It seems to help to do the carb calibration process after the first tank. My dealer said nothing about it. I found it in the manual. Did the process to a t and it did help
I like your video format. It was nice to see the saw cut and hear opinion at the same time. Even though your not a stihl guy I feel you gave an unbiased opinion on it.
I just bought a new ms400c and love it I have 3 tanks of fuel through it what ratio of fuel oil are you running and what brand oil ? I have notice I already have carbon build up in my exhaust and on my piston as I’m running 40:1 and husky xp professional
When I was looking at getting a new saw these really peaked my interest as something smaller than a 70cc but stronger than a 60cc but just couldn’t justify the price! This weekend ended up finding a used Dolmar PS 6800i and have fallen in love with it! Would love to see how the power between the two compare because the Dolmar feels like it’s got some decent torque.
Great video, i like all your details of how you analyse and how you see things with saws. Well done! I must say that when you said that long bar does not save your back, I must say it looks a bit painful when you bend forward but it might be from my perspective and not what you experience. Thx alot, take care! :)
I used to always run a 20" bar on my MS460 as we mostly cut pine in my area,but when I had to cut grey poplar with it I went to a "25". I can't run big saws any more,but I would sure love to have some oak to cut for a bit! ps,I know my story doesn't fit the 400 performance ,but I love to ramble .
I think it’s a symptom of the design with the mtronic/Autotune saws. I noticed similar in my 572xp when I started using it. If I tried to dog it it would fall on its face. I had previously had a Dolmar 6400…. I got the firmware updated which helped. I think you have to change the way you cut with these. I ended up getting my 572 ported by dyno joe, so it’s now the saw I thought it should have been… Maybe go check to see if the mtronic firmware is up to date.
Never liked husqvarna's chain brake outboard clutch setup,but i recon they run great and others like them well enough. Ill probably always be a stihl guy though.
I have no experience with Stihl 400, but 67cc makes it about the same size as a Dolmar 120, The Dolmar 120 handles a 28" bar pretty well. Back in the day I had seen pro timber fellers run them with 32" bar but most of them switched to the Stihl 044 with 36" bar for their small saw.
The MS400 was designed to compete in Europe directly with the Husqvarna 562xp, which performs like a 70cc saw, and to replace the unimpressive MS362. Here in Europe, all 3 saws are run with 18 inch/45cm bars, occasionally with a 20inch/50cm. The MS400 is preferred for hardwoods, as it has the better torque than a 562xp. The 562xp is preferred for softwood limbing, due to the rev boost, although the MS400 is no slouch as a limbing saw.
I agree I try to like Stihl too. I used to love them but I don't like them anymore. But that don't mean they are bad. In my profession as long as you have a Stihl, Husky, Or a Johnny Red you will be fine.. One of my best friends owns an Echo/ Cub Cadet dealership and he won't even sell me an Echo...LoL
Everyone seems so concerned about the displacement but never thinks about the weight. It could be a 100cc saw for all i care. It has a 60cc saw class weight which matter more to me than it being 67ccs
Im running a stihl 400, and I cant fault it. Pulls all bar lenghts and chain types that I own easily. Keep the 400, and use it every year for a decade alongside your other saws. Write up the maintanence costs and lets talk again. At my work, which is a firestation, we run all Stihl for all types of cutting both interior fire work in harsh conditions, clearence and storm cleanup - and most of those saws are 15-20 years old and still going strong. I love Husky power, but I would never consider buying any other saw than Stihl - but at this point im completely biased, due to 10 years of positive experience with them 🙂
Well said! Husky power is great but nothing lasts like a stihl. Been working 20 years on tree crew, we still have a couple stihls that been working the whole time....
I can see where people who aren’t used to M-Tronic carb can come to this conclusion. Do the auto carb tune process and you’ll see better performance. I’ve been running a 400 professionally for a couple years now with a barkbox and it pulls a 25 and 28” bar no problem. Never tried a 36” bar but I agree that it wasn’t designed for a 36” bar. Overall it’s a great pro saw.
Spare parts for Stihl has been cheap for me compared to my Husqvarnas. They still supply parts for +20 year old saws. Aftermarket/china might keep them going for longer. Over the lifetime of a saw I will spend more money fixing them than the initial purchase. So if you use them to make a living the value goes from bad to good. Do I sympathize with the "neat saw but not worth the price" perspective. I get sentimental with my saws and only shelf them when everything is stripped out or other major issues I can't justify spending time/money on. I still use saws I've had since the start of my career. At the end of the day I've kept the saws that feel right. Mix and match - I'm neither loyal or a fanboy. Each new model could be a win or fail. Only reason I dislike the 57x series is sound when they aren't loaded up with big wood. It pierces my ears, but they do cut nice.. oh and don't get me started on primer bulbs on pro saws😅
3:28 you mention top saw manufacturers. And I agree with you. Just curious what you think of Solo saws. Do they make them anymore? I would like to try one sometime. The Chainsaw industry has been rocked by mergers and acquisitions (like many industries) We have lost some great brands with a rich chainsaw heritage. For that reason I would like to see Solo be more accessible here so we have more options. Competition is a great thing for all industries. It drives innovation and also keeps prices more reasonable. I really hated to hear that Makita is no longer going to be selling gas chainsaws. Essentially taking the Dolmar heritage out of the game now. Homelite, Jonsered, McCulloch, Poulan, and now Dolmar are either neutered to the point they only offer small cheap homeowner options or non existent.
Hi, I have a Ms400 have done muffler mod, reset the Mtronic and run a 20 inch bar with full chizel chain. Excellent saw, I cut mostly hard wood timbers, which can bog it down if you are putting too much pressure on the bar, I think it could handle a 25" bar pretty easily.
It's interesting to hear the perspective of an 'enthusiast'. In my world the chainsaws only run when there's paying work for them to be used for. If you ran a tree service, what brand would you probably buy? Would your preferences change?
That's a great question, and I'll admit that it would probably be Stihl if I could not mechanic myself. Their dealer network is far superior. I'd also be less concerned with the most powerful saw and I would be more concerned with the longest lasting when idiots are running it. Tree service guys are ridiculously hard on equipment. It's like they break stuff to prove they work hard or something. It's bad.
Out of all my saws the 572xp and the 400 are the ones I'm not a super fan of. I prefer my 462 significantly more for weight, handling and power much more. 572 is a tank and 400 to me is just lacking in power. I would take my 562xp and then jump right past those to a 462 or 372
Stihl has the best dealership network bar none. They make their own bars and chains and their lite bars are the lightest on the market. The price may be higher,but you get what you pay for. Dolmar sadly is no longer a player at the table,but husqvarna and echo are still good. Ive only one echo dealer near me and he has trouble getting stock and even parts,but he is a servicing dealer. No husqvarna dealers within 75 miles of me,and 3 servicing stihl dealers within a 30 minutes drive. 2 of those are gold star service centers. Any service parts ive ever needed( including screws id lost) they had in stock. The only thing ive had to wait on was 28" rs 91 3/8.050 chain,and it was just overnight shipped. Honestly if i had to chose between echo and husqvarna id take an echo. The ms400 cuts as fast as an echo cs7310 and is 3lb lighter. Its more than a pound lighter than a husqvarna 562xp,and stihl cuts faster. Id say the best comparison would be to an old school stihl 044,but lighter. Is it oerfect,no of course not. Its made to stay in a higher rpm band and of course that can cause issues with longer bars. Keep a really sharp chain,choose yourself an exhaust mod,maybe a foam intake filter and have at it. I run a full comp chain and 28" bar. Handles it pretty well and its still lighter than my old ms310 with a 20" bar. If you aren't satisfied with the oil output you can instal an oem oiler from a ms461 for about $100
Stihl is kinda like John Deere. They're quality equipment but with John Deere that green and yellow paint must cost a lot of money based on the prices they charge.
I never bought something I tell people I don't like .what are you telling us ,I wood of bought an echo saw of same performance n upgrade the muffler period. Your welcome .God bless yall real good.
Boedy, Echo is more about reliability. For homeowners doesn't matter these seconds in speed difference. It's like Toyota. Simple, reliable, inexpensive, but has some potential for improvement. Yes, there're some other brands with faster products, but we all can see how many problems every model has in a long periods. 1 question: what if this 400 will not get more power once it'll break in or if it'll be easily halted like now?
The echo performance might be also down to the same thing why car guys want JDM toyotas more than rest of the world models. Echo does have a less restricted sx models for Europe and a different model name for domestic Japanese market saws. But this is all a speculation.
@@modarkthemauler ecology things too, more resticted engines etc. Probably some other things, for ex here in US afaik you cannot sell husqvarna combo gas can (perfect can) because of it's color. Must be red, but it's orange.
You won't find a better saw in my opinion to pull a 20 inch bar. If you wanna pull a bigger bar either mod it or buy a bigger saw such as the 462. Its a professional saw so yeah i wouldn't wouldn't recommend it to very many people.
I had a few clone 372 they run good but wouldn’t hold up after a month. The cranks in them are really soft. I have a set of neotech cases with Oem crank and carb with hyway top end and it has served me well so far. It’s been getting it for 4 months now and doing good
Junkety junk junk sthil marketing is laughing all the way to the 🤑bank. 🤭 I agree with top dog what’s the point ? $1100 don’t you feel like you just got stuck in the behind 🤮
I get why people like it. My thing is that shorter bars are easier to move around, easier to limb with, More efficient when you cut, less friction, better oil use, faster to sharpen and easier to maintain.
To see you run a Stihl chain saw You never like Stihl saws Thay are great saws to run everyday Top 2 saws to run everyday That is the only saw that I run everyday Had a Stihl in my hands at 14 years old
Then I would say that you must have little-to-no-knowledge of what Poulan used to be. Poulan Pro 445- better saw than 044. Poulan Pro 475- better saw than 046. When the 066 came out, Poulan didn't make anything in that class. But I was talking about before that.mid 70's to mid '80s. Poulan had very competitive saws. The 4200 and 5200 were right there with anything in the same class made by other manufacturers at the time. They were at that point a top tier saw company. Even later on with the introduction of what I call the Hightops, they were very competitive, and I do believe at that time they were the best selling saw manufacturer in the world. Now, because they have put out so many crappy saws for the past 25 years, people either forget or are simply ignorant of the reality that they used to be seen as a VERY strong competitor.
I process over 80 cords a year, using only still saws, totally running the heck out of them all! Never one time have they let me down!! For me there worth every dollar to me!!🪵🔥
IMStupidO. The price is a complete reflection of demand (by pro users). The stihl saws are in highest demand because of all of the factors that make them better for production cutting. While your opinions are completely accurate for a enthusiast, a pro saw user may evaluate with different parameters. This might be a slight exaggeration but most pro user are happy to pay a substantial amount more for a saw that is just slightly better than the others. (my company does own a 400, ported since new, and we LOVE it)
Demand does not mean the best or quality. It's just that, demand. If demand was a metric for quality then Apple products would be head and shoulders better than their competition. Not saying it's a bad product but demand and price is not the thing to look at. My source is that I work in forestry and have tried all three Stihl, Echo and Husky and lean towards husky on the chainsaws and Echo on the brushcutter/clearing saws. And price is not a issue because my employer pays for the equipment, I just pick it.
