Another Chain Saw Question

[GarthH]

I've read many of the chain saw posts. They have been very good. I rented a chain saw during the summer and had nothing but grief - hard starting and a dull chain.
Winter is here so I need to make a commitment - sounds like dating my wife.
I cut mostly in the yard so I'm wondering about electric. They always seem so wimpy though. Is there a good quality electric? Is there a gas engine like the honda - always starts?
Thanks again for your thoughts.

Garth

 

[art]

Now I wonder what a rental chain saw might be?

An electric chain saw has a great disadvantage, extension cords!

Try a stihl, three pulls and they are running. Might take a forth pull after sitting a month or so but they are extremely reliable just from our thirty years with them and twenty years with Husquvarna.

 

[SnowRidge]

I've read many of the chain saw posts. They have been very good. I rented a chain saw during the summer and had nothing but grief - hard starting and a dull chain.
Winter is here so I need to make a commitment - sounds like dating my wife.
I cut mostly in the yard so I'm wondering about electric. They always seem so wimpy though. Is there a good quality electric? Is there a gas engine like the honda - always starts?
Thanks again for your thoughts.

Garth

Echos always start.

I have two Echo products. I have never had a problem starting either one of them.

 

[SPIKER]

Liek you said you read other posts, then you should already know, it is a usage thing, if you only used it 1 time in a year then top of the line is probably not what you need. I use my saws a good bit, but they are only poulans, but they start every time run well have readily available parts on-line and at most retail outlet places. bars chains ect are all in-expensive. I've had great luck with the basic units have yet to wear one out even though I have 10+ acres of woods and cut all the time... that being said I have also used the NAME BRANDS, hard to beat a good saw, but you can buy 3 poulans for the price of 1 good saw... you do the math. You only need the saw one or two times then you don't need to buy a production machine...

Mark

 

[bearhawk]

Try a stihl, three pulls and they are running. Might take a forth pull after sitting a month or so but they are extremely reliable just from our thirty years with them and twenty years with Husquvarna.

I have to second the Stihl recommendation. I bought a new 28 super back in 1989, and I use it infrequently. Sometimes just a couple times a year. It has always started, and has never been in the shop.

Just get some training on sharpening the chain, a sharp chain will make a huge difference in its usability.

 

[thatguy]

One word of caution on the electric chain saws - From what I have read, the protective chaps (Im sure you have already priced out the chaps, hard hat, ear protection and gloves - Havent you? ;-) ) do not provide adequate protection from them. IIRC the electric saws have more torgue and the chaps wont clog and shut it down like a gas saw

Good luck

Brian

 

[bbirder]

Liek you said you read other posts, then you should already know, it is a usage thing, if you only used it 1 time in a year then top of the line is probably not what you need. I use my saws a good bit, but they are only poulans, but they start every time run well have readily available parts on-line and at most retail outlet places. bars chains ect are all in-expensive. I've had great luck with the basic units have yet to wear one out even though I have 10+ acres of woods and cut all the time... that being said I have also used the NAME BRANDS, hard to beat a good saw, but you can buy 3 poulans for the price of 1 good saw... you do the math. You only need the saw one or two times then you don't need to buy a production machine...

Mark

I totally agree with Spiker. I ran a shop and sold Stihl saws for years. They are a fine product , but for occasional use a Poulan will do fine for you.(Sold that brand also). You can pick up a good Poulan for just over $100 at Wal-mart. Starting problems come from setting up without use and they all will occasionally give you problems, altho not as much as in the past. With electronic ignitions they have eliminated the stuck points , bad condensers etc. Gas much more convenient to use than electric!

 

[daBear]

Don't matter much what you get Stihl, Poulan, gas, or electric, a dull chain is a dull chain. You can learn to file one to a reasonable degree by trial and a little bit of error, or get a grinder to do it for you. I am not a big fan of Horrible Freight, but they have a decent grinder for occasional use for under $40 and it is frequently on sale for under $30. Try it, you might like it, regardless of the brand or motor you buy.

 

[J0be269]

I have a Poulan Pro 20" saw that I have owned for a couple of years now. Before I got the pro we had a couple of the regular Poulan's from Wal-Mart, they were ok but eventually got to where you couldn't hardly get them to start.

The version I have is more expensive than the standard version, but seems of better quality to me as well. I have never had to pull the cord more than 4 times to start this saw. Even on cold days you can turn the choke off as soon as it starts and it will idle as long as you want with no problem. The saw is also isolated from the operator handles by spring mounts which really help with user fatigue.

I agree with the others about a sharp chain. Get the right size file for your chain and keep it sharp. There is much info to be found on this on the web. When the saw stops producing good size shavings and more small ones/dust its time to take a 5 min break to sharpen. I have touched up my chain two or three times in a day depending of the wood I was cutting and how many times I misjudged the thickness of a log and dropped the chain in the dirt .

 

[coobie]

I've read many of the chain saw posts. They have been very good. I rented a chain saw during the summer and had nothing but grief - hard starting and a dull chain.
Winter is here so I need to make a commitment - sounds like dating my wife.
I cut mostly in the yard so I'm wondering about electric. They always seem so wimpy though. Is there a good quality electric? Is there a gas engine like the honda - always starts?
Thanks again for your thoughts.

Garth

Electric saws are a pain in the butt IMHO,ext.cords.There are many good saws out there,Stihl,echo,johnsered and husqvarna.coobie