I'm confused - and I realize this question has been asked dozens of times before.........

I am no expert, but the local Husky (and several other brands) dealer will not stock the 455. Many other Huskies, yes, and they advocate them. I had the choice of one of the pro-ish Huskies (not in stock) or a 488 Shindaiwa (pro, in stock) for the same money, so I bought the Shin (has not been changed for 13 yrs. That says a lot to me.) The 488 (I hope that is the right model) is a wood-eating hummer, as I am sure the better Huskies are. All I can say is "Buy a quality saw. For an extra $100, which you will still have in your bank account when you die, you will never regret it, and will love how it works and works." You'll be using a good chain saw for 20-25 yrs. My friend has had a Stihl for 25 yrs, and he heats almost exclusively w/ wood; all he ever does is sharpen the chain, etc. Same engine, carb, etc. In the long run, expensive is cheap. Good luck w/ your call, and I really feel that all the hoopla about whether or not a 345 out-saws a 344 B is just that. Hoopla. Buy quality, saw wood. Brand, schmand.

My order of preference for those saws:

346XP
455
350

Go with the XP if you can. It's built better.

Absolutely get the 346XP, it's a better, lighter saw that also has the added benefit of a higher top rpm and thus chain speed. That will be $75.00 well spent.

I owned a 455 Rancher for a while and trust me it is an okay saw but it's a much lower performance/quality saw than the 346XP.

I bought a Stihl 025 consumer saw instead of the 026 Pro Saw about 8 years ago to save a hundred bucks. I didn't regret the decision until I used a friends 026 Pro Saw. The 025, now called the MS-250, is about the same as a Husky 350. The 026, now called the MS-260, is about the same as the 346XP.

I have no complaints about the 025 I have, but:

You can read the specs between consumer saws and Pro Saws and try to make up your mind, but they can't be compared that way.

The Pro Saw's feel different when using them. The horsepower figures may appear close on paper, but they run different.

Buy the 346XP and don't look back. In a couple of years, you will not know what you did with the 100 bucks you saved, but you will be still using the saw.

TMonter said:

Absolutely get the 346XP, it's a better, lighter saw that also has the added benefit of a higher top rpm and thus chain speed. That will be $75.00 well spent.

I owned a 455 Rancher for a while and trust me it is an okay saw but it's a much lower performance/quality saw than the 346XP.

Click to expand...

Ya, I don't know what happened there. The old 55 Ranchers were decent saws, but these newer 455's seem a bit cheap and wimpy.

HI Sailor,

You will be very happy. I upgraded from a Husky 359 to a 346xp and I can say I have never been happier. Same reasons you quoted.

Good luck and keep it close. Dont let it walk away again

Carpniels

I got a husky 51, don't know if they make them any more, had it for about 15 years and never had a problem with it, and used it at work for years to clear lots, starts like it new all the time

HI Sailor,

You will be very happy. I upgraded from a Husky 359 to a 346xp and I can say I have never been happier. Same reasons you quoted.

Good luck and keep it close. Dont let it walk away again

Carpniels

Click to expand...

Not sure if I did that quote right. Anyway, I'm confused by "upgrading" from a 359 to a 346xp. You went to a lower cc and lower hp saw. How is that an upgrade? The only difference I can see is an extra 1000 rpm at the top end and a little lighter. Please let me know what I'm missing.

Does the 346xp have a Magnesium Crankcase, or Plastic? A guy at work is looking to get a good saw, and I haven't read any bad reviews yet on this saw. I know it is new, but a any bugs or complaints should have shown up by now.