Homelite 14" from Home Depot

[JoeinTX]

"Yep, they're cheap. Excuse me, low cost. In the short term. but you'll get at least six homelite's worth out of one Stihl. And your local Stihl dealer will fix it when its broke. No one will fix a homelite - they're trash when they stop.
Mf...."

The are the cheapest new saw you can buy retail and they do have a little too much plastic for my liking. But, that said, for a saw that will get used less than half-a-dozen times a year on limbing and light duty stuff I couldn't justify spending two or three times the money on a pro rig. If it runs and works and does what I need (like the weedeater) for 5 or 6 years then I figure I've gotten my money's worth. As for what it's worth, I've never taken a chain saw to a dealer to have it fixed. Anything short of a motor tear-down I handle myself. If it's more than that then I'd probably just buy another anyway regardless of brand.

"Never leave gas in a 2-cycle for more than a few weeks if you want it to perform correctly..."

I see this around and it must be internet legend. I've never drained a saw or weedeater in my life and they always sit for months without use at times. Never had a problem with any of them, again, regardless of brand. In fact, I don't know anyone who does personally.

"How's the Homelite for seeping oil when in storage?..."

This is one of the complaints I read about at the Home Depot site concerning this saw and leaking. It's now sat for a week with gas and oil in it and the staining isn't terribly noticeable. No more so than any 2-cycle implement with all their greasy, leakiness.

I'm not trying to be a contrarian. But, I am speaking some general sense and against brand blindness. Are retail Homelites lumberjack tools? No. But personal experience says they can be reasonably good general use tools with care and attention. If you know anything about chainsaws, 2-cycles, hand tools, or motors in general then you should be able to setup and run and care for one of the units. They're not garbage out of the box. That's not a bad thing. Where they are made is immaterial.

In fact, this little saw got gas and oil out of the box, cranked per the instructions, fired-up, and did all the cutting I wanted to do without a whimper. Impressed the Heck out of me after all I had read on it. It's only inched my thoughts upon the brand upward.....

 

[ultrarunner]

"How's the Homelite for seeping oil when in storage?..."

This is one of the complaints I read about at the Home Depot site concerning this saw and leaking. It's now sat for a week with gas and oil in it and the staining isn't terribly noticeable. No more so than any 2-cycle implement with all their greasy, leakiness.

Good to know... I may have gotten a bad one. When I took it back to the store... the clerk said they all do it and offered a refund... so I did return it.

 

[LD1]

Echo makes the best 2-cycle power units these days. You see Husq and Stihl running adds. Never see an Echo add. Their money goes into development.

Stihl chainsaws are the best buy for the money. With dealer service and parts Stihl is the only chain saw to own for the home owner. The model MS180 with the easy start feature makes a nice addition to anyones tool room.

Check this video out about the MS 180
YouTube - Stihl MS 180 C-BE Chainsaw-DIY

Just a few unfounded and biased posts from guys that have probabally NEVER ran any saw brand but the ones they currently own. So take the above advise with a grain of salt.

Truth is, there are sever manufactures that make an excellent saw at a reasonable price.

Dolmar, Stihl, Husky, Echo, Solo, J-red, Makita, just to name a few.

To say one brand is it BEST is completely stupid and un-true. There are several factors that come into play. And a certain brand may be better than others in certain classes, but certainly not ALL size classes.

But hey, you guys are set in your ways. Who am I to suggest that the grass may be greener on the other side. Those of you who are brand loyal are really missing out. Those like me who only care about how the saw performs, and NOT what name is on it, :thumbsup:

 

[JoeinTX]

Agree LD1-the only thing worse than brand blindness is blind loyalty. I will never claim that any one product or color is the "best." I will, however, easily say that a unit or product worked very well for me and my situation. Me and my own situation are not everyone else's so that's the big deciding factor.

Chevy's aren't my favorites but I still have to consider them when I trade. I don't care for JDs but they can't be discounted when making a buying decision. Stihl, Echo, Makita, etc. all make good saws. No argument. But, for this situation, I didn't need or want to spend 2-4 times what I did on a tool that will not be used like a tool that costs 2-4 times what I paid. Pure and simple.

Funny. Let me list all of the "junk" items I've purchased in the last several years.....at least according to expert posters on the internet:

-Homelite string trimmer: bought 6 years ago for $69 at HD......reviews said it was a disaster, don't buy, return to store ASAP.......yet it's running and working today sum total repairs being one fuel line and one hub spring that I lost while refilling cutting line.
-Wal-Mart $99 push mower: has a Briggs motor that just ran for years and then this past year it got submerged in a flash flood. Drained it out and re-lubricated and it mows like a sonny-gun still today.
-Troy Bilt Pony riding mower: bought 5 years ago for $999 all while reading it was garbage and a "throw-away." It's been mowing 30 acres a year ever since with total repairs being one new battery and one new set of deck belts.
-Craftsman gas pole saw: Read that I should have gone with the competition and that it was a low-grade scab. $189 and I use it a handful of times per year.
-Kawasaki battery powered tool kit for $100: common knowledge said I needed Dewalt or Bosch or Makita
-Now, the Homelite saw: It's garbage and junk and not worth the effort.

My history with such items indicates to me that there is some value to be had in them. Big thing is I am a compulsive "babier" of my equipment. I use them, but, I don't push them. They get taken care of and you won't find one of my tools dirty or damaged or with empty reservoirs. They're my little babies. They get serviced and cleaned once use is done and they look as new as possible as long as possible. I do this with everything I have be it cars or tractors or power tools. Not braggin, just sayin'.

More to my point, most things made today will do what they are built to do. It's when they are mis-used and abused (rather often) that they fail and generate complaints. Home Depot/Lowes/Tractor Supply/Sears can't sell they items that they do and do so at a serious financial or customer service detriment. A product that does so will be shilled fast. It's simple supply and demand...

 

[ultrarunner]

I've found most of the time if there is a problem it will be evident fairly quickly...

I too use one of those $69 string trimmers to maintain rental property and so far and many years and yards later it hasn't missed a beat.

 

[Carl Bert]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with BRAND loyalty. I think if you find that a certain brand makes certain tool well, you should stick to it. Such as Stihl with chainsaws. I owned 5 different brand chainsaws before I bought stihl, and I can tell you that I would have only owned one brand if I had bought a Stihl first. Truth is I probably wouldn't have had to buy a 2nd 3rd 4th 5th and 6th saw at all, if I bought Stihl first. You can't kill it.

Some guys on this thread said BRAND loyalty doesn't make sense. Tell that to a John Deere or Kubota owner. Brand loyalty is what this site is all about. Wake up guys. As the saying goes "If it aint broken, don't fix it"

 

[/pine]

FWIW...The shop I frequent for mower parts, hydraulic hoses etc...sells both Husky and Sthil equipment....it never fails when I'm in the shop that someone brings in either a Sthil or Husky string trimmer that won't start...!

I always think to myself how lucky I was with the Poulan trimmer I bought 10 years ago that to this day has not failed to start and run well...and has only needed general maintenance that 10 years of service requires...

 

[JoeinTX]

I have to amend my earlier post. I did my first property mowing of the year and the Pony didn't want to start. Fiddled around with battery and connections and plugs hoping it was a connection thing and no luck. Wound up swapping batteries at CarQuest for $37. New battery and we fired-up and worked like a sum-gun. Make that 3 new batteries in 6 years.

Once done with the mowing I pulled down the 6 year-old Homelite weedeater that hasn't run in 5 months (with the same gas in the tank) and I fire it up on the 3rd pull and start to work. I got the "new" Homelite saw out to trim a sage bush and a few limbs and it starts right up and works like ****.

I, admittedly, am one dumb SOB for buying these "crap" tools from the local big-box. But, they just keep working and running no matter how I use them. ******, if just board comments would match-up with my own experience. Pocket-book says "No"..........experience says "No"............I guess I just have to keep laboring on with my "junk" until it dies and I can buy a green or orange replacement for it. Yes?

Maybe I got lucky with all of my "big-box" junk or maybe, just maybe, any idiot with a modicum of grey-matter can figure out how to run a power-tool and take some kind of care with it.

Just sayin', just sayin',,,,,,,,,,

 

[ultrarunner]

I have to amend my earlier post. I did my first property mowing of the year and the Pony didn't want to start. Fiddled around with battery and connections and plugs hoping it was a connection thing and no luck. Wound up swapping batteries at CarQuest for $37. New battery and we fired-up and worked like a sum-gun. Make that 3 new batteries in 6 years.

Once done with the mowing I pulled down the 6 year-old Homelite weedeater that hasn't run in 5 months (with the same gas in the tank) and I fire it up on the 3rd pull and start to work. I got the "new" Homelite saw out to trim a sage bush and a few limbs and it starts right up and works like ****.

I, admittedly, am one dumb SOB for buying these "crap" tools from the local big-box. But, they just keep working and running no matter how I use them. ******, if just board comments would match-up with my own experience. Pocket-book says "No"..........experience says "No"............I guess I just have to keep laboring on with my "junk" until it dies and I can buy a green or orange replacement for it. Yes?

Maybe I got lucky with all of my "big-box" junk or maybe, just maybe, any idiot with a modicum of grey-matter can figure out how to run a power-tool and take some kind of care with it.

Just sayin', just sayin',,,,,,,,,,

I wouldn't say your thought process if flawed... it is hard to argue with experience and not everyone needs the capability of a commercial saw... I don't own one... even my Stihl is a Homeowner model.

One big plus when buying from mass retailers is the return policy is generally more liberal... I'm sure my taking back the Homelite to Sears for the oil leak with no questions asked would have been more difficult had it not been from a major retailer.

I have a commercial Echo Brush Cutter for 30 years... it is a beast and works hard when I need it... Since California started regulating small gas engines... Echo, like the other has phased out support for non-compliant units here.

 

[Mudfarmer]

Just a few unfounded and biased posts from guys that have probabally NEVER ran any saw brand but the ones they currently own. So take the above advise with a grain of salt.

Truth is, there are sever manufactures that make an excellent saw at a reasonable price.

Dolmar, Stihl, Husky, Echo, Solo, J-red, Makita, just to name a few.

To say one brand is it BEST is completely stupid and un-true. There are several factors that come into play. And a certain brand may be better than others in certain classes, but certainly not ALL size classes.

But hey, you guys are set in your ways. Who am I to suggest that the grass may be greener on the other side. Those of you who are brand loyal are really missing out. Those like me who only care about how the saw performs, and NOT what name is on it, :thumbsup:

Wrong. First stihl I had lasted for 24 years with occasional professional service (once when I accidentally put chain oil in the gas tank - my bad). Bought a 14 inch Home Depot Homelite: ran for 6 months, replaced it five years ago with a fourteen inch Stihl, going strong. Didn't learn though. Bought an 18 inch Homelite. Started once and never started again. Got tendonitis in my shoulder from trying. Had a small engine guy look at it. He got it to start twice. Never cut a single piece of wood with it. Some guy was looking for free chain saws to fix on Craig's list so I gave it (and he 14 inch homelite) to him. Boy was he disappointed. He was looking for a 20 year old Stihl to fix. I got a Stihl farm boss with a 20 inch blade about 4 years ago. Heavier than the pro-saws the same bar size and power but less expensive. Has worked without fail. As for husqvarna, I am suspicious now that they have moved out of saw shops and into box stores. Can't comment on the other brands.

BTW, leaving gas sit in any small engine is a bad idea. Saves repair bills (and your generator starts when the lights go out) to either never run them or run them frequently. Infrequent running is an exercise in frustration in MHO.
Mf