Homeowner chainsaw rec.

[newbury]

<snip>
And lets face it, if he has a tractor, he's gonna put it in the bucket, forget its there, and dump it in a pile of dirt and/or run it over eventually.

Please don't jinx me

Best advice I got was buy the most chainsaw you can afford.
I have a Husqvarna 353, great lightweight powerful saw. I use it once a week and have had it since 2003.

That is excellent advice.
That is what the guy who bought a Stihl 088 told me he had done when he sold it to me for $450.

 

[zzvyb6]

This looks promising.

 

[Creamer]

Please don't jinx me

You must be a serious woodcutter - taking the cooler with you.

 

[lennyzx11]

You must be a serious woodcutter - taking the cooler with you.

And not that I ever did (not once but twice), is why my saw has a permanent mount on it for my Stihl MS250!

 

[Deere Dude]

And not that I ever did (not once but twice), is why my saw has a permanent mount on it for my Stihl MS250!
View attachment 537272

I finally made a chainsaw holder on my weight box and it works great.

I always had a problem as to a safe place to put the saw while cutting a tree up without putting it in the box so I don't smash it with the tractor.

Many times I set it next to a big tree where I know I won't go with the tractor then I go to work with the tractor.

A few years ago I was cutting up a monster laying oak tree and cut a little bit, put the saw down in a safe place and then fired up the tractor. When I was done with the tractor I went to get the 026 saw and it was setting directly under the weight box. I didn't drop the weight box but it would have creamed it.

 

[KennyG]

It's pretty clear that Stihl, Echo, Husky are better quality saws. However, you don't need to spend that much for a usable saw. I cut about 3 cords of firewood a year and do general trimming and cleanup. I've never been able to convince myself to buy a "quality" saw. I have an 18 year old Poulan 14" that works fine (I did replace the bar this year). I also have a 20" Poulan that is a couple of years old and it cuts great. Both have been pretty trouble free.

 

[fried1765]

The electric and or battery powered saws are great! No fuel, starting etc and they can be very competitive with regards to price. If one is just in need of something around the house I壇 go that route for sure!

AGREED!
I have a 30+ year old 16" Stihl that has been, and still is great!
That said: I am getting too old to pull that thing if it doesn't start on the first few tries.
Coming to me this Spring: A 40V or 80V Greenworks 16" battery powered saw.
The 40V model is claimed to be good for 100 eight inch log cuts before needing a charge.
I won't even need a spare battery.
At 77 years old, I will run out of power, before the saw battery does.

 

[Oaktree]

Another vote for Echo here. I've put a lot of hours on my CS-670 since the late 90s/early 00s and it's still going strong. Seems to start a lot easier than many Stihls I've seen. A bit on the heavy side though.

As others have noted, we really need to know what the OP's friend needs it for. If it's just to clean up downed branches, etc. than a box store saw or a battery one will do just fine. In fact, I'm thinking of getting a battery one for those small jobs.

 

[EddieWalker]

Not really on topic, but if you have a cordless sawzall, there are pruning blades for them that are fantastic!!! When I need to cut off some branches from a tree, that's usually what I grab first. Even better, I'm very comfortable with my wife using it. And of course, she loves it and will create a pile of branches that takes me hours to clean up!!!

 

[RandyT]

the Stihl Ms170, for a small under two hundred dollar price is hard to beat. They usually come with instructions how to work and be safe.
It really is a good LITTLE saw.

owned a 017 years ago. Biggest disaster project I ever owned. The saw wouldn't restart hot, Had carb issues from the day I owned it to the day I sold it, and the dealer had to pull three out of the box the day I bought it because the first two wouldn't even start out of the box. Dealer replaced carb once under warranty. Dealer told me they had to replace the carb on every 017 they sold, plus the 50 they had in the box in the storage room.