best chainsaw?

[theonlybull]

i think you'll be happy with any of the better name brand saws. i love my huskey and wouldn't buy anything else. i personally like the feel of my 257 much more then any stihl i've ever used, i just don't find the stihl comfortable. when i worked in the woods, i started with a pioneer partner 5000, great saw for it's age, but when i saved enough $$ to buy a new saw, i went with huskey.

i think seeing what brands are sold in your area, and what kind of service there is should be your main concern.

if you want a 18"-20" bar, you should be albe to get in included in the pice of the saw. most will just change out the bar and chain and keep the smaller one for re-sale.

good luck

 

[JLD]

I've had a Stihl 026 for about 13 years. Its been used pretty hard on and off and I've gone through three or four bar in that time. Its beem in the shop a couple of times for repairs. Next Stihl saw is going to be a little bigger.

BTW I also have a Stihl leaf blower and weed eater. Its nice to have one can of premix for all the 2-stroke equipment.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Darn, double darn, even!

I too have an .026 that I love dearly. Along with a Stihl weedeater and blower. I'm sure that if one of my best buds wasn't the Stihl dealer I'd still have Stihl still. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

One of the things that never seems to surprise me is how good tools can be used hard by some people without problem one. Others can abuse the heck out of their tools and not even work them. Maybe that's where they got the term "tough love." /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[tomnky]

I also have a Homelite SuperXL that has been a great saw, I think I bought it in 1979 or so . At that time I bought it because of price mainly and fortunately it has been a good one.
If I were buying now i would go with Stihl because I have a trimmer ,blower and a hedgetrimmer that are all Stihl .Never a glitch one in any of them and the trimmer is 16 years old (also extremely well-used).

Maybe it's just me, but I have Always used the manufacturers brand two cycle oil and other lubricants, I like to think this has attributed to my good luck with them.

 

[NIXON]

As has previously been said ... Stihl , Husqvarna , Shindwa make very good and reliable saws . I own a stihl044 and Husky 346 XP . I regulary use a stihl 026 and 029 at work .
If you what a saw for relatively heavy work , the 044 is hard to beat . For lighter stuff , I really like the 346 Xp over the o26 and 029 . I doubt You'd be dissapointed in the performance of any of the above brand saws .
sorta like tractors .... Find one you like in the price range you want . When you buy it , maintain it ,and it wont let you down . One after thought .... Your going to be cutting some pretty large stuff from the sound of it . Then you're most likely going to be limbing it all . 18-20 " is good for felling trees , but you might look for an inexpensive saw in the 14-16" range to do the limbing work . See, we can spend your hard earn $$$$$$ on more than just tractors /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif JMHO . All the best , John

 

[Docsknotinn]

Three or four bars in 13 years, lol MAN do I wish I could get mine to last that long. I went through the 16 and two 18" bars and about 12 chains in 1 year /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif My christmas presant to myself this year is a Oregon bench mounted chain grinder. I can dull 4 chains in a day pretty easy. No more fileing ! yipppeeeeee /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

 

[pruntyc]

My old Stihl is a 031, if I had known Dave liked Stihl, I wouldn't have posted. I hate to have to agree with him. lol. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Docsknotinn]

You old son of a gun, Ive already avoided a couple of posts where you didnt dissagree with me. I guess I need to say something bad about that two popping smoker /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

 

[Docsknotinn]

Hay Dick, its kinda funny when you think about it, your chainsaw probably has more HP than the tractor /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif lol, Dave

 

[RobertN]

I just had a grey pine taken down by an Arborist buddy. He does a LOT of cutting. He has a mix of Husky and Stihl. We used both while cutting today.(He has about 8 saws on his truck...).

I have a mix of Husk and Stihl stuff. Husky brusch cutter, two saws, and blower. Stihl trimmer, with detachable scyth, tiller, trimmer, and pole saw. All work well. It came down more to the local services of dealers than it did the particular brand.

I recently got a Husky 335XP arborist 14" saw. That saw really kicks!

 

[NIXON]

That saw really kicks! )</font>


UHMM ... Maybe not the best choice of words when it comes to Chainsaws /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif John

 

[pruntyc]

Well, I had to agree with you about the chainsaw. But now about tractors, what kind did you say you had. Oh forget it, no one probably has ever heard of it anyway, some off breed. Now mine is a good one, I was using it today. And everyone has heard of Yanmar, they are the good ones.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Hey Dave, I get tired of changing out chains too. How much is the bench grinder? I looked into Stihl brand carbide toothed chain. They are proud of it, about $100 per chain or a whole roll of it for about $500 if I remember correctly.

Now that we also have a 5420 in the stable, I just knock 'em over, pick 'em up and stack 'em on the pile...much easier. Keeps the chiropractor away. I guess when I build on our place, I'll actually chop some up for firewood...Kyle

 

[Slamfire]

Just so you'll know Jonsered saws are made in the Husky factory, and Makita saws are made by Dolmar. Nobody wants Stihl to make their saws. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BigDave]

Hey, I'm not a pro or even an enthusiast - I just cut down trees when they die, get blown over, or get in my wife's way. Sometimes I do venture over to the neighbors to help him out. He has a small Craftsman saw & he makes me nervous, so I've started to cut the bigger stuff for him.

One of the guys at my dealer really tried to convince me that my last bar was a size too large for my chain. The owner walked over and took a look, and commented that it was a REALLY worn bar. Maybe I should replace them more often - how many hours of cutting does a bar or chain last? I usually hand sharpen the chains before each use.

I do replace the blade on my brush-cutter annually, since I cut down many more trees (most <5") than I do with the saws.

P.S. The 350 is the wife's saw. Well at least that is what I told her. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[theonlybull]

when i worked in the woods, i used about a a chain every 4 weeks, and a bar every 3 chains... mind you i didn't dull a saw very often, and they always got filed every day at noon and after work. btw, i'd burn atleast 5 gallons of fuel a week, and put up 30 cords of 8' stud wood and 2500-5000 boardfeet of logs.

after using a 18" bar, i cannot use a shorter bar in the brush. cutting red spruce, you need the reach to limb the tree when your waist deep in snow and brush. when i cut firewood with my father, when i'd run out of gas he'd pass me his saw off the skidder ( partner 5000 with 15 1/2" bar) and i could not use it in the brush, if your used to a long bar, the shorter ones are too easy to kick back.

 

[Buck]

You are smart. I went through years of buying cheap chainsaws, wearing them out, throwing them away. I finally bought a Stihl Farm King. What a difference!

I think Stihl or Husky would be fine. The company that I bought mine from sells, rents, and services both. The mechanics opinion of them are that there is little difference in reliability.

Good luck,

Buck

 

[RobertN]

Ya, I see that now /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Lets say, that saw really cuts like the dickens maybe...

 

[soarkrebel]

While i agree that stihl and husky make outstanding saws and i will probably buy one when i wear out mine but i must sayt my poulans have held up.
i have a poulan 3800 and a 1800 both are over ten years old and have cut ALOT of wood.

the little 1800 gets carried around on a atv alot and gets used to clear stuff on my 2000 acre hunting leases and always makes me happy.
both have had carbs rebuilt several times and now that i know how to do them them stay fresh.

i have a stihl weed eater and yep when i put these poulans to rest i will probably get a stihl or husky but for now , as the last ten years , my poulans are going strong.

oh yeah i only paid $99 for the 1800 and i think around $200 for the 3800 , i think i got my moneys worth! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

I'm with you. My brother had a Stihl and it was definitely a fine saw and was used and abused and I would have no complaints with it except that the thing was heavy. I've had two Poulans and could never have asked for anything better; light weight, easy to handle, and always started easily.