new stihl MS 362 review....... sorry no pics yet

Hello ALl

I finally got to try out my new MS 362 on the weekend. I was cutting 18- 20" hem fir, some oak and some maple. My very first impression was wow, is this ever a smooth saw. When comparing it to my old Jonesred 2150 the stihl cuts like butter and I felt virtually no vibrations. I first thought it may be a little heavy @ 16.4 lbs with 18" bar, full oil and gas however once i got cutting the power seemed quite good and the saw was easy to manage. The only time i noticed the saw stain a bit was making the angle cut for the notch on a 22" maple. This was after a few hours cutting so I decided to sharpen the chain and try again and it seemed better. I got about three tanks of gas through it and after doing some reading it seems it will 'wake up' after 5 - 8 tanks. After she is broken in I will have to learn how to tune it.

I will get some pics up next round of cutting

Congrats on the Saw! Tuning is a pretty funny game. I have one saw you can tune by ear all the way through a long cut with the way you apply pressure. (as long as its close in tune to start with)

I'm glad you like your new saw. I bought a 362 for my dad for father's day and he loves it, all he had before that was an old used 026 (or 024 maybe?) Talk about a difference. haha.

I bought myself a 361 a couple years ago and loved it so much I wanted to get my dad one. I knew they were replaced with the 362 and was leary to get one because of some negative feedback, well I decided to bite the bullet and get one anyways! Now I'm really glad I did because between his saw and my saw I really don't notice a difference, we're both really happy with it and he still can't believe he has a such a nice saw now.

I just got a 25" bar for mine for cutting some larger pines and with a sharp full chisel chain I was really happy how fast it cut. I usually have an 18" chain on there most of the time. I keep thinking of doing the muffler mod but really don't need the extra power.

Congrats on your new saw (even though I'm a week late)

Piston
Thanks for the feedback
I tried looking for a 361, becasue of the mix reviews on the 362 but i could not find any. I now have about 8 tanks of gas through it and it seems to be getting stronger and stronger ( mybe its just me though). My father in law has been running saws his whole life ( he is a husky man) and he is really impressed with the 362. I guess only time will tell how the 362 holds up.

Nice! Congrats and enjoy.

It's not just you, the rings are seating and increasing compression. Congrats on the new saw. Enjoy.

Insert the obligatory Tim the tool man Taylor grunt here.

Hey Abby, I tell you what, I bought a new 362 several months ago and I use it a minimum of 5 days a week for around 5-6 hours a day. A conservative "hours of use" total for me would be in excess of 400 hours of operation. I run this saw hard when I need to, and coast it when it's easy time. I have had ZERO problems with it. Keep the pre-filter clean, make sure to listen for the "burp" when starting cold, and you will do fine for many, many years.

You made an excellent decision. Also, switch to the synthetic oil as soon as possible and don't change from it. Pay the few extra bucks for the Stihl oil and hang tough with it.

Thanks WHotheguy, good advise on the synthetic.
My neighbour just baught a 362 a week ago. He really likes it also.

Man- just sawed my first rounds with the new 362 this evening--- what a great saw! My MS260pro is a good little saw and I was a little worried just jumping up 9cc's to the 362. But this engine is a whole different beast....smooth and ripping with power with the 20" bar. Cut my sawing time and fatigue by half I think. Now if my wife could just lift those oak rounds on to the pickup bed- i'd have it made!

Fat chance! The faster you cut the more work you have to do...lol