I saw this on CL Stihl saws [036 Pro for 350 and an 038 for $500, for when the link dies] and was wondering what people think of the 038? It seems like a sort of an odd ball, as most people seem to follow the 036-044/046-066 progression, or their modern MS36x type equivalents. Good/bad? Weakpoints? MasterMech
The 038 is just an older model than the others you mentioned. Made in the 80's, rather than 90's and 00's. $500 isn't too bad for the shape it's in. They're a little heavy by today's standards though
$500 is pretty steep for a saw that’s every bit of 30 years old. Even if they were excellent saws for their time. Insult to injury however, that’s just a plain Jane 038 too, not a super or magnum.
I agree that $500 is a bit steep for what it is. I was wondering more about the 038 in general, and if it's a good saw to keep an eye out for, and what its weak/strong points are.
The ad says that it’s an 038 Magnum, 72cc. It’s not badged that way (the 038 Mag never got the “Magnum” sticker, it was always on the name plate) but if it is indeed an 038M, it’s worth something a lot closer to that $500 than a Plain-Jane 038. Perhaps one of our other Eagle-eyed members will know of a way to I.D. the saw from the photos. The 036 is a pretty good buy at $300 or so, a lot lighter than the 038 and not much of a sacrifice in power. 38’s are excellent saws, but they are 1 generation previous to the 036s so power to weight does suffer a bit. The 38s are also notorious for their screws loosening over time as Stihl had not fully committed to the now ubiquitous locking Torx screws they have been using since the 90s. Those two items are really all that I can ding the 038 for, and that’s not bad for a model that’s been around nearly as long as I have!
