the best option... but it's still an option.
"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet." General James Mad Dog Mattis
I'd be pro consumer if I hadn't spent a lot of time on pro saws.
They aren't all big either. Still 26/260/261 has been mentioned. 50ccish pro saw.
Husky 346, the fastest rear handle, 50cc pro saw.
It's other things not mentioned. Consumer saws come 2 ways, a plastic clamshell crankcase, light but not robust, an aluminum crankcase, strong but heavy.
Pro saws use magnesium. Light and strong.
The real sweet spot is in the "Tweeners".
Usually 50-65cc, magnesium case identical to a pro saw model in most ways. They are set up for lower performance (speed) but that gives them increased torque. They chug along, don't bog down, will pull out of a pinch better than a pro saw. The ideal firewood saw. $100-200 less than their big brothers.
In older Huskies, it was the 359 and 365. I'm searching for a decent 359 right now. For small stuff, they will run very close to almost anything. While being able to pull a 24" bar and cut biger stuff decently.
I have two Stilhs. One 029 Farm Boss that has cut at least 60 cords of wood and a newer 041. Both have been awesome saws. Zero complaints. What I can't stand is their requirement to provide all of your contact info, name, emails, Phone #, address...in order to buy one. That's not just for the warranty but to buy one. You can't walk out the door with one without provided that information. It's literally more info. than buying a gun. F that. They don't need my personal info and I'm looking past Husky for the next buy.
According to my sources the 041 was discontinued in 1986 so you're a little behind the times I would say.
