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New Chain Saw Recomendations

D

Duane WI

Member
I don't use a chain saw very often on my 5 acres. I have had a cheap $150 Poulan chain saw for the past 15 years. The last few times I used it I had trouble with it. After about 15 minutes of cutting it would run poorly and eventually die. It wouldn't restart until it cooled off. Then it would restart and give me another 15 minutes and repeat. I suspect ignition problems. Changed the spark plug but didn't help. I have a dead tree to cut out in my yard and don't feel like messing with this saw again. Not thinking it is worth fixing. I am thinking of getting a better saw. I have Husqvarna and Stihl dealers close to me. Any recommendation of which brand and model? I probably use a saw once or twice a year for and hour or so, just maintaining my property. Part of me says to buy another cheap saw and get another 15 years out of it. At that point I will be to old to be using a chain saw anyway. Blade length in the 18 or 20 inch range is what I am looking for.
 
I still do some saw repair. I would stay away from Poulan. I have three new ones in my scrap pile. Waiting on the owners to come and get. Nothing but cheap junk.The trouble with the new cheap saws. Is you may only get to use them once or twice. I would check out the other brands. See what feels good to you.
 
Your Poulan probably has a bad coil. Poulan had a run of bad coils in that era that did the same thing. I had a brand new one that did it. A dealer told me what the problem was, but wouldn't touch it on warranty 'cause he said Poulan would never pay him so I ordered a coil online. After I replaced the coil, it worked great so I donated it to a tornado cleanup effort and went with Stihl.

Among others, I have a Stihl MS250 with "Easy Start" with a 16" bar, but it would handle an 18". Easiest saw to start I've ever owned. The way the Easy Start works, is when you pull the starting rope instead of turning the engine over, you're winding a spring. Then when you release the rope, the spring unwinds and spins the engine over. The concept was tried on lawn mowers maybe 30 years ago, but never caught on. Seems to work great on a chain saw.

The dealer I bought it from said he sells a lot of them to women, and sold one to an uncle who kept throwing his back out starting a regular saw.

Down from that, I have a Stihl MS170 that's a good all around saw. Conventional start, but it starts easy. I have both 14" and 16" bars for it, and it handles both well.

As for an actual brand, local dealer support is probably as important ans the brand.
 
Goose, I have had a Stihl 250 that is very hard for me to start. Do you know if the easy start can be added to it? The problem is not the saw, but my old shoulders can give me fits.
Thanks, Richard
 
I've always had pretty good results from Stihl products. Prices are higher but I think the quality is good. I'm partial to the professional line of products, but they also make lower cost items for less frequently used tools.
 
I would stay away from Husky. My son's and I all had several and the case around the starter was very weak and after replacing several, we went with Stihl. Much better saws and seem to cut much faster for some reason.
Richard
 
I have worked on chainsaws and other small engines for over 50 years.
I am loyal to no particular brand but always go to my Dolmar or Makita first.
90% of the time, they start with ONE pull.
In my opinion, Echo is the best saw for the money.
I would suggest you check out Echo CS590 or CS600.
Buy from a dealer if possible.
 
I love my Echo. A little cheaper than a full fledged professional saw. I put some of that expensive canned fuel in the last time I think i'll use it for a while. Run it a bit. Weed eater too. No carb problems in over 5 years.I have several Poulans to add to the junk pile.
 
Echo, mine sits for months at a time, never failed to start yet, 1st to 3rd pull. Sits there with 10% ethonel gas mix in it.
 
I have had real good luck with Dolmar and Husky. Anything I have ever owned that had Stihl on it just flat laid down and died - won't have another.
 
"[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]<font color="#6699ff">Any recommendation of which brand and model?[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]</font>"

We have had success and good service from Stihl saws.

We have an <a href="https://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/homeowner-saws/ms170/">MS 170</a>, two Farm Boss <a href="https://www.stihlusa.com/products/ms-290-discontinued/">MS 290</a>, and an <a href="https://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/professional-saws/ms441cm/">MS 441</a>.

Hope this helps.
 
if thats all more you using one go a battery unit, been working good for clients like you. oregon units been having really good luck with. handle three different lines of battery products now
 
For a smeller bar one, I have a Stihl, It starts good. I have a couple larger Husky's They have so much compression they are very hard to hang onto when pull starting, they almost need a compression release, but seam to be a strong saw, with lots of power. Stan
 
Seeing as you have a Stihl and Husqvarna dealers close to you I would go with one of them that had a good record for service and parts. Most of my saws are Stihl because they have a better network of servicing dealer and they stock parts. I have a MS170 14"bar,MS250 16" bar, MS310 20"bar, and a MS461 24"-28".I also have a old Swedish made 50 Special Husqvarna with an 18" bar and last but not least an Echo 3400 top handle saw with a 12" bar. Most the time I use the Echo,MS 250 or the MS170.
 
Be careful when considering a Husqvarna.
Husqvarna bought Poulan and Homelite, a few years ago, and put there name on them.
Just make sure you buy one made in Sweden.
It is my understanding that some Makita/Dolmar products were/are made in China??
But I have not seen or dealt with one.
 
My Poulan pro something 16 inch is the best new $100 saw I ever bought. Not sure, maybe five years ago now and it never fails to start when I need it. Just regular gas that sits in the tank in the case (indoors). Only problem I've had is the swelling fuel cap which I think I inquired about on here a while ago. I've been filing the threads down to make it a looser fit so I don't need a pry bar to open the fuel tank. Again, for the money, I can't complain about Poulan.
 
I went to look at the saws this morning. The dealer who sells Stihl is closed on Saturdays. Used to be open Saturday mornings but changed their hours. Stopped at the Husky dealer because they where open and close by. They also sell Echo. What do you guys think of the Echo CS 490-18? Seems like a nice saw for $350. Same price they had on the Husky 450 with 18 inch bar. Not having a dealer open on Saturday mornings or at least one night a week is a real pain.
 
You'd probably have to talk to a Stihl dealer to see if it can be retrofitted. Frankly, I've never had reason to take mine apart to see what it actually consists of.
 
I've never owned a Husqvarna co cannot comment.

I made the changeover from Homelite to Stihl about 25 years ago and have been very happy.

I currently have MS250, MS290, and MS391 Stihl saws and have no complaints about any. Before buying the 250 (currently on sale for $299) I had the newer design MS251. I was not well pleased with that one so my dealer took it back for a 250 (I'm a very good customer).

My dealer also sells Echo at another location. He tells me that Echo makes a good saw but I've not owned one.

Dean
 
I had a MAC that did that once .could not fiqure out the problem,changed fuel tank cap. Starts fine everytime now.
 
Thanks. I guess fixing things instead of replacing them comes naturally to me. My wife's the opposite. She'll throw something away when it might be simple to fix it.

BTW, I was a McCulloch dealer back in the 1970's when McCulloch was at their peak.
 
I have used Jonsered for the last 45 years, and have the first one I bought, and 3 others. They all start and run well. Since Jonsered and Poulan and Husqvarna are all owned by Electrolux they are pretty much the same in the same price range, whatever you have a good dealer for, if you need a dealer. If it's really a good tool you shouldn't need a dealer for service!
 
If you happen to have a portable generator then go get an electric saw. They cut very well and are light weight and no more fussy 2 cycles !
I have an older 032 stihl and it has been a VERY good saw. I have thought about selling it and getting myself an electric one. I hardly ever need a chain saw anymore. Dad has a Remington pole saw that you can remove the electric saw and use it like a normal chain saw. Very handy.
 
I'm guessing that if you are buying a Stil in North America, your chances are slim and none that it is made
in Sweden. I'd be surprised if you lived in Sweden that you'd get one made there.
 
If the tree is in your yard, get a long extension cord and a Harbor Freight $45 electric chain saw. Easy starting and it will start every time and do the job. I have one and a welder/generator. No more chain saw induced ulcers for me. TDF
 
37 Chief ......... Recently, I think, I seen on YT that you had a Tumble Bug Scraper For Sale or?
Please call or email Me.
209-483-9000
Thanks
 
(quoted from post at 16:59:44 10/14/17) I'm guessing that if you are buying a Stil in North America, your chances are slim and none that it is made
in Sweden. I'd be surprised if you lived in Sweden that you'd get one made there.
Click to expand...
Not aware anyone suggested Stihl was made in Sweden?
 
we were a stihl dealer for 20 years then turned to Husqvarna---no comparison in quality --stihl is still chasing husky technology---=best move we have made in yrs
 
I have been a Stihl owner the whole time. I currently have a ms250 and a ms441c. The 250 gets the most use of either it's lighter and has plenty of power. When the cutting gets above 6-7 inch out comes the big guy. I think the 250 is rated at 3.4hp and 441 at like 5.5 or something.
 
My dad was a die hard McCullough man for years till they went down hill. He still has several pro macks. He switched to stihl and has had very few troubles. He cut between 200 and 300 Rick a year.
 
He is talking about Husky . The older and today some of the big Huskys are made in Sweden. I have a Stihl MS 461 that was built in Germany.
 


You can't go wrong with either the Husky or the Stihl.Pick the the one you feel most comfortable with.
 
(quoted from post at 17:19:37 10/14/17) we were a stihl dealer for 20 years then turned to Husqvarna---no comparison in quality --stihl is still chasing husky technology---=best move we have made in yrs
Click to expand...

[b:e8b0632736]"stihl is still chasing husky technology---="[/b:e8b0632736]
Yeah like the Stihl MS200T
 
Can't go wrong with that Echo, any saw you find should work for what you are doing with it! I like the Echos but not going to tell you one is better then the other!
 
I would recommend a Stihl MS251C. I have run mine for two years now. I am amassed on it's fuel economy. At first, I thought that I had made a mistake when I bought it, (a bit shy on power, and could not get used to NOT having to reef on the starter rope, I ripped one out by the routs, but was fixed under warranty.) Now I use it almost exclusively. My MS180 just sets in it's cradle on the skidding arch most of the time.
The features that I like the best is the easy start recoil system, after I got used to it !! All one has to do is just make a nice easy slow pull on the starter rope which winds a spring to spin the engine. No more fast hard pulls on the starter rope. It has a primer bulb, and on a cold start, I give that a couple pushes, set the choke and give it a nice easy pull. It usually starts on first or second pull.
The wrenchless bare tightening system is really slick also. It has a simple flip out handle on the tightening nut, and a finger knob that you push with your finger to adjust chain tension. It takes just seconds to adjust it. Very very handy when you are liming and a limb knocks the chain off. Just loosen the bar lock nut, spin the tension knob backwards, put chain back on bar, tension it, and turn bare nut tight. No fumbling around with one of those screnches, that you likely lost out of your pocket somewhere, that other saws require. I can put the chain back on rite in the middle of a top that I am liming without having to set the saw down.
The handle bar isolation system is also very good.
I run it with an 18" bar, but it can easily handle a 20" bar now that it is broken in.
Loren
 
I would say any model that Stihl makes, I have two, very dependable saws. The local power company runs Echo, they say their tough.....
 
The only thing I would add. Like you, I don't run a chainsaw that often and I have switched to the premixed gas/oil. It's expensive but it's the best thing I've done since I don't run the saw very often. And I have the cheapest new Stihl and have no problems when I use it.
 
My neighbor got a battery Stihl last winter. Borrowed it to help cut a road through a woods. It is amazing one battery lasted almost as long as the chain oil. Has a battery guage also. Wrench free chain adjustment. But a little over $400 with 2 batterys and a charger. But I'm going to get one.
 
Didn't know Stihl made a battery operated chain saw. Here's another one made by Royobi. Customer of mine has it. He swears by it.

For what I use a chainsaw for any more, if I were to by a new one, I'd consider battery operated. https://www.ebay.com/i/322399621963?chn=ps&dispItem=1
 
Can't believe some people are saying fix it when he ask about new saws. First place a lot of your cheaper saws are almost impossible to get parts for. According to a local shop they will not even touch a Homelite and most often will only do tune ups and carb rebuilds on the other cheap brands like Polan. They claim 2 reasons. 1 they can't really charge a customer labor when they have to spend several hours searching for parts. 2, when it breaks again and it will the customer wants a warranty repair.

I'm currently running a couple of Husqvarna saws. I like em and the only problem I've ever had was because my BIL put contaminated gas in one he barrowed. Had an ECHO years ago. Darned good saw! It was older (20-25 years) when the ignition system puked and the parts were NLA.

Rick
 
Have a Stihl with "easy start". One of my better purchases. Shoulders are bad. Can't jerk the start ropes anymore. Just pull slow and easy. Windup the spring until it releases. Starts 2nd pull.
 
Go down to both dealers and see how much horse-pucky is involved in changing the bar/chain. Check for easy start. I have two Stihls and about to get a third just for the wife to be able to start. Her 026 is getting on the old side, the 021 she thinks is getting old so I am going to move her into the ez start Stihl. Yes. She is bound and determined to chainsaw logs. I just get to split them and I am too cheap to buy a splitter.
 
I?ve got a Stihl. But when it was in the shop a few years ago, I bought a Echo. Cheap, but easy to start, light. I like it.
 
We had a saw that wouldn't start hot also. Finally wouldn't start cold either. Coil went bad. When I tore it down it was so full of sawdust it couldn't cool properly. Take yours apart & blow it out good. If not buy an Echo. It is a light weight saw that starts easier than a Stiel.
 
Agree with Goose on fixing your old saw, especially if very low usage.
Also agree on Stihl MS250 - neat saw.
But, the MS261C has amazing amount power for its weight - - it will scream - - and I think - cannot prove - -it will out saw my MS280C.
 
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