Stihl 066 or Husky 372xp?

G'day fellas,

I am in the market for a new chainsaw to replace the Husky Rancher I sold to my neighbour due to it being a little undersized for my purposes. I've had advise from two professional saw users, one suggested the Stihl 066 and the other the Husky 372 XP. I was pretty happy with the Husky for lighter work after I got rid of the off the shelf chain it came with and upped the bar from the 18" it came with. How ever the work I'm tackling requires more balls, red gum "branches" up to 1.5 meter thick and rock hard. I noticed there is a slight "if you use a Husky you must wear frilly underwear" undertone here, but hey, some one has to buy them to keep them in business right? Objective opinions and wise cracks appreciated! Cheers in advance.

Go with the largest you can afford old son. Don't hock a valuable appendage of any sort to raise funds.
Although you could do a chook raffle

Can't go wrong with either.

If we are spending sonnafa's Aussie bucks, we should go with a 3120XP and dodge the med weight saws all together.
Stihls are ok, the Huskys rev better and run smoother. It really boils down to which dealer provides the best service.
As far as wearin' the frillies, I have found that Stihl owners do that, Husky owners go with the Gramma panties.
I'm a McCulloch man, we go commando, we won't discuss the Homelite guys.

One is a 70cc and the other 90cc. Weight is also quite different. I would consider apples to apples......

How long of a bar do you need to run?

If 70cc is what you want then the 372 is one of the best saws ever made, as are the stihl 440/460's

If you need 90cc, then look at huskys comparible model to the stihl 660, the 390XP.

Not much that can't be done with a ported 372

Believe it or not its cheaper for me to buy in the US and ship it to Aust than buy either of them here off the shelf, so I'm in the market at about $800 give or take.

This is just an annual firewood round up on a small acreage so it will probably come out of the shed maybe a dozen times a year or depending on how much time I "need" to spend out of the house, so weight probably isn't an over lying factor. The Rancher was a good weight, and I'm not built like Rambo nor like Peter Griffins, so something around 4-5 Kg would be fine. Once this big stuff is gone (bigger than in the vid above) I'm back to general purpose so the 372 XP is looking like the more versatile solution until I catch the same fungal growth that makes me want to collect saws. Bar size I'll probably get a 24" and a 28"(reading the other thread it seems the 28" was highly recommended).

Worse case scenario, I need something bigger, I just convince my neighbour the Rancher is too small for his needs and needs a 372 XP...

I'm happy to be stuck with the gramma panties, that way if I have a close miss with an important limb, the dribbling down my leg won't distract me!

I'm a stihl guy, but for what you're doing, I'd go 372 XP. Great all around saw, that should handle that job & other smaller ones well. A C

BTW: Nice to see you over here Randy. Where's the 6 cube tag line in your sig?

Yes, a lot of knowledge has been added to the forum. Welcome Randy.

The 066 is probably a bad choice for a sole saw. A 372 or 441 would be a durable productive choice.

Hi guys. Thanks. I'm here because we have new Quad Santa Fe, "The Gear" is a happy bonus.

Sonnafa, I noticed that Aussies dribble at a drop of a hat, we'll talk in the paddock...

I have shipped a lot of saws overseas, and you are not going to get either a 372xp or an MS660 for $800 USD, even before they are shipped from here. Defaintely apples and orange comparison too, the 660 and 372 are not in the same class. The more comparable saw to the Stihl MS660 is the Husky 395xpw, and the more comparable saw to the Husky 372xpw is the MS460 (the 372xp compares to the MS440, but the 440 is being phased out here again).

The last MS660 power head that I shipped to Oz was $1340 USD with shipping, insurance, exchange and overhead costs.
The last 372xpw power head that I shipped to Oz was $1090 USD with shipping, insurance, exchange and overhead costs.
The last 395xpw power head that I shipped to Oz was $1340 USD with shipping, insurance, exchange and overhead costs (same as the 660).
The last MS460 power head that I shipped to NZ (same rate to Oz) was $1230 USD with shipping, insurance, exchange and overhead costs.

Compare these prices to the list prices in Oz for these saws. Down under the The MS660 is: $2000 AUD ($2100 USD), the MS460 is $1800 AUD ($1890 USD). The 395xp is $2000 AUD, and the 372xp is not listed for sale there any more. Today the exchange rate is $1.00 AUD is $1.05 USD.

Some of the modders over at AS will mod & ship to Australia.

I don't know if he has a presence here, too, but MCW and some other Aussies over at AS cut lots of gum. I think he has Dolmar 7900's, too. Check out some of his posts on cutting gum and saw performance.

Good thinking, I completely forgot that option. A C

I'm a Stihl guy, but I bought a used 372XP this past summer and I love that thing like all get-out. Fun saw to run, great power-to-weight ratio......I'm thinking Mastermind or BSnelling over at AS may be doing a Woods-port and squish band on that saw someday in the future. I'll do the muffler mod myself.

Nice to see you over here, RandyMac........how do you like that Santa Fe so far?

Agreed.

I think if were already payin' one of the boyz over there to unleash the saw, I'd let 'em have his way with the muffler too.

I gotta have SOMETHING on that saw that I customized myself. I may make a set of dual drag pipes up before I send it out. Who knows, maybe I'll get a contract to build custom mufflers for ol' Mastermind.....

Thank you everyone for your input and advise. It makes it easier to make a purchase like this when many of the comments support my original choice of saw. Stihlhead, you are about right with the cost, I've been able to source a supplier who will send one to me for just under $1000 US, stihl a significant saving on what I would have to pay over here. Yes, pun intended.

372 or 066 for the same price? 066 hands down. For an only saw though, I'd have to go with the 372 or the comparable 460. Push them with a longer bar when you have the big stuff, and for an all day, only saw for occasional use, I would rather not have the weight and stress of the bigger saws.

I have the 390xp. It's a rip. I like what it does. But even when I only have the 24" bar on it can take a toll on me. I tend to use my 346xp in general. I'm comparing apples to cherries, I know.

But I'm just sayin' if you have only one saw, do you really need the 90cc's or would the 372 do everything you need it to, most of the time? I had a 36" bar I would run on my 268xp (similar to the 372xp) and it got me out of a bind when I needed it. It was my only saw in the beginning. It'll save you a few hundred dollars and a little fatigue if you can settle for the 372xp or the 460 Stihl.

But I've never cut redgum. You say it's rock hard. You say up to 1.5 meters diameter. That's a lot of tree to work on. If it's mainly 1.0 meters and larger, I'd strongly consider the 066 if you don't deal with very much smaller trees.

Just a note that the cost on the 372 I listed above was for the 372xpw, which is the pre-smogged larger engine (74cc) 372 with a 3/4 wrap. The original 372xp has a smaller 71cc engine (same as was on the 371), and that is also the size of the engine on the new smogged 372xp/xt (x-torque). The 372xpw is not available any more in the US, the quote above was just for a price comparison.

I bought a Husky 395xpw a few months after I 'saw' you last, and you would have been impressed. I later got a 372xpw and a 346xp, and then decided I was CAD crazy and sold them all after I bought my new place. Also the Husky/Kubota dealer is on the very far side of town from me now, and they have moved even farther west since then.

I suggest you look at the NEW 562XP or 576XP - with Autotune, Husqvarna saws. These are incredible saws. Really have very consistent power. Check out Husqvarna.com or gamka.com for more information. The Autotune technology is changing the chainsaw world. Stihl does not have a real answer for it. Forget the written word. Put the saw in your hands and feel the power.

Stihl actually sued Husqvarna to get the technology and Husqvarna lost in the courts and is now providing them the information so they can make their own. The courts ruled that Husqvarna would have an "unfair advantage" in their technology and possibly wipe out the competition with this new technology. WOW.

Red gum is as rough as your ever going to cut. I would go as big as you can afford and Chain,chain chain of fools! (You better be one of the best sharpeners modded saw just going to use more fuel) 90cc +

Got any links to that suit?