husky vs stihl

[foodforests]

Okay, so this is probably a well worn topic, but I gotta ask, what is the qualitative difference between Stihl and Husqvarna?
I used to own a small Stihl, the MS250 I think, which I used for getting firewood, and building fences. It was a great little saw. Got ripped off out of the back of my truck while it was parked at home one night.
So, now, I am getting into "Arboriculture" type work, and I am not that keen on lugging the stopgap Poulan I have been using around to impress my new colleagues so have been thinking about getting a better quality saw and a somewhat more powerful one. Main use for now would be bucking up brush and smaller stuff on the ground.
I have asked several guys which way they think I should go, and they all say Husky. When I ask them why, they can't really give me any reasons, just hype like, "Well, back in the day, Stihl used to be the number one, yeah, but nowadays Husky have got 'em beat.". When I probe further, I don't get anything more specific and then the subject is changed. It does seem like Husky is just the cool brand at the moment. Only advantage I can really see is that you can pick up a chain at just about any hardware store whereas the Stihls you gotta go to a specialty dealer.
I want the most power for the least weight, and something in the 16" - 20" range. What should I get?

 

[sawn_penn]

Something around the 60cc mark plus or minus a bit.

Both brands are good. There are other OK brands too, Echo, Jonsered, Shindaiwa, ...

The pro models give you better power to weight. They are also designed to run for a longer life. They also cost quite a bit more.

If you cut a lot get a pro saw. If you only cut occasionally and don't want to get laughed at, get a lighter duty Stihl/Husky.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

You need to get the brand that will offer you better dealer support. You're in Maui, so that would be a serious issue. I live (and can't wait to retire to) Kodiak, AK. So I know about island life, and the value of a dealer that can help you. Don't rely simply on mail order purchases to get you through it. It's nice to have a brick and mortar dealer to talk to.

Brand preferences are also regional. Here, Stihl is king. No doubt about it. You see Huskys, but you see Stihl 5 to 1 here. Fortunately, I was a Stihl guy before I got stationed here, so I fit right in, and my dealer is great.

Either is a fine saw. Some (like me) like Stihl because they're still privately owned and how they're ran, every model is true Stihl, and not a rebadged Poulan, like some Huskys are. Some like Husky because you can mail order parts and entire saws. Husky anti vibe and filtration is generally considered a bit better than Stihl's, but Stihl's new offerings are promising in that arena. And then it also comes down to "feel." I like Sithl's feel in my hands. Always have. I like the way they're put together.

I say check your dealers and which ever one deals the best with you and offers the best service and advice is the one to go with. But if all your friends have Husky's...

Welcome to AS.

Jeff

 

[sawn_penn]

I definitely agree. Do some investigation and find a good dealer in your area. Tell them what you want. Listen to what they say.

Koa Man on this site is in Hawaii somewhere... He'd probably have a handle on good dealers in your area.

Maui is a nice place. I was only there for a week, but I'd love to go back.

 

[oldsaw]

I vote the dealer support path too, especially if you make a living with it. Parts and service become critical, and mail order isn't going to cut it.

Mark

 

[Freakingstang]

Dealer support is a big thing. You can't replace parts without the dealer support...

Don't rule out Dolmar either. They make great saws. I love my 5100S. It is lightweight and one of the most powerful 50cc saws ever made. I run a 16" on it, but the 18" bar works well on it too.

Husky and Jonsered are the basically same saw, but have minor differences in the color of the plastic and the handle bar is angled differantly. They have air injection on the Huskys and Turbo on the Jreds. It uses centrifugal force to remove most of the dirt before it reaches the air filter. This means longer air filter intervals before cleanings. Most of them are high revers and make their peak power higher up in the RPM range.

Stihls are good saws too. They are more torquey for the same cc as the Husky and seem to make their peak power a little lower than the Huskys. They also seem to be a tad lighter in the same cc class than the Huskys. The one thing I don't like about the Stihls is the constant need to clean the air filter. I got spoiled buy running husky's all my life. lol

What ever you pick, you will probably be making a good choice as long as there is a supporting dealer in your area. I would go to them and check out models before you buy anything. Picked them up and feel them in your hands. That is one of the best ways to determine what you like. Some dealers have demo saws they will lend you if you are serious about buyin one.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.


-Steve

 

[danrclem]

I don't think you could go wrong with either. I bought a Husqvarna because it was cheaper and is still considered a good saw. Just pick out a saw that will fit the job.

Danny

 

[geofore]

which saw??

Go for the one with the best hats. Stihl if you like the Timbersports hats and then Husky if you're into NASCAR. I'd go with the one that had the best hat.:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
Why it was just last week I bought my son a new set of spikes at Bashlin, they have great blaze orange hats with camo design so you just disappear in the trees. Afterwards we went to Vermeer to get him a saddle and grabbed up a couple of nice Vermeer hats. I'm not saying Bashlins saddles were not good but then we'd have missed out on the Vermeer hats. So go with the ones with the best hats and look like a walking advertisement. Don't just go for for the best dealer support go for the dealer that will give you the free hats with your purchase. :biggrinbounce2:

 

[coveredinsap]

Stihl is normally promoted as the inventor of the modern chainsaw, although that point is certainly open for debate. At one time they were known for making decent chainsaws, although more and more lately they seem to be living off of past reputation. Nowdays Stihl chainsaws appear to be little more than rebadged Viking equipment.

http://www.viking-garden.com/

Husqvarna is also one of the forerunners of small engine manufacture, starting out at the beginning of the 1900's making motorcycles. In the 60's and 70's Husqvarna dirt bikes virtually dominated the industry. Husqvarna AB is a company based in Huskvarna, Sweden that produces power lawn equipment and chainsaws under the brands Husqvarna, Jonsered and Partner. The company is owned by the conglomerate Electrolux. Stihl fans like to 'dis' Husqvarna saws by claiming that they are rebadged Poulans (another company owned by Electrolux), which is patently false.

Ironically though ...Poulan, (along with McCulloch and Stihl) was one of the leading manufacturers of quality chainsaws early on starting in the 1940's. Also ironically, all three manufacturers have gone downhill since then.

All kidding aside, and before all the Stihl owners get their panties in a bunch....to be fair, you can't really go wrong with either a Stihl or a Husky chainsaw. It pretty much boils down to personal preference. And neither can you go wrong with some other brands of chainsaws such as Dolmar, Jonsered, Echo, Shindawa, and a few others.

 

[Freakingstang]

actaully Dolmar invented the first chainsaw.....

 

[lovetheoutdoors]

Dealer support helps out alot....If you have the extra money buying a stihl or husky (both good saws) buy a professional model. It is well worth it in my book. Also jonsered and solo and dolmar and even echo are all good saws.

 

[Monkeyhanger]

Husqvarna is also one of the forerunners of small engine manufacture, starting out at the beginning of the 1900's making motorcycles. In the 60's and 70's Husqvarna dirt bikes virtually dominated the industry. Husqvarna AB is a company based in Huskvarna, Sweden that produces power lawn equipment and chainsaws under the brands Husqvarna, Jonsered and Partner.

Interestingly the Husqvarna "symbol" is shows the view you get when you're standing at the wrong end of a musket....

The company started out making muskets in 1689!!! Quite an interesting company history, it's well worth taking a look at their history on the Husky corporate site.

Bye

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Nowdays Stihl chainsaws appear to be little more than rebadged Viking equipment.

I think you got that backwards. On the website is says Viking is part of the Stihl group, not the other way around. The Vikings may be rebadged Stihls, and I couldn't find any Viking chainsaws.

And I'd beg to differ that Stihl is living off of past reputation. The 200T and 361 seem to be making reputations on their own just fine...

 

[Marco]

Husqvarna built some nice 1896 Mausers and Laihti pistols in the day too. If you had a 250 and liked it, get a 260 Stihl. Funny thing, a guy just braught me the money for a 330 Poulan Pro today after his MS250 took a dump. Some Poulans are garbage out others are quite decent.

 

[wesleybucky]

Hey island neighbor!
Just my opinion, if you are going to be cutting all day don't get the shindaiwa their air filter gets clogged really easily on their small saws.
I've used a Husky, Stihl and Shindaiwa all in one day switching out when they ran out of fuel it was always the Shindaiwa that needed a serious cleaning, I was cutting Kiawe wood. Too bad because we have good Shindaiwa support here in the islands. You might try calling Aloha Power Equipment on Oahu and see what they have to offer....
Do you know of anyone distributing Kiawe wood there on Maui????
Shaka, Bucky

 

[THALL10326]

Stihl is normally promoted as the inventor of the modern chainsaw, although that point is certainly open for debate. At one time they were known for making decent chainsaws, although more and more lately they seem to be living off of past reputation. Nowdays Stihl chainsaws appear to be little more than rebadged Viking equipment.

http://www.viking-garden.com/

Husqvarna is also one of the forerunners of small engine manufacture, starting out at the beginning of the 1900's making motorcycles. In the 60's and 70's Husqvarna dirt bikes virtually dominated the industry. Husqvarna AB is a company based in Huskvarna, Sweden that produces power lawn equipment and chainsaws under the brands Husqvarna, Jonsered and Partner. The company is owned by the conglomerate Electrolux. Stihl fans like to 'dis' Husqvarna saws by claiming that they are rebadged Poulans (another company owned by Electrolux), which is patently false.

Ironically though ...Poulan, (along with McCulloch and Stihl) was one of the leading manufacturers of quality chainsaws early on starting in the 1940's. Also ironically, all three manufacturers have gone downhill since then.

All kidding aside, and before all the Stihl owners get their panties in a bunch....to be fair, you can't really go wrong with either a Stihl or a Husky chainsaw. It pretty much boils down to personal preference. And neither can you go wrong with some other brands of chainsaws such as Dolmar, Jonsered, Echo, Shindawa, and a few others.

Sap how ya doing ole buddy. I see ya still got that good sense of humor. Viking is a lawn mower/garden equipment company in Europe owned, or should say bought by Stihl. They don't bother to even try to sell Viking overhere due to price. As for going downhill its really quite the oppisite ole feller. If being No.1 in the world in saw sales for 34 years in a row is going downhill then its going be one helluva long ride down isn't it,lol. I mean lets face it Sap, Elux has Husky, Poulan, J'red, McCulloch, lord knows how many others in sheeps clothing and yet one ole saw, Stihl, still continues to spank their hiny year after year after year in sales. So as for personal perferance as you say the perferred brand is what Sap? As for rebadging Sap can you explain why small Poulans and the small Huskies use the exact same parts?? Now dont get ya panties all twisted up, not knocking either one, just saying they are the same saw with a different clothing. Not the way the way to make a great reputation is it. Stihl gets the credit for the modern chainsaw Sap because he has over 600 patents pertaining to the modern saw you use today, go figure............

 

[spike60]

Well, it appears that the sapsucker has decided to cast himself in the roll of professor of saw history for AS. While he attempts to write with an authorative flair, his post unfortunately follows his usual pattern of being filled with errors, yet void of facts.

He attempts to support his erroneous conclusions with one of his silly links. But as THALL points out, this is, like most of sap's points, incorrect.

And yes sappy, some Husky's are indeed based on Poulan. And I am a Husky dealer, so I know. The 137 and 142 models, while not simply being rebadged, are essentially poulans. A comparison of key part numbers will prove this fact.

You see sap, that is what is called "discovery" in the legal profession. Finding out the facts before you open your big mouth in court or in this case, posting on AS, and continuing to make a fool out of yourself.

But you never seem to have the time to trouble yourself with gathering facts, do you? You are still too busy fighting your rear guard action against dealers in general, and Stihl in particular, because of your life altering experience with your cracked MS390.

Have you considered therapy?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Wow, couple of good posts there in succession...

 

[GASoline71]

Here we go....opcorn:

Gary

 

[coveredinsap]

LOL! That's funny. On my 137 it says on the metal tag "Parts made in Sweden", "Assembled in USA".

Companies sharing parts design across product lines is simply economy of scale. Car manufacturers have been doing it for years, for example.

I'm sure Stihl does it across model lines. Does sharing parts make a 'pro' saw a 'homeowner' saw simply because they may share some part designs?

You guys really need to get out more.

By the way...McCulloch is not owned by Electrolux.

"In October 1999, McCulloch's North American operation was purchased by Jenn Feng Industrial Co., Ltd, a Taiwan based manufacturer. A new headquarters/distribution facility, located in Tucson, was also acquired and the company moved in November 1999."
http://www.mccullochpower.com/ebpage.asp?page=history

Oops! I gues you got that 'fact' wrong too, eh? Discover that.