Buying local or E-bay Husqvarna 345

[Bub381]

I need a saw for mainly doing occasional cutting and maybe for cutting some 4 ft firewood into 16" for the stove. Will be used for small jobs when needed not an everyday thing by no means.For home projects i guess you'd say.I'm looking at the Husqvarna 345 because it seems to be the saw for the job and it has a $300 price tag.Are the e-bay deals worth it or should i buy locally?I hear the saws like at Lowes are a cheaper made saw and i'm thinking these E-bay saws are the same.E-bay sells the same saw for quite a bit less as you all know.Also i have heard the 345 starts hard.Also will it handle an 18" bar? Any opinions?

 

[Flavo]

Are you sure you meant 345? I do not believe that saw exists. If you meant 445 which is in the 300 range. That is the saw I have. It is a great saw and has treated me wonderfully. Never a hard start and it has been getting used a lot lately. It came w/ an 18" bar from lowes. Has processed about 7 cords worth in the last 6 months and just tackled a 28" trunk w/ no problems at all. I did put a full chisel chain on it though before I ripped into the big stuff last week. I have no experience w/ other saws but love how my little husqvarna has performed for me.

 

[DexterDay]

The 435 isn't a BIG saw either. But with a 16" bar on it. You would be surprised. Bought mine from a dealer. Good luck.

 

[sblat]

I have a 345. I bought it used last fall and cut 5 cord with it this winter. I have a 16 in. bar on it, its got about 45 cc's. My saw was originally bought from lowes, and ran great for me this winter. I would say with a good chain it would pull an 18 in bar just fine. I think it is a great saw.

 

[Flavo]

Whoops. It wasn't on there website and a quick google search gave no buying options. If you own it, I guess it must exist.

 

[moosetrek]

I have one, and it's been a good saw - currently my backup saw. FYI I paid $190 at the dealership (it was a demo model) so that price for a used or outdated new saw seems high.

 

[KarlP]

Any opinions?

Since its not my money I can confidently say you should spend the extra $100 and get the 353 instead of the 345.

 

[Bub381]

If i had the extra $100 i'd probabaly buy a stihl.lol

 

[Bub381]

What's the word on the factory refurbished?

 

[HittinSteel]

I just recently bought a refurbed Husqvarna 150BT backpack blower. Very happy with it. Most of these units are returned for minor things, including someone not being able to start the unit. They are then gone over by factory techs and repackaged at a greatly reduced price.

The warranty is shorter, I believe 90 days on refurbs.

 

[mayhem]

My wife's uncle bought a Husky 240e last spring. Works great with a 16" bar, pulls an 18" just fine, but it does start to get a bit boggy in hard stuff. It was like $250-ish.

 

[granpajohn]

The reason I selected the 345 was (according to Husky...which may not be perfectly accurate) the weight is less and the power is nearly the same as the next model up; (I think the 350). Weight is important to me for health reasons. I did buy it online at Alamia with no regret. 18" bar is all I've ever run on it in 8 years use. Search for the thread on how to tune the carb settings. That was the only problem I've really had. I think it was in the low $200 range. Maybe $235; free shipping.

I thought I heard that Husky was gonna discontinue the 345. If true, and you have a chance for one, grab it.