Husky 385XP Feedback.

[ClimbinArbor]

Looking for a new big saw. anyone know about the 385? also feedback on the 55 and 455 would be nice, i heard on a thread somewhere that one was crud and the other great but cant remember which was which.

how do these saws compare to say a 660? i hate to leave stihl, but just found a GREAT deal on a good 385.

any help greatly appreciated.

:monkey:

 

[almondgt]

Looking for a new big saw. anyone know about the 385? also feedback on the 55 and 455 would be nice, i heard on a thread somewhere that one was crud and the other great but cant remember which was which.

how do these saws compare to say a 660? i hate to leave stihl, but just found a GREAT deal on a good 385.

any help greatly appreciated.

:monkey:

Friend has a 385xp 28" bar He loves it
I found it heavy but with the equipment he has on it no wonder! He traded his 372xp for it. I wonder if the 385xp has the EPA caps on the carburetor?
Husky 254xp 257 61 61 357xp
Jonsered 670c 670s 630 630 2050 2065

 

[ClimbinArbor]

this has a 33" and the price...... $550!!!

 

[Nailsbeats]

Don't sweat leaving stihl. I doubt you will regret it. They are good saws, but no better than Husky and not even as good in some classes. I recently left Husky for Stihl in some saw classes and have had a revalation. Stihl is no better than Husky. Husky has a far better air filtration system and Stihl has the inboard clutch. So it's a wash most of the time but can and will be debated to no end.

Here's my opinion, get a 395. In my opinion it outperforms the 660 and if you already have the weight of the 385 looking at you then you might as well have the power of the 395. Just an opinion.

As far as the tophandle saws, give me Stihl anyday. Husky is working on their tophandles but I dont think they are there yet.

I may be getting a 880 or 3120 for milling I don't know which yet. That's what really on my mind lately.

My point, do your homework and don't let the brand sway you cause there is good and bad in both.

 

[2FatGuys]

this has a 33" and the price...... $550!!!

Keep looking... I found a well maintained, lightly used, 394XP for just under $500. The 385 is a good saw, but the 394 is a monster...

 

[winchman]

385 Ok!

That is a good price on a 385.
Our shop owns a 3120, a 395, and a 385, as well as all the smaller numbers of xp grade. We also have a Stihl 88 and 650. Out of all of these powerhouses, the 385 is the saw I would pick up for most large trees. The power is great, and the weight/power ratio seems really high.
The 385 has a side-chain tensioner with really easy access. The 95 and 3120 have hard-to-get-to chain tensioners. I think this is a great concern, since you just have to throw one chain on these monster saws to ruin your day. We have a 32" bar with skip chain on the 385, and a 44" on the 395. These seem to be good size matches for both saws.
Of course, the 3120 will take regular chain on a 44" bar, but this saw hasn't seen any updates in years. It still has a manual oiler (in addition to the auto-oiler).
You have the good price, you will not be let down unless you buy a lemon.
Good luck.

 

[TDunk]

I have a 385 with a 24" bar on it. There a tried and true work horse, though a little heavy. It sounds like a good deal, but like mentioned above, i usually just go for my 395.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I have a 32 in on my 385 and love it for anything my 346x18 in cannot handle.

I also use the 385 with my Alaskan mill with a 36 in ripping chain.

As for cost, sometimes you can find big saws cheap in logging country, where the dealers touch them up after the logger gets 2 years on it, then trades in.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

I have a 32 in on my 385 and love it for anything my 346x18 in cannot handle.

I also use the 385 with my Alaskan mill with a 36 in ripping chain.

As for cost, sometimes you can find big saws cheap in logging country, where the dealers touch them up after the logger gets 2 years on it, then trades in.

i think this may be the case with the 385 nim looking at. it has west coast bars and dogs on it. only about 3 months old though. user has 100% good feedback, but MAN am i scared of getting a lemon........

so i think ive got it narrowed down to a 650 or a 385....... any further comparrison of these two saws would be greatly appreciated....

thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[pbtree]

385 is a good saw - if you were going new, I would say go with the 390. Same chassis, but with a bit more oomph....

 

[hornett224]

it is a nice saw and i'd say go for it at that price.

otherwise i can do pretty much everything with a 372.if not,i get out the 395.

i have a 385 in pieces that i bought seized for $100.gonna be a bit more to get it going again.not sure if it's worth it.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

well some joker beat me to the 385. I have two quite large silver maples on diff jobs to remove. one i would like to get done by saturday if i can.... there are a couple of 650s online for about $500 one looks to be in great condition, but once again im scared to death of getting a POS thru the mail. hoping to find a good big saw of just about any variety to get overnighted to me at this point lol. i could break down and get a new one but im still an upstart and have alot of things to buy......

 

[hornett224]

buy a new 372xp.

you won't regret it.otherwise i'd get a new 460.either way you can't go wrong. there is no feeling in the world like getting a brand new saw.

 

[SawTroll]

I wouldn't buy a 385xp or MS650 unless they were real bargains, as they both have more powerfull "sisters" with about the same weight.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

Love that new saw smell

well i broke down and went to the my local stihl place. Theres not alot of big wood around wichita so i got a new 361 with a 25" bar to tackle the two removals ive got coming up. still plan on getting a 650 later down the line for big wood but the 361 will do what i need now and still function as a medium sized limber. plus these guys always give me a good deal, you dont want to know what i paid for the longer bar and 2 full chisel chains lol.

thx to all for the feedback

 

[MR4WD]

I wouldn't buy a 385xp or MS650 unless they were real bargains, as they both have more powerfull "sisters" with about the same weight.

Technically, the 385/390 are the big sisters in the 365/372 line. 394/395 are different animals.

FWIW I like my 385 just fine as the next saw in my lineup is a 3120, which is a fuel sucking monster.

 

[Blakesmaster]

Congrats on the 361!

You're gonna love that saw. You will need a bigger one though, and a 385/390 is an excellent choice. I've a lot of hours on both and those saws are well ballanced, powerful, and basically indestructable.

 

[tree MDS]

I have a 385 and a 395, there is a weight difference I can tell you that, at 160 lbs I'll take the 385 up in a tree over the 395, much better. I run a 24" bar on the 385 and a 28" on the 395- unless its big stuff, then out comes the 36" bar from behind the seat. If I'm blocking down alot of big wood I'll put the 28" bar on the 385, just because its just that little bit lighter and it makes it alot easier.

I bought the 385 thinking it would replace the 288 I had - that saw has never held a candle to that 288, that saw ripped for like 8 years before it died.

My 372 just blew up this week, actually I just got back from the shop with a brand new one to replace it, I run a 20" on that saw, thats one of my favorite saws in a tree for takedowns.