Suggestions for Chainsaw as a present?

Unless you like bending over a lot consider a bar long enough to save your back...
My newer saw is a Husky 372XP with a 28" bar...
My old Stihl 031 has a 24" bar... (over 30 years old)

All the professional loggers around here use Huskys

Thanks much for all the advice and the cautions as to safety as well-

Texian-you'll have to be an especially good boy next year and perhaps Santa will accommodate you!

Love my Stihl!!!

It depends on what you are going to be doing with the saw. Brushing my property with my Stihl 032 20 inch bar is a bit overkill and wears me out but it is great for cutting firewood. I also have a Echo with a 12 inch bar for brushing....its great for this task and I can work for hours without getting tired fromhandling too heavy of a saw.

When I bought my Stihl 032 they stopped making the 031....great saws and I've had the 032 since 1977 and cut 4-6 cords per year with it and have never needed major servicing.....some bushings and vibration dampers have worn out but I expect that.

I have had two Jonsereds in the last 33 years, and they both still run well, and my son found a third one in the dump that had seized up, but runs well after he disassembled it and cleaned it up.
This summer we bought a new Stihl, partly based on my son's experience using the Stihl in his job.

The most important thing is to buy a saw from a dealer who does repairs at the shop where the saws are sold. Then you can be more sure of getting a saw that runs when you get it home. I am surprised at the number of people that I personally know who have bought a saw at a "big box" store and haven't had it run properly, with no recourse but to return/exchange it. A dealer that has a repair shop should assemble and test run the saw for you before you take it home.

buy the husky you won't go wrong. when i said it needed a tune-up, i meant that i need to pull it 5 times now not 2 or 3, lol. this thing has been a dream. if anyone here knew how hard i am on stuff you would realilze a recommendation from meloc concerning product quality is a sure win. if it drives i will wreck it, if it cuts i will crash it, lol. i am hard on equiptment.

things i recommend...marlin lever action rifles
... husky chain saws
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well that about does it.

oh yeah ll bean jeans and boots are pretty good too.

Stihl or husky. No poulan or discount saw. Get the safety helment and chaps. Make sure he reads the manual if he is not used to chainsaws. Get a low kickback chain( most new ones come with it) . When a chainsaw kicks back it tries to hit you on the face and head, thus then need for the better quality saw with a chainbreak and the helment. There is a book called something like the woodcutters book. Its a good book for beginners.

Thanks to all of you. I now feel confident on making a good choice!

We bought the Stihl MS290 this fall, it it FANTASTIC!!! I Highly recomend going with Stihl.

ahhh the troybuilt tiller...there is another on on the list. my dad passed in 1984 and had bought a troybuilt pony a year or two before he died. we still use that thing. it runs great. the only trouble i ever had was keeping the carb on. it liked to vibrate loose. the bolts were difficult to get to to tighten properly.

I'll second this. Only problem I've had with mine was operator error when I first got it (dulling the chain because I pushed instead of letting the saw do the work).

I probally didn't need the 20" bar but I figured what the heck..

Cuts nicely and leave a nice pile of sawdust

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"Let the beauty we love, be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." Rumi