Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I know this is neither the season nor the OPE that comes to mind in the dead of winter but I am looking for advice on the purchase of my first chainsaw. Giving the thoroughness of the reviews of snowblowers, I believe the same expertise is there for other OPE's such as chainsaws. Looking for a chainsaw for home use that includes managing timber on my property and maintaining an adequate supply of firewood. No problem splitting the wood with a wedge and sledge. I understand Stihl is outsatnding quality and friends recommend that I get a 20 inch bade. I would expect to use the saw 2-4 times/year. Beyond that I'm looking to see what other say with respect to size, manufactures, model numbers, etc. Thanks in advance. Chris

Dave___in___CT wrote:
You know the old saying......save a tree....................

Hi gang this is my first post so be kind. Let me introduce myself, My name is Pat and I have been a OPE sales representative for 12 years in Atlantic Canada. First of all as far as the length of the bar is concerned they must grow pretty big trees where you guys are to need a 20" bar. That would mean you are cutting trees up to 40" in diameter. Remember you start with your notch and can then walk around the tree. Now the kickback issues, lets think about a pendulum, the more weight the longer it swings, well when a saw kick back it is very similar, kickback occurs when the top part of the tip comes on contact with the log, the chain grabs and the spinning chain "pushes" the bar upwards. Now with a smaller bar there is less weight and better chance to control kickback if it is not severe.  The other thing to consider is that with a longer bar the balance of the saw is not right, making it harder to use, it is heavier, and will have less power to the chain due to longer length. Now as for the topic of priming, most new epa carbs will dump any excess fuel you primed right back into the fuel tank. That way there is not excess fuel to be burned and therefore less polution.

Okay - so you are what I would call a typical homeowner. (Remembering that I work in a small engine repair shop and my main focus is chain saws)

My first question to yu would be what do you intend to do.  You've all ready answered that.

My next question, how much will you be using the saw.  You've answewred that.

As soon as anyone says firewood - I steer them away from the smaller saws.  Usually 50cc's and under.  Firewood is the hardest thing a saw owner can do with a saw, therefore the smaller saws don't tend to far so well.

Something starting at 50cc's nothing longer then an 18" bar is what I would recommend.  Unless you are getting mammoth sized firewood or have large trees on your property.

Now I do realize that we live in totally different areas.  I do serve a lot of the men and women that work in the forestry industry around here and they choose different brands of saws for different reasons.  So the brand that you choose should be researched well.  I can go on about what's popular here for the work you want to do, but that doesn't mean that it's going to be popular where you are.  For instance, there are a lot of firewood cutters here using the 359 Husqvarna, the RedMax G5000 and Shindaiwa 488.  I haven't seen the Shindaiwa name listed here before (or if I did I forgot), but they are good saws.  If you asked someone here about Echo or Poulan they'd look at you like you had horns.  Different places - different faces type deal.

That's just my $0.01 worth.

Sherri

Some good points Sherri, now let me add to that. There are a few things that can make a difference in the price of a saw, one is the motor, is it an open port or a closed port motor, another is the crankcase is it metal or plastic, the brake, inertia or not. But what also has to be said is that today chainsaws are massed produced, with high quality material and excellent quality control. Most problem with chainsaws are customer induced. If you buy a Husqvarna, Jonsered (these 2 are the same) Stihl, Echo, Shindaiwa (my choice) what you have to look at also is where are you buying it. If you go buy your Ech at Home depot, do you bring it back for service there? Please please please, look very closely at your OPE dealer. Look at his showroom, is it clean, and well stocked, his parts dept, well stocked? His service dept is it neat and tidy.Thses simple things will reflect on the quality of work that the dealer does. I suggest you purchase what you can afford and a saw that is designed to do the job you want to do with it.

Okay - as most of the home owners around this area have found out, "box stores" may be cheap, but because of the mass production, quality maybe affected.  We have models here that are rated for 5 hours use, throw it away and buy new ones.

"Box stores" dictate how much they are willing to pay for a product and the manufacturer has to then look at how (more then likely less $$$) they can adapt the product.  More then likely the quality of the item is going to suffer.

If the "box store" you are looking at has a repair/part spot by all means go there.  But if not you have to find out where the servicing dealer is and maybe check around and see if there have been any complaints with his/her service.  Everything should be run and safety features checked, before saw is put into new owners hands.  Whether it be a saw, snowblower, lawn mower, etc...

Now with having that (I'm running, covering my head) out of the way, if you are not choosing a "box store" find a dealer in your area that is willing to talk to you and spend time talking to you about your needs.  If the dealer doesn't seem to have time for you - go else where.  If they don't have time to sell you something - what is the repair time going to be like?  Is the part you need going to be easy to get or are you going to have to sit your equipment up for long periods of time? 

There is so much that needs to be said here, but I figure that I must be rambling by now, so I'll let it go atthat.

Sherri

"find a dealer in your area that is willing to talk to you and spend time talking to you about your needs.  If the dealer doesn't seem to have time for you - go else where."

Could not have said it better myself. Also some companies offer a money back guarantee, that if you are not happy with your purchase they will exchange the saw or refund your money, I know Shindaiwa does and I think Stihl, and funny, both of these models are sold throught servicing dealers ONLY.

Pat

People have recommended some excellent saws, but many of these saws are in the $350-$400 range.   If  money is not a serious issue, this may be a great way to go.  If  money is an issue, it seems like saws at the $200-$250 range make more sense for the amount you're going to use it.  Also,  if you have a good dealer, they are a real asset and they may even guide you toward a brand of saw.  My experience has been that a good fraction of dealers in my area are not really much of a resource and they end up charging you for an extra level of "service" that they fail to provide.  Be careful in evaluating the dealer and listening to their advice.

I ended up at a good dealer and bought a $400 saw - so I am not saying that  it's a bad way to go.  But I heat with wood and did not mind spending the money.  Your needs may be different.  Regardless, I recommend including Kevlar chaps and a helmet in your chainsaw budget.   They're not fool-proof, but they are at least fool-resistant.

Steve

PS - I started with a $100 poulan special, and while I never use it anymore because it has no safety features, it still runs fine and cut a lot of wood in its day.   I would not recommend the super-low-cost saw market, because its a gamble, but it is not like every cheap saw fails and every pricey saw is trouble-free.

if you are on a budget  then heres the best i can suggest.

buy a small professional saw .you can get one for  around 200 to 300 range.it wont be super powerfull but it will be reliable .and if you learn how to file it it should be around for as long as you care to use.

nothing will send you back to the garage faster than a cheep saw that wont start or runs poorly .

do a little more homework and find out whats available in your area.

it dosent matter where you buy it although i prefer th real dealer.what matters is can you buy a chain or sparkplug on a saturday afternoon that actually fits it.

you know the drill the wife is on your case to finish up that bit of firewood or maybe tidy up that tree that got smashed up in the last icestorm.you go for thesaw and woops the chain is past its prime ,you need a new one .

just make sure its not some oddball that nobody stocks.

you would be suprised at howmany people come in and have no idea what kind of saw they have let alone chain fits it.

dont even bother coming in and saying its a red 20 inch blade. thats narrows it down to about oh 6 possible chains and only one will fit.

im not saying you have to go out and buy all kinds of spare chains ,if your like me you couldnt find it when you need it anyway cause you put it where you wont loose it ...yea right .i might as well toss it out the windo on the way home  cause ill never find it till after a buy a new one.

later chris 

snowshoveler wrote:
Chris,

Do what I do. Just leave it in the back of the truck, with everything else.

You stiil won't be able to find it. But you will know where it is. If and when you do find it, you won't remember what it fits, but it must be good or it wouldn't be in the truck. Better save it.

For the record, Jonsered is made by Husky, but is the lower end of their consumer grade saws. The longevity and robustness of the engines are not he same, which of course is reflected in the price. Also, alot of consumer chainsaws come with rather amitious bar lengths. EG: My Craftsman 42cc (a 42cc Craftsman is no where close in power or torque to a pro grade 35-45cc) came with an 18" bar and an "ok" chain. By dropping to a 15" bar and a better grade chain dramatically improves performance. This is information given to me by our Local Authorized Stihl/Husky/Jonsered dealer. Instead of trying to sell me the New farm Boss wich I coveted or a Husky XPR, they offered to "upgrade" my Craftsman...now that's service.