Chainsaw reviews

Ed L.

Ed L.

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Hey all, I'm tired of reading reviews and I need a new chainsaw. Consumer type. I'm down to a Poulan Pro 18" or a Stilh MS170 16" bar. Under $200 bucks. I know, you get what you pay for.

What do you guys use for trimming and a little firewood?

Thanks in advance.
 
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Ed,

My only saw is a Stihl 038. Probably more than you need but it has always worked great for me. I don't cut for firewood much anymore but when I do this saw eats it up. My BIL has an old (I'd bet it's close to 30 years old) Stihl 028 that has probably cut well over 2-300 cord over the years. He was going to replace it last spring but it just needed some TLC and is working great again.
 
I only have experience with the 14" or 16" Stihl that my neighbor lent me. Easy to use, always started and plenty of power for cutting up small firewood. Gets my vote.

I also have a small electric (Homelite??) that works amazingly well around the house. I cut a pile of wet pecan and oak limbs with it this last spring. With a sharp chain, its just as fast and a lot less noisy than the gas one. Easy to adjust the blade. No fumes, no gas.

With my limited experience with chainsaws, it appears blade sharpness is the key. I dulled the chain on the electric on a nail. Went from zipping through limbs to tediously slow & tiresome. Bought a new chain for under $25 and it was right back to zipping through logs.
 
Ed,

I have owned both Poulan Pro and Stihl.
I gave the Poulan Pro to my son in law and kept the Stihl.
I bought the Stihl in 1986, it still runs strong.
The Poulan has a life expectancy of 150 hours if I remember correctly.

I would point you to the Stihl.

R.C.
 
Stihl will get my vote every time! I have an MS250 I have been using for on 12 years without a single hiccup. I also have an MS310 and just recently bought an MSE170 and an MSE210. The last two are electric.

I have used Poulan, McCullough, Husqvarna, Echo and McCullough. I would buy Stihl over ever other, although if I was looking for a small top handle saw I would give Echo a serious consideration too.
 
When asked similar questions, I have to ask a few of my own questions first. What do you have for experience and what do you have for safety equipment? Generally, when I talk with these folks for a bit my recommendation is they do not buy a saw, but instead hire someone. Most do not even know how to start a saw properly or do the most basic maintenance. What do you intend to do with the saw? Do you plan on felling trees? I have found such saw unsuitable for felling trees larger than say 6 inches. They just can not effective they plunge cut.
Do you have a good saw shop? What do they sell and service?


The Stihl is the obvious choice between the two. But a would generally recommend against a sub $200 saw.
Add another $100 and you can get a decent home owner saw. If you lack safety gear add another $100 + for that.
 
Stihl.

Owned one and abused one for about 23 years before buying a newer model. Never brought it in for service. Only replaced bar, blades and pull cord during that time.
 
I own several saws (trim trees on the weekend for side work); an old Poulan with 16" bar, a 12" Echo and three Stilhs 290, 460 and a 660.
For the money, my favorite is the old Poulan, it's light weight and always starts right up. The Stilhs will run forever and vibrate a lot less, but their heavy and seem to need a min to warm up. Maybe I am getting old, but for trimming mine are too heavy.
 
Ed, Sorry to chime in late but reading through the responses they are good advice. If I may toss in a few complicating thoughts- Two I don't see mentioned are Johnsreds (my personal favorite) and Sachs-Dolimar (the worlds oldest chain saw manufacture). This brings one of the most important considerations, make sure you have a dealer near. Hope you don't need one BUT when you do you don't want to get that famous blank look when you start asking around for a dealer.
 
Thanks everyone for all the input. The Stilh was my first choice and the one I bought. My past saws have been a second hand McCulloch, a Homelite, a Craftsman (built by Poulan) and a Poulan. The Homelite was probably the best one I've ever had and the Poulan the worst being the one that was the hardest to keep running. Probably my fault more then the saw. Never been a logger. Just someone cutting downed limbs and wood for campfires and the fireplace back in the day. I buy fireplace wood now since I don't have access to that kind of timber.
 
Ed, Sorry to chime in late but reading through the responses they are good advice. If I may toss in a few complicating thoughts- Two I don't see mentioned are Johnsreds (my personal favorite) and Sachs-Dolimar (the worlds oldest chain saw manufacture). This brings one of the most important considerations, make sure you have a dealer near. Hope you don't need one BUT when you do you don't want to get that famous blank look when you start asking around for a dealer.
Click to expand...

Tom,

Those are pretty exotic machines for my corner of the woods! I did avoid the big box stores for that very reason. Nothing like the deer in the headlight look when asking technical questions. I bought the Stilh from the local Stilh dealership where they provided instruction for starting and maintenance. They even filled the fuel tank and started it to make sure I understood and that it ran properly.
 
You won't be sorry.
keep the chain sharp and the gas fresh and it will run forever.
I've owned two stilhs in 40 years and only bought the second because the first got too heavy..
 
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Ed~

Congratulations on your new Stihl - I've been very happy with my Farm Boss. AND, I wear my chainsaw chaps - 2 friends - one of whom is on blood thinners - have "nicked" their legs despite many years of chainsaw experience.

All the best,

SJS
 
Lately I have been buying the Stihl pre mixed fuel . Sure it costs more, but is better quality than gas at the pump and is exact on the oil ratio. When a buddy borrows it I tell him to use this stuff so I know when it comes back it will still operate. The can does not leak either.
 
Sorry I missed this question Ed. I know my response is going to get some chuckles but for an average homeowner use the best chainsaw I have come across is brand new in the market. A company called Ego has come out with a line of 56V yard care equipment. I have their leaf blower and hedge trimmer and have to say they are both better than the gas counterparts I owner previously. The blower is an amazing gadget and being battery powered I use it all the time and never have to worry about gas and the associated issues of had yard care equipment. "Raked" my whole yard last weekend with it.

They just came out with their chainsaw not too long ago. A buddy who bought the blower after playing with mine got the chainsaw and he uses it quite a bit. He cannot believe how well this electric one works compared against his old gas model. I've tried it a couple of times and it is now on my wish list. I don't use a chainsaw but for a couple of times a year max so for me, it is the perfect choice.

Can't wait till I can take this technology and make an electric weed whack mud motor.

A couple years back I bought a 40V ice auger. Best thing I bought before these Ego items. Battery technology is to the point where it can do as good of a job as a gas counterpoint. To be able to go onto the ice and just push a button and drill 40 holes is amazing. No gas smell in the vehicles anymore, no hard starting days, no gas on the hands that then linger in the ice house and no more gas engine storage issues.

Anyway, chuckle away.

Mark W
 
Mark~

I have heard similar stories from a friend - says his weed whacker runs longer on a battery charge than his gas one did on a full tank. And, once I get my photovoltaics on the shop roof, I will be looking at e-machines for the next generation.

All the best,

SJS
 
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