Looking for a lighter weight saw

[D._Frederick]

I have found out that my 372 is a little heavy for cutting up sapplings. I stopped in at the lawn care dealer were I bought my Shindaiwa trimmer, they had a demo Shin model 488 chain saw for a little under $400. 

Was wondering how this saw compares to the Husq. 346 or to the Stihl 026. They had a non- pro 026 there and I could not see any difference in weight or handling between the two.

Was wondering how these saw compare for chain speed and power since they are about the same size?

[SawTroll]

The 488 didn't do very well  : in this so-called test report, putting out only 2.1 kW, opposed to the adverticed 2.6........

The report could hardly be called unbiased, but I don't believe the dyno results are bogus.

[Rocky_J]

If you're otherwise happy with the Husqvarna then why not look at the 346XP or 353? The 353 is the same professional grade saw as the 346XP with a different piston and cylinder. The 353 is supposed to be a little less 'peaky' in the powerband although I've never had any issues with the two 346XP's I own.

Be aware that you probably won't find these models in Lowe's. You will need a real Husky dealer. Lowe's has the cheaper homeowner models.

[sawguy21]

The 488 is a fine saw although the design is a little dated. The toggle switch is hard to use with gloves on. My beef with the MS260 and Stihl's other pro saws is the gap between the air filter cover and the shroud. Tends to pack up with snow. Otherwise, they are very good saws, the MS260 is very popular for your application.

[SawTroll]

This tread "died" prematurely, I think.

Just do as Rocky said - get the 346xp or 353.

The Dolmar 5100S is probably also a very good option, provided dealer support is not a problem.

The MS 260 is really a quite dated design, with vibration and air filtration issues (- but I have to admit that I like it anyway).... 8)

[sawguy21]

The 346XP is pricey here for an occasional use saw and we see little market for a pro model under 60cc so few dealers stock it. The 353 is very popular with the weekend warriors but since I no longer sell Husky, I can only bleed orange and white. The boss does not know about the 345 ;D

[johnjbc]

Just read the test results that Saw Troll linked us to and the Dolmar sure looks good. Anyone ever seen a test that compared home owner saws to professional saws?

[timberjack240]

ya you think a 372 is to heavy for trimmin sapplins you should try a 288  ;D pap was complain  cause he had all theses saplins to cut for the game commission . i though ahh it cant be that bad and plus i wanted to cut down. spent an afternoon with my 88 , my arms hurt that bad i could hardly move em  it made the ol 240 and boucin across the rocks look pretty good  ;D

[snowshoveler]

we sell the shindaiwa and the husky as well a the redmax.
they all have there place.
in the 488 class you also have the 346 husky which is in my opinion far ahead of anything else out there.
out of the box it will make a lot of larger saws look bad.
however its more saw than many people really need and it aint cheap either.
we sell very few of them because of the price,the 353 is a very nice alternative ,bit less rpm but nice saw.
the 488 is bullet proof ,its an old design but they got it right and stuck with it.
runs about 500 less rpm than the 346 but it will live a very long time .
has a 2 ring piston and a bit better crank bearing in my opinion.
older models had a crappy iginition and it was costly to repair.
the new iginition has a lifetime warranty and thats good for the customer.
the redmax 5000 has an rpm in excess of 15500, we try to bring them back to 15000 but they live at over 15000so what to do.
they had some oil pump issues and made it right with our customers but they have some carb issues now and thats gonna take a while to get the fix in.
like i said the husky works well out of the box.
as far as horsepower goes . the husky will always come out ahead when new .
because they break in within a few tanks of gas ,1 ring piston will just do that.
a 2 ring piston seems to take 10 or more tanks of fuel before they break in.
we tell our customers that we would like to see the saw when they notice a difference in it. we always offer the setup after breakin at no charge. some times they dont come back for more than a year.
we dont have a problem with this because tey always make another purchace of some sort and we get to check out the saw and make any necessary adjustments .
the smallest husky with the 2 ring piston is the 372.
i bought one 4 years ago to cut up my 6 cord of firewood a year ,needless to say its a bit new still.
chris

[alderman]

I picked up an almost new 488 for $240.00 off e-bay.  When I got it it looked like it had never been in wood.  I've run it for about a year and am happy with the performance so far.  I recently picked up a Shindaiwa 360 with 16 inch bar and after running it for a month it is the first one out of the shed for the smaller stuff.  It is definately more user friendly than the 488 for sapling type work.  One drawback with this saw is the single stud holding the clutch cover.  The 377 with 2 studs might hold up better with constant use.  If you go with the 488 you should be able to beat that price if you look around.

[ehp]

if price is anything I would go with the 5100 dolmar cause they are cheaper up here by alot over the 346 , the 346 is a real nice saw and so is the 5100 but out of the box the 5100 is stronger in power and get the 5100 using 3/8's chain

[alderman]

If I was just going to be cutting saplings, I would be more interested in reliability than power.

[Max sawdust]

If you like Husky you can get a Husky 346XP online at Norwalks power equipment is $399 with a 16inch bar and 3 chains.  Chains are good pro grade 95VP's.

In my opinion if you get this saw you will find it hard stop using it ;D 
Max

[bcraw98]

I recently bought a Dolmar 5100S with 18" bar and 3/8 chain and I really like it. I paid $369 for it at a shop in Hugo, OK. I've cut about 6 or 7 cords of firewood with it so far along with felling and absolutely no complaints.

[hydro2]

I have a 353 and love it!