In the Market for a New Chainsaw

[chutesnreloads]

Looking for suggestions and especially things/brands to avoid.Prefer not to spend more than $200.
Immediate use will be cutting up a downed tree and later cutting firewood and trimming around the house.

[BigAlofPa.]

I have a poulan wild thing. I had it for a long time. 15 years at least. My son has been through 2 Poulan pro's on his 3rd now. So im not sure what is good these days in your price range. My son said next one is going to be a husqvarna or stihl.

[Winger Ed.]

A Stihl is a bad boy, most of the pros use them..
The only problem with them is you have to buy parts or get it worked on at a dealer.
You can't even mail order factory parts.

[Finster101]

I bought an Echo 2 years ago. I have put nothing but the premix fuel in it. The fuel is a little pricey but for the amount I use the saw, it's worth the cost. I generally run it out of fuel before I put it away. I actually used it today cutting up an oak tree for the fire pit. It had been sitting for six months and started right up with out any fuss. Mine has a 14" bar but I can put up to an 18 on it. I'm very happy with it and it should be in your price range.

[Wayne Smith]

If you have a Stihl dealer within reach it should be among your first places to look. Not only are they made here in Virginia Beach but I have a dealer just down the street, only a few miles away. I have most of a red oak I'm cutting up and with my back I can't use my maul to split - so I got a skip tooth blade and I'm sawing everything. My back will let me work a couple hours at a time and I have to quit for a while. Mine has only been back to the dealer once while I was learning to use it. If you get one starting instructions are on you tube.

[jonp]

I have a Jonsered Pro saw and it's a beast. I don't think you are in the market for that type of saw. Frankly, $200 isn't going to get you a saw that will last. I'd go to a box store and pick up a good 50cc saw. About any name brand, either Echo, Stihl, Husky, Sachs Dolmar etc will do what you need.

I cut well in excess of 100 cords of firewood with a Husky 42cc saw and a 16in bar. Maple, Beech, didn't matter. With a good sharp chain it ran fine. Just don't "oversaw". You don't need a 70CC to cut a few trees, trim branches and cut a few cords of firewood.

I'm going to get beat up over this but a few years ago I bought a $90 Chinese Saw on Ebay. For the price it is a 50cc saw and I leave it at my hunting camp so if it's stolen I'm not crying over it. For occasional use, cutting a couple of cords of wood every few years, trimming branches and cutting the occasional pine across the road it runs fine. If your only going to use it once or twice a year for not much I'd think that route.

[smithnframe]

Echo or Husqvarna..........watch for sales at Lowe's and Home Depot!

[rancher1913]

if you are only using it here and there and nothing very serious, stick with the poulans, even having to buy a new one every 3 or 4 years your money ahead

if you have a lots of jobs and are going to use it hard, get a stihl. I had a husky and trying to get warranty work done on them is a joke, bought a stihl and have no problems even with cutting 10 cords a year and all the ranch work

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

$200 ?
I'd watch Craigslist or Facebook Market place for a used Stihl, they last for ever.

[Elkins45]

I have two McCulloch saws and an Echo. McCulloch went out of business so that’s not an option. I have to replace the fuel lines every few years when they get hard and crack. The oiler stopped working on the big one and it’s not worth the trouble to replace it.

The Echo is a top handled trimmer saw and I absolutely love it. I bought one for my dad when someone stole his trimmer saw and I liked it so much I bought one of my own. Easiest saw to start I’ve ever seen.

[Winger Ed.]

I have put nothing but the premix fuel in it. .

That'll work.

People using outboard boat motor 2 cycle and run a air cooled engine hot & heavy often have short lived saws & such.
Most oil for water cooled outboard boat motors can't take the higher heat of air cooled engines.

I've gotten the synthetic stuff for dirt bikes or the little bottles under the Stihl label
and have had a couple of those little engines last over 20 years.

Like 2 stroke boats- they run better and will spin up a higher RPM on the cheapest no lead gas with alcohol in it.
There's a reason racing fuels run a lot of alcohol mixes.

[Elkins45]

^^^^ Thats an important point. There’s a real difference between TC and TC-W oils. Water cooled outboards run a lot cooler than air cooled stuff. Don’t run outboard oil in your saws or trimmers if you want them to last.

[Petrol & Powder]

Stihl is the way to go.
Never let it see a drop of ethanol fuel and run it dry when you're done for the day.

MS-271 Farm Boss

18" bar 50cc engine

Double your budget to $400 and buy a good saw the first time.

[Stewbaby]

Stihl. Buy once cry once. Get a farm model, not the cheaper home owner version.

20+ yrs and still cranks on the second pull.

[Wayne Smith]

Mine is one below the farm model - he won't get the farm model for his financial limit. It has done everything I need it to do - but then since I can only run it for an hour or two I die before it does! When I got the skip tooth blade they told me that my saw wouldn't last - but then the common use for that blade is lumber mills. With my limitations I will be surprised if I burn out my saw.

[Idaho45guy]

I needed a saw to bring on the trail when out riding my UTV for clearing downed trees and other smaller jobs.

I looked at a ton of saws and read dozens of reviews and talked to a few folks. My limit was $150.

I ended up with a 45cc 16" saw branded as a Craftsman for around $130. It is also marketed as a Husqvarna, Poulan, and one other major brand. Exact same saw, just different colored plastic covers and stickers.

The Craftsmen version was red and matched my Honda UTV, so I bought that one. I've used it a couple of times and it works fine. Leaks bar oil quite a bit, but my dad says that's pretty much normal for all saws. It has a very detailed starting procedure outlined in stickers on the saw, and as long as I follow it to the letter, it starts every time.

As little as I use it, it's been fine. But, I've heard of other folks finding deals on Stihls for under $200 and I wish I would have picked up one of those for the man card points, lol.

[MrWolf]

I have a husqvarna rancher. Serves me well. Dont remember what I paid for it. Good luck.

[RickinTN]

Stihl has their 16" bar leader model on sale for $159 right now. I didn't really need another but for that price it's hard to pass up. I picked mine up Thursday and have used it at least a couple of hours everyday since including today. If you purchase a 6 pack of oil with the saw it doubles your warranty to 2 years.
Rick

[Mk42gunner]

For your intended use and price, I would check the local pawn shops for a decent Husky or Stihl.

Robert

[wv109323]

To me the size of the chain is more important than the brand of saw. Get a saw that takes a larger size to sharpen the blade. Saws under $200 are usually disposable if you can not work on them yourself. Most saws will have fuel line or carburator problems after3 or 4 years.
The smaller the chain the hotter the teeth get and wear more thus need sharpening. The big box stores sell saws around $200 but to get a saw for a lifetime it is $400.
Two tools that you don't want to go small on is a vise or a chain saw.

[FLINTNFIRE]

As one who earned his living for years with one Stihl was the brand , yes I have ran pioneer ,sachs dolmars , husqvarna ,mcculluch ,homelite ,poulan, echo, john deere, and others .

And I will not buy one marketed as a farm saw , have owned the same saws sold by the model number and worked on farm saw versions , there were cheaper parts used in the farm saw versions .

I prefer a longer bar then most , you can always put a shorter bar on for more speed in your cut , I do not buy or use safety chain either or full comp chain , prefer chisel bit non safety skip tooth , and you can still sharpen with a round file or use chisel file or as some did a regular mill bastard file held right .

But in your price range and for your casual use , you will be buying a smaller saw . I have found most of the smaller entry saws to be fine for occasional use and light duty .

Be safe , and do wear ear protection , Skip tooth as you will spend less time sharpening and you will not notice the cutting speed difference .

[metricmonkeywrench]

Just to throw it out there, you may also want to consider a 110v corded saw. I have an older B&D Log Hog that performs real well on the occasional around the house trim jobs and after storm cleanup. No fuel issues and goes when the trigger is pulled.

The plus with using it is that half the time I end up using my portable generator with it to get some run time on it as well

Not quite rich enough to buy a Stihl, but between my 18’ craftsman, 16 in Homelite and 14in MacCullough all of which were given to me since I’m a tinkerer I do ok.

[sigep1764]

I use and Echo and 2 Stihls. On Stihl is an Arborists saw with the handle on top. The other two are rarely used. The little Arborists saw has somewhere around 2000 hours over 20 years of use. Its needed 2 gas lines and gets a new spark plug every 2 years. The other ones have been faultless as well but are far newer with much much less hours on them.

[StuBach]

+1 for Stihl. Buy quality and buy once. Got mine on sale for $250 several years ago when we bought our house and it’s never failed me. Dad has two stihls (not counting the chainsaw on a stick) and youngest one is 25 years young. Pretty sure Uncle is still using grandpas that is god knows how old.

[Misery-Whip]

To be honest with your budget id RENT one from a tool rental outfit. I cut 8 cords a year with a Stihl MS 271 Farm Boss. It was $429 on sale 4 years ago.

Never needed anything but the chain sharpened.

[Markopolo]

$200 ?
I'd watch Craigslist or Facebook Market place for a used Stihl, they last for ever.

this... take it from somebody that cuts 20 cords+ per year of firewood.. stihl or husky... even an old beat up one that runs good and has a decent chain will serve you well...

[SeabeeMan]

My Dad is a retired WI DNR forester, FISTA chainsaw instructor, now an independent forester...lots of experience. He always broke it down this way: Husqvarnas are 25% more saw in every way than Stihls.

- 25% more cost
- 25% more power
- 25% more weight
- 25% runtime
- 25% more maintenance
- 25% more cutting ability

I'd recommend you start with whichever brand has dealer support closest to you. Then pick the size saw you think you need. Then buy a size or two up as long as it doesn't get too heavy.

I believe he currently has 6 saws: 2 Stihl, 3 Husqvarna, a Jonsered, and a Mcculloch that's older than me. I prefer the smaller, higher revving 445 for almost all of my cutting but it will never replace his 372xp...that thing is a beast.

[iomskp]

I have had a McCullock for many years, just had to do basic maintenance, my father had stihl for years he cut a lot of dry very hard hardwood again no trouble, the only advise I can give is just avoid the lure of cheap crap.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I ran huskies , even the timber cutters in alaska at the time liked them except for the vibration , I had to pack extra parts for that reason alone , 3/8 chain is better then the smaller chain .

Stihl was and is a good saw , I would buy some from pawn shops for tree climbing , as it is hard on saws , stihl would hold up better then the huskies , but after awhile it would beat them apart swinging from the end of your rope .

For what you are doing , it is not going to make a lot of difference , ah the good old saws a homelite 650 6.2 cubic inches a 36 inch bar , had a stihl 041 super with full wrap handles , never could kill that saw , and I had it 20 years , the 038 magnums and the 046 056 075 all good saws in there day, cutting root wads in the blast zone of mt. st. helens , a pulaski for barking before cutting those big old growth .

The 026 and 028 and 034 were all good little saws , still have my old climbing gear and boots , still do tree work for friends and family .

[Idaho45guy]

I ran huskies , even the timber cutters in alaska at the time liked them except for the vibration , I had to pack extra parts for that reason alone , 3/8 chain is better then the smaller chain .

Stihl was and is a good saw , I would buy some from pawn shops for tree climbing , as it is hard on saws , stihl would hold up better then the huskies , but after awhile it would beat them apart swinging from the end of your rope .

For what you are doing , it is not going to make a lot of difference , ah the good old saws a homelite 650 6.2 cubic inches a 36 inch bar , had a stihl 041 super with full wrap handles , never could kill that saw , and I had it 20 years , the 038 magnums and the 046 056 075 all good saws in there day, cutting root wads in the blast zone of mt. st. helens , a pulaski for barking before cutting those big old growth .

The 026 and 028 and 034 were all good little saws , still have my old climbing gear and boots , still do tree work for friends and family .

I bow to your superior manliness. Tree cutting is no work for lesser men. My uncles were all loggers and log truck drivers. They were like gods to me. Toughest men you'll find on the planet.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Some of the best loggers I worked with were no giants , some were tough as nails , I have known miners and other men who were as strong and as tough.

Knew some good truck drivers to , big ed up in camp , rode that truck right off a ice slick road , just another day for him , 10 wide truck , where the shovel operators always said never pass up a lay (lay meaning a spot to put on another log) .

Stihls are good saws , keep them sharp , keep them maintained and most saws will do what the original post asked , run saws for a living , and you learn to work on them as wages went to heck in the early 80's and bigger the saw the more it costs .

[Lloyd Smale]

dad is a Husqvarna man and I don't know why. His two brothers made a living cutting wood and the only saw they will even look at is a stihl. Ive owned stihls most of my life. Few others but only news ones ive bought are stihls. Even at work as a lineman the trucks all had different brand of saws. Whatever the lead man liked its what was on the truck. When I was first a lead man my saw was tired and of course I went and got a stihl. 5 years later every truck in our shop had a stihl. That says enough right there. Some will laugh at this but my neighbor was given for a gift one of the battery powered electric stihls. He swore by that saw. Now its only a 12 inch saw so its only good for light work but I watched him clear land behind his house with it and he had two big saws he could have used. I tried it and liked it enough I raved about it to my wife and she bought me one for Christmas a couple years ago. They aren't cheap. About 500 bucks for the saw battery and charger. But I don't burn wood anymore and my gas saws sit so long now before use that I struggle getting them started. this little electric saw will cut as much wood with one battery charge as a gas saw will with a tank of gas. Its a powerful little bugger for what it is. More powerful then there little 12 inch gas saw for sure. Cool thing for me is I throw it in the back of the jeep when I head into the woods or to camp. Don't need gas and it doesn't stink for gas. Never have to struggle to start it. Just pull the trigger and cut. No muss no fuss and a heck of a lot quieter. Its not the thing for someone who burns wood but its handy for what it is and id bet in a few short years they will have battery powered saws that will about replace gas saws.

[Texas by God]

I dont have a need for a lot of firewood, but clearing blow downs and pasture edges- farm work- I chose Stihl after trying some others over the years. After using it, I also upgraded the mini tiller and weed eater to Stihl as well. They just work.

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[Handloader109]

I'll go one further. under $200 either buy used and take a chance, or forget gas powered saw. Buy a HF 40 or 80v with extra battery. especially if you are just going to use it once in a while. safer by a mile, stops the second you take your hand on the switch. no gas, no pulling dang cord to start. just oil for chain. works. now it won't take down a big tree, but for anything the size of the bar, it works

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[wildwilly501]

Some Stihls products are made in China.Don't know about the homeowner Huskys and Echos.People are always going on about Stihls be USA made.A lot of people at this time are avoiding made in China just something to look at.

[osteodoc08]

My echo was made in Japan. Had it for 15 years now and just runs. Bought a Stihl 3 years ago and runs well. Stick with a decent brand and learn how to adjust the carbs and remove limited caps. Use non ethanol gas and high quality 2stroke synthetic oil designed for saws. It’ll provide you years of reliable service.

[Markopolo]

this is the saw section of my shop... notice the colors...

261570

always the right tool for the Job...

cant go wrong with one of them sthil ms 180's or 170's... under 200 bucks and I have worn out one.. in TEN years. working on my second now... should last me till I just dont wanna cut nuttin.... very light, starts easy... and its a sthil!!!! i throw one in my hunting rig case a tree is across the road.... which happens constantly in the rainforest of southeast alaska.. i wonder is anybody hears them fall???

[Petrol & Powder]

If you spend anytime with chainsaws you quickly learn that it is the chain the does the work. A sharp chain with the correct profile is key.
The consumer grade saws will NOT come with the more aggressive cutting teeth. That's no big deal, you just swap chains for the style you want.
The length of the bar is another factor. Obviously the more wood you're cutting through the more power you need. Often you are not utilizing the entire length of bar but when you do need the entire length of the bar you need the power for that length of bar. When I was cutting firewood, I found an 18" bar to be a pretty good compromise.
IMO, a good "All Purpose" saw has an 18" bar and a 50cc engine. YMMV

As for the brand of engine that drags the chain through the wood you're cutting, it ain't rocket science folks. It needs to start when you need it to start. It needs to run reliably and it would be nice if it didn't wear out or come apart.
We're talking about lightweight, 2 stroke engines that run at high rpm's. You can make it heavier and it may hold together longer or you can make it lighter and it will be a bit easier to work with.

Ethanol fuel is the scourge of all chain saw owners. Saw manufactures have improved the materials used and the saws tolerate ethanol better than before. Ethanol is still a curse to all small engines that use carburetors.

Many years ago I had a John Deere saw that was actually a rebranded Echo. That was a great saw until I drove a truck over it :( Can't really blame the saw for that.
I replaced it with a Stihl that I wore out. That saw cut a lot of firewood and eventually it just disintegrated. That Stihl was replaced by another Stihl.
I've watched people struggle with cheap saws, bad chains and undersized engines. The few dollars you save at the time of purchase just are not worth the frustration later.
If you're not cutting timber for a living you don't need to buy a top of the line professional saw but buying the cheapest thing on the shelf will cost you more in grief than those few pennies you saved.

Just my $0.02 worth

[john.k]

I had a big 26 " mc Culloch for many years...had every accident could befall a chainsaw,including being stuck in falling trees...was never easy to start if left for a month,but cut many a ton of wood..since had mini cheapies.....most recent is a dead ringer for a Stihl I got from a tool store group....they actually test anything they sell.....and its a real good saw,and at my age ,weight is becoming an issue.

[BamaNapper]

I'll second the idea of a 120V electric for anyone who needs a chain saw only occasionally. I've taken half a dozen trees out of the yard with one over the last few years, maybe 12" stumps on them. I gave my small gas saw away after non-stop fighting with it to get it running when it was needed. As mentioned, Harbor Freight has $40-$50 electrics that do a good job of cutting and require zero maintenance. They can sit for years without being touched and need nothing more than bar oil to be ready immediately. They are easy to use on a ladder for trimming branches, and are more capable than you might suspect. No, they can't compete with a larger gas model if you're dealing with large trees or putting up truckloads of firewood.

As for the battery models, I've got a bad taste in my mouth from all the cordless screwdrivers I've bought over the last couple decades. I always ended up with dead batteries or batteries that would not take a charge when I needed them. Then when the tools were maybe 5 yrs old I'd have to replace them because the batteries were shot and new batteries were more than a replacement tool.

[Rich/WIS]

Have had saws by McCullock, Husky, Echo and Stihl. For light use any saw will work if you keep it sharp, but my experience was Stihl is the way to go. When I lived in WI cut firewood, first for a fireplace with insert and then for an outdoor wood furnace. Probably cut 15+ cords a year for the furnace with a Stihl 029 Farm Boss with an 18" bar. Did use a Husky for a bit but the Stihl cut better. One trick I learned from a couple of loggers was to check and touch up the chain every tank of gas or so and to rotate the bar every third or fourth tank full. Use the Stihl brand synthetic 2C oil and a good bar oil, used Stihl as well for this either regular or winter grade as conditions dictated. My original saw started losing compression after 20 years of hard service and rather rebuild it bought another, new model was the 291 IIRC, also with an 18" bar. Gave it to my son when I moved to KY. The Echo is a pruning saw and haven't used it much, but for light trimming it is fine and easier on my arthritis due to the lighter weight. Not up on current prices but some things are worth spending money on, and a good chainsaw is one of them. You might also check your local Stihl dealer, they frequently have reconditioned trade ins that may meet your needs and price range.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

$200 ?
I'd watch Craigslist or Facebook Market place for a used Stihl, they last for ever.


this... take it from somebody that cuts 20 cords+ per year of firewood.. stihl or husky... even an old beat up one that runs good and has a decent chain will serve you well...

While buying a used saw isn't for everyone, as you may get one well cared for or maybe get one that was misused ...you need to be handy and even yet, it is still a risk.

My first Saw was a Stihl 024, and was given to me by a friend who bought a new Stihl. He said he used the old saw for 15 years, cutting 3 or 4 cords a year...Oak firewood, much already dead... and he figured it was wore out, but it still ran. I thought it didn't 'rev up' like I thought it should. I brought it to a Stihl dealer who checked it out, and said the jet screws needed adjusting, He said, since I was buying a new sprocket and Bar and a few chains from him, there was no charge for checking it out and setting the adjustments properly. Then it was running great, BTW, these are easy things to do, if you have some experience with chain saws, but I didn't have that experience at that time.

Years later, after I got plenty of use from it, I seemed to have less power than before. I also wanted a larger saw, so I bought a new Stihl 360 Pro...Man is that a powerful saw, compared to a 024. That weekend, the Stihl dealer was running a sale, with $50 off a new saw with trade-in of your old saw. I brought in a dingy old poulan, that another friend gave me, as a trade-in. When the salesman carried the old poulan to put in the pile of other trade-ins in the back room, I asked him, what do you do with those? He says, most are junked out, but some are repaired for re-sale. I seen a decent looking Stihl 024 in the pile, with a nice case, I asked him if I could buy it for spare parts for my other saw. He said I could have it for $50...and it came with a nice case, also the bar and sprocket looked good, like it wasn't used that much.

I get it home and try to start the old 024, it wouldn't run, unless I sprayed starting fluid, then would quit...it wasn't getting gas. While it looks complected and difficult to disassemble, once I got it apart, I found it to have a real smart design and is very simple to remove and reinstall the carb. I inspected it and cleaned it. Put it back together and it ran like new.

Since that repair went well, I then took apart the 024 that my friend gave me, that was now running low on power. I found the fuel screen inside the carborator was full of fine wood dust...as I was running a air filter that was wore out. I cleaned the screen and bought a new air filter, and now that saw was again running great.

My last thought for buying a used Stihl...I believe the older German made, small to mid size Stihl saws are build better/stronger than the newer inexpensive USA made (and China since 2008) "residential" Stihl saws.

[IHuntDragons]

I'm super happy with my Echo I bought. Not sure you're going to get a good sized one for $200 though. I found one on FB marketplace new in the box for a good price.

[snowwolfe]

Last 30 years I owned Stihls and Huskies. Bought my first Echo about 3 years ago. I now own 3 Echos. I'll never buy another Stihl or Husky again. My next purchase will be a Echo 620.

[Ed K]

Stihl 041 Farm Boss purchased in 1976. Cut 6-7 cords/year for 40+ years. Still running fine.

[blackthorn]

We bought this place in 2004. I bought an Echo arborists saw for odd jobs around the place. Then the pine beetles arrived. They killed 30 large 25 to 30 inch diameter pine trees. I paid to have 12 trees taken down that would/could hit the house or shop if they fell ($1000.00) and I started to cut them up for fire wood. My little saw did a stellar job, but I had to cut from one side and then from the other, often I had to roll the log to get at the uncut wood. Wife said go get a bigger saw, so I did. I got another Echo with a longer bar. That saw finished cutting up the rest of the first 12 trees an d later the rest of the dead trees on our property. Love my Echo(s)! Both are still going strong. That said, my son has a Stihil and he would have nothing else.

[buckwheatpaul]

I have always been a believer in Stihl....in fact I had 4 of them. Three are commercial and one is a light duty one for small things. My commercial 18" laid down after 16 very hard years of work. To replace it would have been $1200.00. The next closest was $360.00 and came with a one year warranty; two years if you use their synthetic oil. My dealer recommended an Echo model. It came with a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty, excluding chains and spark plugs. It cost me $328.00 and it is not as heavy as my old Stihl; but the $1200.00 replacement was not as heavy as my origional saw.

I bought the Echo for the following reasons:

1. Warranty
2. Service
3. Im 68 and if I have to buy one more chainsaw in 5 years after I wear this one out then I am still ahead.

[EMC45]

A Stihl is a bad boy, most of the pros use them..
The only problem with them is you have to buy parts or get it worked on at a dealer.
You can't even mail order factory parts.


You can get nearly everything you need for a Stihl saw from Baileys. Even some of the really older ones. Up to complete rebuilds.

[EMC45]

I have a Stihl 021 I bought used in 2002 at a pawnshop for 140 bucks. It was in pretty darn good shape when I bought it. It doesn't get used daily, but the times it's run it does great. I have rebuilt it once since buying it (fuel lines, plug, filters etc.)

I also put a Woodland Pro bar and chain combo from Baileys on it. It is a pro arborist chain (which I'm not) that has no kickback protection rakers on it. It is a fast chain and will cut! Easy to touch up when using (every fresh tank of fuel I slick up the chain or if it goes in the dirt).

Few things to look out for already mentioned is pure gas and not ethanol. Also the Stihl will bog if the fuel or air filter are really dirty or clogged - AND there is a spark arrestor screen in the muffler that if it gets carboned up it will retard your saw. I took mine out and it ran perfectly afterward.

I have been guilty of not running my saw dry after a season and on occasion some ethanol gas got in there. Just watch the carb and fuel lines and you should be square. I use a simple Stihl round file and freehand my technique to square the teeth up and it works every time.

[Texas by God]

Here's the mother of electric chain saws!
A friend gave it to me long ago. It weighs about 20 pounds. About as easy to drag the tree to the saw[emoji849]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/45cefc94acbe192992f9db7a605a3f24.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/f692231a20bae45563cb6039c4411f97.jpg

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[KLR]

I was looking for a string trimmer so after a lot of research I listened to the "buy once, cry once" advice and bought a professional quality Stihl.

In less than a year of light usage it wouldn't rev up. I took it to the dealer and he immediately blamed me and told me that Stihl wouldn't repair it under warranty because I had probably used gas with alcohol in it. I had not. I always use the premium stuff for my chainsaws and trimmers.

While it was at the dealer, I wondered what it would cost to just buy a carb and replace it myself and discovered that Stihl has the parts situation locked up tight to dealers only. So no more Stihl for me.

After that I bought a small Echo chainsaw. It starts easy and runs great. I've had it for several years and cut a lot of firewood with it. I've also had Husky saws and continue to have good luck with them.

Short version:
Professional Stihl broke quickly, Dealer sucked, Parts not widely available.
Echo and Husky have been good chainsaws.

[Winger Ed.]

You can get nearly everything you need for a Stihl saw from Baileys. Even some of the really older ones. Up to complete rebuilds.


That's good.

A few years ago I was going to get into mine and found that to protect their dealers, they wouldn't allow mail or on line parts orders.
I found the parts I needed since mine had a carb. that was a off the shelf item made by someone else.

Not being able to get factory packaged parts except face-to-face with a dealer always ticked me off.

[Petrol & Powder]

Premium Gas isn't the same thing as non-ethanol gasoline.
So using the "premium stuff" doesn't guarantee non-ethanol. And, even with pure gasoline, the fuel can still varnish if stored for long periods of time.

I have never had a problem finding parts for a Stihl.

[Gtrubicon]

Don’t buy any chainsaw that is sold at Lowe’s, Home Depot or a hardware store. I own more than a dozen pieces of stihl equipment. They are tops in my book. There is a lot of other good equipment out there. Whatever you buy, buy it from a dealer that will also service it. There’s a reason the big box stores don’t service what they sell.

[Markopolo]

Stihl parts are now much easier due to evilbay....

[Lloyd Smale]

now that's an antique! Should be on the wall with my cousins collection of antique chain saws his dad and grandpa who worked there lives in the woods collected. Real cool ones are the two man 4 stroke saws you wind the rope around the starter to start up. His even still run. They weighted about 50 lbs! Buy the way since the 70s the only saw they would buy is a stihl and that was good enough for me. Id bet 3/4s of the real wood cutters in the US use stihl.
Here's the mother of electric chain saws!
A friend gave it to me long ago. It weighs about 20 pounds. About as easy to drag the tree to the saw[emoji849]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/45cefc94acbe192992f9db7a605a3f24.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/f692231a20bae45563cb6039c4411f97.jpg

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[jonp]

Stihl has their 16" bar leader model on sale for $159 right now. I didn't really need another but for that price it's hard to pass up. I picked mine up Thursday and have used it at least a couple of hours everyday since including today. If you purchase a 6 pack of oil with the saw it doubles your warranty to 2 years.
Rick

If you can find one for that price then it's a "Steel". I crack myself up sometimes. I am still a Jonsered/Husky fan. I've found over the years that people get quite invested in the brand of saws much like Ford vs Chevy. For the casual user just about any brand will work be it Stihl, Husky, Jonsered, Poulin/Craftsman, Makita, Hitachi, Sachs Dolmar etc. Professional users tend to gravitate to a few brands and that should tell you something if you use one a lot.

The big difference is whether you buy a homeowner saw or a professional grade saw. My Johnsered has a titanium case and housing, the homeowner version does not nor does the homeowner go as high on the RPM's . Buy a saw to match what you are doing and need one for. If you are limbing a few trees or cutting a couple of cords of wood you don't need to spend $1,000 on a saw.

[jonp]

Here's the mother of electric chain saws!
A friend gave it to me long ago. It weighs about 20 pounds. About as easy to drag the tree to the saw[emoji849]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/45cefc94acbe192992f9db7a605a3f24.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200505/f692231a20bae45563cb6039c4411f97.jpg

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Wow. Thats something nifty

[jonp]

You can get nearly everything you need for a Stihl saw from Baileys. Even some of the really older ones. Up to complete rebuilds.

+1 I've bought chain and other stuff from them. Great outfit

If you spend anytime with chainsaws you quickly learn that it is the chain the does the work. A sharp chain with the correct profile is key.

Gospel

[CLAYPOOL]

As rick tn said STIHL on sale now. USE ONLY NON ALCOHOL - PREMIUM FUEL. RUN DRY OR dump fuel out then run dry. WILL PROBABLY OUT LAST US ALL..
$ 159.00 ON SALE NOW..... BUY a extra chain and rotate the bar also . WEAR HEARING PROTECTION

[jonp]

Stihl has their 16" bar leader model on sale for $159 right now. I didn't really need another but for that price it's hard to pass up. I picked mine up Thursday and have used it at least a couple of hours everyday since including today. If you purchase a 6 pack of oil with the saw it doubles your warranty to 2 years.
Rick

Where?