Nixon said:
↑
Says the guy with the guy that has the corvair of saws .
JK.
There are good and bad saws in both line ups . Don't get caught up in the hype of the make. Look for a decent dealer , you'll be better served.
Nixon, you nailed it to a "T"!
And that's exactly what I did. My needs are more modest than most of you guys. More homeowner, occasional use, a few trees here and there, kind of thing. Although, I must say I do get a bit of "chain saw envy" now and then reading this forum
. I nearly bought a Stihl from a very busy shop about 45 minutes from me, but then I stopped by the Kubota/Husqvarna/etc tractor dealer (I guess they like orange) about 25 minutes from me to look at ZTR mowers. I liked the laid back, good-old-boy atmosphere of the place, which has probably been in business for decades. I ended up with a mower that cost me over 5k, and a Husqvarna 440e saw. They bargained well with me on price, and gave me some extras. I told them I should buy a sharpening jig and file, but they told me they would sharpen the chain and my mower blades for free for life anyway. I've already had them sharpen the chain and did a great job, and straightened a slight bend in the bar, too. I just drop it off when I go to town and pick it up on the way back. I think I could have gotten it or another model from HD or someplace, but I don't think they would have given me a gallon of chain lube, a grease gun and some shots of 2-stroke oil, and I wonder what the customer service clerk at HD would say if I brought my chain in for sharpening ?
As for the 440e, I got it for the light weight and easy pull, which is getting more important to me every year, it seems
. It has plenty of power for my needs and and an adequate18" bar. I probably wouldn't get the "e" model again, though, which is mostly the "quick" chain adjust thing. I think I prefer the regular method, but it's okay. It makes it more difficult to re-install the cover, too.
Somewhere along the line, I heard someone say that Stihl and Husqvarna preferences were like Ford and Chevy, so I was just curious if there actually is a correlation between individual preferences here. Sounds more regional than anything so far. The only other saw I've owned was a Stihl 16" model (009, I think?) way back when. I liked it, too. That thing actually cut a lot more wood than it should have been able to. In those days, I did all my own cutting
Oh, and I was a "Chevy guy" as a kid , but that just seems kind of silly now...