moorhead

I bought a pair of trousers when I lived in Vermont - everybody, almost without exception, laughed at me for buying them (except the missus, who made me wear them). Anyway, I forgot to pack them when I moved back to the UK. I was cutting a hung-up ash one day, made a stupid mistake and pinched the bar. The chain broke and came off at full throttle. Luckily the chain catcher did its job but it still wrapped itself around my jean-clad legs. No blood, nothing. But... I went and bought a pair of Class As straight away. Never cut a thing without them since.

This happened to me a while back and it was the sprocket.

Gransfors maul is a lovely bit of kit for big rounds - it is heavy, though. I'm looking to supplement mine with a lighter splitting axe: ideally another Gransfors but the Husky one is less than half the price and still Swedish steel...

Yeah, the decomp button is a pain in the ***e. Looks like pretty much every saw over 55cc has them these days, though. Why is that?

My 560 will not cold start with the brake on I seem to remember my old 372 didn't either, personally I would never even try and cold start a saw with the chain brake on, I think it's ridiculous its taught you should be anticipating the chain moving when starting and in a clear space any way surely??Can not be doing saw clutches or brake bands any favours either.

Just been lucky that I've always had saws that started cold with the brake on, I suppose! As you say, it makes sense regarding the clutch.

Decided against the 441 then?

Decided against forking out an extra £200...

...Regretting it, of course!

From cold or hot? I would not cold start any saw with the break on ,no saw really likes it either..

Cold. My 346xp starts with the brake on (I had it drummed into me as well) but when really cold I'll take the brake off before starting. Just a question of adjusting my habits, I suppose.

I have a feeling I'll be the owner of a 560xp within a year. Just a feeling...

Well, got a new one, so I'm good to go.

Question, though: do 365s only start with the chain brake OFF?

Picked up the replacement 365 this afternoon. Haven't cut anything yet but it starts!

Hi Jon,

They're getting me a brand new one first thing tomorrow, so it isn't a big hassle in the grand scheme of things. Sod's Law in full effect, though!

I assume they sold you the aspen 2 stroke mix and not the aspen 4 stroke stuff .......

First thing I thought. No, it's Aspen 2. At least, it's in the Aspen 2 bottle...

So you ran it on aspen from the get go ? Thats you off the hook completely then

I know!

when they say its like the plug is not fitted , is that because of no spark or is that coz there is no compression ?

No compression...

Like to know why though . Air leak , bad mix , crap oil etc etc ....

They're going to strip it down to find out. Bad mix would have been my first thought if it hadn't been brand new and only ever run on Aspen. The engine turns over (they freed the starter eventually) but won't fire. As they said, it's like the plug isn't fitted.

Well, I got my new 365 on Friday. It was a pig to start straight off. When I finally got it going, it cut four 12" rounds before stalling. Started again, eventually, with a buzzing from the muffler. Loss of power, bogged, stalled. When I went to start it again, the starter was seized solid.

Took it back to the dealer first thing this morning. They managed to free the starter but the thing's dead as a doornail. Replacement on the way...

Well, Husky 365 it is. Going to pick it up tomorrow morning. Thanks to everybody for their advice.

A pile of half-buried oak and beech that I split and then got moved when we had some building work done. Has a sort of mummified look but is dry as a bone. I have to ring and split a few piles of oak and ash which have been lying for two years but there's a huge pile of half-rotten alder I need to do something with - might as well burn it!

Sounds like you've already fallen in love with the 441 and you're hoping we'll be able to remove the arrow of cupid from your heart...

Damn! So right!

Any thoughts on Jonsered - a CS2171 is more or less the same as a 372xp for less ££, or is that not true?

Been there, done that...... Bummer!

I'm not going to be using the saw non-stop. Often, but not all the time. Is the AV bush that dodgy?

Some big saws being talked about here. Nice having the smallest saw you can get away with on our Devon banks. My 364XP happily runs an 18" bar if kept sharp and so light and nimble for working in awkward spots when wedged in a hedge. Not quite sure what it's replacement is but probably 550xp. I have a MS 460 but will always choose the 346xp for working on the hedge if I can get away with it.

Yeah, I know what you mean. The old 346xp is staying - I've promised her Aspen from now on - but there's a need for some more power. One of the reasons I liked the 441 was that it handled like a much smaller saw. I can see being up on a wall with it. The 372xp less so.

Local dealers are pretty equally divided between Husky and Stihl, so it doesn't really matter. One of the nearer Stihl dealers advised the 460 over the 441 but that seems like overkill for what I need.

Thanks, Miker - the price is right for the 372xp. For a 70cc saw, though, the 441c-m feels like a whole different (better) beast. 372xp = time-tested and reliable, though?

First post here, though I've been lurking a bit!

I'm not a professional but I'm doing land maintenance and cutting firewood for my family. I'm looking to buy a new chainsaw to supplement my old 364xp. This is the old version I've had for about 11 years which has given me sterling service but hasn't got enough grunt for the things I'm doing right now, which is clearing storm-felled oak, ringing up some largish oak, ash and beech which has been lying a while and eventually felling more oak and ash off our Devon banks. I need something with some torque to turn an 18" bar in hardwood.

I was thinking about the Husky 365 X-torq, but when I picked up the new Stihl MS441 I decided it was the nicest saw I've ever held. However... I think it might be more saw than I need. Ditto the 560xp. Thinking about the Husky 555 or possibly the Stihl MS362c-m instead...

Anyway, the more I think about this the less I can decide, so any advice will be gratefully received!