What chainsaw do you like?

I have Stihl and Husky. A 257 Huskey and two 55's. I also have a 028WB and a 009L Stihl and it gets much more use and work as the ones above. Can't go wrong with either. Some of you mention service. Mine has not needed anything but the normal. (I home that is all they might need). I think the Stihl is still Mfg. in Germany on some models. I know that some have different colored handles on them now and some are still from Germany and some made or assemblied somewhere else. Good saws in the older model saws for sure.

We have two Husquavarna Ranchers and like them. I had a Stihl. It was okay. Something else a long time ago that was okay too. Be sure to get a saw that is the right size for you physically and big enough to do the jobs you'll do. Hold the saw out at arm's length in one hand for two minutes. If you can't do it at all then the saw is too big. If you can do it for two minutes, well, you're a champ.

Cheers,

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/

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I have a Husqvarna 55 Rancher that I really like. It is a great firewood saw. I have two smaller Echo saws that I am very pleased with. My Echo cs-346 is a joy to use. It starts easily and it is very lightweight. I find my self using it more and more over my bigger saws. My Dad has an Echo CS-510 that has been great. I like Stihl saws but they are way overpriced.

I have a newer large and powerful Stihl. The newer Stihl saws have guaranteed electrics where the older Stihls did not and that was somtimes a problem. I loved my old Stihl but fixing the older electrics got expensive after a while. I live in logging country where Stihl chain saws are "KING" and for many good reasons. I also have a small Husquavarna chain saw that is very handy for lots of work on our place! I do think that the Stihl is probably a better saw but I saved quite a few dollars on purchasing the Husky instead of the Stihl of the same size but the Husky works just fine. If I were to have one saw and I could afford a new Stihl I would get a Stihl.

Good luck, -------- Philbee

All good advice but if you only cut a few cords of wood a year and are willing to take it easy any saw will do. A Poulan $129.99 saw will cut 10 cord a year no problem with some careful maintenance and patience during use. A $700 Stihl will also cut 10 cord a year no problem but it will do it a lot faster and be able to witstand being dropped or bounced around in a truck bed better than the cheap saw. I use a $99 electric saw, it is 3.? horsepower which is more power than any gas saw under $500 and always starts and never runs out of gas. I can use it in the house. I think it will probably last forever. Granted it doesn't work out in the woods but I have a 100' cord and use it for trimming trees around the yard.

I have had quite a few chainsaws. My favorites were both STIHL. They were both small "trim saws". One was an 011, the other was a 014 or 015. Small, but cut 80% of what I needed to cut. For BIG stuff, my favorite was also a STIHL. It was a 045....a pretty good sized saw and a "tad" heavy, but cut wood like it was cutting hot butter!

my 2 pesos worth,
Bruce
P.S. I've heard that Husquvarna is very good , Higher RPM than STIHL, but I've never used one. The STIHL suits me very well.

We have only owned Stihl....my husband's fav motto "if it ain't broke don't fix it" so he has stuck with the Stihl all these years. We cut over 15 cords a year and the Stihl has given us little trouble.

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I take it you sell wood? You don't use 15 cords in MO do you?

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How much does he plan to cut? Stihl, Husky, Dolmar are fine saws, but the model is gonna depend on how many cords a year, how big a tree, etc. A few 4" poplars a year does not take a Stihl pro line saw. 10 cords of 20" oaks, you may want a bigger saw. Also weight of the saw may factor in. No sense paying a premium for a pro saw for light homeowner yard work.

We no longer heat exclusively with wood (sad face) so mainly he will use it around the farm to clean fence rows and cut up downed trees.

Thanks again everyone for your replies. He's been reading with interest.

I have a Stihl MS260 with an 18” bar for cutting my firewood and it has done me a great job.

I researched buying a new saw for several weeks. I went with a dolmar 6400. it is a 64 cc saw. Ran extremely well. But it was just not enough power. So I ordered a new piston and cylinder for a 79 cc dolmar,(the 6400-7300-7900 are all the same saw except the piston and jug.) So now I have a saw for under 700 dollars that will cut with stihl saws in the 800-1k pricerange. I had a chainsaw party at my house two weeks ago,.We had all sorts of saws.we made cookies out of a slick bark hickory log. My old craftsman cut time was 51 seconds for a 22 inch diameter log. My dolmar 7900 time was under 19 seconds. Question is. How much time do you want to spend cutting wood?????????
Here is a link tosome photos from that day. We cut wood and delivered it free to a recently widowed lady.
http://arboristsite.com/showthread.p...ht=Indiana+GTG

With a generator, you can go out in the woods. Most of us have generators already.

I kinda wonder about having the electric golf cart having a 110 outlet.

Or maybe a few batteries in the pickup with a 110 tranformer thing?

Starts every time.

Quiet.

Doesn't stink or pollute as it runs.

Easier to care for.

Heaps of power.

The more I think about it, the more I like it.

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More dangerous than 80cc 1,000.00$ saws. safety chaps will not stop an electric chainsaw.I wear chaps when cutting wood.Most common ouches with a chainsaw are leg injuries.

Ok, I'll bite... why wont safety chaps stop a wimpy electric saw but will stop a gasoline powered fire breathing monster saw?

thinking back to my radio-control daze... nothing electric would even come close to the torque and raw power of a gasoline fired model.............
it doesnt make sence for safety chaps to only work on more powerful saws

anyone know the number to "Myth Busters?"

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Does it have something to do with maybe making the gas engine stall when the chain is snagged? Electric motor won't stall out like a gas one will.

if he is looking to do some serious cutting go with a johnsereds. i have a johnsereds 920 w/a 24" bar (upgradeable to 36") and i love it.

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I have used about 5 cords or so a year to heat my house and have cut and split it all.

When I went to buy my saw, I went to the local small engine repair shop and asked him which one to buy (we live in a logging County). He recomended Stihl.
he sells both new and used, Husky and Stihl and a few other brands.

I asked which he repaired the most of and he told me he repaired more Husky than Stihl. I replied, is it because there are more Husky saws out there ? and he said no, just not many problems with the Stihls.
So I bought the Stihl and after 2 years have not had one problem with it. It usually starts on the second or third pull. I will buy nothing other than a Stihl.

Got a Husky 55 with an 18" bar and a 359 with an 18" bar, they're both too small for the logs we're cutting now so we just added a Stihl MS 460 with a 24" bar.

Stihl .... the one !

My Uncle has cut wood for 70 years, he said he has owned them all, he said Stihl is the best.

I use a Stihl.

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