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Thread: Need a new chainsaw...

  1. #21
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    15

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    I have had Stihl, Husky, Red and grey Homelites and Mac. and a couple of others that didnt stay around. I spent more on Husky and Stihl for annual repairs than I paid for my Poulan. That is the measure for me its not as fast and you dont join a club but year after year I use it and spent nothing on it. If it breaks get a new one. I have 2 one is the $130 model and the larger is the $170 model. They work well when they die I get a new one. When I used Stihl the saw shop guy got the same money every year to keep the saw working correctly. Now I sell the used Poulan saw on ebay and use the new one the new tension adjustments are worth the trade. Poulan does run as fast and is not as good as the others but dollar for dollar its a better saw. I do miss the stihl saw suckers club.

  2. #22
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    5

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    hey brother, im the last person to give chain saw advice...but i learned some things the hard way.

    if you buy poulan, or homelite, be prepared to replace the chain right away. I bought one of each and they had stretched chains that kept coming off no matter how I adjustted them. new chain on poulan and it will cut clear to china. I'd say don't be a sucker for those expensive saws. homelite was better than poulan for me.

  3. #23
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    2

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    Safety has been mentioned previously and is not the topic of this thread but I would definately recommend this item with any chainsaw....
    Peltor Hard Hat System



  4. #24
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Mine Run, VA
    Posts
    41

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    I wish I had read this thread earlier. I bought a Craftsman about a year and a half ago... not sure who makes it for sears... anyway... it is the biggest pain in the ars to get started! It also has some kind of easy change tightener... which is anything but easy. Oh well, live and learn...
    - William

  5. #25
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    27

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    My Stihl starts every time,has low vibration and cuts like dream. The other day I watched my neighbor abuse his Homelite on some swamp maple, about the easiest wood to cut. As one person here pointd out, fixing a Stihl is not cheap. For what it cost me to have my Stihl fixed this year, I could have bought one cord of wood here in NJ, $150. But the saw was 5 years old, so I can't complain too much.

  6. #26
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    winnipeg canada
    Posts
    7

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    If your not buying a pro saw you wont see a stihl or husky as better than any other brand,Domestic saws are cheap and nasty whatever brand they just add gimmicks like quick chain tensioners and easy start cords to sell it to you that junk just makes it unreliable . To get a real saw you have to spend more than your 400 .
    I cut 100-150 cords firewood a year and have worked on powerline clearance, tree surgery and harvesting hardwood on private land , These saws are working 5-7 days a week 10 tanks of gas a day ,75 % of the saws used are stihl the rest are husky nothing else that tells you something.
    I have owned huskies , stihl, dolmar , JD , Jonsered , komatsu you name it ,We found lower end J reds to be absolute junk currently i have Stihl 036 and ms 260 and some other brands .most of the professionals i know will say that for it's size the 026 or ms 260 is the best saw you can buy.
    As for stihl having short warranty ? I've never needed it .

  7. #27
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    3

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    the italian made saw you write of is called an efco and it comes with a 5 year warrenty i believe. You can check them out at northern tool .com [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

  8. #28
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    18

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...

    I am finding this thread interesting as I am in the market for a new saw as well. I currently have a Husky 51 that I have had for approx. 15 years. I used to heat our last home 100% with wood and I cleared a few lots for people, etc.; not a pro's amount of usage by any stretch, but I figure I must have cut well over 100 cord of wood during that time. I have never brought it in for service...ever. It has it's second spark plug and original air filter which isn't cleaned nearly as often as it should be. It tends to smoke when I am felling trees and one thing that has somewhat irritated me since I've owned it is it is always leaking bar oil; especially if stored on it's side (bar down); I don't know if that's common but my previous saws never did this to this degree...

    So... Now I own a small farm...mostly open fields. I don't currently heat with wood but am looking into it for the future. Currently my cutting consists of trees encroaching on the fields, and storm-damaged trees. It doesn't sound like much, but it probably adds up to 4 to 6 cord per year.

    My thoughts on saws...

    Husky pros: Well, my experience with them kind of speaks for itself; never in for repairs, 15 years of service with little or no maintenance... kind of hard to beat.

    Husky cons: That dripping bar oil bugs me, but that may not be a brand-specific thing?

    Stihl pros: They seem to have a larger following lately... they seem to run quieter (not an issue for me as I always wear a helmet with ear/eye protection, but might be beneficial to bystanders/neighbors)

    Stihl cons: No direct experience with them.

    So...where do I go from here? Maybe I should just have my Husky re-ringed (assuming that's why it smokes more?) [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

  9. #29
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Nova Scotia,Canada
    Posts
    3,108

    Re: Need a new chainsaw...


    I'm betting that you're knowledge of chain saws just may be above the average so go with what feels best. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

    And if in doubt there is always a "Wild Thing"! [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

    Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

  10. #30
    A few years back I bought my first Jonsered saw .....A few years back I bought my last Jonsered saw...It has been nothing but problem after problem.. Since Husqvarna is almost an identical build that takes both of those brands off my future saw list. Next saw will be a Stihl.

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