nmurph
ArboristSite.com Sponsor
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2007
- Messages
- 16,162
- Reaction score
- 7,168
i bought a near-new CL 361 last weekend, but i did not get to run it other than a cutting one blown-down in my yard and a few cookies. today i took it to the woods and bucked a good bit of 8-12" oak that has been down since last spring. i bought this saw bc of the favorable reviews. i have a 262 which is the saw which is getting the most run-time recently and i wanted to compare these two and see if i was missing something. both of these saws are legendary. i wanted to know if a 15 year old design could stand up to a current (well until very recently) design, or if i needed to retire the 262 to run-for-fun status.
bf i left i put both on the scales. both were wearing 20" bars with rsc. the stihl wears a rollamatic bar and the husky has a powermatch bar. both were fully gassed and oiled. the 361 was about 5 ounces lighter. i don't generally like to compare ready-to-cut weights, as PHO is the most equal, and is less effected by variables. i have weighed the 262 and it is about 13lbs, PHO. i did not weigh the 361, PHO, but i suspect some of the difference (or lack of) could be explained by the difference in bars. anywho, the difference is minor.
my first impression is that the 361 is very smooth. i was cutting with my brother and i handed him the 361first. he cut for a couple of hours and i used the 262. when we swapped, i could tell the difference in smoothness in the second cut. the funny thing was that my brother came over in about five minutes and handed my the 262 and said "make a cut." he then asked me what i thought? i told him what i thought about it being much smoother. he laughed and i told him i noticed the difference immediately. i am used to running 7900's and that is one smoooth saw, but i was really suprised how nice this saw felt. i can't imagine that the 362 can be much smoother. with a weight penalty and only a slight bump in power, i would have a tough time spending the extra $ for one.
one thing we both notice when trading back and forth is that the 262 seems to have an advantage in the power department when you lean on the saw. i took the 361 and buried it in the oak and leaned on it. it bogged immediately. i grabbed the 262 and repeated. the 262 did not slow nearly as much. i repeated this several times and the difference is there.
one other thing we both noticed was the difference in the exhaust note. the 262 is more rat-a-tat. the 361 is more of a buzzy sound. it really sounds wheezy. i plan to MM. i think i will open the muffler, remove the innards and put the extra deflector on. i suspect they would be very close if the 361 was MM. then again, the 262 is stock and would no doubt benefit from the same treatment.
we both also agreed that the 262 seemed more nimble. this may be a result of the out-board clutch. the 262 makes the 361 look more like the 441 when the two are side-by-side.
one other advantage the stihl has is the ease of changing a bar or chain. i forget how much simpler and quicker it is when you can string the chain on the bar, put it on the studs, slap the cover on, tighten the nuts and adjust the chain.
the bottom line is that they are both very nice saws with close performance. the 262 is a little faster and more nimble. the 361 is definitely smoother. either is a fine saw. i will probably continue to favor the 262, but if i were running it as a daily job, i might favor the smothness and weight advantage of the 361.
bf i left i put both on the scales. both were wearing 20" bars with rsc. the stihl wears a rollamatic bar and the husky has a powermatch bar. both were fully gassed and oiled. the 361 was about 5 ounces lighter. i don't generally like to compare ready-to-cut weights, as PHO is the most equal, and is less effected by variables. i have weighed the 262 and it is about 13lbs, PHO. i did not weigh the 361, PHO, but i suspect some of the difference (or lack of) could be explained by the difference in bars. anywho, the difference is minor.
my first impression is that the 361 is very smooth. i was cutting with my brother and i handed him the 361first. he cut for a couple of hours and i used the 262. when we swapped, i could tell the difference in smoothness in the second cut. the funny thing was that my brother came over in about five minutes and handed my the 262 and said "make a cut." he then asked me what i thought? i told him what i thought about it being much smoother. he laughed and i told him i noticed the difference immediately. i am used to running 7900's and that is one smoooth saw, but i was really suprised how nice this saw felt. i can't imagine that the 362 can be much smoother. with a weight penalty and only a slight bump in power, i would have a tough time spending the extra $ for one.
one thing we both notice when trading back and forth is that the 262 seems to have an advantage in the power department when you lean on the saw. i took the 361 and buried it in the oak and leaned on it. it bogged immediately. i grabbed the 262 and repeated. the 262 did not slow nearly as much. i repeated this several times and the difference is there.
one other thing we both noticed was the difference in the exhaust note. the 262 is more rat-a-tat. the 361 is more of a buzzy sound. it really sounds wheezy. i plan to MM. i think i will open the muffler, remove the innards and put the extra deflector on. i suspect they would be very close if the 361 was MM. then again, the 262 is stock and would no doubt benefit from the same treatment.
we both also agreed that the 262 seemed more nimble. this may be a result of the out-board clutch. the 262 makes the 361 look more like the 441 when the two are side-by-side.
one other advantage the stihl has is the ease of changing a bar or chain. i forget how much simpler and quicker it is when you can string the chain on the bar, put it on the studs, slap the cover on, tighten the nuts and adjust the chain.
the bottom line is that they are both very nice saws with close performance. the 262 is a little faster and more nimble. the 361 is definitely smoother. either is a fine saw. i will probably continue to favor the 262, but if i were running it as a daily job, i might favor the smothness and weight advantage of the 361.
