best brand Stihl, Jonsered or Husky?

smith2bj · March 13, 2009, 11:48:37 AM

What is the besr brand of saw and why? I go to different dealerships and the all say that their brand is the best and the others are junk. What are your thoughts.

Ed · March 13, 2009, 12:37:55 PM

It's not the brand of saw, it's the dealer that supports it.

Ed

timber tramp · March 13, 2009, 12:55:06 PM

Ed's got a valid point there. IMO they're all good brands, a little more info might be helpful. What size saw are you looking for? Intended use(s)?

TT

smith2bj · March 13, 2009, 02:53:06 PM

right now i am looking at a 2145 (10.8 lbs) but i need something light. i have been looking at the stihls but i am not sure if the midrange saws are at a good quality(ms 250)? and the guy at the jonsered store was telling me that my 361 was an ok saw and that the 2145 had more power and was better biult. i am not a motor guy so i am not sure what to think.

Rocky_J · March 13, 2009, 02:56:04 PM

Another nonsense thread. There's a thousand of these threads already and they answer nothing. :

isawlogs · March 13, 2009, 04:41:03 PM

If a Jonsred dealer was to tell me that a 2145 had more power and was btter built then a 361 I would walk out and never return . A dealer should have better knowledge and give better advice then that >:( .

To answer your question , there is no answer . Dealer servicce and representation is what will make it ... My advice to you would be to scratch the Jonsred dealer from your list .
The MS250 is a good little saw I have one here and it gets used quite a bit. I have a 2150 here also that is in need of a carb rebuild , It would run easily with a 246xp and the MS260 but are not in the same class or price range as the 250 .

If you are looking for light /not too expensive reliable little saw , the MS250 is all of that as far as I know .

Old_Hickory · March 13, 2009, 05:46:37 PM

a 346 xp will walk over over a 250 Stihl no contest the MS 260 is almost same as a 346

John Bartley · March 13, 2009, 05:56:43 PM

Jonsered and Husqvarna are owned by the same company. "Some" (not all) of their saws are the same saws with different colours. Just as with Stihl, the Jonsered/Husqvarna line of saws has some great models and some dogs. What will make the difference in your experience with any of these saws is whether or not you use them as they were designed to be used (size/power for the job), how well you maintain them, and how well your dealer supports them. Just as a side note....some of the lower end Jonsered/Husqvarna models are shared with Poulan (another in the company family), the colour being the only difference.

cheers

John

sbhooper · March 13, 2009, 07:24:44 PM

It is all about the dealer. I have two Huskys ( one is in the shop and he can't figure out the problem) and I just bought an MS361 Stihl. The Stihl is a great saw, but cuts no better than my Huskys. We have a real good Stihl dealer and the only people that work on Husqvarna saws within 50 miles are very unimpressive. I personally don't think there is a dimes worth of difference in the quality of the saws, but if you need them worked on, it can make you swear to never buy another one if you have bad dealer/shop support.

cheyenne · March 13, 2009, 08:01:18 PM

As everyone has said it's not about the saws they all are pretty much the same. But you must compare apples to apples. What you really need is a honest dealer who won't try and blow smoke up your woowoo..... :

....Cheyenne

wraylow · March 13, 2009, 09:59:02 PM

you may or may not be aware that stihl markets two grades of saws. The consummer or casual user grade - ms170 thru ms390 and the pro grade which is of better quality but also cost more. So it really depends on which saws you are comparing to others as to which is better.

By far the majority of the people in this area who do it for a living use STIHL but being a stihl dealer I may be a bit predjudice. The best saw in the world is worthless if you can't get it fixed when it breaks.( and it will)

barbender · March 15, 2009, 09:46:52 PM

Husky and jonsered both have pro and consumer lines too, you have to compare apples to apples. Is a husky 346xp (pro saw) a better performer than Stihl's 50cc consumer saw? Probably, but it's a lot better saw than husky's 50cc consumer saw too. Also, as others have said, unless you're a saw mechanic the local dealer support should be a big factor in your choice. A less than satisfactory experience with one of the local husky dealers would keep me from buying a husky again if I had to get it from them. Problem is they are the local stihl dealer too :( Husky let another dealer start up in the same town of 7000, I think maybe I wasn't the only one with the bad experiences at the other shop.

SwingOak · March 16, 2009, 09:20:30 PM

I'd also say there's not much difference between brands - I think it really depends on personal preference.

I have Stihl, Echo, and Husqvarna, and I like the Husqvarnas best. I just bought a new Husky the other day - a 338XPT. Great saw - it's seen a lot of use already. I need to get a bigger saw than the 262XP I have - I hate borrowing tools - and I'm leaning towards the 385XP up to the 395XP.

HuskyFan1977 · April 10, 2020, 08:04:02 PM

Quote from: smith2bj on March 13, 2009, 11:48:37 AM
What is the besr brand of saw and why? I go to different dealerships and the all say that their brand is the best and the others are junk. What are your thoughts.

I vote Husky, but i could be biased. Nothing against Stihls either though I think both have there pluses. IMO the Huskys are easier to work on (commercial grade versus commercial grade) but I own both and think they both are great saws. Echo I have never tried so cant comment on them...

HuskyFan1977 · April 10, 2020, 08:11:44 PM

Quote from: cheyenne on March 13, 2009, 08:01:18 PM
As everyone has said it's not about the saws they all are pretty much the same. But you must compare apples to apples. What you really need is a honest dealer who won't try and blow smoke up your woowoo..... :....Cheyenne

Couldn't have said that better myself! :laugh:

HuskyFan1977 · April 10, 2020, 09:27:16 PM

Quote from: Lurcherman on March 16, 2009, 09:20:30 PM
I'd also say there's not much difference between brands - I think it really depends on personal preference.

I have Stihl, Echo, and Husqvarna, and I like the Husqvarnas best. I just bought a new Husky the other day - a 338XPT. Great saw - it's seen a lot of use already. I need to get a bigger saw than the 262XP I have - I hate borrowing tools - and I'm leaning towards the 385XP up to the 395XP.

You could always build a Hutzl 372XP with a OEM carb and OEM coil, and get a 52mm Hyway pop up piston and popup cylinder. Heck you could make two or three for the price of the 395XP...

farmfromkansas · April 10, 2020, 09:43:39 PM

I like the MS250, because it is light and easy to start. Bought a new one years ago, and traded it for the same model last year. They may be phasing it out, had a good discount on a new one. That with the trade and I walked out with a new saw for 200. We have an excellent dealer, with a great mechanic. Guy charges 1$ per minute, and usually can fix your saw in 15 minutes. Unless serious.

thedoublejranch · April 11, 2020, 09:38:29 PM

Quote from: wraylow on March 13, 2009, 09:59:02 PM...By far the majority of the people in this area who do it for a living use STIHL...

Agreed, see what a majority of pro cutters use, that is a good indicator of the gold standard. I grew up in a logging town, it was Stihl.

ladylake · April 12, 2020, 05:21:30 AM

Keep in mind both Stihl and Husky make good saws and cheap saws with a lot of quality difference between the models. Steve

Evanguy · April 12, 2020, 05:43:45 AM

I was given a new stihl ms291 for my house warming gift, i now own 4 stihl saws and a trimmer. If i had been given a husky for my first saw, id now own 4 huskys. Really they are the same. They can last years or they can give you issues. There are different grades. Stihl actually has 3 grades so make sure they are the same class of saw

Real1shepherd · May 08, 2020, 01:32:15 AM

I logged on the rainy side of WA and Or.....it certainly wasn't any "Stihl" show then, but Husky. It was Stihl for awhile when I first started and then became a sea of orange saws.

Then the timber scale got smaller and things got weird with the EPA and with Forest Service compliance. Eventually I moved over to CO and it was a sea of orange there with Husky as well in the early 80's.

There is no real answer as been said.....except that if you buy a pro saw, they are generally built better and live longer than home owner and rancher saws.

Beware of box store saws unless you've done your homework. I've NEVER seen Stihl outrank Husky saws in a real production environment....that's fanciful fiction. You couldn't go wrong with either, but stay towards the pro saws as I said.

Kevin

sawguy21 · May 08, 2020, 11:35:01 AM

The original post is from 2009, things have changed. Husqvarns has dropped the line along with their low end box store brands. Huge volume but they were not profitable.

Real1shepherd · May 09, 2020, 10:08:01 AM

Yeah, I know it's an old post originally, but there are newer replies before mine. Jonsered has been dropped and morphed into Big Red....not a saw that that I'd ever own. Husqvarna still makes pro grade saws like the 395.

If you look at Husqvarna sales worldwide, the chainsaw division is but a small part. It was always that way, with their pro saws sales a smaller division yet. What they are famous for and what they make their money on are two different things. The Electrolux Group that owns Husqvarna is historically ruthless. We're lucky there are even Husqvarna chainsaws at all.

When Electrolux Group AB bought most of the Swedish chainsaw marques back in the late 70's, chainsaws were never the same again and the EPA further mucked up what chainsaws became.

Stihl got crazy with the 1/4 turn gas filler caps and presented forest fire fighters with caps that spayed gas at them while trying to refill. For awhile, no forest fire fighter would buy a Stihl saw. Stupidity in manufacture knows no bounds and continues to this day.

Kevin

longtime lurker · May 10, 2020, 09:18:19 AM

The original post might be 10 years old but yanno... People ask me the same question all the time 😂

My standard answer is it's a ford/Chevy debate... In some sizes I prefer Huski, in others Stihl. I only buy pro saws.

Serious question though: how important is dealer service.. And I ask this because I never really need it. I carry basic parts for my workhorses... filters, plugs, sprockets, needle bearings, clutch springs,t chain tensioner setups on my 395's, pretty much all the wear parts so use my dealer to get them but never need them in a hurry because I'm replacing my spare parts. I order bars half a dozen at a time and chain by the reel. I tune them myself. Aside from tree dropped on it repairs or wore it out and needs a rebuild maintenance... they never go to town.

And I've imported in the past so voided any warranty from the start and would dosdo again if the exchange rate made it hugely sensible. (Was a big saving on 395s back when the AUD was at $1.05 US) Buy 2 get a 461 for free!

I've never needed a warranty repair on a big brand pro level saw in my life.

So am I just lucky in that? Curious about others experience.

lxskllr · May 10, 2020, 09:41:51 AM

I had the coil go up in a Husky brushcutter, and it was covered by warranty. It wouldn't have been the biggest deal in the world if I had to handle it, but I shouldn't have had to handle it. Might be different if I had to play games to get stuff at a decent price like you have to do. You might still be ahead fixing it on your dime, but for me, the warranty/service has some value.