Does Anyone Make a Chainsaw That Doesn't Suck?

I bought the smallest Stihl a couple of years ago when my decades old Roper got too hard to start and started leaking fuel. At first I had buyers remorse, but once I used it I was amazed. It has more than paid for itself. I sued it to drop and cut up several trees and lop limbs on several others. Stihl now uses a lot of plastic and feels a little chintzy. I think all saws do now. Dolmars have a great reputation and I think are sold under another name as well. Most saws are now CARB compliant and that causes some issues. On most saws, there is a secret you can do in the muffler that will free up some HP. Before I bought the Stihl I borrowed my neighbors remanned Echo and it was like driving a Cadillac compared to my old Roper.

Echo or Stihl are safe bets. My dad has had a few older saws made by them and they are bulletproof.

He also had an older Shindaiwa saw that was his favorite until someone stole it. They are still around and are nice machines.

As a fairly average homeowner I got a Poulan "Woodshark" back in something like '99. I abused that poor saw like you wouldn't believe for a decade.

Then my mom found a Husqvarna 51 at a yard sale with a "bad clutch" and bought it for me for $40. Turns out they had put the chain on beside the sprocket so it wouldn't pull. I assembled it correctly and it's an absolute beast.

A couple years ago when my dad passed I inherited his nearly new (I was the only user and for only two tanks of fuel) Poulan Pro. And if I had to I'm sure it would hold it's own against the Husky for a day of bucking firewood. I still have all three out in the shed, all three still start, and I live on a 1/4 acre with no fireplace.

For splitting my non-existent firewood I have one of those solid steel handle red mauls. I don't miss not splitting wood. If you want the maul and come pick it up it's yours.

Dr. Hess wrote: I have a Stihl woodboss 028. It is about 30 years old. I had to have a new carb for it and I've gone through a few bars. I use what the shops call a "logging" chain. Not the safety National Socialist Party anti-kickback chains. It works well. My friend that worked for the AR forestry dept for a summer or two said that when they needed a new chainsaw, they were told to buy a Stihl or a Husky if a Stihl was not available. Also, I had a patient in Deep East Texas. Little old black man about 80 years old that worked his whole life as a logger. I asked him what the best chainsaw was and he said a Stihl. "Buy a Stihl and when your done working for the day, you go home." With other saws, after work you went and tried to fix your saw or get your saw fixed. If your saw didn't work, you didn't either. He said he bought a new Stihl each year, ran it for the year, then tossed it and bought another. That's running the saw all day every day for a year. Probably about 2 lifetimes of use for the rest of us. The professional tree dropping crew I hired showed up with about $10K in Stihl saws.

Where might one buy one of these anti-social logger chains?

Another vote for stihl. But try and make sure you dot get an obscure model. I have a stihl, my old man has several, but one of his favourites is an oddball unpopular model and parts have been a pain to get at times.

As for axes, fiskars are awesome value for money. I bought an x15 a while back for yard work, the thing is one of the best axes I've ever used, so much so I'll be getting a long handle fiskars and a block splitter as well.

In reply to bravenrace:

They are available where you buy Stihl chain saws. That is, professional places. I asked for "yellow" non-anti-kickback chain and the guy at the John Deere place that I buy my Stilh stuff said something like "oh, logging chain..." It is so much better than the "green" safety chain that you wouldn't believe it. Personally, I find that the safety chain is more dangerous because it makes you work harder.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: The newer Husky stuff scares me since it's carried by Lowes, HD, etc. That tells me they're cheapening it down for mass market consumption, like John Deere did

Just to correct your misinterpretation, John Deere has cheapened itself down for mass market consumption ever since the days of horse/oxen drawn plows. Somehow they have convinced people they are worth spending more on in the last 15-20 years.

And on your OP, while I would rank Echo as on par with Husky, we have one that has been pretty good to us. We also have 2 Stihl's and a Stihl pole saw. They never die, and to see why they are that good, just look at the difference in their drive vs the others. Stihl typically has far more drive teeth on the backside of the chain. YMMV, and I wish I could remember what model our Stihl chainsaws are.

My Husqvarna I got in the early 90s and just keeps on going. I can use it a couple times a year and then let it sit for a year or more. Add gas and go. Other than chains I have replaced nothing.

Last fall I had two big oak trees come down and it went through it like butter. Ended up with three cords of wood that I sold to a neighbor down the street. Got enough for the wood to get a new saw if I wanted. ( I delivered it as well)

In reply to bravenrace:

Baileys. Don't pay stihl prices for chain. http://www.baileysonline.com

I find the good anti kickback chains cut about as well as the chisels. The chisels are less tolerant mishandling. The trick is to file the rakers down a hair, no real difference in the chains then.

Apparently I'm the only one on here with a Tanaka. I love it. I use it so rarely, but it works flawlessly every time.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

File more. Work less.

Dr. Hess wrote: In reply to bravenrace: They are available where you buy Stihl chain saws. That is, professional places. I asked for "yellow" non-anti-kickback chain and the guy at the John Deere place that I buy my Stilh stuff said something like "oh, logging chain..." It is so much better than the "green" safety chain that you wouldn't believe it. Personally, I find that the safety chain is more dangerous because it makes you work harder.

Preaching the gospel here. I worked at Pea Ridge NMP, for a few years, every new saw we got had it's chain replaced before it was put to work.

Learn how to use a file, and keep the blade out of the dirt. You'll swear off ever using a "safety" chain again.

And I don't care how good you think you are, even if you really are, or how hot, or uncomfortable they are, get a pair of chaps, and wear them! I've witnessed first hand on two separate occasions what would have been fatalities, were it not for chaps. One person was unscathed, short of ruining a pair of chaps, the other only needed a few stitches. We were so far out they both would have bled out before we could have gotten them to an ambulance. Wear chaps!

Stihl saws break, just like all of them. Having a well stocked parts dealer just a few minutes down the street from you is darn nice though. Namely Finches. Expensive, but they have the parts.

It's all about your chain and how sharp you keep it. That matters far more than how powerful (and heavy) the saw is.

Generic chains are all safety or low kickback chains. They don't cut as aggressively. But, if you're foolish with them, you will regret it. Stihl makes some perfectly fine chains and you won't go wrong running one. You can get many more, and many more bars, from the likes of Bailey's Outdoor It'll cost you less too.

In reply to Toyman01:

Those are the "wings" I was talking about! I need to buy that maul!

In reply to foxtrapper:

I went to Liberty Discount last night- on my way home, and unlike Finch's, they also carry the Echo saws. I poked around for about 20 minutes before a salesperson finally came over to me and asked me what I was looking for. Which was nice, I got to handle the saws before hearing his spiel.

After asking me what my use was and asking me what I used now, he laughed and said "Well, pretty much anything here will be better than that!" (my 6-year old Poulan Pro 35cc machine).

He proceeded to recommend the Farm Boss MS 271. They had a special on them- MSRP was $450, sale price $380, and included a free carrying case, 20" bar and one chain. We chatted for a bit, he let me hold a few saws- the MS 250 is about $300 and lighter (10 lbs vs 12) but 45 cc vs the 50 of the 271- about 3 HP vs 3.5.

The 250 is an older design and doesn't have some of the features of the 271. One of those features it doesn't have is a reduced-emissions engine. This honestly scares me away from the 271 a bit- emissions control = technology = complexity = saw breaks.

OTOH, the 250 and 251 are classified as "Homeowner Grade", and the 271 is in the "Farm and Ranch" category, for heavier usage. I assume the extra 2 pounds of stuff went into something to make it sturdier.

After about a half hour I thanked the salesman for his time and left. Talked it over with Mrs. Clearinghouse last night and she told me to "just buy the stupid big saw".

I may call up Finch's just to compare pricing, but Liberty seemed like good people.

So this is a timely thread as I really hate my chainsaw. To back up a little bit. I love Husqvrna tools, and Echo as well. I've had my Echo line trimmer, and leaf blower for 11 years and never have had an issue with either aside from a screw or two loosening up on the leaf blower, but I use that thing a ton.

I used to have a nice Husqvrna Rancher 50 that the previous owner of our house left behind for us. It was a nice sturdy saw, but at least 25 years old when we got it. I loaned it to my father, and after several months asked for it back because I needed it. He then told me that it wouldn't start for him the last time he used it. I had him bring it to the local husky dealer to see if they could repair it. Turns out it was run without 2-stroke oil, and somehow this was my fault when I hadn't even seen the saw in 6+ months. Thanks dad!

Long story short "I" had to buy a new saw, and decided on another Husqvrna. I got more of a homeowner model that has what I thought was a cool way to adjust the chain tension. It requires no tools. Just a flip of a lever and then loosen the big nut. From there you use a thumb wheel to adjust the bar in and out, and then tighten the big nut again. This thing sucks!! Almost every time I use the saw the chain somehow loosens up, and falls off mid-cut. very dangerous, and now its at the point that I don't trust the saw anymore. Also the thing has no balls, and bogs down all the time. I think it's a quality saw, and not one from the local big box store as I got it at a dealer, but I should have opted for a more rugged model.

Maybe I should try an Echo as I love the other tools I have from them. Heck I'm still on the original spark plugs on both machines, and they start every time. I don't even drain the fuel in the winter, or do anything to them. Just put them in the shed until spring, and they fire right up.

In reply to Mazdax605:

My Poulan pro has the same chain-tightening feature. It's nice, but like you, I've noticed the chain seems to require tightening quite a bit.

On thing the Stihl salesman told me was when you're done with the saw, to loosen the bar up. When you use the saw, the chain gets hot, and expands- so you tighten it up usually after the first few minutes. Now when the chain cools, the bar's still tight, so this creates tension in the chain, which can stretch it. Makes sense.

Liberty will almost certainly be cheaper and they also carry parts. Just Finches is nearer by for when the saw breaks and you need a widget. I wouldn't recommend buying a saw from Finches.

The only added part a more modern emission compliant saw will have is a catalytic converter (I think), which will create a lot of heat. They will all be set up to run very lean and very light on oil. Adjust accordingly.

There's plenty of argument that the 271 is not particularly more "heavy duty" than the 250 or 251. Really, it probably comes down to which can you comfortably handle all day long. Yes, more power is great to have, but it's not a huge difference between these three. But if you're wiped out by lunch time and swinging the saw badly, you'd be better off with a physically lighter saw.

As for vibration mounting and such, they all seems about the same. As well the blasted gas and oil caps that come off all the time, and the same weak bar adjuster. Buy a few adjusters pre-emptively to have on hand. It's a really weak design.

Personally, I don't like that Stihl dealers around here won't let you test a saw. You just hold it not running, and make a wild guess as to if it is the right saw for you or not. The Dolmar dealer up in Hanover will let you take various saws out back and actually test them in use cutting firewood. That's a big part of the reason I own a Dolmar. Parts aren't as convenient, but I was more sure of the saw I bought.

Mazdax605 wrote: Long story short "I" had to buy a new saw, and decided on another Husqvrna. I got more of a homeowner model that has what I thought was a cool way to adjust the chain tension. It requires no tools. Just a flip of a lever and then loosen the big nut. From there you use a thumb wheel to adjust the bar in and out, and then tighten the big nut again. This thing sucks!! Almost every time I use the saw the chain somehow loosens up, and falls off mid-cut. very dangerous, and now its at the point that I don't trust the saw anymore. Also the thing has no balls, and bogs down all the time. I think it's a quality saw, and not one from the local big box store as I got it at a dealer, but I should have opted for a more rugged model.

I have a homeowner grade Husky 445. I have owned a sthil 029 Super and a Husky 359xp both were better saws but I don't burn wood anymore. It's OK for my use now, but I paid $90 for it refurb'd from vminnovations online and can't complain. The homeowner grade husky's are tuned super lean from the factory, richen them up so that they burble under full throttle, but then settle down in the wood. Once you do that it'll run forever and like a "little" scalded dog. The hard part with the low end husky's are that they are pretty similar to the poulan's now. The upper end saws are high quality but I'd suggest starting with a 450 rancher on up.

carb tuning

You'll need a Husky carb tuning tool carb tool or a piece of snug fitting fuel line. But first you'll need to break off those stupid limiting caps.

Don't buy easy start features and don't buy easy adjust chain tensioners on any saw.. they never work.

rumors on the interwebs is the 271 is a bit of a dog for the cash and that's why they are on sale.

Dr. Hess wrote: In reply to bravenrace: They are available where you buy Stihl chain saws. That is, professional places. I asked for "yellow" non-anti-kickback chain and the guy at the John Deere place that I buy my Stilh stuff said something like "oh, logging chain..." It is so much better than the "green" safety chain that you wouldn't believe it. Personally, I find that the safety chain is more dangerous because it makes you work harder.

Thanks, I didn't know that. I do buy my chains from my Stihl Dealer, but I just ask for a chain and they must default to giving me the anti-kickback chain. They've never told me that the older style was still available. Next time I'll specify.

bravenrace wrote: They've never told me that the older style was still available. Next time I'll specify.

It's not an older style, it's a different style.

Go outside Stihl and you'll find even more types of chains that are even more aggressive. But, you've usually got to be far more pro-active in keeping them sharp, and a bit more thoughtful with regards to the wood being cut and the condition of the wood (dirty mostly).

foxtrapper wrote:

bravenrace wrote: They've never told me that the older style was still available. Next time I'll specify.

It's not an older style, it's a different style. Go outside Stihl and you'll find even more types of chains that are even more aggressive. But, you've usually got to be far more pro-active in keeping them sharp, and a bit more thoughtful with regards to the wood being cut and the condition of the wood (dirty mostly).

so true. The more you get away from a good semi chisel with the higher rakers(anti kickback) the more problems you will have with them sharp. Full chisel is nice, but getting that corner geometry is a pain with a file.

not that anyone really sharpens chain anymore.. When the old one doesn't cut, it's down to the store to get a new one.

I have two saws, both Husqvarnas. One is a Rancher with an 18" bar and the other is a home owner sized rig with a 16" bar. Both have been faultless while clearing a considerable amount of land and processing an equally considerable amount of firewood both for myself and friends.

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:

We used a bench mounted electric sharpener at the Park. I swore it was Stihl brand sharpener, but I can't find one on Stihl's website. Looked like a little abrasive cut off saw, looks like Oregon has one, even Harbor Freight.

It was a little more aggressive than hand filing, so if you used it often, you'd go through chains pretty quick. It could sure put an edge on even the most boogered teeth though.