Choosing a good starter chainsaw

[CTburning]

I would wait and get a decent Husky or Stihl or similar brand saw. A Poulan lower end saw is a throw away saw. You will use it a bunch of times and after it sits awhile it won't start. It will cost you more to fix than what its worth and you will either get terribly frustrated trying to get it to run or toss it and buy the saw you wanted in the first place.

 

[thinkxingu]

Unless you're good at 'tinkering', skip the Poulans, etc. because they always seem to be needin' something. Buy a Stihl or Husky (many complain about the Dolmar adjustments), and start it and go every time. Buy once, cry once.

S

 

[HittinSteel]

Unless you're good at 'tinkering', skip the Poulans, etc. because they always seem to be needin' something. Buy a Stihl or Husky (many complain about the Dolmar adjustments), and start it and go every time. Buy once, cry once.

S

That something is usually the "special" carb adjusting tool. A little turn counterclockwise on the High and Low speed adjustment and they run much better. I also drill some holes in the mufflers and or remove baffling if possible. They come so choked up and lean that they won't run right. I look for the $20-$30 ones on craigslist that won't run, tune them and give them to friends that need saws for light homeowner use.

I have a throwaway poulan chainsaw, weedeater and blower......... all of which run excellent for what they are. I have honestly been trying to kill the weedeater and blower for the last 2 seasons so I can upgrade, but they will not die.

With all of that being said, skip the cheap stuff and buy a good quality saw if you are going to be cutting wood for home heating.

 

[Kenster]

I would bother with a 180/190. Might as well have a Poulan.

Bigg Redd, I assume that you meant to say "I would NOT bother with a 180/190."

You equate a lower end Stihl with a Poulan? Why is that?

 

[Danno77]

what's this Stihl 190 business?

Anyway, i'd rather have a Stihl 170 or 180 for under (or around) 200 bucks over a Poulan (Pro) that weighs three pounds more and costs just a few bucks less.

I wouldn't run any of those as my primary saw, though, unless I was doing a cord a year of small wood.

 

[mrfjsf]

3. There is definitely the sound advice that my FIL always gives me, that you should "Buy nice and buy once." If you can drop the extra cash for a Dolmar, Echo, Stihl, Husky, etc. then you probably won't regret having a good reliable saw that holds it's value, comes with good customer support and warranties. My only problem is that I generally need a tool NOW and don't have the luxury of buying NICE. On a similar note, I have purchased a lot of tools that were low end, and they hold up just fine, OR I've bought really nice tools that I decided were a waste of money because hobbies/life/preferences/technology all changes.

hope this helps a little.

I couldn't possibly agree more with this. I live by this and encourage other to do so as well. I used to not really care much about making sure what I was buying was the best I could get for my money, anymore, if I can't afford to buy NICE, i just dont buy it at all. Period. Im not suggesting to you that you should go out of your budget range by $500. Im simply suggesting that if you buy a good quality tool, it will repay you 10 fold.

Like others have said, if you are not felling big trees, skip the chaps and helmet. Put that extra coin toward a better saw. Get yourself a good pair of gloves, safety toe shoes, glasses and your golden. I just bought a new Husky 346xp. Coming from a 42cc Craftsman, it was a night and day difference. The husky really wasnt in my budget, in fact it was about $150 out of my price range. But, I knew I would be cutting a lot of wood and didnt want to settle for anything else. Looking back, im very glad I made the choice...you'll have to pry that saw from my cold dead hands. I save myself SO much time and headache compared to the craftsman, its worth its weight in gold. If you cut any more than a few cords, you will NOT be happy with an el cheapo saw, trust me.

 

[brages]

Like others have said, if you are not felling big trees, skip the chaps and helmet.

??? I can understand skipping the helmet, but the primary risk of cutting your leg is probably during limbing, rather than felling.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I would bother with a 180/190. Might as well have a Poulan.

Bigg Redd, I assume that you meant to say "I would NOT bother with a 180/190."

You equate a lower end Stihl with a Poulan? Why is that?

Correct. I forgot the "n't" on that "would"

Stihl's "homeowner" grade saws are no better than Poulans. It's just a fact.

At a glance the easiest way to know what you've got in a Stihl is the color of the handle

Black = homeowner grade - don't bother

Orange = Mid grade - Reasonably priced - heavier less power - exceptionally reliable

White = Pro grade - as good as saws get

 

[Bigg_Redd]

3. There is definitely the sound advice that my FIL always gives me, that you should "Buy nice and buy once." If you can drop the extra cash for a Dolmar, Echo, Stihl, Husky, etc. then you probably won't regret having a good reliable saw that holds it's value, comes with good customer support and warranties. My only problem is that I generally need a tool NOW and don't have the luxury of buying NICE. On a similar note, I have purchased a lot of tools that were low end, and they hold up just fine, OR I've bought really nice tools that I decided were a waste of money because hobbies/life/preferences/technology all changes.

hope this helps a little.

I couldn't possibly agree more with this. I live by this and encourage other to do so as well. I used to not really care much about making sure what I was buying was the best I could get for my money, anymore, if I can't afford to buy NICE, i just dont buy it at all. Period. Im not suggesting to you that you should go out of your budget range by $500. Im simply suggesting that if you buy a good quality tool, it will repay you 10 fold.

Like others have said, if you are not felling big trees, skip the chaps and helmet. Put that extra coin toward a better saw. Get yourself a good pair of gloves, safety toe shoes, glasses and your golden. I just bought a new Husky 346xp. Coming from a 42cc Craftsman, it was a night and day difference. The husky really wasnt in my budget, in fact it was about $150 out of my price range. But, I knew I would be cutting a lot of wood and didnt want to settle for anything else. Looking back, im very glad I made the choice...you'll have to pry that saw from my cold dead hands. I save myself SO much time and headache compared to the craftsman, its worth its weight in gold. If you cut any more than a few cords, you will NOT be happy with an el cheapo saw, trust me.

x2

 

[thinkxingu]

Don't skip the chaps.
x3 on the "if [you] can’t afford to buy NICE...just dont buy it at all."
You'd be better off renting.
Though, I do disagree a bit with Redd on the homeowner Stihls being garbage--I've used an MS250 alongside my 361 (God's saw) these last couple years and there are many things I like about the former. When it comes to bucking big stuff, however, there's definitely a difference.

S

 

[Mcbride]

Chaps, boots and safety glasses is what i like to wear. But I have never seen the reason for a hardhat.

 

[pshking]

I would lean towards the mid-level Stihl's, Husky's, or Dolmars/Makitas. Personally, when I use a tool, I USE IT, and I want something to hold up to the challenge, and my time is worth more than the frustrating factor of a lesser tool. I have personnally not had good experiences with Craftsman, Poulan's, or Homelite's, I know others have had good experiences with them though.

One thing from hands on experience, the cheaper saws you will definitely have to keep adjusting the slack in the chain more often. The Craftsman that my BIL bought stretched the chain so much when it was new, you could only cut for about 15 minutes.

I still enjoy cutting wood with my old Stihl 041 even though it does not have any "Anti-Vibe", but I do not enjoy using some of the lower end saws, seems like all I do is fight it, and tighten the chain.

 

[mrfjsf]

Like others have said, if you are not felling big trees, skip the chaps and helmet.

??? I can understand skipping the helmet, but the primary risk of cutting your leg is probably during limbing, rather than felling.

You are correct. I probably shouldnt have suggesting not bothering with chaps. If I have a good bit of bucking and limbing to do, I will wear them. I should wear them always, but I honestly dont. Im just extra careful when im not wearing them. Just keep an eye on the position of your body. It can save your life.

 

[gerry100]

I went through a Poulan and a Homelite before the Stihl.

On thing you'll notice with a cheapo is the downtime on the job.

You'll be alreqady to get some wood production and it won't start, something will fall off or break etc and you'll spend hours fiddling around with it.

If you work in the woods it's a tough environment for you and you equipment.