Bigg_Redd said:
Anyone know when Homelites went from being a good saw to garbage?
Did their quality actually decline or did the other saw makers improve the quality of their saws?
Can't cite a specific year, but the eighties saw the beginning of the end for the old homies, Macs, and Poulan. All three were prized by professionals in forest-related fields (logging, arborculture, etc) as well as serious firewooders.
Don't know if it's a cause-effect relationship of mere coincidence, but it was around that time Stihl began making a lot of inroads into the U.S. market. Once the 041 got anti-vibe, you started to see a lot of them.
Homelite, Mac, and Poulan saw their profit margins shrink and began to cut corners. In the case of Poulan, they made the decision to focus on the occasional user segment of the market. Someone who's going to use a saw maybe half a dozen times a year won't demand the same level of quality and reliability as someone whose suppertime bread and butter depends on the saw.
Don't know too much about the old Poulans, but an XL-12 or ProMac 10-10 can be had for cheep $$$ and are as reliable as the day is long. Basic rule of thumb - the ones in plastic are junk. Magnesium rules!