Anyone use a Makita or Poulan (or any) electric?

I used a $59 Homelite from Home Cheapo, and it was prefect for small this-n-that jobs. For big cutting it was totally inappropriate...

See: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/81669/

No joke, my Stihl died and for one season I cut only stuff in my back yard and scrounged chunks to bring back home with a 12" Remington. Never again. I imagine the bigger electrics are much nicer. Mine had a manual oiler on it and that was the biggest drawback. Chain speed was horribly slow, too.

Knowing what I know now, I'd buy a low end gas Stihl or husky used for well under 100 bucks, and if none were to be found, then a poulan gas saw for sub 150.

For me a good gas saw is just as easy to load with fuel and go as having to unwind a cord and rewind when done. Forget bothering the neighbors with noise unless they are all mowing with electric.

Husqvarna & Stihl both make very durable electric saws as well,price is close to $300 last I checked.

Also a new model is Oregon's new cordless with 40v battery/charger,PowerSharp system & 14" bar. With standard battery its $399,longlife Endurance battery $499. Claims to handle 10-12" logs with ease,though I really have my doubts.Its only 6400RPM max chain speed vs 9000+ for standard small gas saw.



http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=ORF+547211&catID;

I have a Poulan electric that I used a fair amount to cut up a log delivery. It couldn't compare with my Stihl 250. However, I thought it might be the chain. I got a more aggressive chain, but never used it, since my new delivery point is out at the road, far from an outlet.

Danno77 said:

No joke, my Stihl died and for one season I cut only stuff in my back yard and scrounged chunks to bring back home with a 12" Remington. Never again. I imagine the bigger electrics are much nicer. Mine had a manual oiler on it and that was the biggest drawback. Chain speed was horribly slow, too.

Knowing what I know now, I'd buy a low end gas Stihl or husky used for well under 100 bucks, and if none were to be found, then a poulan gas saw for sub 150.

For me a good gas saw is just as easy to load with fuel and go as having to unwind a cord and rewind when done. Forget bothering the neighbors with noise unless they are all mowing with electric.

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Remington electrics consistently get bad reviews. I've a Wen 14" electric, quite similar in self-constraint, and with lousy chain oiler too. Dust bunny.

Smaller gas saws are hugely more powerful. I use 30-55 cc saws in the yard here, without dirty looks from neighbors. The Husky 455 is pretty loud, but gets the job done quickly. A 35 cc "McCulloch" (Taiwanese "Jenn Feng") has worked really well for me, and it's VERY QUIET. Also very quiet is my "veteran" Echo CS-315; Echo seems to have a "thing" about quiet saws. Often reviews will list noise level; 3db noise difference is ratio of .5.

My granddad used an electric when he was unable to start his gas saw any more. I have ran it but don't like to as it keeps you tethered to an outlet and the cord gets in the way. At $199 the Stihl 180 with a 14 or 16 bar is a much better choice. You have to fill the oil reservoir of an electric saw anyway so it's no big deal to also fill a saw with gas. I could not count how many trees we have topped and pruned with it or the amount of firewood it has cut. Granddad bought it 8 years ago. Sometimes it gets ran hard then stored oily & dirty. It starts every time, runs like a champ and has never been serviced other than cleaning the air filter. In my experience there is not a better occasional use home saw around.

Just my $0.02 ;-)

I have a Wagner (Wen) my dad has a Craftsman (???). They work. We have both cut up lots of trees in the 6-18" diameter range with them. IMO they are better than cheap gas saws. Growing up my dad had a McCulloch gas saw and a Craftsman electric. I always went for the electric if it would reach.

That said, we rarely use the electrics once I got a small prosumer & large pro gas saw for each of us. Gas cut 2-3x faster and require no cord. The pro & prosumer gas saws will start in a couple pulls after sitting six months and run flawlessly all day in all weather conditions.

Electric aren't silent, but they always start no matter how long you let them sit. Be aware that most homeowners without electric chainsaws have 14ga extension cords which won't "cut it" with a decent electric chainsaw. With today's copper prices the cost of a 100' 10ga cord and a 100' 12ga cord to get 200' from the house will cost you a lot more than a low end electric saw.

IMO if you will need new extension cords I'd check out a 40-50cc gas saw from Echo, Efco (rebranded to newer John Deere & Cub Cadet) , Dolmar (rebranded to Makita), Solo (some are rebranded Dolmar others their own), RedMax, Tanaka, Shindaiwa, Stihl, & Husqvarna. They won't cost much more than the electric saw + cords, and will cut much better. If you are only considering Poulan, McCulloch, Ryobi, Mitox, BlueMax, TroyBilt, PowerHorse, or Craftsman (the ones that aren't rebranded Solo anyway) gas saws due to budget, get the electric. Life is too short to waste dealing with a temperamental chainsaw.

I've used the hell out my Poulan Pro with 18 in. bar. It was my only saw at first, cut some ridiculously large oak that was already down. It has lots of power, quieter than a gas saw (though by no means quiet). For a $100, I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking for an electric.

46hemi said:

First thanks for all of the advice, I would still like to find someone that has used the Makita but I guess they do not sell that many.

I am getting the feeling that maybe I am being a bit foolish to consider the electric. For my use if I am going to go electric then maybe I should just be using a sawzall, then I will have many uses other than firewood.

I did stop by the Stihl dealer on your guys advice (they are close by). Out of all of the saws I looked at the 192 felt real nice. Of course its also 300+ dollars!! Ugh. That saw felt perfect! Not too big and very light. Maybe I should save my pennies!

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If you liked the 192, was it a top handle version? If not then maybe you can still get a MS180 (They are getting scarce, new) which should be the same power range and cutting hardware. Full Retail on it was $199.95 too.

I think these are the best bang for the buck small gas saws right now -

A Tanaka TCS 33EB painted green is $119 + shipping ($9 for me) -
http://www.searsoutlet.com/d/product_details.jsp?md=ct_md&cid=4417&pid=47255

If you REALLY want a top handle, they have the Tanaka TCS 3301PFS top handle model painted green is $169 + shipping. I personally would stick to a rear handle for ground work.
http://www.searsoutlet.com/32-2-cc-...oduct_details.jsp?md=ct_md&cid=1258&pid=69584

Not very powerful, but still more powerful than your typical electric. Only potential downside is unless you have a Tanaka or Hitachi service center nearby you are going to be on your own for maintenance.

I was in a similar situation many years back, bought a 14" Craftsman
did everything I asked of it, was it the ideal situation?? maybe not
but if you use it once a year, close to the house it probably will siut your needs
gas saw, gas + oil mix, never have any ready once a year, will mix too much and go bad
or run it in the mower
chain oil, will fill it up make 3 cuts and it will leak on the shelf you stoer the saw on for the next year
then when you go to start the saw the carb will be gummed up because you didnt run it out of fuel
gas would be more macho
electric is more practical for you
along with an electric splitter
after all you are not a lumber jack
you just want to recut some splits
or even cheaper and simpler
buy a hand saw, a good one
and get some exercise

I think you will be happiest with a gas powered saw.

Electrics aren't as inexpensive as some think. One mentioned quality extension cords as part of the cost, and the battery powered models will eventually have the added cost of a replacement battery. Have you priced replacement rechargeable batteries lately? Ouch!

KarlP said:

If you are only considering Poulan, McCulloch, Ryobi, Mitox, BlueMax, TroyBilt, PowerHorse, or Craftsman (the ones that aren't rebranded Solo anyway) gas saws due to budget, get the electric. Life is too short to waste dealing with a temperamental chainsaw.

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Just FYI, about 5 yrs ago I bought a 35cc "McCulloch" (by Jenn Feng, Taiwan) for about $110 from Harbor Freight.
It quickly became my go-to saw for any cut up to about 12". Quiet, powerful, low vibes, easy starting. Did anything I'd ask except sharpen its own chain, which just got used up a week back. I expect another 5-10 years of hard work from it. So, your brush-stroke above is a bit too broad.

Also, some Ryobis are made by RedMax. Nothing wasted to temperament there.