wanted

[elkaholic]

hello - shopping around for a good , dependable chainsaw - one that will actually start- lol -

been looking around - lots for sale -few will run - go figure- Gary

[singleshot]

I shopped around for quite awhile and ended up buying an ECHO 440. The place where I bought it sold all the popular brands also such as Stihl, Homelite, Poulan etc. He convinced me that the ECHO was a good saw and I never have regretted buying it. It starts every time with just a couple of pulls, even after sitting for months. It runs great at high altitude and the desert with no adjustments. My dad and brother laughed at my saw the first time we went to cut wood in Alpine, but now they want an ECHO. They have Poulans and Stihls and while they are constantly fighting them I am stacking up the wood.

[KGAINES]

Stihl are really good saws, and they have a two year warranty for homeowners I believe.

[GameHauler]

I love my 2 Husqvarnas

[SilentButDeadly]

Good saws are expensive, it amazes me how much they get for them on ebay even after they have a hundred or more tanks put through them.

 

We bought a STIHL MS 441 this year for my research, its honestly the best saw I've ever used at its class.

 

I use mostly STIHLs (036, 044, 440, 460, 066, 660, 088) and a few huskys... got nothing for or against either brand, I just know more about STIHLs (since I've had to strip them down to the powerhead and put them back together again many times).

 

I thought the 441 looked kind of fragile at first, but after using it, its awesome. The anti vibration shock absorbers are choice, and the power curve is top notch.

 

Any pro-series saw you're going to have to become an aficionado with tuning, sharpening, etc, but once a saw is dialed in for your elevation it can kick some serious butt. One more thing about the 441, you don't have to break it in!! Most new pro-saws you've gotta put 10-15 tanks through them before you start ramping up the power to full throttle to make sure the piston is seated, the 441 comes broke in because of its new emissions standards.

[TexasHunter]

I bought a poulan chain saw because it was all i could afford at the time. The chain was junk but the saw it self is acctually pretty good. Its slightly under powerd but for the money I spent I think it fits the bill.

[June]

STIHL 210 is what I have. Worth every penny and goes through mesquite without an issue. One good then to remember is not to leave any fuel in it for longer than a month. What I do is run it completely out if I'm going to store it for a long time. If you want a more reliable opinion call your local fire department and ask them what they use. I think you'll see what I mean.

[KGAINES]

Your right about two things there June, fire Departments use Stihl, and fuel should always be drained from anything if it is going to sit for any length of time. The additives that are in gasoline turn it to junk in a short time and it will mess up any carb out there, and with a lot of small 4-strokes it will seize the valves and bend push rods causing expensive repairs. Save your money and drain them, the stabilizers help a little, but as June said run them dry when not in use and then there is no worry. Rotten fuel is not warranty, same thing with the air filter, keep it clean.

[Ernesto C]

I own a Landscaping bussiness and I use ECHO and STILL. They are the best (in my opinion) If you buy an ECHO, make sure you get the commercial editions specially for heavy use. If you are going to use it like 6 times in a year then buy the ECHO from Home Depot. The gears on a ECHO for residential use from Home Depo are made of plastic from china. The commercial editions (ECHO/STILL) are metal and made in the U.S.)

 

Ernesto C

[SilentButDeadly]

Here's my pappy rocking the Stihl 086 into a sequoia log back in the day.... Not many folks can say they've put a chainsaw into a Giant Sequoia!

3,000 years old, over 100 fire scars... pretty awesome.

[Chef]

Whatever you do, don't go off of brand name alone. Ernesto made the most impportant point in this entire thread...that is, manufacturers will make different "grades" of products. I see it time after time, people buy a "BRAND X" because of it's reputation, at a great price. Truth is, they probably purchased a "residential" model which is pure and solid JUNK. Excuse me for being harsh but, I expect things to last a while if I'm paying good money for them. These "category B & C" models are jokes.

 

Spend the extra $ and buy a professional use unit.

 

The same applies to most all handheld power equipment. Trimmers, edgers, etc.

The sticker on the unit will tell you if it's a category A,B or C. A 300 hr unit is considered an "A".

Look at the sticker, it's hidden in there, believe me.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

Lots of choices... I have used the Stihl 029 & 310's for work and home use... I really like the 310 that I have now, but they all can have isues...they are 2-strokes... My son runs saws for the Forest Service and they use Stihl as well. I know that Sacks-Dolmar has just come out with a new line that looks Really good and back in the day there wasn't a saw around that could hang with or beat my Dad's ol' Sacks 133... so check them out as well. Good luck...

 

FYI.... if you buy a cheap saw try to buy a shorter bar and chain for it... most cheap saws are under powered, so by reducing the number of teeth you can run an under powered saw much better.