I'm thinking Stihl chainsaws are nothing but hype!

[Pinesmoke]

Since my first saw back in the 80s I've always run Stihl. Solid and reliable. My BIL always ran huskys and they were great running saws.

Running a 290 for quite a while now but I am happy I don't need that big a saw here. My current goto is a 193T with a 12" bar. Our property was logged for the pine 30 years back and is now covered in hardwood that I can work with the smaller saw.

The one big thing a see stihl has going for it is the distribution. There are walkin parts available everywhere.
I can't tell you the last time I saw a husky dealer.

 

[mr meener]

why would mostly old homeowners need the best saw ever made? get the top echo timber wolf for around 450 or a husky for the same price. those saws last decades even for light commercial work

 

[Pinesmoke]

What does need have to do with it?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Everybody’s opinion on need vs want is relative. Does anybody need more than a bucksaw and a maul to process their firewood?

I’m thinking I need one of those big firewood processors that processes a cord in 15 minutes.

 

[salecker]

What does need have to do with it?

It's like a GM, Ford, or Fiat.
I am a GM guy, Fords and Fiats only stick around long enough to get fixed, cleaned , and sold.
I haven't sold a Stihl, but sold every other type of saw that i have fixed,cleaned.
Sold a lot of good saws and vehicles, they just aren't my flavor.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Wow! I'm really surprised to see such high asking prices on such old saws.

I commented recently about Craigslist prices when I was looking for a saw. Have been looking for a while.

I would check when a saw was in production on the following, and think, "for a 30-year-old saw?"

Chain Saw Collectors Corner - Gasoline Chain Saws by Manufacturer

Cost per mile driving expense to check out a saw also made some no longer cost effective.

https://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-YourDrivingCosts-FactSheet-7-1.pdf

 

[mr meener]

What does need have to do with it?

LOL

 

[Ashful]

why would mostly old homeowners need the best saw ever made? get the top echo timber wolf for around 450 or a husky for the same price. those saws last decades even for light commercial work

First, there's no such thing as "the best saw ever made". Get your thinking away from that, as every saw is a compromise, and it's your job to choose the compromise that works best for your scenario.

As to why I'm not running Echo Timberwolf saws, it comes down to several factors:

1. I need a certain horsepower/displacement to pull at least a 24" or 28" bar, as I'm cutting a lot of oaks and ash in the 40" - 50" diameter range.

2. I want the lightest saw frame in that displacement, as big powerful saws are heavy, and I'm not Swartzenegger.

3. I want something that will always work when I need it, or be quickly repairable with parts in-stock at a local dealer, when it does fail.

I believe the Echo Timberwolf series fails on all three of these points. They're heavy, they're not the most robust platform out there, and I don't think there's a great network of servicing dealers with parts in-stock to repair when they do fail.

Furthermore, now I know I can buy 064's for $500 in 2013, use the hell out of them, and resell them for $1200 in 2023. Bonus!

 

[WiscWoody]

Since my first saw back in the 80s I've always run Stihl. Solid and reliable. My BIL always ran huskys and they were great running saws.

Running a 290 for quite a while now but I am happy I don't need that big a saw here. My current goto is a 193T with a 12" bar. Our property was logged for the pine 30 years back and is now covered in hardwood that I can work with the smaller saw.

The one big thing a see stihl has going for it is the distribution. There are walkin parts available everywhere.
I can't tell you the last time I saw a husky dealer.

I’ve never heard of walkin parts, oh you must mean walk in parts… ok.
Husqavarnas are often sold at the sale at the same place Stihl saws are sold at. I know many want to have a one on one relationship with their dealers but I usually just buy my Husqvarna saws online for the best price I can find and you can’t do that that with Stihl’s, they have to be bought at a authorized dealer unless that’s changed lately.

 

[mr meener]

First, there's no such thing as "the best saw ever made". Get your thinking away from that, as every saw is a compromise, and it's your job to choose the compromise that works best for your scenario.

As to why I'm not running Echo Timberwolf saws, it comes down to several factors:

1. I need a certain horsepower/displacement to pull at least a 24" or 28" bar, as I'm cutting a lot of oaks and ash in the 40" - 50" diameter range.

2. I want the lightest saw frame in that displacement, as big powerful saws are heavy, and I'm not Swartzenegger.

3. I want something that will always work when I need it, or be quickly repairable with parts in-stock at a local dealer, when it does fail.

I believe the Echo Timberwolf series fails on all three of these points. They're heavy, they're not the most robust platform out there, and I don't think there's a great network of servicing dealers with parts in-stock to repair when they do fail.

Furthermore, now I know I can buy 064's for $500 in 2013, use the hell out of them, and resell them for $1200 in 2023. Bonus!

if you aint arnold you better look for smaller trees to cut

 

[Ashful]

if you aint arnold you better look for smaller trees to cut

Nah. Felling and cutting big trees is easy. Even getting them on and off the trailer is no big deal, with the right equipment.

But when single rounds can weigh 1400 lb., splitting them into firewood is a groan. I end up noodling real big stuff into slabs, and then splitting them vertical on the splitter, but that eats up a lot of time compared to stuff I can just hoist onto the beam of the splitter.

Ever since I changed the location where I'm cutting, I'm not getting much of that crazy-big stuff anymore. That's fine. As fun as it is to watch a monster tree hit the ground, and we only ever cut stuff that was badly diseased or already dead, the novelty of turning those big logs into firewood wore off pretty quick.

 

[salecker]

Everybody’s opinion on need vs want is relative. Does anybody need more than a bucksaw and a maul to process their firewood?

I’m thinking I need one of those big firewood processors that processes a cord in 15 minutes.

Got one of those too.
Just need to get it's control's sorted out.
Finding a manual would help a bunch.
Probaly end up just doing a rewire of it.

Everybody’s opinion on need vs want is relative. Does anybody need more than a bucksaw and a maul to process their firewood?

I’m thinking I need one of those big firewood processors that processes a cord in 15 minutes.

 

[WiscWoody]

Got one of those too.
Just need to get it's control's sorted out.View attachment 320117
Finding a manual would help a bunch.
Probaly end up just doing a rewire of it.

Have you contacted the manufacturer for a manual or schematic? I see they’re still in business If it’s Wood Beaver wood processing company. They have something on their page about a wood beaver eater.

 

[salecker]

Have you contacted the manufacturer for a manual or schematic? I see they’re still in business If it’s Wood Beaver wood processing company. They have something on their page about a wood beaver eater.

I tried a couple years ago and ran into a wall
The original company was in Canada, and sold. I believe at the time i found that a US company help the patent.
That was as close as i got at the time.

 

[30WCF]

I haven’t treaded my Stihl well, but it keeps coming back for more.