346xp vs 260 pro

[HittinSteel]

I'm happy with my muffler modded 260. Sometimes I think I should have gone with the 346 after reading all the praise here, then I think nah the 260 is great, then I think I should have gotten the 346, then I think nah the 260 is great..........

 

[mountainlake]

What is the actual weight difference on a good scale, I think more than a couple of ounces. Steve

 

[nikocker]

I'm happy with my muffler modded 260. Sometimes I think I should have gone with the 346 after reading all the praise here, then I think nah the 260 is great, then I think I should have gotten the 346, then I think nah the 260 is great..........

Nice lookin' saw!

Al

 

[bigredd]

Both will get the job done. After comparing the two, I bought the 260 last year. My major concerns were reliability, durability and how it feels in-hand. Yea the 260 is a little slower than the 346xp, but has plenty of power for limbing and wood up to 20". Anything larger demands a bigger saw anyway.

If you get the 346xp, get the non-cat muffler. I would definately prefer a 260 over the 346xp e-tech.

 

[nmurph]

a 260 in 20" wood??? you must be a patient man......that is 7900 or 394 territory. heck i might even grab the 125 for a tree that size.

 

[Slamm]

a 260 in 20" wood??? you must be a patient man......that is 7900 or 394 territory. heck i might even grab the 125 for a tree that size.

Not if that is the only saw you want to carry on the back of your skidder all day.

As you can see by my sig, I have the saws. But it is not practical as a skidder man to carry a 660 around on the back of a skidder, when most cutting is just to get out of jams, standing on the skidder blade cutting blown over trees or clearing some brush, or knocking knots off of logs before a pull.

Is the 260 slower, sure, but we are talking 20-30 seconds on the biggest cuts, which don't happen but once or twice a day, after that it is easy to carry and use the rest of the day.

That being said, it will cut oak with a full bar pretty impressively for such a little saw in modded form, certainly pleasant enough that you aren't going to walk out of the woods to get a bigger saw, to make up the difference on a few cuts.

In modded form its probably pretty close to a stock 361, which nobody complains about with a 20" bar.

Sam

 

[Chaz1]

I have owned both primarily for firewood cutting. I ended up trading the 260 pro for the NE346xp basically on the recommendation of my dealer. I had experienced starting and idleing issues with the 260 on an all too often basis. I got frustrated especially for a saw that was only a couple of years old. Took it back to my dealer shaking my head and he talked to me about Husky's new 346. He actually let me take it out back and test run a 346. I was impressed with the ease of starting and the AV on the saw.Throttle response of the Husky was extremely impressive(especially for a saw on it's first tank!) I also loved the slanted handle as I tend to stand of to the side a bit when I cut. I just fit right. Got offered a good trade for the 260 so I pulled the trigger. Two of the mechanics were also right there and expressed their positive feedback as they both now own the 346. They couldn't rave enough about it.

They were all right. The husky is a far better saw when comparing the two side by side right out of the box. My only complaint is that it's a little tippy when sat down but you know what? At least I'm not having to grab the pull cord and start it again like I had to with the 260. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Now after listening to Brad I'm about ready to do that muffler mod and cut that baby loose!!!

 

[bigredd]

a 260 in 20" wood??? you must be a patient man......that is 7900 or 394 territory. heck i might even grab the 125 for a tree that size.

Yep, fell and bucked several 16-20" oaks with the 260 before getting the 372xp and it got the job done.....granted not as fast as the 372xp.

 

[2000ssm6]

260? 346? Have you checked out the 5100????:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[2000ssm6]

I don't know nothing about the little husky, is it better than the 260 when both are modded????

Sam

That's a big negative.

 

[SawTroll]

260? 346? Have you checked out the 5100????:hmm3grin2orange:

Profane language is against the rules!

 

[Slamm]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slamm
I don't know nothing about the little husky, is it better than the 260 when both are modded????

Sam

That's a big negative.

I take what you wrote as the modded 260 is better than a modded 346.

Is that how I was suppose to take that?

So for instance if I got a stock 346 right now, I would be disappointed, because I already have a good, modded 260. Then if I modded the 346 it wouldn't be that impressive or much different than the 260.

Correct me if I have taken what you wrote incorrectly,

Thanks,

Sam

 

[nmurph]

i think brad has already proven 200 wrong on this issue. he is a stihl head and he can't get an answer other than stihl out of his mouth.

 

[Slamm]

i think brad has already proven 200 wrong on this issue. he is a stihl head and he can't get an answer other than stihl out of his mouth.

LOL, I don't mind a little brand loyality, just not blindness, LOL.

I like Stihls too, but if a certain Husky model has better AV, Power or reliability, then I'm interested .......... not saying I'm going to buy it, but I am interested.

I was interested in a Husky 390 for that size saw it actually has AV qualities, unlike the 660, as I am susceptible to the vibration of the 660, but I ran one and it just buzzed and felt like the other Huskies that I had ran.

Like on this 260 vs 346 topic, if my modded 260 is 2 seconds slower than a modded 346, I don't care, there are a lot of other things I can do as a faller and skidder man to make up 2 seconds if I ever even notice it.

For me I have a pretty full line of Stihls so its not really practical to insert a Dolmar or Husky, as I know my Stihl dealers in several states, the saws are like gloves to me, I can run them blind folded and I don't use a saw as a hobby. If I run one, its to work typically.

As I have said, before, I am biased toward Stihl, because of the family and professionals that got me into a job/career that involved chainsaws I only know one Dolmar guy (homeowner at that), one logger that uses Husky exclusively, one Husky guy that uses a Husky every now and then .... mixed, and a Jonsered dealer that I'm friends with and he falls trees sometimes. Other than that everyone is Stihl without complaints, and mostly 460's and 660's.

I'm the new guy with the 361 and 441 and using a 260 as a light, handy skidder saw.

I'm brand loyal, but not blind or dumb about it,

Sam

 

[blsnelling]

I'd take a modded 346 over a modded 260 any day of the week. Here's a brand new one that's not even close to broken in yet. The compression came way up on mine after several tanks of fuel. This one here is still on its 2nd tank.


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[blsnelling]

Here's my personal saw that's fully broken in with a fair amount more compression. Medium load cuts are the same, but mine pulls a faster time under heavy load. Give this now one some time, and it'll be right there with mine.


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[nmurph]

slamm, you have a preference for a saw and that is cool. but for some, they are brand-blind.

 

[wigglesworth]

I can run them blind folded

Sam

got any vids?

 

[blsnelling]

slamm, you have a preference for a saw and that is cool. but for some, they are brand-blind.

11 brands in my collection. Stihl is my favorite, with the one exception of the 346.

 

[Slamm]

got any vids?

No, I did have one video where I was going to prove I could run them blindfolded, but all that you see in the video is me blindfolded walking around trying to find a tree to cut, its really long and boring.

As it turns out they pointed me toward the combined bean field and not the timber. I'll have to try a again, LOL.

Sam

blsnelling,

What is the compression of those modded 346's. I assume you have a modded 260 or similiar, whats is your take on their comparison in modded form. Apparently the 346 spanks the 260 in stock form.

Thanks,

Sam