This is cross posted, as I know between the flat and round side of
woodworking there is a quite a large population that use chainsaws.

I am looking at buying the Husky 460 with a 24" bar for general use
and to use in some of my woodworking endeavors. I want to use it to
harvest some wood for different small projects, but also for bowl
blanks as well as firewood.

In the past I have owned McCullough, Poulan, Echo, and Homelite.
There were OK for what they were (light homeowner saws), but I want
something that is heavier duty and more dependable. I need something
with larger capacity (don't need the 36" bar) and good power. After
using a pro Stihl for a day, you really notice the difference in the
equipment if you are used to one of the above offenders.

Around the house it is hard to beat a good electric, but I may be
coming onto a good deal of mesquite in the future as well as some nice
oak and ash. The electric won't fill the bill for some heavy duty log
sawing I have in mind as the logs I will be cutting are anywhere from
18" to 36" across, and there are a bunch of them. And if things go
well with my harvesting efforts I may be cutting bowl blanks to trade
or sell from time to time in the future, so I will be using the saw
pretty hard, off and on.

I can get this saw to the door for about $410 with three chains and a
bar scabbard. Before the posts start about getting a Stihl,

I'd love to

BUT the same setup would cost me almost double. Yep... double. I
thought I was going to choke to death on that one. You cannot buy
Stihl over the internet (only a private seller such as Ebay has) as
they are protecting their dealers and in fact protecting their price.
Northwestern Power Equipement sells both brands and they were the ones
that gave me the price comparison, but then told me they couldn't ship
the similar Stihl model. They were actually prohibited from selling
certain parts that are shipped as well. I am sure that there are
dealers that will, but a quick phone call to my local Stihl dealer
revealed the same story. No shipping of saws or certain parts.

I am used to repairing my tools, so I want to be able to buy drive
sprockets, OEM pro grade chain bars, primer bulbs, etc., without
thinking I could buy another saw for the same price. So Stihl is off
the table.

The guys at Northwestern told me that Husky was making a serious play
for the US market, and that is why they have improved their saw
quality and doubled their saw warranty to 2 years. Sounds good... but
I dunno. I am hoping the next saw I buy will be the last for the
forseeable future since I have ****ed away enough money buying the
"home pro" saws in the last 10 years to buy the Stihl.

I would love any input on this, even some input on Husky saws in
general.

Thanks -

Robert

In article .com,
says...

The guys at Northwestern told me that Husky was making a serious play
for the US market, and that is why they have improved their saw
quality and doubled their saw warranty to 2 years. Sounds good... but
I dunno. I am hoping the next saw I buy will be the last for the
forseeable future since I have ****ed away enough money buying the
"home pro" saws in the last 10 years to buy the Stihl.

I would love any input on this, even some input on Husky saws in
general.

Thanks -

Robert

Tricky question to answer. I have a Husky myself, a 60cc 'semipro' model that
hasn't let me down for the last 23 years. I used to swear by the brand.

However, lately I have heard from people whose judgement I trust (one of them a
chainsaw shop employee whose wife is friends with mine) that Husky have become
"price-driven" - in other words, that they are now selling cheap junk that
isn't even worth repairing when (not if) it craps out. Sooooooo ...

Pretty shocking what you have to say about Stihl though. I don't think they are
like that here in NZ. But I haven't tried getting one sent out. That'd
seriously put me off.

Alternative: you could look for a Dolmar. They are a smaller company, but they
are the guys who _invented_ chainsaws. They have been bought up by Makita a
number of years back, but the saws are still made in Germany a.f.a.i.c.t.
I have a 90cc Dolmar, this is a serious saw that cost me near $1600 NZ and it
is very, very, very good indeed. I crosscut and rip gumtrees with it with a
28" bar; that is *very* hard work, and it never misses a beat so long as I
remember to blow out the airfilter before the working day starts.

B.t.w. I haven't seen Echo saws here in NZ for some years. But before they
disappeared, Echo stood about half way between the cheap saws on one hand, and
the expensive (Husky and Stihl) on the other; their bigger saws were used by
professional lumberjacks and I didn't hear any complaints about them. Small
saws always have been problematic, though, never mind the brand :-). I used a
small Echo (not mine) for a while and it was fine.

Frankly, I'd hesitate to buy a light Husky these days that is not explicitly
one of the pro line of their production. I think if you can get a pro Husky at
2/3 the price of a Stihl and with a 2 year warranty it's probably worth the
gamble ;-)
The 359 and the 570 are pro models around the same size as the 460 you looked
at. I'd get a quote on those saws and see how the prices stack up then! The 570
must be seriously powerful if it can drag a chain around a 32" bar like they
specc., for a 68cc saw. Not that any normal person needs anything bigger than
24", like you said, it's just that I have all these huge gumtrees on my farm.
My 60cc Husky is struggling to drag its (larger) 20" bar through gum, it does
fine with the 16" bar or cutting softwoods with the larger one.

h.t.h. -Peter

--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com

Robert:

This just went on at a forum my buddy attends. Log building.xx.xx??
The consensus seems to be that if you buy either a Husqvarna or a
Stihl of sufficient blade-length and horsepower to suit your needs,
you can't go wrong.
He went for a Stihl, simply because of access to service in town.

His buying advice was: Select the best you can afford, then add $
100.00 and buy that one. *G* IIRC he bought a model 460-something. It
is supposed to have some features which make it work in cold weather.
I'll ask him.

r

I don't have that model but my Husky is rock solid. Bought it about 8 years
ago. It will set for months and start right up.

I would go for it.

cm


wrote in message
oups.com...
This is cross posted, as I know between the flat and round side of
woodworking there is a quite a large population that use chainsaws.

I am looking at buying the Husky 460 with a 24" bar for general use
and to use in some of my woodworking endeavors. I want to use it to
harvest some wood for different small projects, but also for bowl
blanks as well as firewood.

In the past I have owned McCullough, Poulan, Echo, and Homelite.
There were OK for what they were (light homeowner saws), but I want
something that is heavier duty and more dependable. I need something
with larger capacity (don't need the 36" bar) and good power. After
using a pro Stihl for a day, you really notice the difference in the
equipment if you are used to one of the above offenders.

Around the house it is hard to beat a good electric, but I may be
coming onto a good deal of mesquite in the future as well as some nice
oak and ash. The electric won't fill the bill for some heavy duty log
sawing I have in mind as the logs I will be cutting are anywhere from
18" to 36" across, and there are a bunch of them. And if things go
well with my harvesting efforts I may be cutting bowl blanks to trade
or sell from time to time in the future, so I will be using the saw
pretty hard, off and on.

I can get this saw to the door for about $410 with three chains and a
bar scabbard. Before the posts start about getting a Stihl,

I'd love to

BUT the same setup would cost me almost double. Yep... double. I
thought I was going to choke to death on that one. You cannot buy
Stihl over the internet (only a private seller such as Ebay has) as
they are protecting their dealers and in fact protecting their price.
Northwestern Power Equipement sells both brands and they were the ones
that gave me the price comparison, but then told me they couldn't ship
the similar Stihl model. They were actually prohibited from selling
certain parts that are shipped as well. I am sure that there are
dealers that will, but a quick phone call to my local Stihl dealer
revealed the same story. No shipping of saws or certain parts.

I am used to repairing my tools, so I want to be able to buy drive
sprockets, OEM pro grade chain bars, primer bulbs, etc., without
thinking I could buy another saw for the same price. So Stihl is off
the table.

The guys at Northwestern told me that Husky was making a serious play
for the US market, and that is why they have improved their saw
quality and doubled their saw warranty to 2 years. Sounds good... but
I dunno. I am hoping the next saw I buy will be the last for the
forseeable future since I have ****ed away enough money buying the
"home pro" saws in the last 10 years to buy the Stihl.

I would love any input on this, even some input on Husky saws in
general.

Thanks -

Robert

On Mar 17, 12:59 am, Peter Huebner wrote:
However, lately I have heard from people whose judgement I trust (one of them a chainsaw shop employee whose wife is friends with mine) that Husky have become
"price-driven" - in other words, that they are now selling cheap junk that isn't even worth repairing when (not if) it craps out.

And this indeed points out the dangers of the international
conglomerate. The product sold in one country may be "made specially
for the XXX market" and might not be the same as another sold in the
YYY market. So the product we get (Husky is the largest outdoor
equipment manufacturer in the world so they could pull this off) we
get may or may not be the same as the one someone else gets. One
product might have more plastic parts, it may be assembled in a
different country to avoid tariffs and excise taxes, and that country
may not have the same quality as another.

It is another aspect of what is driving me nuts. I would bet the
Husky saw sold in Germany is not the same one made to go head to head
with Stihl.

Alternative: you could look for a Dolmar. They are a smaller company, but they are the guys who _invented_ chainsaws. They have been bought up by Makita a number of years back, but the saws are still made in Germany a.f.a.i.c.t.

Boy are you gonna love this. Dolmar failed in the US market several
months ago with their big introduction by Bailey's. They are now
following the Stihl business model, dealer sales only, no shipping.
On another venue the folks that used them extolled their virtues as
being at least as good as Stihl, and comparable in price. But they
never caught on, so it is now a boutique saw, one that will require
too much time and effort to maintain as we don't have an authorized
Dolmar repair center in the whole state, and I couldn't find one in
the country.

Frankly, I'd hesitate to buy a light Husky these days that is not explicitly one of the pro line of their production. I think if you can get a pro Husky at 2/3 the price of a Stihl and with a 2 year warranty it's probably worth the gamble ;-)
The 359 and the 570 are pro models around the same size as the 460 you looked at. I'd get a quote on those saws and see how the prices stack up then!

Actually, the guy I spoke with at Northwest told me the same thing.
He thought the smaller Huskys were probably "bang for the buck" the
best homeowner saw around. They are made for someone that will help
the neighbor dispose of a tree, light trimming, and the once a year
firewood cutting.

He advised that I spend the extra $$ to buy the 460 instead of the 455
for the extra power. He was good with the 455 up to the 20" bar, but
had heard reports of the saw bogging down with the 24".
The 460 has a 60cc engine on it, and I think a different plug, and it
comes with a more expensive non laminated roller bar, which is
something I like a lot.

Thanks for the reply, Pete.

Robert

In article .com,
" wrote:

This is cross posted, as I know between the flat and round side of
woodworking there is a quite a large population that use chainsaws.

I am looking at buying the Husky 460 with a 24" bar for general use
and to use in some of my woodworking endeavors. I want to use it to
harvest some wood for different small projects, but also for bowl
blanks as well as firewood.


Husky 455 Rancher and love it.

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

On Mar 17, 7:46 am, "Robatoy" wrote:

His buying advice was: Select the best you can afford, then add $ 100.00 and buy that one. *G* IIRC he bought a model 460-something. It is supposed to have some features which make it work in cold weather.
I'll ask him.

r

That would be interesting. I know that in the "frozen tundra of
Canada" (tip of the hat to Chris Berman!) you guys have a huge lumber
industry and lots of folks using larger chainsaws due to the amount of
useful tree wood you have.

You buddy is right. I already went from the 455 to the 460 which added
$60 to my original budget. It was pointed out to me that since I am
buying a good chainsaw with quality chain, I should plan on buying
some chain files, instead of sending out the chain to the local
chainsaw guys that burn off half the chain when sharpening. That
added another $20 from the "pro guys" since they sell them in packs of
5.

This is the time to get a blow mold case as it will keep the fumes
inside the case, and any oil spills or pump dribble in the case long
with the extra chain and the lube. Also gives the saw a little more
protection when relegated to riding around in the bed of the truck.
But a case is another $75.

I'm already over what I thought I would spend, and now I'm trying to
minimize the damage. When the dust settles I'll bet I'm in for about
$550. For a damn chainsaw! (I am thinking that money should be in the
"upgrade the planer fund").

But if it lasts, it will be worth it.

Thanks for the input, and I will be looking for what you find out from
your amigo since I am thinking of purchasing next week.

Robert

On Mar 17, 8:38 am, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

Husky 455 Rancher and love it.


Thanks, Ralph. The 455 is just a little smaller than the 460. What
bar length did you get? How long have you had it?

According to Husky, the 455 has been redesigned some time back and it
is now their best selling saw. The 460 was made to accomodate the 24"
bar.

Robert

I think you will get a superior saw to what you have had as long as the
Husky is a Husqvarna and not a Home Depot Husky. :~)

Stihl is good also.

On Mar 17, 9:35 am, "Leon" wrote:
I think you will get a superior saw to what you have had as long as the
Husky is a Husqvarna and not a Home Depot Husky. :~)

Stihl is good also.

No kiddin'. I haven't seen an HD branded chainsaw, but I sure
wouldn't be surprised.

But here's a fun fact, too. Husqvarna is sold by Lowe's, which sells
the 455. From them, the saw is sold with the medium duty bar, and a
light chain for the same price you can buy that saw at many places
with the heavy duty bar and a good chain.

As always, buyer beware, eh?

Robert
Robert

wrote:
On Mar 17, 8:38 am, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:
Husky 455 Rancher and love it.


Thanks, Ralph. The 455 is just a little smaller than the 460. What
bar length did you get? How long have you had it?

According to Husky, the 455 has been redesigned some time back and it
is now their best selling saw. The 460 was made to accomodate the 24"
bar.

Robert




I got the '455 rancher 460' with a 20" bar and it seems to work well. I
also got the powerbox to carry it in ($35 extra). I got mine to help cut
us out of the ice storm (a good reason to buy a bowl blank cutting
tool). It seems to be a very solid machine.

Jack

wrote in message
oups.com...

No kiddin'. I haven't seen an HD branded chainsaw, but I sure
wouldn't be surprised.

But here's a fun fact, too. Husqvarna is sold by Lowe's, which sells
the 455. From them, the saw is sold with the medium duty bar, and a
light chain for the same price you can buy that saw at many places
with the heavy duty bar and a good chain.

As always, buyer beware, eh?


Yup, my findings in the last 3 years or so is that if you can find it
somewhere else it's gunna be cheaper than the Big Box. Good Luck.
You uh, gunna be going after any Mesquite?
I am making a modification to out kitchen and adding a Cook Book/Small
drawer unit between two cabinets and over a window. I am putting Mesquite
handles on the tops of the drawers. Boy is that stuff nice to work with.
Very stable and it sands out as smooth as glass.

On Mar 17, 10:58 am, "
wrote:


Thanks for the input, and I will be looking for what you find out from
your amigo since I am thinking of purchasing next week.

Robert

Holy smokes! He dropped over a CAN$ 1000.00 for that thing, with a
spare blade and chain, a few other things. The handle is heated so it
is easier to operate with a thinner glove. The carb also has pre-heat
of some sort which makes starting real easy in the cold. He's a
surveyor and uses it to chop down stuff in the way of his instruments
when he lays out monument systems. He's often used another saw, a
Husky with similar features and liked it just as much. Must be a
Festool vs Fein thing. Good stuff is good stuff. Period.
Good luck with yours..and get some of those chaps, my buddy won't open
the case without them on his legs. Makes a whole lot of sense to me.

r

On Mar 17, 2:49 pm, "Leon" wrote:
I am putting Mesquite
handles on the tops of the drawers. Boy is that stuff nice to work with.
Very stable and it sands out as smooth as glass.

Someone else was singing high praises of mesquite as well. How big a
trunk does it get? Or is it more for trim/accessories? I DAGS, and
didn't find much on the 'lumber' side of things.
One funny thing jumped out at me:
Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens). Say what?

r

"Robatoy" wrote in message
oups.com...
This just went on at a forum my buddy attends. Log building.xx.xx??
The consensus seems to be that if you buy either a Husqvarna or a
Stihl of sufficient blade-length and horsepower to suit your needs,
you can't go wrong.
He went for a Stihl, simply because of access to service in town.

His buying advice was: Select the best you can afford, then add $
100.00 and buy that one. *G* IIRC he bought a model 460-something. It
is supposed to have some features which make it work in cold weather.
I'll ask him.

Yep, get a bar at least two inches longer than the swing of your lathe so
you don't have to bury it in the length of log you're splitting up the
middle, with the danger that can pose. Then make sure you've got the
displacement to pull that length of chain.

I'm Stihl, second one, first having dumped its magneto after 15 years.
Trade was worth more than the cost of the part, and the parts on mine live
on in three neighborhood Stihls. FWIW, I'm in hardwood country, and the
piececutters are pretty much solid with Stihl. It has a "preheater" feature
which impedes the air intake for winter work. Never used it, having only
used the saw at -20 F, perhaps they mean colder than that.

Don't get safety chain for ripping turning blanks. Clogs too much. Get a
good chisel chain, or perhaps a skip-tooth. Skip tooth gives a bit more
feedback on crosscutting, so I'm staying with chisel.

In article ,
says...

Don't get safety chain for ripping turning blanks. Clogs too much. Get a
good chisel chain, or perhaps a skip-tooth. Skip tooth gives a bit more
feedback on crosscutting, so I'm staying with chisel.


Chisel is good for pine, willow, poplar etc. For hardwoods especially ones that
have a high silica content you're better off with semi-chisel which has a kind
of rounded over shape to the teeth rather than the sharp corner -- stays sharp
much longer. I also have no problems ripping with semi-chisel.

cheers, -Peter

--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com

i've been a professional timber feller for well over 30 years, although
my back is now shot and i'm feeling the age i don't cut nearly as much
as i once did, however for the last 5 years husky has been my saw of
choice preceded by jonsreds for many years.
really good saw and for the occational user will last a long, long time
and then some.
ross
www.highislandexport.com
check out www.baileys-online.com

"Robatoy" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 17, 2:49 pm, "Leon" wrote:
I am putting Mesquite
handles on the tops of the drawers. Boy is that stuff nice to work with.
Very stable and it sands out as smooth as glass.

Someone else was singing high praises of mesquite as well. How big a
trunk does it get? Or is it more for trim/accessories? I DAGS, and
didn't find much on the 'lumber' side of things.
One funny thing jumped out at me:
Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens). Say what?

r

90% of Mesquite is brush in Texas. The trees grow very slowly, crooked, and
every once in a while you see one with a trunk 2' in diameter or bigger.
Its wood is a great for smoking meat or BBQ.
That said you really don't find Mesquite in massive quantities at wood
suppliers. There are some places that handle Mesquite exclusively.
Mesquite is the hardest North American wood and after it has dried will not
change more than 2% in size from climate changes. Very stable. Typically
you buy it like you buy some exotics, s2s with the bark still on it.
I like this place and have bought a little bit of Mesquite from them.
http://www.texaskilnproducts.com/txkiln1.html
If you look around the galleries show the wood samples in cabinets,
flooring, and fire place mantels.

On Mar 17, 1:52 pm, "Robatoy" wrote:

Holy smokes! He dropped over a CAN$ 1000.00 for that thing, with a
spare blade and chain, a few other things. The handle is heated so it
is easier to operate with a thinner glove. The carb also has pre-heat
of some sort which makes starting real easy in the cold. He's a
surveyor and uses it to chop down stuff in the way of his instruments
when he lays out monument systems. He's often used another saw, a
Husky with similar features and liked it just as much. Must be a
Festool vs Fein thing. Good stuff is good stuff. Period.
Good luck with yours..and get some of those chaps, my buddy won't open
the case without them on his legs. Makes a whole lot of sense to me.

r

Thanks for the follow up. The particular model I am looking at
doesn't have any cool pre-heating, and I got a chuckle out of reading
about it. If it gets in the twenties here, it is considered a natural
disaster, so preheating isn't really necessary.

I was glad to see some good news on Husky.

Robert

On Mar 17, 3:50 pm, "George" wrote:

SNIP

Don't get safety chain for ripping turning blanks. Clogs too much. Get a
good chisel chain, or perhaps a skip-tooth. Skip tooth gives a bit more
feedback on crosscutting, so I'm staying with chisel.

Thanks George. I didn't think to specify the kind of chain - I have
been totally focused on the saw and would have been totally ****ed off
at myself when the saw came with three of the same "general use"
chains.

Robert

On Mar 17, 11:51 am, Taunt wrote:

I got the '455 rancher 460' with a 20" bar and it seems to work well. I
also got the powerbox to carry it in ($35 extra). I got mine to help cut
us out of the ice storm (a good reason to buy a bowl blank cutting
tool). It seems to be a very solid machine.

Jack- Hide quoted text -

Jack - would you mind posting where you bought the saw?

Robert

On Mar 17, 4:44 pm, (Ross Hebeisen) wrote:
i've been a professional timber feller for well over 30 years, although
my back is now shot and i'm feeling the age i don't cut nearly as much
as i once did, however for the last 5 years husky has been my saw of
choice preceded by jonsreds for many years.
really good saw and for the occational user will last a long, long time
and then some.
rosswww.highislandexport.com
check outwww.baileys-online.com

Thanks, Ross. It is valuable info coming from someone that uses
chainsaws professionally. I would never use a saw as much as someone
that does it for a living, so if it works well for you it might be one
that would last me as long as I would need a chainsaw.

Robert

"Robatoy" wrote in message
oups.com...


Holy smokes! He dropped over a CAN$ 1000.00 for that thing, with a
spare blade and chain, a few other things. The handle is heated so it
is easier to operate with a thinner glove. The carb also has pre-heat
of some sort which makes starting real easy in the cold. He's a
surveyor and uses it to chop down stuff in the way of his instruments
when he lays out monument systems. He's often used another saw, a
Husky with similar features and liked it just as much. Must be a
Festool vs Fein thing. Good stuff is good stuff. Period.
Good luck with yours..and get some of those chaps, my buddy won't open
the case without them on his legs. Makes a whole lot of sense to me.


Ho-oly Cow! Over a grand - even in Canadian money, for a chainsaw! That
thing better have come with a nude brunette to do all of the bending over
work, for that price...

--

-Mike-

"George" wrote in message
et...


I'm Stihl, second one, first having dumped its magneto after 15 years.
Trade was worth more than the cost of the part, and the parts on mine live
on in three neighborhood Stihls. FWIW, I'm in hardwood country, and the
piececutters are pretty much solid with Stihl. It has a "preheater"
feature
which impedes the air intake for winter work. Never used it, having only
used the saw at -20 F, perhaps they mean colder than that.


I'll weigh in on the Stihl side as well. I've had a few over the years.
None of them ever wore out. One was stolen, one suffered the misfortune of
an errant tree and I'm still cutting with the third. I'm in upstate NY and
99% of my cutting is hardwoods - mostly maple, cherry, beach. Friends who
log for a living have long been mixed between Stihl, Jonserd, and Huskvarna.
All equal tools in my opinion, as long as you stay in class. I got started
with a Stihl decades ago, having somewhat grown up with them, and have just
stuck with them.

Don't get safety chain for ripping turning blanks. Clogs too much. Get a
good chisel chain, or perhaps a skip-tooth. Skip tooth gives a bit more
feedback on crosscutting, so I'm staying with chisel.


Echo.

--

-Mike-

In article . com,
" wrote:

On Mar 17, 8:38 am, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

Husky 455 Rancher and love it.


Thanks, Ralph. The 455 is just a little smaller than the 460. What
bar length did you get? How long have you had it?

According to Husky, the 455 has been redesigned some time back and it
is now their best selling saw. The 460 was made to accomodate the 24"
bar.

24 inch, the largest Husky recommends for the 455. I bought it at
Alaimi in Colorado, same place I bought the Honda generators. Great
service

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

Ralph E Lindberg wrote:
In article . com,
" wrote:


On Mar 17, 8:38 am, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

Husky 455 Rancher and love it.


Thanks, Ralph. The 455 is just a little smaller than the 460. What
bar length did you get? How long have you had it?

According to Husky, the 455 has been redesigned some time back and it
is now their best selling saw. The 460 was made to accomodate the 24"
bar.


24 inch, the largest Husky recommends for the 455. I bought it at
Alaimi in Colorado, same place I bought the Honda generators. Great
service


http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/11..._Chainsaw_Ever
http://surgery-graphics.med.umich.edu/~matt/?action=two

On Mar 18, 7:58 am, "Mike Marlow" wrote:

Ho-oly Cow! Over a grand - even in Canadian money, for a chainsaw! That
thing better have come with a nude brunette to do all of the bending over
work, for that price...

A bent-over nude brunette.... yup, that'll be conducive to getting
some work done.

On Mar 18, 11:14 am, Just Wondering wrote:


http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/11..._Chainsaw_Ever

I wanna see Marlow's brunette pick that thing up.... on second
thought..no I don't.

I won't even read the mess of replies but will say that I have a Husky
(Rancher 55) and am extremely pleased with how it operates. By far the
best saw I've ever owned. You'll be more than pleased with one I'm
sure. FWIW, Sears (and Lowes) sell Husky's so you may get a decent
discount on one.
John

wrote:
This is cross posted, as I know between the flat and round side of
woodworking there is a quite a large population that use chainsaws.

I am looking at buying the Husky 460 with a 24" bar for general use
and to use in some of my woodworking endeavors. I want to use it to
harvest some wood for different small projects, but also for bowl
blanks as well as firewood.

On Mar 18, 1:17 pm, John DeBoo wrote:
I won't even read the mess of replies but will say that I have a Husky
(Rancher 55) and am extremely pleased with how it operates. By far the
best saw I've ever owned. You'll be more than pleased with one I'm
sure. FWIW, Sears (and Lowes) sell Husky's so you may get a decent
discount on one.
John

I would buy a tool like that, not so much based on brand but on the
reputation of their service in the user's area.
That 'discount' from the likes of Sears and to a lesser extent Lowe's,
is quickly forgotten when their service departments won't come through
for you.

Deal with a specialist.

I bought a Weber BBQ from a propane dealer who sold nothing but fine
BBQ's. Not cheap, but by the time I added up the little extras, like
proper stainless grating instead of that ceramic coated cast-crap, and
the free Weber cover, I was spending the same as the 'cheaper' version
at HD. And he delivered for free. He also told me that if I ever had
an extra large party, he'd lend me an additional BBQ to help out.
Since then, he's filled my tank a few times for free, because I told
other people how happy I was with their service ( that they
consequently bought their Webers there.)
He also gave me a new igniter (after 6 years of flawless use) for his
cost.

That is VERY different from HD who sold me a sander with 'LIFETIME'
warranty and then tried to sell be an EXTENDED warranty at the
cash...WTF???? and on top of that, the idiots have yet to stock 6"- 6
hole paper for the damned thing. (That doesn't matter much to me as I
converted to a Mirka pad anyway.)...

...somebody stop me...

wrote:

Jack - would you mind posting where you bought the saw?

Robert



Robert,

I picked it up at the local Lowe's store for $374.00 plus $35.00 for the
powerbox case.

It was hard to find a chainsaw in our Oklahoma city during the ice
storm. I had got the 18" poulan (they were out of Husqvarnas). I took it
back the next day with a broken starter rope. Lucky for me they had just
gotten in one 455Rancher, which I grabbed quickly.

Jack

On Mar 18, 5:58 am, "Mike Marlow" wrote:

Ho-oly Cow! Over a grand - even in Canadian money, for a chainsaw! That
thing better have come with a nude brunette to do all of the bending over
work, for that price...

--

-Mike-


For that price, I would want the brunette DOING the work, not just
leaning over.

It is a lot of dough, and closer calculations are letting me see that
I will be in at the $500 mark for the saw, a couple of extra chains, a
carry bag and shipping. I never in my life thought I would be
spending $500 on a chainsaw, and that is probably why I am laboring so
hard over this decision. I was likewise surprised to find that it
takes about $250 just to get a bottom of the list (12" bar, small
engine arborist model) saw that is considered a "pro" grade saw.

I noticed in a later post that you are a proponent of Stihl. I would
be too, except that the 24" bar 60cc model they sell is at the $1050
to $1100 mark from our local dealer, PLUS 8% state and local. And
that is for the saw only. Plus, I am still ****ed off at the fact
that I would have to buy a Stihl saw and any OEM parts from a
certified dealer. I don't know how the parts costs compare to the
cost of parts on other saws, but if their dealer protected part
pricing is similar to their dealer protected saw pricing, it will be
pretty high.

Sitll, if I honestly used it hard every day, or used it as my method
of making a living, I might consider the Stihl. But as far as having
an expensive piece of equipment like that, I would be sick every time
I looked at is sitting, knowing that I spent $1100 to $1200 on a saw
that I didn't use that much.

Robert

On Mar 18, 12:15 pm, Taunt wrote:
wrote:
Jack - would you mind posting where you bought the saw?

Robert

Robert,

I picked it up at the local Lowe's store for $374.00 plus $35.00 for the
powerbox case.

It was hard to find a chainsaw in our Oklahoma city during the ice
storm. I had got the 18" poulan (they were out of Husqvarnas). I took it
back the next day with a broken starter rope. Lucky for me they had just
gotten in one 455Rancher, which I grabbed quickly.

Jack

Thanks!

Robert

Hi Robert

Just got home again, been gone for better than a week, so a little
late with this reply.
My opinion is the professional saws are good, names are not really
important on those.
I have used a poulan for a number of years, still have it as a backup
saw, by the way, poulan and a number of saw makers where owned by
electralux, and Husqvarna bought all those up a year or two ago. ( it
seems to be easier to buy out the competition than to compete, and not
just in the saw market)
As for dealers selling and servicing the Stihl saws, that should
strike you as a good thing, just stop and think here for a moment, if
you where unable to service this saw yourself, and you had not a
dealer, but lets say Home Depot or Walmart had sold this saw to you,
who's going to service it for you there ???
Saws are expensive ?, yes they are, but they are not lawnmowers or
other low tech implement.
I just bought a Stihl MS361 last august, it's capable of handling a
36" bar, don't need it that big at present, so I got it with a 18" and
a 24" bar and chains,
I got some change back from a $1000.-- bill, but there is just no
comparing these saws with the small home owner saws, Quality hurts
only once ;-)))
Got a good dealer around ?? get what he sells, if having a choice I
would prefer a Stihl.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo



On Mar 17, 1:12 am, "
wrote:
This is cross posted, as I know between the flat and round side of
woodworking there is a quite a large population that use chainsaws.

I am looking at buying the Husky 460 with a 24" bar for general use
and to use in some of my woodworking endeavors. I want to use it to
harvest some wood for different small projects, but also for bowl
blanks as well as firewood.

In the past I have owned McCullough, Poulan, Echo, and Homelite.
There were OK for what they were (light homeowner saws), but I want
something that is heavier duty and more dependable. I need something
with larger capacity (don't need the 36" bar) and good power. After
using a pro Stihl for a day, you really notice the difference in the
equipment if you are used to one of the above offenders.

Around the house it is hard to beat a good electric, but I may be
coming onto a good deal of mesquite in the future as well as some nice
oak and ash. The electric won't fill the bill for some heavy duty log
sawing I have in mind as the logs I will be cutting are anywhere from
18" to 36" across, and there are a bunch of them. And if things go
well with my harvesting efforts I may be cutting bowl blanks to trade
or sell from time to time in the future, so I will be using the saw
pretty hard, off and on.

I can get this saw to the door for about $410 with three chains and a
bar scabbard. Before the posts start about getting a Stihl,

I'd love to

BUT the same setup would cost me almost double. Yep... double. I
thought I was going to choke to death on that one. You cannot buy
Stihl over the internet (only a private seller such as Ebay has) as
they are protecting their dealers and in fact protecting their price.
Northwestern Power Equipement sells both brands and they were the ones
that gave me the price comparison, but then told me they couldn't ship
the similar Stihl model. They were actually prohibited from selling
certain parts that are shipped as well. I am sure that there are
dealers that will, but a quick phone call to my local Stihl dealer
revealed the same story. No shipping of saws or certain parts.

I am used to repairing my tools, so I want to be able to buy drive
sprockets, OEM pro grade chain bars, primer bulbs, etc., without
thinking I could buy another saw for the same price. So Stihl is off
the table.

The guys at Northwestern told me that Husky was making a serious play
for the US market, and that is why they have improved their saw
quality and doubled their saw warranty to 2 years. Sounds good... but
I dunno. I am hoping the next saw I buy will be the last for the
forseeable future since I have ****ed away enough money buying the
"home pro" saws in the last 10 years to buy the Stihl.

I would love any input on this, even some input on Husky saws in
general.

Thanks -

Robert

On Mar 19, 6:29 pm, "
wrote:
Hi Robert

Just got home again, been gone for better than a week, so a little late with this reply.

Always good to hear from you, Leo. I was hoping you would chime in as
I know you cut a more than your share of large hardwood bowl blanks
every year.

Got a good dealer around ?? get what he sells, if having a choice I would prefer a Stihl.

I think I would too, for no other reason than all the tree cutters
around here use them. No other reason, actually. Like I said farther
up the thread, the same saw in Stihl brand would be roughly twice as
much, and I would be captured (even for minor parts) by the dealer and
their markup.

The deciding factor may indeed be my local dealers. One is 40 miles
away, and the closest one is someone that is a real jerk. I have a
couple of Husqvarna dealers here, and I can buy minor parts all over
on the net to perform minor repairs or maintenance myself.

I would still take it to a certified dealer for heavy duty repairs,
but to replace a choke knob or a drive cog, that seems a bit much.
Dealers around here have a $65 bench fee, whether they do the work or
not (applied to the work if they do it), so that is certainly a
consideration for me.

Some of the protected dealers scare me. I was contacted by someone
that replaced the top handle on his "dealer saw" after dropping it.
It was something like $140 for the aluminum bar with "installation" of
the four bolts.
He only paid $320 for the saw...

When calling one of the larger Husky dealers, even the guy at the
sales desk warned me off the "homeowner" or "homepro" line of saws
they sell for both the Stihl and Husqvarna lines of saws they have.
He told me, "we just don't want to see a saw back in here in 30 days."

The saw I am looking at is the bottom third of their "pro" line, and
has some really great features. 24" bar, 60cc engine, depressuring
for easier start, side chain tension adjustment, etc. With all the
good feedback here, I am just about ready to go. Seems like pretty
much all agree with you, and that is once you get past the homeowner
line you are probably going to get a pretty good saw in the pro lines.

Thanks for the input.

Are you guys beginning to thaw out up there in the great white north?

Robert

wrote in message
ups.com...


Sitll, if I honestly used it hard every day, or used it as my method
of making a living, I might consider the Stihl. But as far as having
an expensive piece of equipment like that, I would be sick every time
I looked at is sitting, knowing that I spent $1100 to $1200 on a saw
that I didn't use that much.


Well - so would I Robert. I don't remember what I paid for my Stihl now,
but it was probably in the $300-$400 range 15 years or so ago. List price
was something else, but like cars nobody sold at list. There certainly were
other saws that would have served my needs at the time, but I could afford
what I was accustomed to and what I had come to consider the best of the
best, so I bought it. I've never regretted being a Stihl owner and highly
recommend their saws, but there really are some pretty good alternatives out
there for less. I just don't recommend big box stores for them. Local
dealers need the business.

--

-Mike-

On Mar 20, 8:38 am, "Mike Marlow" wrote:
[snipped for brevity]
but there really are some pretty good alternatives out
there for less. I just don't recommend big box stores for them. Local
dealers need the business.

They deserve our business. They're professionals, so are we. They know
what they're talking about (with a few exceptions of course.)

I have stopped asking questions at big box stores...all I get is this
vacuous look and I get to see the back of their heads through the
FRONT of their eyes. Again, there are exceptions.

IF the brick-and-mortar guy charges a wee bit more, he:
a) needs it to stay in business
b) deserves it for his knowledge
c) keeps an expensive inventory of readily-available spare parts
d) will often do trade-ins
e) will often sell your saw for you
f) will often have a good refurbished used one for sale.

On a tool of that class, you make 500 dollar decisions, not 50 dollar
decisions.

I have a couple of 'Bigger' box stores as clients, and a nice group of
smaller guys.. I get up in the morning looking forward to that cup of
coffee with one of my small dealers, discussing a project; he's all
'up' because he sold a kitchen, I'm all 'up' because he's happy with
my service....the big box? Not so much. Just a stack of forms. And 60
to 90 days to get my money. (Again, one huge exception, but it is
privately owned.)

It is time we took back our way of life. Train the kids in school to
be craftsmen. To be small engine repair specialists. Etc.

But I digress

r

On Mar 20, 8:02 am, "Robatoy" wrote:
On Mar 20, 8:38 am, "Mike Marlow" wrote:
[snipped for brevity]

but there really are some pretty good alternatives out
there for less. I just don't recommend big box stores for them. Local dealers need the business.

They deserve our business. They're professionals, so are we. They know
what they're talking about (with a few exceptions of course.)


IF the brick-and-mortar guy charges a wee bit more, he:
a) needs it to stay in business
b) deserves it for his knowledge
c) keeps an expensive inventory of readily-available spare parts

Our local Husky dealers seem OK. But chainsaws are a ver,very small
part of their normal sales; they concentrate on all kinds of lawn
equipment to the pro and semi pro group. Leaf blowers to tractors is
their baliwick.

To be a certified dealer (for just about any product these days this
is true), they have to be a certain size physically (no selling out of
the garage) and buy a certain amount of parts and new equipment to
maintain that standing. So they do indeed have a good parts supply
and they have factory trained repair guys. There is however, no pot
bellied stove in the corner of the store with the old men playing
dominoes to chat with while "Phil gets you fixed up". One has a
10,000 sq ft showroom (tractors inside) and the 3 Husky chainsaws are
on a shelf.

The other is much smaller, more friendly, but also 45 minutes away.
He has one factory tech trained guy, and carries as little inventory
as possible since he sells several kinds of lawn equipment as well.
For any major work, I would suppose a Husky purchase would go there.

However, both guys sell the same saw I am looking at all over the 'net
for about $115 more than I can buy it all day long. That means they
are about 20% higher than their on line competitors, and they won't
budge an inch. They would rather hang onto the saws they have or get
more for a "special order" than to leave the $115 on the table.

However, both cheerfully told me they would take care of any warranty
issues.

d) will often do trade-ins
e) will often sell your saw for you
f) will often have a good refurbished used one for sale.

Not available here.

And a local dealer is something that is a big consideration. One
thing to definitely keep me from doubling my investment by purchasing
Stihl is that the ONLY local dealer we have is someone that is most
commonly referred to by his genital configuration. And that ain't
Richard.


On a tool of that class, you make 500 dollar decisions, not 50 dollar decisions.


You said it. I think I may have this thing figured out. I can buy
from a monster dealer in Oregon and get the saw down here with a
couple of chains and a box for a little under $600. (Stihl set
factory price on their equivalent saw is $1100 for saw only). If I
buy with my AMEX card, AMEX will automatically double the
manufacturer's warranty. So the warranty goes from 2 to 4 years.

For any warranty repairs I can ship it back to Oregon for $25, or take
a drive and go see the guys in the country.


It is time we took back our way of life. Train the kids in school to
be craftsmen. To be small engine repair specialists. Etc.

That could be a whole thread, right? I would love to see it, but....

I am signed up to be a guest demonstrator (probably woodturning) at
one of our local high schools - for free of course! That should be an
interesting morning. Just trying to do my part on that. Should be
interesting.

Robert

I laid out $600+ for a Stihl 361 with a 20" bar a couple of years ago. I'll
never go near a Poulan/Homelite/Craftsman/McCulloch/etc. again. There is no
comparison. You get what you pay for. Sometimes. :-) Barry


wrote in message
oups.com...
This is cross posted, as I know between the flat and round side of
woodworking there is a quite a large population that use chainsaws.

I am looking at buying the Husky 460 with a 24" bar for general use
and to use in some of my woodworking endeavors. I want to use it to
harvest some wood for different small projects, but also for bowl
blanks as well as firewood.

In the past I have owned McCullough, Poulan, Echo, and Homelite.
There were OK for what they were (light homeowner saws), but I want
something that is heavier duty and more dependable. I need something
with larger capacity (don't need the 36" bar) and good power. After
using a pro Stihl for a day, you really notice the difference in the
equipment if you are used to one of the above offenders.

Around the house it is hard to beat a good electric, but I may be
coming onto a good deal of mesquite in the future as well as some nice
oak and ash. The electric won't fill the bill for some heavy duty log
sawing I have in mind as the logs I will be cutting are anywhere from
18" to 36" across, and there are a bunch of them. And if things go
well with my harvesting efforts I may be cutting bowl blanks to trade
or sell from time to time in the future, so I will be using the saw
pretty hard, off and on.

I can get this saw to the door for about $410 with three chains and a
bar scabbard. Before the posts start about getting a Stihl,

I'd love to

BUT the same setup would cost me almost double. Yep... double. I
thought I was going to choke to death on that one. You cannot buy
Stihl over the internet (only a private seller such as Ebay has) as
they are protecting their dealers and in fact protecting their price.
Northwestern Power Equipement sells both brands and they were the ones
that gave me the price comparison, but then told me they couldn't ship
the similar Stihl model. They were actually prohibited from selling
certain parts that are shipped as well. I am sure that there are
dealers that will, but a quick phone call to my local Stihl dealer
revealed the same story. No shipping of saws or certain parts.

I am used to repairing my tools, so I want to be able to buy drive
sprockets, OEM pro grade chain bars, primer bulbs, etc., without
thinking I could buy another saw for the same price. So Stihl is off
the table.

The guys at Northwestern told me that Husky was making a serious play
for the US market, and that is why they have improved their saw
quality and doubled their saw warranty to 2 years. Sounds good... but
I dunno. I am hoping the next saw I buy will be the last for the
forseeable future since I have ****ed away enough money buying the
"home pro" saws in the last 10 years to buy the Stihl.

I would love any input on this, even some input on Husky saws in
general.

Thanks -

Robert