Chainsaw Repair

Thanks, pretty much the same conclusion I came to.

I had that saw out last weekend... It fired right up did its job and no fuss. I have worked out its little quirks. Solid saw now.... as far as I can tell! I plan to use it for the rest of the year before it gets retired to the saw hotel for future generations. (closet in the garage...  as the nest project saw will replace it...)

Here's the thing. I can build that saw from scratch for $250 bucks or so for the parts. I WON'T sell one.  Ever. Therefor labor/time doesn't matter. But I'm not the only one who will figure this out.... But for Hobbyist? Tinkering type? A cheap saw puzzle and reasonable test bed for exploration? (What I will use it for)  Either with a used Husqvarna bottom end or new Huztl bottom end.  And IF and that's a qualified if; it continues to run like it does, its more than a match of anything new or used in the $250 price range and really more than a match for any saw on the market less than $600! And it's essentially new. So where does it fit? Tough question. Certainly a legitimate option as a larger farm saw or woodlot management saw. What about a saw for a skidder? That typically dies from crushing vs. wear? A good question. One thing I do know.... based on the reaction of some of those who have experienced that saw, it has altered perceptions radically. Some really don't like it... for a variety of reasons not totally related to performance And some really do.

And from a repair perspective, I can have a useful top end solution for a toasted 372/362 for less than $60 dollars delivered. If your a shop, that's a $100 dollar solution to extend the life of a customers "end of useful life" saw.... So where does that fit in the mix?

For me, and I suspect as you have said, for you, and those like us; I would rather have genuine Husqvarna parts on my "for real" saws. Both from a hobbyist's "correctness" emotional point of view and I do believe the OEM parts are still better from a material and dimensional point of view. I would recommend for those reasons a Pro should stick with OEM as I articulated in that video series because for the relatively few extra dollars spent there is significantly less chance of time & cost intensive failures. A pro really can't afford the cost / risk difference ... OEM minimizes Risk.

The antidote is for me to build a saw with a used XPW 75cc OEM top end I think.

(As you can probably see from this ramble & core dump...I'm conflicted on this subject. The eye opening I got from learning about the sources thru sales channels of these aftermarket parts is still settling in and will be a well thought out video bound to creat controversy too.... )