Best and worst chainsaw?

[D'oh]

I replaced my 034 with an 026 Many Years ago, and still use it today. Smaller but Pro, it isn't a whole lot slower than the 034 was but much lighter.

Come replacement time it would be a 261

 

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Good point on 60cc. Whatever I get will not be smaller than 60cc

Why?
You already have that with the 590. Unless it’s not running well there is no need to duplicate that saw.
You want a smaller, well handling saw.
My recommendations are the Echo 501P, the Stihl 261 or the Husky 545 thru 55 series saws.
No larger than an 18” bar on any of these.
Go to your dealer and handle some.

 

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The ol Husqvarna 460 Rancher got a three hour workout today felling several 60' trees that were hanging over a house.View attachment 1567193View attachment 1567244View attachment 1567245View attachment 1567340

Just a tip. It’s easier if you got in the truck to move it instead of using it like a wheel barrow. They’re kind of heavy to do that with although you do seem to be having success.

 

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Wow, 11 pages. I haven't read past the first two.

I just picked up a Husq 562xp mkii. My Stihl 390 was stolen along with my two Makita 36v.

The Stihl was at least 15 maybe 18 years old. I bought it when my 20+ year old Homelite SuperXL bit the dust. The Stihl was very stubborn if cutting in hot weather. It gave the high rev warning when it was about to run out of gas and you had about 10-15 seconds to kill it before it died. If you didn't, that saw would fight you all the way to get it re-started. I got to be tuned in to the revs and when it sped up I knew to hit the switch. Then, fill the tank back up and start on the first pull.

When I had to shop for a new one, I read all the reviews on the new model 391. I didn't like what I read. Bad customer support from Stihl, always blaming burn't pistons on "no oil in the fuel". BS!. Add to that all the complaints of hard starting cold, not just hot. Add to that, the saw now cost $800 vs the $450 I paid way back when.

So, I started reading up on Husq. Came to the conclusion of getting the 562 xp, but read that had starting problems too. Then deeper dive into Husq message boards and everybody saying get the MKii with the re-designed engine and recalibrated AutoTune. So, I settled on that, another $800 saw. Problem was nobody, nobody, in eastern half of NC had the saw. Everyone said the same thing...backordered. I called into VA and managed to find somebody that had one. Tomorrow will be my first use of it.

One of the small engine techs at the shop l work at calls the 391 a “travesty of a saw”. It has several fatal flaws and Stihl is miserable covering this saw even under warranty stating what you have said about gas mix.
We don’t even display this saw any longer.

 

[eddieirvine]

Husqvarna i have two 16 inch bar and 20 easy to start has primer bulb and have not had one issue with t doing what i want done, One thing i will add most saws will cut fine as long as you maintain your chain in sharp condition, keep at it don't need to remove a lot of material to keep a sharp chain, Just take time to keep it sharp !

 

[Rockbadchild]

I help my friend loading his truck of firewood yesterday we where cutting birch with a 40cc chainsaw and ho boy life is too short for that I can't handle it way too slow and poor thing I spend a full tank without letting it go.

 

[Kernow]

I tried one or two cheaper chainsaws but they didn't work out well for me.

So I bought Stihl and they have been great. Last one was a MS441 CM that was an amazing saw, it was a reliable starter, well balanced, easy to use and had plenty of power.

 

[Oldbinder]

I’ve done about 35 years of firewood work and my favorite saws are a Jonsered 2171 and a Stihl ms260. The jonsered was a big saw a used mostly for bucking logs. It was fast and a bit heavy and would cut fast. It was also very comfortable cutting saw. Used the MS260 for felling and trimming trees and had a 20” bar and decompression valve for easy starting. The Jonsered had a 24” bar and also a decompression valve. The 24” bar was mostly for saw balancing for when I was bucking logs. Cut a lot of oak, maple, ash, cherry and beach up to about 20” dia..

​

 

[bartjoebob]

Stihl is pretty much dominating right now. If you really want a nice saw, see if you can find a German made Dolmar before Makita moved the operations to China. Their 5100 series was a 14,500 RPM saw. There are 60cc too all the way up to 90cc

 

[terraformer]

Do you have unusual sprocket wear with that 36" bar.
Does it stop in the wood if you get too deep at all?

Anything special done to the 390? Muffler/tune to run that bar?
Skip or full ?

Sounds interesting.

I got the long bar to cut up a 5' diameter white oak tree that had died and fell over this summer. I used the regular 20" bar on most of it but wanted to cut up the trunk without having to rip cut it.

The chain is a standard Oregon chain not skip tooth. Echo bar.

It did a good job, never got stuck. Had to cut from both sides So yeah had it all engaged.

Oak isn't as hard as Hickory, it cuts pretty well. Probably took 5 min to get through the trunk.

This was a bonus that didn't want to leave on the forest floor over the winter.

Motor on the 590 is stock and about 12 years old. The saw is more nose heavy of course.

I buck the wood down making about 9 chords a year for firewood. I am not a logger. Just someone who likes to stay warm in the winter. The first year that we were here, 15 years ago, we would cut wood in the day to burn it that night. No desire to do that again.

This was the biggest tree on my property. We now have big chunks of wood that need to be processed. Hopefully will be lighter once they dry by next spring.

I have saved some 3-5" thick slices of trunk. Want to make some rustic tables.

 

[terraformer]

If this is a CS590 (60cc’s) I wouldn’t wouldn’t go larger than 24”. 20” is most reasonable. 36” is way too long for that even with a skip tooth chain.

No problems. I should have set my gopro up. haha

 

[Pecosbill7]

I never thought I’d do it, but after owning several Husqvarna gas chainsaws I made the move to the Husqvarna Poweraxe 350i electric. Bought it at Lowes. I have a ranch in the Texas Hill Country and there’s always lots of chainsaw work needed. I also got an extra battery to go with it (battery $299.99 on Amazon). I cannot say enough good things about this saw. I can use it until the battery gives out (about three hours), slap another battery in and put the first one on the charger while I’m using the second, and I’m back at work. Six hours of running a chainsaw is about all I care for, but I have stopped to eat lunch after the first battery gives out and then went to work with the second and when it gave out the first battery was nearly charged and ready.

The saw comes with an 18” bar and the best thing about it is you don’t need to wear any hearing protection. Eyes, yes, but your ears will be just fine. It’s just a great saw.

 

[Fields_mj]

The saying used to be "there's no replacement for displacement." That's just not true with chainsaws, and it never has been. The pro grade saws have always put out as much or more hp than a "homeowner" or "commercial" saw of the same displacement. Today, a pro saw will put out as much hp as a non-pro saw that has 5cc to 10cc more displacement. CC (displacement) isn't a very good way to evaluate chainsaws. You're better off looking at HP, weight, and (of course) cost.

I'm not reading 20 pages to see if this has already been said, but your Echo CS590 powerhead weighs roughly 13.2lbs and puts out 4 hp. A Stihl MS261 weighs 10.8 lbs and also puts out 4hp. If you like the way your 590 cuts but would like something a little lighter, the MS261 is the obvious choice. Considering your past experience, I would absolutely NOT purchase anything else until I'd had a chance to run a few tanks of fuel through a 261 (or Husqvarna equivalent). In order to get a saw that's appreciably lighter than a 261, you have to drop down in the 35cc saws which will have a LOT less power.

Your original post indicated you wanted less weight. Now it sounds like you want more power. If you want more power, I'd lean towards an MS400. Its a little bit lighter than you 590, but puts out almost 5-1/2 hp. I've personally always been a big fan of Stihl's 036 family (and it's decedents), but my nickname for an MS400 is "360 killer" because at 12.8 lbs, there's absolutely NO reason for anyone to ever buy a new MS362 again. The next step up from the MS400 is the MS462 which weighs the same as your 590 but puts out 6.0 hp. Of course both the MS400 and MS462 both cost over 2x what a 590 does...

 

[Thunder chicken]

20 ish years ago i bought a Husky 353 as my first saw.
Ive burnt wood every year, helped build a remote cabin, cleared a few acrws to build my house, sold some firewood, and have cleared trails for snowmobile/nordic ski cubs more than i care to remember.
This saw has never let me down, has had one sparkplug and carb rebuild put in it. A few chain drive sprokets, many bars. The 18" i currently run is good, if not a tad long for my own personal preference/balamce. Few trees get too big for it to handle up here.
Untill i dropped a tree on it a few years ago i hoped i would have it for my life. After ive fixed it up, something seems off, i just havent had time to fully tear it apart again. I recently bought a battery Sthil MSA140c for limbs and such around the firewood processor, which has been good for its purpose.
That Husky 353 has cut so much and been such a great saw,i wiah i could get another if/when i need to.
All personal preference, but ive never liked the balance of Sthils, the clubs have many of them.

 

[Duds13]

I'm not reading 20 pages to see if this has already been said, but your Echo CS590 powerhead weighs roughly 13.2lbs and puts out 4 hp. A Stihl MS261 weighs 10.8 lbs and also puts out 4hp. If you like the way your 590 cuts but would like something a little lighter, the MS261 is the obvious choice.

If you're just wanting something light weight to deal with the cedars, maybe a CS2511p which tips the scales under 7 lbs IIRC.

I've never been a fan of Stihls 025/250/251 line of saws. Quality and reliability have always been hit and miss with those saws, and they are definitely lacking in the power department.

The Stihl MS261 is quite a bit more expensive than the Echo though, isn't it? I thought about getting the MS261 but couldn't justify the price for doing a couple cord of firewood a year.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

Comparing old to new of most brands is pure folly.

When I was a kid working for my brother-in-law's tree service his Homelite and McCullough saws were workhorses. Now those brands aren't to be trusted. At least in my experience.

I have a Husqvarna 450 Rancher II I bought on sale at a big box store, they immediately quit selling them along with the chains. Fortunately, chains are easy to come by elsewhere. It always starts and runs like a scalded dog.

I also have a pair of Stihl's; MS 271-20 Farm Boss with a 20" bar and a little MS 151 TC limb saw. Both run great if I can get them started. Don't know why but they are cranky uncooperative beasts when it comes to starting them.

My only complaint about the Husky is that it leaks bar oil.

 

[Fxfymn413]

I worked for a large fire department that had at least 100 Stihl saws. Every time I was at our shops there would be 10 to 15 of them lying on the shop floor waiting to go back to the field. The shop mechanics said they were mostly there because the troops said they would not start, but when tried at the shop they started properly. No matter how many times they were told not to, they troops just kept the choke on after they gave an initial "start" and they flooded.

I wonder if the new fuel injected models have solved that problem.

 

[Duds13]

Comparing old to new of most brands is pure folly.

When I was a kid working for my brother-in-law's tree service his Homelite and McCullough saws were workhorses. Now those brands aren't to be trusted. At least in my experience.

I have a Husqvarna 450 Rancher II I bought on sale at a big box store, they immediately quit selling them along with the chains. Fortunately, chains are easy to come by elsewhere. It always starts and runs like a scalded dog.

I also have a pair of Stihl's; MS 271-20 Farm Boss with a 20" bar and a little MS 151 TC limb saw. Both run great if I can get them started. Don't know why but they are cranky uncooperative beasts when it comes to starting them.

My only complaint about the Husky is that it leaks bar oil.

I have the MS271 Farm Boss and it now sits on a shelf because I never knew if it would start on 15 pulls or 30 pulls. My new Echo 590 starts much much easier

 

[BlueBerryFarmer]

I have Husqvarna (435/41cc- originally 16", now 18" and 455 Ranch/55cc) and Stihl (two 066s, two 044s, 038, MS660 and MS440).

I'm in the process of rebuilding the older Stihl 066s and 044s -- new seals on crankshaft (both sides), carb rebuilds, new shock mounts and the only downside is special tools: seal installers (two sizes required), crankcase splitter/joiner, depth gauges for flywheel, and "pressure tester" -- mounts to intake and you use Vac or Pressure to diagnose leaks. The Stihls are lifetime chainsaws - provided you use their parts.

Husqvarna chainsaws are equally as good -- had some problems with the chain oilers, but other than that they're good for decades of use as well. Generally, they seem to start reliability most of the time - hot or cold. I use the 435 for "trimming" -- e.g. Crape Myrtle "Murder" or when I "shock-prune" older 10-15 feet tall Rabbiteye blueberry plants

If I had to clear out the barns I'd keep the MS440 Magnum (71cc) or its older version, the 044-- outstanding power to weight and a terrific chainsaw. It was "discontinued" in 2012, but original factory parts are readily available.

 

[17 Oaks]

For 15 years: I had bought an old cattle ranch of which, when the old man died the cattle business, kids wanted to have nothing to with it. So it sat unused since the early 50s and was forgotten by most of the family as they had moved to other parts of Texas to pursue their own dreams. Then one one of them was in need of money and called the family and lets sell it it. By then it was worth very little in fact only land value and the 1945 house and HQ laid fallow For 15 years: .

To say this ranch was grown over would be the understatement of the year! Of course, the soil was rich from cattle droppings.

I bought it, and I cleared it, it took 15 years, and I had cut over 1 million lbs of Timber, mostly Cedar, and Oak.

Husqvarna, 455 Rancher 20 in bar and it never let me down.

If you have a LOT of cutting. I discovered I could buy bulk chains and skip the sharpening. Take me about a year to go thru 40 chain and I was paying about $12 bucks a chain...