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Thread: Chain saw recommendation - under $300

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
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    Portsmouth, VA
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    Chain saw recommendation - under $300

    OK, I recently caught up on the thread about chain saws and oddly enough I am in the market for a new CS. My 18" Craftsman died after only 16 years

    I read the merits of the Husky and the Stihl and they sound great. I use my CS fairly infrequently (3-4 times a year a couple of hours each time) and usually for light duty applications. I can not justify spending over $300 for it, especially since the "low end" Craftsman lasted so long.

    I have looked at the current Craftsman, Poulan, Homelite, and today was at Home Depot and saw their Echo brand. These are the brands that are readily available at places I know (there's also a local Husky dealer - cheapest was $330). They all seem to be about the same quality in general appearance and the price range is from $150-$300 (18 inch bar with 40cc or so engine).

    So what say ye, the collective intelligence...

    Be well,

    Doc

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2004
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    N Illinois
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    The key word is STIHL !!! IMHO, they are the best. I've had 2 of them and they are v dependable and great quality. Expect to pay more than the BORG brands but well worth the difference. They have several models under $300 and you'll have to buy from a STIHL dealer. As a young guy, I had a Homelight which lasted about 3 seasons of light use..all IMHO
    Jerry

  3. #3
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    Mar 2004
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    I have both a Husquvarna with a 26" blade and a Poulan Pro with a 20" blade. I have had the Husquavarna for about 20 years and it owes me nothing because of all the work that I have done using it. But the Husquavarna is expensive, and it is heavy, and it is somewhat cantankerous. Three years ago, I bought a Poulan Pro 295 and it is a lot easier to use. It can do about 95% of the lumbering that I now want to do and, at about $300 Canadian, it is a lot less expensive than the Husquavarna. My Poulan gets very heavy use a our summer camp for about two months every summer.

  4. #4
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    I bought a Stihl last year and am well satisfied. I don't use it often, 4 times last year, but it starts easily and cuts great. I looked at the units at Lowe's and they just didn't seem to compare favorably. I only got a 14" model and it was $170 set up, fueled and ready to go in a case. FWIW, I don't know about all the others, but Stihl recommends using a mid-grade fuel to prevent overheating the engine.
    ________
    Ron

    "Individual commitment to a group effort--that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
    Vince Lombardi

  5. #5
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    Don, even if you have to save an extra month or three, buy a Stihl, Husqui or similar for long-term satisfaction.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
    Rob Will Guest
    I have several chainsaws on a farming operation. I purchased a Stihl 026 pro, now the employees NEVER use the other saws.

    Personally, I think some people buy bigger saws than they need. I like to look at how much a saw weighs and how much HP it has. A 2.6 Stihl engine will saw circles around a 3.3 Homelite and weigh about 3 lbs less.

    There are a few interesting internet articles on the history of Stihl.

    I would buy the best Stihl I could afford without adding weight.

    Rob

  7. #7
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    Of the brands you mention, the Echo would be the best option. They make some very nice smaller sized saws. Be aware the Stihl make professional and homeowner saw models. The Pro grade ones are very good (but pricey). The homeowner models are just good (and still pricey) I've got 2 Stihls, 60 and 135cc, both have been very reliable.
    I've also just got a big Dolmar saw that I really like, but dealers for them aren't so common. Friend has got a new Oleo-Mac saw thats a good little unit as well. Husky makes some very good units too, but like Stihl they have pro and home models. The ones sold thru chain stores are the home quality ones.
    Plenty of options out there, but the cheap saws at the big stores are 'throw away' machines, hopefully they last a few years, then you throw them away and buy another one.
    Get something decent and you should get another 16 years use

    Cheers
    Ian

  8. #8

    Echo, Stihl

    I have a small Echo blower and limb saw and 2 Stihls an 041 and an 025. I also have a Stihl blower and straight shaft trimmer. I have to say I really like both brands and the quality is pretty close. The Echo brand is not as well known but this can save you some bucks. Stihl is good stuff but I think the name adds a little to the price. I love my little Echo limb saw. Best $200 bucks I've spent. Light powerful. For middle size work I use the 025 and for big stuff I use the 041.
    Can't go weong with Stihl or Echo.
    Look for your best deal on the size saw you want. Look at engine size and weight of saw. Max bar size it will run also. It is always good to have a little extra power. No one ever said
    " Man....I my saw has too much dern power "
    Good Luck. Brian

  9. #9
    Does your BORG provide service? Thought not, go with a local dealer who carries Stihl, Jonsrude, Huski, or Echo and services what they sell. Myself, I chose a Stihl 290 Farmboss and have been very satisfied with it.

  10. #10
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    Frank likes his Poulan but I am sure that it is an upper level model. After Hurricane Charlie hit us we were all desperate to get anything to cut trees out of the way so I hurried to Home Depot as I heard that they had gotten in chain saws and purchased a low level Poulan. Almost impossible to start and would not run long enough to cut through anything. Took it back and there was a pile of them laying there that had been returned. So I would say stay away from the Home Depot level Poulans. An employee there said that they were getting back all of the Poulans but had real good luck with McCullocks so I bought one of them and it worked perfectly. I almost never use a chain saw so I am not the one to say which ones are good but I got the McCullock out a year later and it started right up and worked great but bare in mind that it had very little use so was in reality still a new saw but it did impress me how much better it was than the Poulan for about the same money.

    Not being a frequent user I cannot recommend any brands but I have heard so much over the years about the Stilh that I think that I would have to do like Steven said and buy a Stilh from a dealer if the cost was not completely out of line and I was not in an emergency situation. Otherwise I would buy the McCullock again, not because the others may not be good buys but because I have had good luck with it for limited work which sounds like the way that you would use one.
    Last edited by Allen Bookout; 04-10-2006 at 12:42 AM.

  11. #11
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    Sep 2004
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    California
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pellow
    But the Husquavarna is expensive, and it is heavy, and it is somewhat cantankerous.
    The newer Huskies are better. We've used Homelites, Echos, and finally a Husky here on the farm. My brother refuses to use anything but the husky now that we have one, but the Echos were good machines. I wouldn't be afraid to by an Echo for home duty.

  12. Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pellow
    But the Husquavarna is expensive, and it is heavy, and it is somewhat cantankerous.
    Frank, have you rebuilt the carb on your Husky?

    My old Husky was like yours, I rebuilt the carb...........



    and now it starts right up and runs like a champ.

    Don, you might want to look around for a good used saw, this could save you some money, if you are careful.

    Another brand to look at is "Shindaiwa" (Shin-die-wa) a Japanese brand, they make very good saws, but they are not so popular over there. If you can find a dealer close by that knows what they are doing and they sell the Shindaiwa saw, that might be a good option. We see them everywhere here in Japan, and they have a very good reputaion.

    Cheers!

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    I ditto the thumbs-up on the Husqy, I also ditto the thumbs-down on the Pooplan. I could also be talked into a Stihl. Here's where I bought my Husqy (no affiliation, just very satisfied with price and delivery):

    http://www.southwestfastener.com/pro...sqChainsaw.htm

    You'll see that there are quite a few models for under $300. When I bought mine, I went with the one that had the highest power-to-weight ratio (better than the comparable Stihl at the time), the 372xp (replaced by the 575xp) but I also didn't want to buy another chainsaw for many years, and I cut a lot of firewood. But, if you don't have a place locally to get a Husqy serviced, I'd go for a Stihl.
    Jason

    "Don't get stuck on stupid." --Lt. Gen. Russel Honore


  14. #14
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    Jul 2003
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    Northwest OH
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    Don- my dad/brother/I have several saws between us. Primary uses for all our saws are fence-row clearing, woods/creek bottom cleanup, and orchard work. We all burn wood.

    Brother/dad have both 21" Stihls & Husqvarnas, and both prefer the latter (primarily due to chain speed; it's newer than the Stihls). Although brother prefers Husq, he now uses the Stihl after backing his truck over the Husq. (!!!)

    I have 2 Stihls - a .038 and .046 (both "Farm Boss"; dunno if that means anything or not) and an Echo CS-3000. Stihls are 21", Echo is 14". If I have big lumber to deal with, I use the Stihl. for ANYTHING else, I use the Echo. In fact, I use the Echo for some bigger logs if I can figure a way to double cut and get thru.

    Primary reason for Echo preference is weight - I can clean a felled tree in no time with the Echo and still have enough wind left to burn the brush & split/stack the rest.

    Echo, Stihls and Husq have all received similar treatment (apart from the truck incident) - no one unit seems to "wear better" than the others.

    I wouldn't have a problem with any of those saws, but I would suggest getting a chain file when you get the saw. 5 minutes of dressing every now and then make everything last longer (including you).

    b

  15. Quote Originally Posted by Brad Schafer
    I would suggest getting a chain file when you get the saw. 5 minutes of dressing every now and then make everything last longer (including you).

    b
    Boy ain't that the truth!

    get one of the good guides too, when you start out on this, you may need the help of a good guide, sure saved my bacon a few times!

    I'd also have a second chain for the saw, sharp and handy, as you never know what you will find in the wood, and it could bust your chain.

    Cheers!

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