Chainsaw recomendation - need help!

I have put probably a couple hundred hours on my Stihl 290...yes a new one. It runs great. It is a nice little saw, perfect for the homeowner heating with wood.

I still run an old ProMac55 too. The old Mac's were good saws, mine is from 1976, and cut about 8-10 cords of wood every year from 79-90, and some since. Someone bought the Mac name in the 90's and started making some real disposable junk, I would never buy a newer one.

As for Husky's. In my opinion, you can keep them. I only have experience with the smaller ones, but they were finicky on cold mornings, and the last 141 that I used lasted about 16 hours before it threw a bearing and the engine was junk. Since Husky started selling at big box stores, I think their quality went in the dumper.

This is just my 2¢
 
RyanW said:
I am 100% STIHL man, I was unaware of the Company change referred to by sicily02. I have 3 of them for my crew and have no complaints. I purchased them from 2000 - 2004 so I am pre company changes... Maybe find a used one in a pawn shop?
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Stihl just had some minor issues when they re-tooled and changed over some things to make their bottom line better. To my knowledge, even though I have an older one from before the retool, they are as good as ever. I know this. They are about all you see the tree service guys using here in my area. Virtually every one I've hired over the last ten years has had them and the ASPLUND folks that do the tree trimming for PSO (public service of Oklahoma Utilities) all have them also. The only thing Echo I see these days are their gas powered weed eaters.

Husky I can't recall seeing here. They did frequent in other areas for some.
If you get the chance to buy an older saw like a Stihl 026 like mine I'd suggest really giving it some thought unless its just beat to hell and back. They are great saws. About the only thing I really missed about my old Echo when I let it go was the bottom end torque that old Echo had. It really could dig in and keep going when the Stihl gets stopped but I've learned in the time I've had the Stihl to adjust to it. I just don't think its quite as powerful as my old Echo was. When it ran the Echo was the cats meow for many years.

STR
 
Tallone, I use an ECHO CS-400. Keep the chain properly tensioned and sharp, and it will do anything that a city home owner needs.
 
Bushman5 said:
being a chainsaw operator, I can say this, please please please get any saw other than Poulan.

ECHO makes good priced chainsaws for the homeowner, and they are WELL MADE, and affordable, not to mention you can easily maintain and repair them.

if you spend a little more, you can get a good basic STIHL or Husky chainsaw that will last forever with basic maintenance
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The area I live in is basically a giant tree farm. I have three close friends whose families are third or fourth generation loggers, and I was a sawman for the REA right after high school. All of them run either Stihls or Huskys, and it always spawns argument much like Ford versus Chevy. As a home user, if you ante up for a commercial Stihl or Husky, and perform semi-routine maintenance on it, you will never have to buy another saw again.
 
Bushman5 said:
if you spend a little more, you can get a good basic STIHL or Husky chainsaw that will last forever with basic maintenance
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That's it right there.:thumbup:

I only ever use Huskies my self but have a STIHL saw as well. I still use the first Huskie saw I ever got 13 years ago :eek:.

We used to use the STIHL for hard woods and the Huskies for softwoods.
That's been the way it gets done for as long as I have worked on the saw.

(Get a set of trousers and boots etc. as well if you don't already have them, I have seen what a saw can do to a person and it's not good :()
 
After moving to the cold side of the state and into a house with a wood stove, I was faced with buying my first chain saw this last summer. I'd used a Homelite growing up to cuts dozens and dozens of cords of wood, but with a 16" bar and smaller engine it was a little small.

I did massive research and reading on the subject this summer, and settled on a Husqvarna 350 with an 18" bar. In one large consumer review I read, Stihl got 41% of the total vote, Husqvarna got 40%, and everyone else combined for the rest.

The Stihl's are about $100 more for a comparable model to the Husqvarna, and the Husky had more features I liked. I read dozens of reviews on the Husky 350, and the worst rating it got was 4 out of 5 stars.

As someone else stated, new EPA regulations have come into effect, so all saws manufactured in 2009 and on have more stringent standards to meet. What this means is that you'll get less power for the same size engine, though it will have less emissions. I read so many favorable reviews on the Husky 350 that I decided to find one if I could. Fortunately, the 350 can still be found on eBay as a new item. There is a saw shop back east that sells them for $300 plus shipping, and still had a few in stock when I bought mine a few months ago. If you do go this route, use the make an offer option, and offer him $250. I did, and he came down to $269, so the saw was $301 with shipping.

This saw works great! The vibration damping works very well, so I don't have numb/tingly hands when I'm done. The saw has great power, and just sinks through the wood. It's not too heavy at 10 pounds, so I can use it for several hours without getting fatigued. So far I've cut 4 or 5 cords of wood with it, and it's done great. From what I read, I can expect MANY more years from it.

On an anecdotal note, my friends 1-year old Stihl broke a gear in the oil pump, and has to go in to the shop before he can use it again. Doesn't mean they're junk, but I don't believe they're the only way to go.

By the way, I originally thought I'd get a Poulan because they were so inexpensive, but I read so many extremely negative reviews that I quickly got rid of that notion.

Here we are out having fun:
 
That's a great pic, I can nearly smell the goodness of a felled pine and two stroke fumes :D:thumbup:

That's a real big step cut in the tree there too ?
 
My Dad bought a 20" Echo about 1985 and we still use it and it runs as it always did, which is great.
 
While on the subject, what oil are you using out there?
And, is anyone having any trouble yet with this E10 Gasoline in their saws?

I've used a lot of different 2 stroke oils over the years.
Now I'm using Opti 2 mixed at 75 to 1 and Stihl's 50 to 1.


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I like my Husqvarna.Stihls' might have an edge when it comes to power,but I think that Huskys' are smoother.I have wrist probs from time to time,every little bit helps.
 
Haze said:
That's a great pic, I can nearly smell the goodness of a felled pine and two stroke fumes :D:thumbup:

That's a real big step cut in the tree there too ?
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Heh heh. Most of what I cut this summer was already on the ground, so when I get a chance to drop a tree, I do it right! Actually, I thought it would be fun to cut a seat for the kids who live on that property to use when they go for a walk in the woods.

Thanks for the compliment, Haze. Cutting wood out there really was a blast. Most days I'm home taking care of my kids (who I love being with!), but getting out in the woods by myself was great for a change. On the days it wasn't raining/sleeting on me, it was about 40°F and great weather for cutting wood!
 
I have a commercial grade 63cc Jonsered saw that has not let me down in the 18 years I have used it. I use it to cut my 7 cords of firewood I use each year for home heating. That is only part of the work, then there is the trail maintenance, and cutting brush is hard on chainsaws.

It's got lots of power which makes the saw less tiring to use when doing alot of cutting.

Keep the saw clean, saw dust accumulations with the bar oil is the death of saws when cooling is compromised. Blow them out with the aircompressor regularly and the saw will last much longer.
 
Mountainman38 said:
Heh heh. Most of what I cut this summer was already on the ground, so when I get a chance to drop a tree, I do it right! Actually, I thought it would be fun to cut a seat for the kids who live on that property to use when they go for a walk in the woods.

Thanks for the compliment, Haze. Cutting wood out there really was a blast. Most days I'm home taking care of my kids (who I love being with!), but getting out in the woods by myself was great for a change. On the days it wasn't raining/sleeting on me, it was about 40°F and great weather for cutting wood!
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It really is hard to beat a good day on the saw :thumbup:
 
Growing up my Grandfather was a small time farmer and the only saw I remember him/we using was an old Stihl Farmboss. Don't remember the model number, but I've seen that sucker run all day cleaning out a fence row to cutting timber for his wood heat stove in winter. Best I remember it always ran unless one of my uncles screwed it up. Also my parents had a wood heat stove but I can't remember for the life of me his saw brand.
 
Been outta the tree bus for a couple years now, but last year when I decided it was time to get something decent for personal use I shopped the used market and ended up with a Husky 246. So far its been a great saw, although the oiler seems to plug easy for some reason?
 
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