# Stihl ms362 or Husqvarna 562xp???



## Baberuth 43 (Jul 17, 2013)

So I've been looking for a new saw for a while now, and I think I finally narrowed it down to these two saws. Now this is where it gets tricky... I have two Stihl stores in town and one Husky store, the first Stihl store has what seems like idiots working for them... while the other has donkeys... the Husqvarna place has very nice customer service, and I have no doubt will really fight for me in case something goes wrong with the saw. Now the next problem is I am not that sure in Husqvarna's auto-tune technology thats in the 562... Ive read a few bad reviews saying the saws have problems starting and then a couple that had theres completely burn up because the thing just went to lean on them. The Stihl seems like a nice saw, with really no noticeable down falls other than the dealers. I just want to hear yalls thoughts and opionions on what I should do, and over these saws themselves, like if the auto-tune is really anything to worry about after all or if yall have experienced any issues with them? Also the husky is about $70 more =/ but the good customer service I think makes up for it...


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## Hinerman (Jul 17, 2013)

opcorn:

Based on your opinion of the dealerships it is a no brainer. Husqy 562xp is your answer and I don't even own one. Service is more important to me than brand of saw, especially with autotune or M-tronic. Both are good saws.


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## rburg (Jul 17, 2013)

The 562 shouldn't have a cat in the exhaust. I would ask your dealer if they have the diagnostic tool for the auto tune technology. In the area I live in, auto tune has been very slow to be stocked and sold. Either saw model you are looking at would be a good choice.


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## Philip Wheelock (Jul 17, 2013)

The 562xp plus a superior dealership is an easy choice as long as the dealer knows how to fix the occasional ones that come through with carb or autotune issues. That's a reasonable discussion to have with the Husky dealer.


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## SawTroll (Jul 17, 2013)

By all means get the 562xp - there really isn't much comparison if you want a responsive and well handling saw!

As it looks to me, the complaints on the 562xp never had anything to do with the Autotune, and most "issues" could be tracked back to operator errors (people not reading the techical part of the manual).


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## bower4311 (Jul 17, 2013)

Everyone will say the 562 especially because of the dealer. Don't rule out a ported 50cc saw. A good chunk of us here seem to not use the 60cc saws as much once more saws start flowing in. A ported 50cc will be closely priced to a 60cc. But...it will void your warranty, unless you buy used which is also an option. I'm assuming a ported 50cc, even a 346 will outcut a stock 562. Then you could avoid the autotune if it's not that important to you.


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## SkippyKtm (Jul 17, 2013)

Husqvarna has the bugs worked out of their 562, a lot of the bad reviews stem from their earliest saws. I'd go with the 562, just make sure its a more recent build date so you'll to get all the revisions.


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## mtrees (Jul 17, 2013)

I have no experience with the 362. I do have experience with an 036 Pro. If it helps my 036 is gone and I replaced it with a 562 and love it.


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## apn73 (Jul 17, 2013)

I'm a Stihlhead, but I have to go along with the mainstream opinion on this one. The 562xp appears to be the better of the two saws, but that doesn't mean that the MS 362 is a bad saw, quite the contrary. This, and the fact that the Husky dealer is the better, makes it an easy choice. Hopefully the dealer is set up to take care of any issue that may come up with the auto-tune, but rememer that you have an amazing resource right here on this website. There are dealers and techs lurking around here almost constantly, and would probably be happy to help you if there's a problem.


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## sunfish (Jul 17, 2013)

*Get the 562xp!*

I've had mine a year and a half with no problems at all. Very Impressive Saw!!!


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## Tnshaker (Jul 17, 2013)

My brother has my 562xp that I got from terry land rum. That saw is unreal. Moody is porting a ms362 for me. I can't wait to run those side by side. I really think if will be interesting and fun to compare side by side ported.


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## justtools (Jul 17, 2013)

Is husqvarna still in business? After all them auto tune problems and Hard start issues. It appears they are running low on cash. We have numerous guys on here that keep bring their saws back to the Husky dealer and it still wont work right, Dealers do not appear to have the support of the Mother ship to correctly repair problem saws, I know the Husky is a little faster. Maybe a little better balanced and a little better liked by the AS community. But wouldnt you rather get a saw from a solid MFG. Number 1 in the world. Them Stihl saws Just run and work. Reliability is the key to life, I dont need my car to do 180MPH but I do need it to work as designed, Once you get to understand these truths and agree with them. Life will become simple. Buy the ms362 and be happy. It will spend more time cutting wood than being repaired. Now this in no way Suggests that all husky saws are problematic. I like husky Equipment. I just wish they wouldnt release something to the public to purchase without fully testing the product, I am sure at some point in the future these midsize Husky autotune models will be a great saw. Good luck with your saw purchase. If you go husky, rub your rabbits foot and pray for a good one. You Can most likely deal with more aggravation in your life c:msp_wink::msp_wink::msp_wink::msp_wink:


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## sunfish (Jul 17, 2013)

Some problems with the first release of 562s'. Very few reports of problems after that.

Now the 550xp is the one having some problems now. 

80% of these problems were owners not knowing how to operate them..

Big noise here when a new saw has problems. Hundreds of these things out there cutting wood without any problems...


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## joezilla11 (Jul 17, 2013)

562! I just got 1! I'm very impressed and its light and easy to handle


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## boxygen (Jul 17, 2013)

justtools said:


> Is husqvarna still in business? After all them auto tune problems and Hard start issues. It appears they are running low on cash. We have numerous guys on here that keep bring their saws back to the Husky dealer and it still wont work right, Dealers do not appear to have the support of the Mother ship to correctly repair problem saws, I know the Husky is a little faster. Maybe a little better balanced and a little better liked by the AS community. But wouldnt you rather get a saw from a solid MFG. Number 1 in the world. Them Stihl saws Just run and work. Reliability is the key to life, I dont need my car to do 180MPH but I do need it to work as designed, Once you get to understand these truths and agree with them. Life will become simple. Buy the ms362 and be happy. It will spend more time cutting wood than being repaired. Now this in no way Suggests that all husky saws are problematic. I like husky Equipment. I just wish they wouldnt release something to the public to purchase without fully testing the product, I am sure at some point in the future these midsize Husky autotune models will be a great saw. Good luck with your saw purchase. If you go husky, rub your rabbits foot and pray for a good one. You Can most likely deal with more aggravation in your life c:msp_wink::msp_wink::msp_wink::msp_wink:



:msp_scared::msp_confused::msp_unsure::msp_rolleyes:


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## Baberuth 43 (Jul 18, 2013)

Has anyone ran them both? How do they compare on speed and actual power? And do they have the same warranty time period or is one longer than the other?


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## M&Rtree (Jul 18, 2013)

I ran a 362 vs my 562. 562 Is faster and better balanced. My saw also started easier that day.


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## sunfish (Jul 18, 2013)

Baberuth 43 said:


> Has anyone ran them both? How do they compare on speed and actual power? And do they have the same warranty time period or is one longer than the other?



I've not run a ms362, but have run a couple different ms361s' (it predecessor) and hear they are close in power. The 562xp cuts noticeably faster, more grunt with bar buried, is lighter, smaller, smoother and better balanced. Now this is saying a lot because I really like the ms361.

Husqvarna just extended their warranty, but don't know how long. Never needed one.


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## mopar1rules (Jul 18, 2013)

justtools said:


> Is husqvarna still in business? After all them auto tune problems and Hard start issues. It appears they are running low on cash. We have numerous guys on here that keep bring their saws back to the Husky dealer and it still wont work right, Dealers do not appear to have the support of the Mother ship to correctly repair problem saws, I know the Husky is a little faster. Maybe a little better balanced and a little better liked by the AS community. But wouldnt you rather get a saw from a solid MFG. Number 1 in the world. Them Stihl saws Just run and work. Reliability is the key to life, I dont need my car to do 180MPH but I do need it to work as designed, Once you get to understand these truths and agree with them. Life will become simple. Buy the ms362 and be happy. It will spend more time cutting wood than being repaired. Now this in no way Suggests that all husky saws are problematic. I like husky Equipment. I just wish they wouldnt release something to the public to purchase without fully testing the product, I am sure at some point in the future these midsize Husky autotune models will be a great saw. Good luck with your saw purchase. If you go husky, rub your rabbits foot and pray for a good one. You Can most likely deal with more aggravation in your life c:msp_wink::msp_wink::msp_wink::msp_wink:



Agreed. I have owned 2 husky 346xp's and had nothing but problems with both of them. They spent more time in the shop than with the bars buried in wood. I have had zero problems with all of my stihls. Yeah the 346 cut equal to or faster than my 034 but the 034 is way more reliable and would always run when needed. My vote is dont buy the 362 or 562 but rather a 361 and have Mastermind port it.


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## sunfish (Jul 18, 2013)

mopar1rules said:


> Agreed. I have owned 2 husky 346xp's and had nothing but problems with both of them. They spent more time in the shop than with the bars buried in wood. I have had zero problems with all of my stihls. Yeah the 346 cut equal to or faster than my 034 but the 034 is way more reliable and would always run when needed. My vote is dont buy the 362 or 562 but rather a 361 and have Mastermind port it.



Odd that you have Two 346xp's with problems?

I've had one since first of 2001, put tons of hours on it and no problems except one set of clutch springs and a few fuel lines. Had my other 346 for 3 years and absolutely no problems.

Actually the only saw to give us any problems is my brothers pos Stihl ms290.


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## sunfish (Jul 18, 2013)

mopar1rules said:


> Agreed. I have owned 2 husky 346xp's and had nothing but problems with both of them. *They spent more time in the shop than with the bars buried in wood.* I have had zero problems with all of my stihls. Yeah the 346 cut equal to or faster than my 034 but the 034 is way more reliable and would always run when needed. My vote is dont buy the 362 or 562 but rather a 361 and have Mastermind port it.



Oh and you might want to find a different shop, just sayin. :msp_wink:


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## cre10 (Jul 18, 2013)

I would love to try a 562 out.


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## Philip Wheelock (Jul 18, 2013)

Baberuth 43 said:


> Has anyone ran them both? How do they compare on speed and actual power? And do they have the same warranty time period or is one longer than the other?



I've run both, although not at the same time to compare closely. Both started easily cold and warm, accelerated quickly and cut with excellent speed for their size. The MS362's spring AV felt a bit spongy compared to the rubber bushing AV that I'm used to. The 562xp impressed me as being a somewhat snappier runner. For consumers, warranties can be extended to 4 years and 2 years for the Husky and Stihl, respectively, if you buy cans of the specified fuel mix at the time of sale. In the real world, you can get a lot of work done efficiently with either one; for me, the choice would come down to the better dealer support.


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## mopar1rules (Jul 18, 2013)

sunfish said:


> Odd that you have Two 346xp's with problems?
> 
> I've had one since first of 2001, put tons of hours on it and no problems except one set of clutch springs and a few fuel lines. Had my other 346 for 3 years and absolutely no problems.
> 
> Actually the only saw to give us any problems is my brothers pos Stihl ms290.



The 290 isnt a pro grade saw but that is no excuse for it to give your bro trouble. But if you compare the home grade rancher huskies, those arent worth walking across the street for either. Now all my pro grade stihls I own have always ran and zero problems. And as for a different shop to have service my husky........well he is a AS member and is said to be great at huskies.


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## sunfish (Jul 18, 2013)

mopar1rules said:


> The 290 isnt a pro grade saw but that is no excuse for it to give your bro trouble. But if you compare the home grade rancher huskies, those arent worth walking across the street for either. Now all my pro grade stihls I own have always ran and zero problems. And as for a different shop to have service my husky........well he is a AS member and is said to be great at huskies.



Well if ya have a good shop and ya still can't keep two 346's running, something is very wrong. Ya just don't see any posts here of people having much trouble with that saw. Ones with trouble are usually fixed easy and back to work never to be heard from again... Just weird, that's all!


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## Baberuth 43 (Jul 19, 2013)

So does the 562 have a cat muffler? rburg in a earlier post said it didnt... but when i asked the dealer last week he said that it did? I do remember the 346 having one, along with some of there consumer grades with the green gas/oil caps....


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## SawTroll (Jul 19, 2013)

Baberuth 43 said:


> So does the 562 have a cat muffler? rburg in a earlier post said it didnt... but when i asked the dealer last week he said that it did? I do remember the 346 having one, along with some of there consumer grades with the green gas/oil caps....



It does *not* have a cat muffler! As it is a "strato" saw, it doesn't need it for EPA reasons.

Actually very few 346s had it, and it really was just an option - but it was more common for some time in the US, for EPA reasons.


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## origionalrebel (Jul 19, 2013)

how do these strato saws respond to porting since the builders have some porting time under their belts now? i've read some of the threads on strato porting but they were mostly old posts. i'm sure you builders have learned a lot about em since 2010.


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## Tnshaker (Jul 19, 2013)

I owned Terry Landrum's personal ported 562 and now my brother has it. In less than 20" wood it is the fastest saw I have used. The throttle response is unreal. A ported 562 is almost the holy grail. Awesome power to weight ratio. I think Terry and Mastermind both feel the Autotune and M-tronic saws respond as well as if not better than other saws.


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## SawTroll (Jul 19, 2013)

origionalrebel said:


> how do these strato saws respond to porting since the builders have some porting time under their belts now? i've read some of the threads on strato porting but they were mostly old posts. i'm sure you builders have learned a lot about em since 2010.



Not quite as well as the earlier quad transfer non-strato Huskys so far, from how I read the situation - but they surely respond well to it, in the right hands. opcorn:


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## ramonzor (Jul 19, 2013)

562 is just awsome


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## ramonzor (Jul 19, 2013)

562 is just awsome
i can tel you that


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## Baberuth 43 (Jul 20, 2013)

Well guys I've finally decided on one... after reading several forums on the 362 having problems with its filter even after Stihl updated it, it just made the decision that much easier, Im hoping to have the new saw around this time next week, thats if all goes as planned :msp_biggrin: thank ya'll for the imput it was really helpful


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## BloodOnTheIce (Jul 20, 2013)

2260 :wink2:


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## mopar1rules (Jul 22, 2013)

sunfish said:


> Well if ya have a good shop and ya still can't keep two 346's running, something is very wrong. Ya just don't see any posts here of people having much trouble with that saw. Ones with trouble are usually fixed easy and back to work never to be heard from again... Just weird, that's all!



I understand that you are hinting at my issues with my past 2 huskies being operator error, but it was not. This isn't my first go around with a chainsaw, or with a 2 stroke engine. As a matter of fact I have ported all of my stihl saws, atv, dirt bike, sleds, etc. The saw would always act lean and you could never get it to tune right with carb adjustments and since I dont work on huskies and have 5 other reliable stihls saws to use, and no real need for a 6th saw to begin with, seeing as I only help friends cut firewood as a hobby, I figured it would only make sense to dump the saw that gives me trouble. I simply haven't had the luck with that saw as I hoped to. Glad your huskies treat you well. This is simply a scenario where your friends ford truck gives him problems and yours simply hasn't had a hiccup yet in 175,000 miles. I'm simply going to continue to use stihls and nothing else. The original thread poster was looking for advice/votes on what others would choose between and I simply stated my experience and .02. I wasn't looking to generate any sort of heated discussion. At least in the end we all like chainsaws and the smell of premix. Lol.


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## mopar1rules (Jul 22, 2013)

The other thing I hated with that 346 was how it always tipped on its side, due to the shape of the bottom of the saw. No wonder why the chain covers on them saws get so scratched up, cause they always tip over when idling and vibrate around. Anyways, I gotta go eat now. I'm starving.


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## sunfish (Jul 22, 2013)

Mopar, I understand you don't like the 346. I am cool with that.


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## SawTroll (Jul 26, 2014)

BloodOnTheIce said:


> 2260 :wink2:



The 560xp does of course have a better handlebar angle than the 2260, but isn't as pretty. Both are lighter than the 562xp, about halv a pound, with the same engine etc....


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## Mastermind (Jul 26, 2014)

Holy dug up dead threads.....


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## SawTroll (Jul 26, 2014)

Not sure how that happened, but suspect another new post have been deleted, as I surely didn't go far back to dig up anything.....


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## Mastermind (Jul 26, 2014)

Some weird stuff is going on.......I keep getting notifications for threads with no new posts.


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## MustangMike (Jul 26, 2014)

Not sure what you heard about filter problems with the 362 C-M, but to my knowledge all those problems were with the non M-Tronic 362. The 362 C-M version has a completely different filter system, and I have not heard of any problems (nor have I had any).

Regarding feel and performance, they are both extremely close. You can see video of my 362 C-M and a 560 at the thread Summer Time NY GTG posted by Lootbug. The next saw that shows up is a Mastermind Ported 562 which, of course, is noticeably faster.

I lean to Stihl because that is what my other saws are and I can interchange bars. If you don't have any other saws, and the Husky dealer is better, give them the nod, but the 562 should not cost more than a 362 C-M (my dealer had them both the same price).

You may want to heft each saw for yourself before you make your decision, as no two people are the same and what feels better to you is all that counts. I think both company's are putting out a very reliable product at this point in time, and you will not be disappointed with either of these saws, they both have loyal fans on this site (The 562 has more partly because it has been available longer).

Any one who tells you that either of these saws is better than the other is, IMHO, blowing smoke.


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## CapitaineHaddoc (Jul 26, 2014)

Tnshaker said:


> I owned Terry Landrum's personal ported 562 and now my brother has it. In less than 20" wood it is the fastest saw I have used. The throttle response is unreal. A ported 562 is almost the holy grail. Awesome power to weight ratio. I think Terry and Mastermind both feel the Autotune and M-tronic saws respond as well as if not better than other saws.




Good to hear, i bought another 562 Terry build for himself, he don't have enough time to use it. The saw is in the plane. Can't wait to try that thing


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## CapitaineHaddoc (Jul 26, 2014)

Mastermind said:


> Some weird stuff is going on.......I keep getting notifications for threads with no new posts.



And i receive notfications on my phone about topics i never respond or choose to follow...that's pretty weird.


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## SawTroll (Jul 26, 2014)

CapitaineHaddoc said:


> And i receive notfications on my phone about topics i never respond or choose to follow...that's pretty weird.



Vbullertin was vastly superior to the current software here regarding function and options, even when you had to deactivate JavaScript to read or post. Vbulletin still works well on many other Internet forums - and the new software here makes the this site a lot less attractive than it used to be.

However, it still is the most attractive chainsaw related forum on the Internet. Malfunctions will always happen some times, with all the systems that are supposed to work together.


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