Help with Stihl Models.... What makes a "Pro" saw as opposed to Semi-Pro / Hobby(?) saw

[Dan Maynard]

If you're set on second hand then 461 is a good choice, old school durable and repairable so good ones are still fairly strong money. The 462 is modern lighter design, quicker but probably not going to last as well (I guess time will tell).

 

046 or 460 are going to be pretty old by now.

[Muddy42]

If I was only to rely on one saw, I’d buy new or nearly new. But when buying a third saw, i think you can risk buying an older and cheaper second hand pro saw. The things are pretty much infinitely repearable and you can always stretch to use the other two saws if waiting for parts for the medium saw.

[Stubby]

From what I have heard by any one who has one the MS400 seems to be THE saw at the moment . Its slap bang in the middle . 67cc but can do 50cc- 80cc stuff .

[Peter 1955]

2 hours ago, Stubby said:

From what I have heard by any one who has one the MS400 seems to be THE saw at the moment . Its slap bang in the middle . 67cc but can do 50cc- 80cc stuff .

I would agree entirely with that view, especially with the light bars. 

[Steve Bullman]

Never had the pleasure of using a 400. The 461/462 is a fantastic saw though and not particularly heavy. You'll also be incredibly unlucky if one gives you any trouble whatsoever.

[Trailoftears]

A can of worms sort of topic this,I use a fair few stihl saws+others.Like the op I use the 261 for various jobs,but also sometimes need bigger saws,so semi-retired my still perfectly functioning 038 for the 441,which imo is a lovely 70cc saw capable of running 3 bar sizes,but then the 460 series guys will shout 'noo'-DONT buy a 441 saw.If you buy a 460 series saw-the 500i owners will shake their heads at you pityingly...Beware-this way lies madness and extra weight!I do agree the 400 looks interesting with a good power to weight ratio.I suspect like the 441 it hasnt sold well,and will shortly disappear from the catalogue.Still,stihl support their products well,so no worries there.

[difflock]

I simply looked at the best power to weight ratio when I bought the wee 026, though I was lusting after the then 036, I can only presume that the Pro saws will always have higher power to weight figures(and be significently more expensive) than the hobby/farm  models.

But back then, in the middle/late 90's, I also figured the Stihl hobby/farm/pro lineup was simpler to understand than the vast array of Husquvarna  models on offer.

[Excels1or]

On 01/06/2023 at 07:37, Stubby said:

From what I have heard by any one who has one the MS400 seems to be THE saw at the moment . Its slap bang in the middle . 67cc but can do 50cc- 80cc stuff .

Its a superb saw to use in the tree, as well as on the ground

[Pete Mctree]

The 400 seems to be the saw everyone grabs first. I am just using it in the woods for the first time, thinning out some hairy Scots pines. Real joy to run and runs well with an 18" or a 16" - I found a 20" a little off balance and down on power. Nice little saw but really bloody expensive

[Mike Hill]

Every now and again a saw comes along that is just perfect for its role,in the past they were in my opinion.

 

020T

026

044

066

 

I think that today the 400 is the 044 of old.Its just a cracking saw that fill's its role perfectly.I hardly ever use my 500 or 441s any more.I felt that the 500 was a solution looking for a problem,to big to be really flicky and to small to run a propper bar on.