Considering a new Stihl chansaw

The thing none of these Stihl vs Husky or Tikka vs Remington threads talks about is after sales service...

Chainsaws need consumables. Talk to the people at your local Stihl and Husky dealers about servicing costs, costs for consumable items etc.

For me it was an easy choice. The guys at Stihl were like the sales people at Gun City - clueless. The guy who owns the Stihl franchise here is a shark, he would charge you full service cost just to look at a saw, long turnaround times, they don't like ordering parts if you want to fix it yourself etc. The Husky dealer is a completely different story.

I have a lime green $52 Chinese 52cc 20" bar saw which I bought off e bay brand new. I've used it alongside an ancient 55 cc Husky Rancher for 5 years, cutting trees for the home fires. Neither have I ever been let be down except for a nut stripping on the tensioner and a plug on the China. If the log is thicker I swap from the 18" Husky to the green one. It's a tad less powerful ( longer bar) but otherwise just as pleasant as the orange one. One thing you can do, in order to not loose face amongst your mates, is to rip a sticker off your KDX/KX etc and attach it to the green bastard. Fools them every time. Kawasaki..aye? Nice saw...

The other saw is a 12" Ozita 25cc. I'm on my 3rd one now. It's going stronger than it should and may exceed it's three year warranty...all for an original $110. Bargain!

Stihl has the reputation and that’s where a lot of the cash goes, I have used stihl but bought a husquvarna, it’s good, trick is to refil both the fuel and the lube every time you use it and to give it a minor sharpen too, swap the bar around every third time and it should last.

If you don’t look after them then they will be useless, make sure you learn how to sharpen them and you will be all good.

New auto tune carbs on stihls are shit
Stihl for torque husky for revs
Stihl head/barrel design is shit if you have to fix, husky is easy just a barrel
I have 2 old huskys one 20in the other 38in and one cheap one, cheap one has just shit it’s 2nd oil pump so not getting repaired
big one no match for a good 066 but not far behind

Long time daily user of stihl for the last 20 yrs,As others have said the newer stihls with auto tune are shit.We only have the pro stuff so no experience on the home owner stuff.I would look for a s/h 044,066,ms660 for the 18 ,20" bar you want to run.You get what you pay for and the chinese chainsaws are junk.

stihl man...always have been and always will be. bought 2nd biggest one and she is a demon on logs...absolute joy to use,cant wipe the smile off my face even when sawdust is flying in my eyes/ears/down shirt..... two of us were hoeing into logs the other month,both chucking saw dust at each other and both just giving it death...talk about fun. we cut 2 cord for 2 tanks of gas. Ive got 25 year old 025 and a 4 year old one with all the bells n whistles....the chain tighener isnt as good as it could be and seems to loosen easily. the soft start is mind blowingly simple to do...you can start saw with 2 fingers.
as for after sales service if you dont ask you wont get.....
my old saw still goes as good as a new one.
the start up is the same on all stihls and just works.... if it wont start,threaten to buy a husky and vice versa,works a treat

Here's my take on saws.
I have been using saws 5 days a week for 40 yrs.
I have owned most common brands.
I really rate the small shindaiwa the 352s inperticular as have been using them for years fencing.bomb proof and perform.
I had 3 big stihls stolen a couple of months ago and with the insurance thought long and hard about what to buy.
I had a couple of big bars for an 880 so that was a no brainer, got a minter for 2k of TM.
Decided not to get a 661 but got the 461 as my 460 that got stolen was my favorite saw and am not disappointed with the 461.
I then wanted a saw for the post driver for pointing and decided on the latest autotune 362.
Very impressed thus far as plenty of power and light to use.
I had enough left over to buy the latest stihl 200c battery saw and man I am impressed with that.
I did 7 stays with it and it still had half it's battery left.
Really convenient to use when doing rails as has a really fine chain for a nice finish.
I reckon husky and jonserd have gone backwards in their build and reliability and I have bought oleomac and never again.
I bought a $200 Chinese 50cc saw which I lend to my mates which actually goes not to bad.
I quite enjoyed restocking my stolen saw supply as that will last me till my 3 boys are fighting over the stihls as they are screwing the lid down!

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Thanks all. A lot of good points to consider. I am looking very hard at the STihl with the auto tensioner. I dont use it a hell of a lot but tensioning correctly (or incorrectly as the case may have been) has caused me issues previously. What got me thinking today thugh was this one https://www.topmaq.co.nz/shop/log-an...ainsaw-54-5cc/ at $149!!!!!!! I could buy two to use (use one till it runs out of fuel, use second one till it does same. refuel, sharpen adjust and repeat. ) and buy a third for parts as they start to wear out, and still be half the price of a decent one. Butthere in lies the rub. I should get the DECENT one to start with....

Next, what do the numbers / models mean? 066, MS271, MS291, etc...Is there good stihls and bad ones?

it's a Poulon Ed

The 562xp huski for sale here coud be worth considering its the professional model bit gruntier and better carb than the ordinary 562 if its local could be worth a looksie.

I have a Stihl 56 super for 34 yrs that I brought off a fire wood contractor who had cut half his foot off with it (filed the drags off) fuckwit. Still going strong, lost the air filter cap and can't find a replacement for it. Anyone? Also have a Husky with a 14in bar . I use both the saws for firewood/ fencing and jetties. Stihl starts better then the Husky which is 10yrs old. Both will see me out I think.

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

The 562xp huski for sale here coud be worth considering its the professional model bit gruntier and better carb than the ordinary 562 if its local could be worth a looksie.

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While it does look like a great deal, I am one who sort of needs the back up of a warranty....I am not really capable of fixing a lot myself. Maintenance I am good, but more than that I just dont have the knowledge or background. If it is still there when I have had a chance to see if I can get the bitza's going, then it will get a much closer look. Even if it is overkill for what I need.

My stihl ms250 I use for smaller firewood it came with a 2 year warranty . Using the right oils and service intervals extended it to 4 years. Auto tunes are a pain in both stihl an husky.
Echo are also a good cheaper saw worth having a look at

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Originally Posted by timattalon

Thanks all. A lot of good points to consider. I am looking very hard at the STihl with the auto tensioner. I dont use it a hell of a lot but tensioning correctly (or incorrectly as the case may have been) has caused me issues previously. What got me thinking today thugh was this one https://www.topmaq.co.nz/shop/log-an...ainsaw-54-5cc/ at $149!!!!!!! I could buy two to use (use one till it runs out of fuel, use second one till it does same. refuel, sharpen adjust and repeat. ) and buy a third for parts as they start to wear out, and still be half the price of a decent one. Butthere in lies the rub. I should get the DECENT one to start with....

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If if you're going to use it casually, just pay the $149. Remember that KTM stickers would match that one fine. My 'Kawasaki' one looks just the same and they have that easy start thing going for them to. Starts with a two finger pull.