best chainsaw?

[19th_VA]

Ok, lets here some opinions about the best make of chainsaw, from a performance, reliability and safety standpoint. Price is not really important. I have 13 acres, 4 wooded and a bunch of small trees and saplings to clear out from the 9 acres. There are some big trees that need cutting as well--100' or so poplars, oaks, maples. Was thinking an 18 or 20". Thanks in advance.

[art]

Don't miss the 036 Stihl or the 044 for a little extra power.

[slowzuki]

Stihl, Husquvarna, Jonsered, Echo, Shiwndaiwa all make excellent saws.

There are home owner, semi-pro and pro models available and saw performance is usually related to maintenance and care.

Select a brand of saw with an excellent dealer nearby, select the model sized for your needs.

I have a Stihl MS260 I recently bought. I spent better than a month researching what saw to buy. Ended up spending about 3 hours at a saw shop with some Husky's and Stihl's dissassembled.

I liked the feel of the stihls, the translucent fuel tank, the quick open caps, the one lever choke, and the inboard clutch that makes swapping bars and chains a cinch.

Try them out, see how they feel. The husqy's don't seem to clog air filters as quick as the stihls, but you have to buy an expensive one to get an aluminum crankcase.

[ronjhall]

Here is a thread on the Stihl Husky debate. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Click Here

I have a Stihl that has served well me for many years. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[songhunter]

My Jonsered lasted 17 years before I bought my new Stihl. The Jonsered dealer in this area went out of business, so I couldn't find replacement parts.

Most of the timber cutters I know in this area use Stihl. That's what sold me. I've been very happy with my Stihl. It starts easily and has a lot of power for the weight. I'm not as young as I was when I bought the Jonsered, and weight is important. I'd recommend Stihl for the quality and parts availability.

I have rebuilt a Husky and was not really impressed with the internal components. I'm sure they're good saws and parts are easily available online for them also.

Hope all goes well!

[Wal]

Wow! I wonder how many times this thread has been renewed over the last 2-3 years????? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Gatorboy]

I'm not going to argue one brand over another. I've got a Husqvarna 372XP and I love it. With 5.4 HP is has enough power to cut anything I need to.

[Egon]

Without a doubt the chainsaw you have just borowed from the neighbor will be the best.

Egon

[cowboydoc]

My vote is Stihl. My 036 Pro I bought new 6 years ago and have not had to do one thing to it besides gas and oil and sharpen the chain. Oh and I do clean the air filter regularly. Still starts on one to three pulls and never even changed the spark plug. This saw has been used a tremendous amount.

I just bought an 026 from the neighbor. He used it a little over the years, it's about five years old. He's going to sell his place and go on the road in his motorhome. Anyway he hadn't used it for two years. It still had the old gas in it and oil. He said he didn't know if it would start or not. It started on the second pull. As a kid we always used them and had good luck so that's why I went with them.

[tomnky]

My vote goes for Stihl.

We used all brands clearing pole line on Railroad right-of-way, nothing could stay with a Stihl based on what experience I had with them for 27 years.