Husqvarna v Chainsaw

probably ran lean, air leask somewhere.

brands, all good. fine points.
There are homeowner LOW end box stores (usually Poulan) tha are ok for limited use. brand name low end husky and stihl both make low ends, and mid range serious use, then pro saws. More money is lighter, better antivibr, and more easily rebuildable. The hard core users adamantly recommend pro saws. but for simple firewood homeowner duty any one will do.

That said, I would NOT buy anything from a box store or lawnmower store. Find a GOOD dealer, and whatever brand that is, buy it. I have several Stihl, but the local dealer is a lawnmower shop who knows little and stocks little. 20 minutes away is a good store with service and parts people. So I would find the good dealer who takes the time to ask about your needs, has saws you can heft and maybe operate in a log. Spend as much as you can afford an buy it once and be done. I would not overbuy, if most of your wood is 18 inches, there is no need for a MS460....... I am partial to about 50 cc for most homeowner serious firewood use. 60+ cc is great, but the weight is noticeable for limbing and cutting small stuff.
Big motors don't cut any faster IF the wood is small enough tonot require the hp. Once you get in bigger stuff, bigger cc is time saved and FUN to drive.


IMO, saws are tools, just like hand tools, handguns, motorcycles, etc etc. once you try several one will just feel 'right' like an extension of your body. Some one else will try the same one and not like it. but it will be right for you.

k

hydestone said:

How do you think this saw stacks up to the MS290?

MS 250 C-BE Chain Saw.

Is the toolless chain adjuster a gimmick or useful? What about the easy start and carb preheat shutter for summer/winter operation?

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Tooless chain- more crap that can go wrong, and harder to change the chain and bar. Crap IMHO.
Easy Start- a good modern chainsaw is already easy start. Unless you're 80, you'll be fine without.
Carb summer/winter- unless you're cutting in Northern Norway, not a big deal.

The 250 is fine..... But it's a homeowner saw.

Find yourself a Dolmar dealership if you can.

If you insist on Stihl, then save a few bucks and get a 260.

hydestone said:

Currently I cut no more than a triaxle of logs each year, a few trees, and some limbs. My firewood requirements will increase in the next few years, but not much...maybe a couple triaxles a year max. I'd love a pro saw but it is probably more than I need. Any suggestions for that kind of usage? Logs are anywhere from 8 to 16' and from 8" to 24" diameter. I get mostly red and white oak also some sugar maple.

13 pounds does seem like a lot but for the amount I cut and with the logs on the ground it shouldn't be that big of a problem.

What is the difference between internal and external gearing?

Anybody know of a good saw shop MA? I am 50 minutes NW of Boston by 495 and route 2.

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What is a triaxle?

A triaxle is a truckload of logs.

And about the easy chain adjuster, I've used one for about five years on a ms280c and will really miss it on my new saw.

Contrairy to what all of these people say, the most important thing in this day and age for cutting is two things a saw that feels good in your hand be it a poulan, a stihl, a husky, a dolmer and a sharp chain.

Everyone here will dog out poulans but they are dang good saws at a reasonable price (these are the same people that buy $200.00 Air Jordans rather than the cheaper $9.00 Starburrys that are made by the same little Chineese kids in the same sweat shops)

Thread after thread tell the stories of many a woodsman waiting year after year for their Poulan to die so they can buy a Stihl, Husky etc. The fact that they are waiting so many years for it to die should be telling you something.

hydestone if that's all you cut is log loads you may not need a pro model stihl or husky saw. Bucking log loads is about the easiest thing a chainsaw does next to sitting on a shelf. But I wouldn't advise getting a big box store stihl or hunky.

If you go with a Poulan run it hard before the warranty runs out. See if it will handle everything you want it to without dieing before the warenty runs out. Also the older Poulans that are still running might have been better built then the ones that are being made today. From the people that I have talked to ( and it might just be the hole " they don't build saws like they used to thing" ) they seam to think the newer Poulans might not be as good as the older ones. But I don't nor have I ever owned a Poulan. I did have a McCulloch that ran like a champ until I killed it, my fault. Didn't understand that hardwood and softwood are two very different beasts when it comes to cutting. And the saws CC were very low. I think if I had treated that saw right it would have run forever.

I persoanlly own a Stihl MS310 - LOVE IT. But I bought it 7 or 8 years ago, I have a friend that bought a Poulan the same time and he cuts as much wood as me and his saw does just as good as mine. Now my other buddies also have ms310's and we, in jest mock and scoff the buddy with the Poulan but its just in good fun circa Dodge vs. Chevy, Cubs vs. White Sucks etc.

You really cant fault the Poulans. If I were to buy antoher saw, I would go the Poulan route

pdboilermaker said:

I persoanlly own a Stihl MS310 - LOVE IT. But I bought it 7 or 8 years ago, I have a friend that bought a Poulan the same time and he cuts as much wood as me and his saw does just as good as mine. Now my other buddies also have ms310's and we, in jest mock and scoff the buddy with the Poulan but its just in good fun circa Dodge vs. Chevy, Cubs vs. White Sucks etc.

You really cant fault the Poulans. If I were to buy antoher saw, I would go the Poulan route

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I agree with you to a point, but I've seen dozens of 30+ year old Stihls still running just fine, and if they do break parts and service are readily available. I've seen a couple Poulans with 4-5 years that still run fine. My Stihl chainsaw and weed eater are the best, most reliable tools I own. They fire up every time with absolutely no maintenance.

hydestone said:

A triaxle is a logging truck with 3 axles and open sides.

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Oh.

hydestone said:

The guy at the equipment store told me that the homeowner models are not as easy to fix as pro or mid-range use models. He said when something major goes wrong it is not as easy to repair as a mid-range use or pro use saw. Ie, drop it from a tree and homeowner model ends up in trash and pro or mid-range saw can be repaired. Any truth to that?

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I don't know how it is between the base grade and middle grades, but the pro-grade saws are absolutely built better and rarely need repair in the first place. If there is any chance someone can afford it, I strongly advocate for a buying pro-grade saw. In the long run it will be the most reliable and least expensive option.

pdboilermaker said:

Everyone here will dog out poulans but they are dang good saws at a reasonable price (these are the same people that buy $200.00 Air Jordans rather than the cheaper $9.00 Starburrys that are made by the same little Chineese kids in the same sweat shops)

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There is nothing wrong with running a Poulan, but as a professional user I can tell you that the difference is not just price. Now if you want to compare the bottom end Husky's & Stihls with a Poulan, you would be right that they very likely could come from a similar factory, and the quality is probably not all that different. I will go out on a limb and call the bottom end Husky's & Stihls disposable chainsaws. That is a far cry from higher end saws, and that is something Poulan simply does not make.

Even my 142 bargain basement priced husky has way better vibration dampening system than any poulan I have ever used, I am sure that the 142 came off the same line as the poulan and yes it does cost more, but I can still open and close my hand after running my 142 for any length of time. the poulans i have after 5 min my hands do not want to open and close.

But when you get away from economy saws and into some mid grade and pro saws there is absolutely no comparison. in price or performance.

Sealcove said:

hydestone said:

The guy at the equipment store told me that the homeowner models are not as easy to fix as pro or mid-range use models. He said when something major goes wrong it is not as easy to repair as a mid-range use or pro use saw. Ie, drop it from a tree and homeowner model ends up in trash and pro or mid-range saw can be repaired. Any truth to that?

Click to expand...

I don't know how it is between the base grade and middle grades, but the pro-grade saws are absolutely built better and rarely need repair in the first place. If there is any chance someone can afford it, I strongly advocate for a buying pro-grade saw. In the long run it will be the most reliable and least expensive option.

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Agree 100% !

which ever saw you choose if you are using it to supply your home with heat just make sure your happy with it my father sells fire wood (about 3oo load a yr) and uses poulans faithfully for the past 20 yrs I have a few of them in my shop(replaced the oil pumps for the bar) seems to be a mfg flaw in materials plastic gear metal drive) all in all about a $35 repair part and labor I my self am a husqvarna fan ( any one that doesn't have just 2 bolts to hold exhaust on they always come loose and ends up taking threads out) I have a friend whos swears by craftsman saws and I have tried to tell him they are the exact same saw as a poulan just different color the real key is a good sharp chain and a properly service saw good luck

Having started with a Pull-on, and graduated to a Dolmar 7900, I will say that IMHO a pro-grade saw is worth it. The consumer grades aren't as well built, and are harder to work on when they break - to the point where repairs that are cost effective on a pro-saw (and less expensive) are not cost effective on a consumer saw...

When I bought my Dolmar, I found that in pro-grade saws, it seemed that you definitely got more "bang for the buck" for a Dolmar than you did for the same size range Husky or Stihl...

I paid under $600 for my 80cc Dolmar, the comparable range Husky and Stihls were in the $800-1000 range... The big challenge is finding a good dealer, and the Dolmar dealer locator didn't seem to help much - when I was calling several to check prices, I found I knew more about the line than they did... (there was a misprint in the distributor manual - gave the wrong specs on the saw, made it easy to tell who knew what they were talking about and who was just reading the book...)

I've noticed nothing but rave reviews on both the Dolmar 5100 (50cc) and the 7900 family (60,72 and 80cc) of saws both here and on Arboristsite...

Gooserider

i fix and run both husky and stihl.
not sure why no one says that a dolmar is a husky. isn't a dolmar a husky from Italy (or some other satellite factory for husky?)
i thought dolmar was like a "swedish Mauser" it looks like a husky to me....and parts interchange.

anyway, have to take sides here--the stihls are better, but only a little, and not enough to pass up a bargain on a husky. not enough to buy a stihl if you have husky dealers all around. dealers are good to have around--i have only one (stihl) and it is a rip off. i wish i had more dealers for some competition and some COMPETENCY. here are my complaints on the husky:

the clutch is on backwards. it makes bar/chain/sproket work harder. like a (simple) puzzle--you have to put the pieces on in order. the stihl, you just put it all on there and go. flip the bar, go. oil, gas, flip bar, sharpen, go. never take off your gloves. more production. (more money, though)
the backwards clutch on a husky means you have to "rope trick" the saw to grease the bearing (or use a piston stop). you have to unscrew the clutch. The stihl has an E clip and that is it. unless you lose it then you will wish you had a husky or another E clip.
I like the Stihl bar nuts becasue I can work them with work goves on. they fit on the Husky, too, so just swap them out.
Husky/stihl is like ford/chevy in the old days like late 70s and early 80s. Husky changes lots of little crap many times on the saw and you need more than just a model number (ford) to get the right part. Stihl seems to be all the same for years (although some like the 038 were around forever and changed a lot). They seem to use the same parts over and over (chevy). just seems to me like they "get it right the first time" and don't rework the design as much.
The Stihl chains are sharper than the Oregon chains on new Huskys. my opinion. always wear gloves. riiiiight. anyway, I am always checking for blood after touching new Stihl chain (without gloves, of course). I don't ask "Did I just cut myself?" working with the Oregon chain.

The huskys do seem a bit meaner or more high strung--which is good. the ergonomics are maybe a bit better (not handles/weight/work, but just the slimmer body is a teeny bit more manageable).

I think the Stihl "occasional use saws" are way better than the "husqvarna from Lowes" saws. the only exception is MAYBE the 55cc "rancher" saws which compete with the stihl 290. the price difference here would tip me towards the hardware store. when Stihl has the sale event and pushes 0.235 290s for $330 with case, then I would go back the other way. I would not pay more than $100 for a perfect Husky from Lowes if it is the 14x 34x 345 346 whatever small saw. I gladly pay 100 to 125 for nice good Stihl 018.