Best and worst chainsaw?

[dodge man]

When ever I see someone say I’ll never buy a particular brand of saw because it won’t start, I always want to ask did you try and fix it. I’m pretty handy and can keep most small engines going and they almost always start easy. If they don’t I fix them or take them somewhere and get them fixed.

 

[kozal01]

Ok a couple of things I have found over the years on saws:

Sharp chain - whatever style floats your boat. I like Oregon chains and bars.

Since I live in the Peoples Republic of Connecticut and alcohol free is not an option... Use Ethanol Shield to suspend the water. STA-BIL of any color is absolute cr@p!

Put a few drops of water in straight STA-BIL and see what happens - or not, as it just sits there. Put the same in Ethanol Shield and watch the magic happen as it emulsifies the water away.

2 Cycle oils:
Stihl and Husqvarna make really awful oils that make tons of carbon/cokeing that kills engines. Even their synthetics don't show great improvement with this either. And who in their right mind would ever try 'bio-degradeable' oils - of course it toasted your engine!!!... Let this be a lesson to you, duhhh.

Go and buy 2 cycle marine oils or 2 cycle motorcycle oils. Stay far away from the OEM garbage. I'm running the cheaper PennzoilView attachment 1664133
It's $22-24/gal at Wally world and I'm running it a tad richer at just shy of 40:1 (42-45ish)

Guess what, no coking! Clean and shiny motor interior and no plugged up muffler.

As to a saw, I'm using a MS 290 20" Farmboss with a ported muffler. A bit more heavy than some of the more modern saws, but if I want, I can drop a 2mm larger cylinder kit into to and make it a MS360... See "The Duke" for chainsaw parts and mod kits. If money was less of an option then a MS260 series is lighter but pricey.

I agree that modern EPA regs have not done much good for saws. So look on Marketplace or eBay and see if you can get a lightly used older model.

Oh yah chaps and a helmet with a visor will keep your body parts in good repair. Always wear them!

Finally get a Hot-Stick or similar - it can save your life.
View attachment 1664134

This is just not good advice. Not only does is the Stihl HP ultra synthetic two stroke oils one of the better ones on the market its also very low carbon, especially in the Stihl 4mix 4 stroke engines. Ran it for over a decade in all my 2 stroke stuff and they all ran amazing with very little to no smoke and never had an issue with carbon on the valves of my 4Mix engines or carbon issues on the muffler screens ever. Only reason I switched to Amsoil a few years ago was because I didn't like the smell of the HP Ultra. 80:1 Amsoil Saber is run in everything now and I will never go back to more than 50:1. Also adding more oil than recommended by the MFG as well as the wrong type (like marine oil) can cause more harm than good. Too much oil in the mixture can lean out the air/ fuel ratio and cause a lean condition which makes more heat, seen more than a few saws ruined from too much oil in the mixture because some people think more oil is better. Plus who like having oil spitting out of their exhaust everywhere? 40:1 is probably ok but there is no reason for it anymore and I certainly wouldn't be advising others to run the wrong oil type and ratio.

 

[kozal01]

When ever I see someone say I’ll never buy a particular brand of saw because it won’t start, I always want to ask did you try and fix it. I’m pretty handy and can keep most small engines going and they almost always start easy. If they don’t I fix them or take them somewhere and get them fixed.

I agree. Ive owned Husqvarna, Stihl, Echo, Redmax, and Maruyama 2 stroke stuff over the years and have never had starting issues with any except for one Stihl trimmer than ended back up at the dealer. I believe most of the non starting issues I read about here and other places are operator error for the most part, or improper fule storage which is a huge issue for some.

 

[ultrarunner]

Two Stroke Oil is worthy of its own thread... as I write I have 2-stroke motors I use ranging from 16 to 1 to 50 to 1...

The 16 to 1 is a 1939 Sachs motor...

I've been told I can use a quality 50-1 across the board but too chicken to go that way...

 

[Runner]

One of the few good things about having ALL my stuff stolen 10 or so years ago is that my 2 stroke stuff has all been replaced with new(er) 50:1 mix equipment. So only one fuel jug for everything.

 

[walhondingMF]

This is just not good advice. Not only does is the Stihl HP ultra synthetic two stroke oils one of the better ones on the market its also very low carbon, especially in the Stihl 4mix 4 stroke engines. Ran it for over a decade in all my 2 stroke stuff and they all ran amazing with very little to no smoke and never had an issue with carbon on the valves of my 4Mix engines or carbon issues on the muffler screens ever. Only reason I switched to Amsoil a few years ago was because I didn't like the smell of the HP Ultra. 80:1 Amsoil Saber is run in everything now and I will never go back to more than 50:1. Also adding more oil than recommended by the MFG as well as the wrong type (like marine oil) can cause more harm than good. Too much oil in the mixture can lean out the air/ fuel ratio and cause a lean condition which makes more heat, seen more than a few saws ruined from too much oil in the mixture because some people think more oil is better. Plus who like having oil spitting out of their exhaust everywhere? 40:1 is probably ok but there is no reason for it anymore and I certainly wouldn't be advising others to run the wrong oil type and ratio.

I am far from an expert, or even a novice, on the particulars of oil. I would say though that my father is a bit of a nut about oil lol. For years now, he has regularly put a lot of time into reading up on different oils and how they work. He was an early adopter of synthetic, especially Amsoil. He, and now I, run synthetic in everything we own and have for years.
When it comes to 2 stroke oils, he did some research on that for me as well. The stihl HP is the best, readily available, 2 stroke oil to use FOR A CHAINSAW. My local dealer agrees. He sells Echos, Stihl and Husky, along with all of their oils, premix fuels, etc. He tells people to run the Stihl HP in everything. The plugs and screens in both my ms170 and 562xp are pretty clean.
I have been debating taking the plunge and just ordering Amsoil and see how that goes for a season.

 

[tradosaurus]

I am far from an expert, or even a novice, on the particulars of oil. I would say though that my father is a bit of a nut about oil lol. For years now, he has regularly put a lot of time into reading up on different oils and how they work. He was an early adopter of synthetic, especially Amsoil. He, and now I, run synthetic in everything we own and have for years.
When it comes to 2 stroke oils, he did some research on that for me as well. The stihl HP is the best, readily available, 2 stroke oil to use FOR A CHAINSAW. My local dealer agrees. He sells Echos, Stihl and Husky, along with all of their oils, premix fuels, etc. He tells people to run the Stihl HP in everything. The plugs and screens in both my ms170 and 562xp are pretty clean.
I have been debating taking the plunge and just ordering Amsoil and see how that goes for a season.

So Stihl produces their own 2 stroke oil? Or are they rebranding an oil manufactured by another company?

 

[RFB]

As I mentioned earlier, check out the Husqvarna Poweraxe 350i electric. It has a big honcho battery, and it never fails to start if your battery is charged. It cares not whether gasoline has ethanol in it or not. It runs smoothly and with an 18” bar it will handle almost anything you will need it to do. You won’t need any hearing protection, as its decibel output is far below that of its gasoline counterparts. I use it on my ranch it the Texas Hill Country and it is a great saw for my purposes, which are many, varied and moderately demanding.

I used to feel like anyone who embraced an electric saw was some commie pinko leftist Greta Thunberg type. My buddies were the same way, and chided me for buying an electric. I had them come up to the ranch one weekend to help me clear a fence line and told them to use my new saw. One guy had his old gas saw and another started out using the electric while I was on the tractor using the FEL and grapple to remove what they cut to a burn pile. After lunch the guy using my electric told the one using the gas one to give the electric a try. He did, and after dinner that night I asked him his opinion of it. He smiled, as he was the biggest critic of me going “over to the other side” and said, “I think I have to have one of those.”

I would have an electric in a heartbeat except for one factor: the intended use for the chainsaw acquisition: To sit unused, in all probability never used, but be able to be used in a "Break Glass In Case of Emergency".

It would be stored in a case with an extra bar and chains, PPE, etc. The intended emergency use would be for cutting a downed tree on a road when performing emergency egress. As I mentioned, in all probability it would never be used. The dilemma is 1. A gasoline model with possible dried-out hoses/seals, or 2. An electric model with batteries beyond their useful life when the emergency occurs 5-8-10 years down the line.

I have been told, and probably accurately, that the gas models will sustain drying out/rubber rot from being stored in "New-in-the-box" condition. I have not found empirical data to support that as of yet. (I no longer live where I can annually "exercise" a saw by using it.)

No easy solutions at this point.

 

[careyo63]

My experience with 2cyl. isn't seals going bad but Fuel lines are a common problem. Fuel filters in the fuel tank also. Almost all my 2cyl. equipment I have changed the Tank Fuel Filter to one I can clean. And what I've found is the rubber Fuel line gets dry and crack/breaks often at the Filter connection, And when it gets so bad and short from the repairs you have to replace the whole line. BTDT countless of times.

 

[walhondingMF]

So Stihl produces their own 2 stroke oil? Or are they rebranding an oil manufactured by another company?

Could be wrong but I think Castrol uses a smaller company to make it for stihl.