Poulan 400E Electric Chain Saw

[velvetfoot]

I just ordered the Poulan 400E Electric Chain Saw from Amazon.com.
New, free shipping, $89.99

Consumer Reports ranks it second in the 10/2006 issue: (broken link removed)

18" bar, 4.0 hp, chain brake

I'm thinking, 4.0 hp is pretty darn good - better than my gas powered Stihl?

I have to cut up that big old dead hemlock I wrote about a while ago; the farmer down the road laid it down nicely (w/a tractor pulling on a rope helping). I'll write up some impressions, such as they might be.

 

[Roospike]

Dont forget your P.P.E. ( Personal Protection Equipment )

 

[velvetfoot]

I have that, although a notice on the Stihl chaps said they were as effective with electric saws because of their higher torque.

I'm psyched about this saw though.

 

[velvetfoot]

A co-worker made a good point about cable getting stiff in cold temps, when one could be using an electric chainsaw. I just got an all-weather 100' 12 ga extension cord by Rigid at HD for about $55. More than the "Husky" make, but supposedly flexible in cold weather.

 

[Corey]

I will be interested to hear your reviews of the saw. Do you happen to know if the 4.0hp figure is a "peak" power or "operating" or something else? 4hp is right at 3000 watts - to get that out of a 120v outlet would draw 25 amps which is probably going to mean a pretty thick extension cord and a big circuit breaker.

Corey

ps - A "cold weather" extension cord may not be that big of a deal. Drawing that kind of amperage is bound to keep any cord warm even in the cold temps!

 

[velvetfoot]

I'm pretty sure it is peak.

 

[velvetfoot]

I just got a pdf file of the manual even though I don't have the saw yet.
Poulan recommends a max of 50' with 12 gauge wire, and does not recommend 100' of any gauge.
hmmm....

 

[Roospike]

I just got a pdf file of the manual even though I don't have the saw yet.
Poulan recommends a max of 50' with 12 gauge wire, and does not recommend 100' of any gauge.
hmmm....

He(( a 10 g wires are running around $115.00-$130.00 for 50 foot , can you imagine what a 100' 10 g wire would cost.

I bought a 50' 10 g cord for my welder 2 years ago for $75. and when copper went up the cord went to $115 for the same stuff.

 

[velvetfoot]

It just came at dusk. It was really packed poorly, like in the carton you would buy it at a store - not really meant for traveling. It looks like it flew open during shipping (UPS of course) and re-taped. The manual, at the minimum, was lost. On a positive note, it looks like it is intact. I cut through a couple of big pieces I had and it seems pretty darn powerful. Electric motors have a lot of torque at low speed, compared to a gas motor. It seemed that way to me. Alas I have bucked up that 30" hemlock already with the gas saw. The old inherited Remington looks like a toy in comparison.

 

[Bezalel]

Velvet ... please tell us how you like your new toy. At $89 I might just pick it up to replace my somewhat flaky 45cc saw from HomeLite. Is an electric saw lighter in weight in comparison to a gas unit?

Thanks!

 

[Gibbonboy]

Just curious as to how loud it is- is it as loud as a circular saw, or as a gas saw? If it was a good bit quieter, I'd get one for cutting around the house. Thanks.

 

[velvetfoot]

Because they don't make a lot of noise one could think of it as toy-like, but they can cut off your leg just like a gas powered model.
I think it's lighter. This 4hp model with the brakes and stuff is heavier than the old 2hp electric but still lighter than my little Stihl.
I'll try it some this weekend. I have a pdf of the manual in case anybody wants it.

 

[velvetfoot]

It is a good bit quieter than a gas saw. No hearing protection required.

 

[jabush]

It is a good bit quieter than a gas saw. No hearing protection required.

As I understand it...hearing protection is for the high frequency noise created as the metal chain runs along the grove in the metal bar, not so much for the noise of the engine. Still need your hearing protection with an electric saw.
It's the noise you can't "hear" that messes up your hearing.

 

[velvetfoot]

It didn't seem that loud, so I didn't think it was necessary. The manual does say you need hearing protection but doesn't go into details. Can't hurt to wear the ear muffs anyway, especially now that it's getting cooler outside!

 

[Gibbonboy]

I was actually concerned about my neighbors. If I need to shorten a split at 11 PM (hey, it happens!), I don't want to have to either wait till morning, go out and fire up the gas saw, or (gasp!) use the bow saw to cut it! Might disturb their son's skateboarding or something.

Seriously though, I have almost bought a cordless chain saw to go with my other tools. Like them, it's easier to bring them to the job, and not have to fire up a motor every time you want to make an occasional cut. Would be nice to know that the saw has the power to make the cut when I need it, even if I have to run a cord.

I wear my safety gear ALL the time when working, including eye and hearing protection. My father is a safety supervisor for a large construction company, he'd be pretty ticked to see me without the gear.

 

[elkimmeg]

there is another choice the UL400 Makita develops more power due to gearing, not a direct drive possibly lighter but $200
Precard has one and reviews it favorable equal power or more that most homeowner gas saws. I use elect saws all the time I burn them out every 3 years cutting up 6 or more cords
per year. perfect complement to the electric splitter

 

[GVA]

I just got a pdf file of the manual even though I don't have the saw yet.
Poulan recommends a max of 50' with 12 gauge wire, and does not recommend 100' of any gauge.
hmmm....

He(( a 10 g wires are running around $115.00-$130.00 for 50 foot , can you imagine what a 100' 10 g wire would cost.

I bought a 50' 10 g cord for my welder 2 years ago for $75. and when copper went up the cord went to $115 for the same stuff.

Grainger about a month ago I got a 100' cord for a miller welder for $150. Rechecked the voltage drops and found that 10 gauge would only be good to 80'. it was cheaper to buy 100' of 8 gauge soow cord and put cord caps on it and gave me the current rating needed, I got it at my electrical wholesaler.

 

[velvetfoot]

elk, see the CR link up top. The $110 (I got it for $90 on Amazon) PoulanPro is rated number two, one point above the $200 Makita 4000 and eight points below (a fairly big gap) the $200 Husky 316. The Poulan has a 4hp motor and an 18" bar while the other two have 2hp and 16" bars. Now if I'm going to have to drag around 100' of 8 gauge wire for the 4 hp, that could put an end to the whole thing. I plan on taking some readings (amps and voltage drop) on the 100' of 12 gauge wire I have with the Kill-A-Watt today after I put snow tires on the two cars (it sure seems early for that but there is some snow on the ground). I believe it might only rarely crank out 4 hp. Voltage drop could be a reason those saws are burning out though.

I looked at the electrics in HD yesterday (Ryobi and Remington as I recall). None of them have chain brakes. They appear way crappier to me even though they cost just as much as the Poulan, and the CR testing seems to agree.