Buying first saw...

Osagebndr said:

Go with the echo CS-590.its a 60cc saw and IMHO best bang for the buck. 5 yr. warranty and from what im reading will cut anything your going to get .by the way I believe it's still $399.99 from what I've seen of it ( a friend owns one ) it's worth every penny

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This is the saw I have. With a couple pretty simple modifications, it's essentially a CS600 now, just with a spur sprocket instead of a rim. It's a great saw, but this guy said he was looking for something a little smaller, so that's why I suggested the CS450 or 400.

I think a CS590 pulling a 16" bar would be a little silly/ overkill. I have a 20" on mine with a full chisel, and can bury that bar in oak without any issues. Bogs down a little bit, sure, but doesn't stop.

It's also not exactly light.

I recommend a minimum 50cc saw...... IMO the biggest problem with homeowner saws is not enough power for the bar size. To me there is nothing more frustrating than laying in the bucking spikes and the saw doesn't have enough nut to pull the chain. My 50cc saw wears a 16" bar, my 66cc saw a 20" and my 70cc saw a 20"

Your right it's not lightest but it has the power to run an 18" bar thru almost anything like butter. IMHO.i don't want to spend any more time cutting wood than I have to. But for the money it'll do anything the OP wants

My little 421 dolmar will out cut a stihl 251 any day. It has a 16" bar. Very reasonable price conidering the pro grade saw you are getting. Actually it will give a029 or 290 a run for its money. Starts better than any stihl i ever been around. My stihl 441 always takes 6 or 7 pulls to get going. Mu old ms211 was the same way. The little dolmar, can sit for weeks, 2 pulls and it fires and put to half choke then one pull and its running. Not to mention the sound of the little thing. Sounds like a big saw and acts like one too. I was always a diehard stihl man. But i found out there is other options out there. Dont be affraid to look.

I have access to over 200 acres of woods and cut several cord of wood each year for my self plus sell a few to others and I do 80-90% of my cutting with a little Stihl 180.I like to have 2 saws with me when I'm in the woods so recently bought another 180 to take with me. Call me a wimp but I prefer using the lighter saws ,only when cutting down larger trees do I use my 290,but the majority of the dead Ash and other trees I cut are under 12".

Food for thought:

180 31.8cc 8.6lbs (2.0 hp)
290 56.5cc 13lbs (3.8 hp)
346XP 50.1cc 10.6lbs (3.4 hp)

I've owned both the 290 and 346XP (50cc version). With it's faster throttle response, 2.4 lbs lighter weight, faster chain speed, and spring antivibration, the 346XP can do anything the 290 can and was well worth spending the less than $100 difference at the time they were both available. Owning a pro saw doesn't necessarily have to be out of reach, and sometimes is a good value even for the home firewood procurer.

TreePointer said:

I've owned both the 290 and 346XP (50cc version). With it's faster throttle response, 2.4 lbs lighter weight, faster chain speed, and spring antivibration, the 346XP can do anything the 290 can and was well worth spending the less than $100 difference at the time they were both available. Owning a pro saw doesn't necessarily have to be out of reach, and sometimes is a good value even for the home firewood procurer.

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Point well taken.

Jeff S said:

I have access to over 200 acres of woods and cut several cord of wood each year for my self plus sell a few to others and I do 80-90% of my cutting with a little Stihl 180.

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This past spring I bucked a ~11" Norway maple and the branches of a big cherry tree with a rear-handle 192. I have other saws that will easily out-cut it, but these trees had fallen across a small ravine, and cutting them up involved working on steep slopes. It was great to have such a light saw in that circumstance.

FWIW, the main things I didn't like about the 192 were the primer bulb, separate choke lever, and easy-start recoil. I had an MS200 at the same time, and the single kill switch/run/high-idle/choke control with no primer and a satisfyingly long pull cord just felt so much better.

I tried reading most of the thread, I may have missed it I would definitely stay away from entry-level saws by anybody!
That includes my favorites Husqvarna and Stihl, entry level/consumer saws from Echo and Poulan are even worse.
They do not have the internal components to last, we call them a ten-hour saw. Any dealer that tells you something different is lying to you and just trying to sell you a Saw because of your price range.

If you decide to try a used Saw and just because it says pro on it doesn't mean anything! MAKE SURE YOU DO A COMPRESSION TEST! Know the characteristics of the professional grade saw you're looking at, some of these you will burn up if you try using it for felling, limbing & bucking. Don't buy a used saw by looks only. A professional grade saw that has been ran properly for years and years and shows the signs of that, is better than a professional grade saw that has been ran improperly for a weekend.

A good middle of the road saw is a Efco (http://www.efcopower.com) stay away from the one with the self sharpening chain. This saw uses older proven Technology but has good internal components. So for what I call a good, cheap, NEW chainsaw (some people think a good cheap chainsaw is like a unicorn) I could recommend it. I keep one at my cabin one in my jeep I have found them to be dependable will start and they will run and they're worth fixing if you break something.