I HATE CHAINSAWS! - HATE'EM!

[s219]

Well, the original post touched on a subject I have mentioned many times. Though I am a Stihl man and have some older Poulans and Huskies, I do have one Echo chainsaw, and it is by far the best behaved and most consistently starting. I don't like the larger Echos, but below 45cc, I'd say they make one of the best saws you can buy. Even their homeowner models (which you can buy at Home Depot) match up with the mid-grade and pro-grade Stihls in many features. I have never had a starting problem with my Echo, but have with almost every other saw I own.

By the way, you mention starting the saw 2-3 weeks later with the dealer gas. If that had ethanol in it, you were pushing your luck. I do not leave ethanol gas in my saws longer than about 7-8 days. I currently run real (non-ethanol gas) just for this reason. When I used ethanol gas (all I could get last fall when we had a hurrican hit) I would run my saws dry if I knew they were going to sit for more than a week. Ethanol gas is just tough on chainsaws, regardless of whether it has stabilizer in it.

[RobertN]

The saw I have used most since I was a teenager back in '80, is my Dad's Stihl 024. I guess I am so used to how to start a Stihl, I never give it a second thought. It's really the first saw I learned on, so I have always started them, "the Stihl way".

[Bluegill2]

I've never had trouble starting a chainsaw.

[xyz123]

Sounds like a carb tune issue to me.

Exactly what I was thinking too.

[bm3]

I own 4 stihl chain saws and would not consider any other . One of them has easy start , its a real joy to start

[General Lee]

Dunno about the Pull-on, but with the Stihl, try this.

Set choke full on
Pull 2 to 3 times till you hear it fire once
Set choke to half and pull one or two more times till it starts

Don't know why, but every Stihl I've ever run starts that way.

This ^^

[JoeBuyer]

but with the Stihl, try this.

Set choke full on
Pull 2 to 3 times till you hear it fire once
Set choke to half and pull one or two more times till it starts

Don't know why, but every Stihl I've ever run starts that way.

Exactly as my Stihl pros start. I have two pro series, 441 and 026 and the smaller arborist 192 which is listed as a pro but is really a home owner saw. I have to prime bulb that saw about 3 times prior to the sequence above, then she starts right up, maybe 3 pulls instead of two. But once it is warm it starts better than any other saw I have ever had.

I never bought the 192 for anything other than light limbing, but yesterday I flooded my 441 (already had run it but forgot and choked it again) and I had to use my little 192 to fall four 20 to 24" hardwoods at my rental house. I couldn't wait until the 441 dried out, as I had the electric company drop and pull back the power lines the trees were in danger of falling on and they were waiting for me to fall the trees before they hooked power back up. That little 192 cut like a champ falling the trees and cutting enough so the power company could get the boom truck back in and connect the power. They do that and leave and of course the 441 decides it is ready to start LOL. That little 192 impressed the heck out of me. I should have tossed my 026 in the truck, but I thought 3 saws would be overkill for 4 trees that size. I will not say anything negative about other saw brands but I will not own anything but a Stihl.

[lilranch2001]

Exactly as my Stihl pros start. I have two pro series, 441 and 026 and the smaller arborist 192 which is listed as a pro but is really a home owner saw. I have to prime bulb that saw about 3 times prior to the sequence above, then she starts right up, maybe 3 pulls instead of two. But once it is warm it starts better than any other saw I have ever had.

I never bought the 192 for anything other than light limbing, but yesterday I flooded my 441 (already had run it but forgot and choked it again) and I had to use my little 192 to fall four 20 to 24" hardwoods at my rental house. I couldn't wait until the 441 dried out, as I had the electric company drop and pull back the power lines the trees were in danger of falling on and they were waiting for me to fall the trees before they hooked power back up. That little 192 cut like a champ falling the trees and cutting enough so the power company could get the boom truck back in and connect the power. They do that and leave and of course the 441 decides it is ready to start LOL. That little 192 impressed the heck out of me. I should have tossed my 026 in the truck, but I thought 3 saws would be overkill for 4 trees that size. I will not say anything negative about other saw brands but I will not own anything but a Stihl.

That is how I am have only owned, and used Stihls all of my adult life, and I have no need to look elsewhere.
Someone else may make as good or even possibly a better saw, but I am not going to experiment when I have what I feel is already the best.
And I have cut up a lot of wood in my days.

[creekbend]

I have owned two Stihl chainsaws. I currently use a Stihl and a Craftsman. The Craftsman is around ten to twelve years old. I use it to cut roots because the bar is worn and needs replacing. I also have a Stihl weed eater with a brush cutter attachment. Everyone has a different preference, but I have had good results with Stihl products. In retrospect, any make of chainsaw is most certainly easier than using an axe.

[k0ua]

This thread reminds me of my Toro 4 cycle weedeater.. It just wont start on old gas, It just has to have fresh gasoline or it will NOT start ever. Got some fresh gas today, and poured out the old fuel (about 3 months old) and it started right up. The lawn tractor runs fine on old gas, The truck runs fine on old gas, The generator starts fine on old gas, but the Toro, want's nice fresh gas.

James K0UA