Just wondering if anyone has any experiance or has heard any reviews on either Big Jack saws or GIO saws.Any info on both would be appreciated.
Question about chainsaws
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firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Never heard of either . . . I think I would play it safe and go with something that has a name brand recognition and a long history -- namely Stihl, Husqvarna, Dolmar, Jonsered, etc.
TreePointer
Minister of Fire
I just did a search on them because of your question. They look like and are priced like Chinese knock-offs of Stihl and Husqvarna. RUN AWAY
Joey
Feeling the Heat
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
TreePointer said:I just did a search on them because of your question. They look like and are priced like Chinese knock-offs of Stihl and Husqvarna. RUN AWAY
Well as long as he doesn't lick them or gnaw on them and end up with lead paint poisoning . . . .
Bigg_Redd
Minister of Fire
mayhem
Minister of Fire
TreePointer said:I just did a search on them because of your question. They look like and are priced like Chinese knock-offs of Stihl and Husqvarna. RUN AWAY
Bingo. 62cc 24" bar saw for $180 bucks? I'm thinking its probably not as good a deal as it seems.
HittinSteel
Minister of Fire
I bought a Gio 52cc saw last season for $100 landed. I thought it to be a good deal, at least initially, as I thought it would extend the life of my existing saws. Well, I was partially right and wrong at the same time.
Once I took the saw out of the box, I had to test the trigger. It seemed that it wasn't opening the throttle all the way, so I took the cover off to inspect. It turned out that the throttle linkage was bent. So after a bit of tweaking, I got it where it was supposed to be. I fired it up, and it seemed to be OK. A little bit of carb adjusting, and all was fine. So far, so good.....
Then it came down to actually working with it.... Well, it seemed to have about the same power as any mid-range 50cc saw that I've used before. Felling and bucking was not problem at all. The only thing that I found was that the oiler leaked - again, not a major issue, as long as you know about it.
Then came the problem(s).... First thing was the starter rope. Gave it a pull, and it broke. No biggie, I just installed a new one. The rope looked to be substandard, meaning that it's diameter was noticeably smaller than a typical rope on a 'not-Chinese' saw. So, back up, and working again.....
Next issue.... I was working along, and noticed that the chain was getting loose, so it was time to fuel up anyhow. Turns out that the oiler wasn't working..... So, I decided to investigate further, and it turned out that the screws holding the oiler had backed off, and chewed up the pinion drive. Great..... So, I replaced the screws - the old screws were stripped as they were a weak metal. I thought that getting things back in their proper place would be OK, but the pinion was too far gone. So, a spent some time one evening, and built the plastic in the pinion back up with epoxy, and filed it down so it would work.
By this time, I actually had to get some work done in the woodlot, and was getting tired of working on this thing all of the time. So I went back to my tried-and-true Jonsered, and finished out the season.
My wife decided to have a yard sale last September, so I thought that I'd put it out to see what would happen. After 10 minutes of being open, a guy came along and offered $65 for it. So, after all of this, I was out $35 plus my time tinkering with it.
Lessons learned? You bet. For someone that is going to clean up a few branches in their backyard, and is technically inclined, sure, it's better than buying a $300 saw, and letting it sit for years because they have nothing else to use it for. But for those of us that depend on our saws to keep house and home warm, take the $$ and invest it in a saw that is reliable, and that you can get parts for.
That's my two cents....
Once I took the saw out of the box, I had to test the trigger. It seemed that it wasn't opening the throttle all the way, so I took the cover off to inspect. It turned out that the throttle linkage was bent. So after a bit of tweaking, I got it where it was supposed to be. I fired it up, and it seemed to be OK. A little bit of carb adjusting, and all was fine. So far, so good.....
Then it came down to actually working with it.... Well, it seemed to have about the same power as any mid-range 50cc saw that I've used before. Felling and bucking was not problem at all. The only thing that I found was that the oiler leaked - again, not a major issue, as long as you know about it.
Then came the problem(s).... First thing was the starter rope. Gave it a pull, and it broke. No biggie, I just installed a new one. The rope looked to be substandard, meaning that it's diameter was noticeably smaller than a typical rope on a 'not-Chinese' saw. So, back up, and working again.....
Next issue.... I was working along, and noticed that the chain was getting loose, so it was time to fuel up anyhow. Turns out that the oiler wasn't working..... So, I decided to investigate further, and it turned out that the screws holding the oiler had backed off, and chewed up the pinion drive. Great..... So, I replaced the screws - the old screws were stripped as they were a weak metal. I thought that getting things back in their proper place would be OK, but the pinion was too far gone. So, a spent some time one evening, and built the plastic in the pinion back up with epoxy, and filed it down so it would work.
By this time, I actually had to get some work done in the woodlot, and was getting tired of working on this thing all of the time. So I went back to my tried-and-true Jonsered, and finished out the season.
My wife decided to have a yard sale last September, so I thought that I'd put it out to see what would happen. After 10 minutes of being open, a guy came along and offered $65 for it. So, after all of this, I was out $35 plus my time tinkering with it.
Lessons learned? You bet. For someone that is going to clean up a few branches in their backyard, and is technically inclined, sure, it's better than buying a $300 saw, and letting it sit for years because they have nothing else to use it for. But for those of us that depend on our saws to keep house and home warm, take the $$ and invest it in a saw that is reliable, and that you can get parts for.
That's my two cents....
TreePointer
Minister of Fire
Cleaning up a few branches in the yard? That's why they make the Poulan WildThing and similar. I'd certainly get a WildThing before one of those possibly illegal and dangerous knock-offs.
rottiman
Minister of Fire
Thanks everyone.I was just curios if anyone had heard tell of these as I never had.And yes I am well aware you get what you pay for.Don't have any intentions of getting one. 
TreePointer
Minister of Fire
HittinSteel
Minister of Fire
TreePointer said:
I agree..... or the cheaper woodshark. If you have the special carb adjusting screwdriver and can richen those poulans up, they run well for what they are.
Thistle
Minister of Fire
MasterMech said:
Wow. Like the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true...it usually is" I seen those "Powerhorse" saws at Northern 2 weeks back when I was in there,my guess is they're not much better.
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