Chainsaw advice

[Phil Labowski]

Okay, so the saw I picked up from the pawn shop wasn't the bargain I thought it was. The repair said that the muffler screw had been put in with lock tight, or something, because he couldn't get it out, but if he could he was sure he'd see a burned up piston. I know I didn't do it I never had the thing running long enough to burn it up! lol. On the upside I sent my father a text saying a wanted a new chainsaw cuz that one was a lemon and I got an unexpected answer. So now I need to know of a saw where cost and quality are both acceptable. I found a "Yard Dog" that comes with a 20" and a 14" bar/chain that falls under the $200 mark, but I've never heard of the brand. There was a Blue something that had the same deal with the 2 bars/chains. Also, why would you want a 14" bar if you have a 20"? Thanks in advance!

[Jim Becker]

My advise to you is that it is actually less expensive to buy a more expensive saw the first time..."replacement" of a poor performing or dysfunctional chainsaw costs a whole lot more. I know that from experience. I bought a typical "homeowner" type 16" bar saw from a home center when I first moved onto this property. It was about $190 and had a "brand name" that I recognized. It didn't last very long, was hard to start and would have been expensive to fix because it would have had to have been sent way. (no, it was not in warranty at that point...long story) Lesson learned. I bought an 18" bar Stihl saw (.029 Farm Boss) after that for about $299. It starts easily, even after it's sat for months and cuts like a dream. I basically wasted $200 with that first purchase since it was unrecoverable.

So even if you have to add a few bucks to the kitty, buy a Stihl or Husquvarna chain saw and don't look back! And buy it from an independent dealer, not a big-box store. You want the saws that haven't had any features compromised to reduce cost.

[keith micinski]

I have a 14" Husqvarna that I love and runs like a dream. It sounds small but I cleared and entire 1000 foot driveway and a spot for the house. It starts right up every time and has more then enough power. My only complaint is that the chain was changed during the model run and you have to be careful when buying a 14 inch chain because if it has the other manufacture date on it it wont work.

[Gordon Eyre]

Amen to what Jim said.

[Bill Bukovec]

Don't waste your money on a bargain saw. Like the previous posts said, it's a waste of money.

I bought a (from a dealer)Stihl that normally comes with a 16" bar. I upgraded to an 18" bar for 10 bucks or so.

It starts and runs beautifully. Some times I let it idle on the ground and just listen to it run.

There is nothing worse than a poor quality saw that starts hard and doesn't stay running.

Good luck,

Bill

[Mark W Pugh]

Don't waste your money on a bargain saw. Like the previous posts said, it's a waste of money.

I bought a (from a dealer)Stihl that normally comes with a 16" bar. I upgraded to an 18" bar for 10 bucks or so.

It starts and runs beautifully. Some times I let it idle on the ground and just listen to it run.

There is nothing worse than a poor quality saw that starts hard and doesn't stay running.

Good luck,

Bill

Everything said here is exactly what I did. Can't go wrong with a Stihl.

[Jim Andrew]

I have 2 Stihl chainsaws that I have had several years. Took one to my mechanic as the fuel was leaking out, and he said he buys a Poulan when they are on sale, and just runs it till it quits and then gets a new one. Says they last pretty well, and it is cheaper than owning a Stihl. Mine run about 400 each, and he buys an 18" Poulan for about 129. One thing I have done which has saved me lots of money, is to sign up with Bailey's, and I order my new bars and chains when they send out a sale catalog. Their chains are much better than the Stihl replacement chains. And you can order replacement parts and just about anything for forestry use.

[Peter Kelly]

I found a "Yard Dog" that comes with a 20" and a 14" bar/chain that falls under the $200 mark, but I've never heard of the brand. There was a Blue something that had the same deal with the 2 bars/chains. Also, why would you want a 14" bar if you have a 20"? Thanks in advance!

Probably because that saw wasn't ever meant for a 20" bar.

Save your money and get a Dolmar. I recommend the PS-510 if you're looking for something in the 50cc / 18" range.

[Michael Mayo]

Another Stihl fan here. I had an 025 model which is known as a homeowner saw with an 18" bar and it works fine but didn't have the umphh to really cut big stuff fast. So I picked up a Stihl 044 70cc saw and it is a beast of a saw with a 20" bar on it. It made very quick work of some downed Oaks that my neighbor had after the Hurricane Sandy storm last year. Got the saw for a pretty good price $350 when all the saws in that range were listed at $600+ used. Great saws and if you take care of them and keep up on the maintenance they will last forever.

[Matt Meiser]

I'm a big Stihl fan too, but there are several good brands of OPE. Find a dealer you like that's been around for a while and has a loyal following and buy what they recommend. By dealer, I mean a locally owned/operated business with a service department. Don't buy OPE at a big box store--someone should take it out of the box, check it over, adjust anything as needed, etc before you buy it, and be there if you need parts, service, or advise in the future.

In my immediate area, there are as many Stihl dealers as everyone else combined. Not that it really matters as I've bought nearly all my equipment from one dealer who I've done business with since I bought my first toy tractor from them at the county fair when I was about 6. Its still convenient though as I can pick up an extra trimmer spool, air filter, etc etc almost any direction I need to go rather than make a special trip (or even go 2 miles out of the way.)

I don't use my chainsaw much at all but when I need it I need it. I picked up an MS210 from one of the other local dealers which was a used-for-2-weeks trade in from someone who bought too small. I saved a nice chunk of money by giving up the factory warranty, but the dealer said he'd honor it himself if needed (it never was.) That dealer I'd known the owner (he's passed away now) since his son and I were in 1st grade together. The new owner of that business seems to be continuing on and I still use them for a lot of supplies or tractor parts because they are only a mile and a half from my house (less than a mile if I could cut across the fields.) The MS210 has done everything I needed--mostly storm damage cleanup.

I'm sure others will want to add/subtract from this list, but you might want to go check out dealers of some of the following: Stihl, Jonsered, Echo, Redmax, Dolmar, Husqvarna. Weingartz is a big dealer of a few of these brands that has a couple locations up your way. Don't really know much about them but it might be a good place to start.

[Charles Wiggins]

My advise to you is that it is actually less expensive to buy a more expensive saw the first time..."replacement" of a poor performing or dysfunctional chainsaw costs a whole lot more. I know that from experience. I bought a typical "homeowner" type 16" bar saw from a home center when I first moved onto this property. It was about $190 and had a "brand name" that I recognized. It didn't last very long, was hard to start and would have been expensive to fix because it would have had to have been sent way. (no, it was not in warranty at that point...long story) Lesson learned. I bought an 18" bar Stihl saw (.029 Farm Boss) after that for about $299. It starts easily, even after it's sat for months and cuts like a dream. I basically wasted $200 with that first purchase since it was unrecoverable.

So even if you have to add a few bucks to the kitty, buy a Stihl or Husquvarna chain saw and don't look back! And buy it from an independent dealer, not a big-box store. You want the saws that haven't had any features compromised to reduce cost.

Jim already said just about everything I would have. I had a Poulan from a Big Box Store. It was fine until I had to stop it to refuel or turn a log or the like. Once it was hot it did not want to restart - never figured out why. This got really frustrating when I was trying to drop a whole line of trees along our driveway. I finally gave up on it and went and got a Stihl MS290. One of my best purchases ever.

If you're new to chainsaws you may want the Chain Saw Safety and Maintenance videos from Stihl. No matter what type of saw you buy there is information in there that will help.

[Bill Bukovec]

One thing I forgot to add.

I never use gas that has ethanol in any of my small engines.

I got that tip from a small engine mechanic.

Bill

[Gregory King]

Phil, I love chainsaw work as I have my own woodlot. Husky for me and I have a 266 and a 45 models. One for big and one for small work. The best advice I can give you is to use the very best grade of gasoline and the manufacturers oil. I have a 10 liter can that uses a single can of the Husky oil. No way the mix can go wrong. Nothing burns a piston any quicker that a bad mix or cheap grade of fuel. Take care to wear the proper gear and keep the chain sharp. A dull saw is hard on both the operator and the saw. Greg

[Earnest Riley Thornton]

I went to look for a local husky dealer in an attempt to get a pro-series saw. No dice the old husky dealer closest to me became a stihl dealer. I got them and a few of the other stihl dealers in the area to quote me a 50-55cc pro-series. I did not really care for the pricing.

So I went down to the local big box place with a gift-card and coupon code in hand and ordered a pro-series echo CP-550. I could live with the price I ended up paying. I will see how it holds up in the long run.

[Matt Meiser]

So I went down to the local big box place with a gift-card and coupon code in hand and ordered a pro-series echo CP-550. I could live with the price I ended up paying. I will see how it holds up in the long run.

Now take it somewhere for service. A lot of dealers will put you at the end of the line for service on an item bought at a big box. Not sure if Husqvarna sells different machines at big boxes than dealers, but the big box Deere tractors are significantly lower quality. My dealer says they often end up "totaled" after a couple years. I don't get this as it seems like it just hurts the brand image.