Stihl Chainsaw

   / Stihl Chainsaw #72  
My final comment is... Any saw is good so long as it's maintained and by that I mean keeping the loop sharp and the rakers set, using a quality fuel canned or otherwise, using a good grade of bar oil (not used motor oil) and keeping the unit free of swarf and gunk especially around the cooling fins on the motor.
 
   / Stihl Chainsaw #73  
You probably should explain what a “bark box” is.
A Bark Box is a West Coast Saw term for their muffler mod. Never bought one, never needed one. Just a noise maker in my opinion and not a cheap one either.
 
   / Stihl Chainsaw #74  
   / Stihl Chainsaw #76  
Am I in a safe place to say I get a “thrill up my leg” when I rev my 500i? :oops: 😂

A thrill is one thing...getting wood is another. These get the wood...;)
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   / Stihl Chainsaw #79  
Not necessary if you use canned fuel like Echo Red Armor. Shelf life is 2 years or 1 year in a fuel tank.
... and you can save good bit of money by just using it for storage, if you are a frequent user. Even my local saw shop, who make money on selling the stuff, recommend burning regular E10 when cutting, and then dumping that out and refueling with canned gas, running it through before storage.

I just run my saws dry before off-season (summer) storage, but many don't like to do that, believing it's bad to run a 2-stroke dry. Making sure your last half-tank of the season is canned gas can be a good way to store, if you normally run E10 in-season.

IMO, they are all just fine except the China clones... Those are not so good.
I've owned Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, Homelite, and a McCullough. They all work, but they're definitely not equal. The Echo was as reliable as concrete, but I hated just about everything else about it, and they ain't breaking any power/weight ratio records.

I've never touched a Stihl product yet that was worth pissing on if it caught fire.
"A poor workman blames his tools." Stihl didn't become the top selling pro brand by not having good pro saws.

I've got a 50 year old hand me down Dolmar saw that will run circles around our newish Stihl Farm Boss.
"Farm Boss" is a homeowner grade saw upgraded with a few features taken off the pro saws. It is not a pro saw.

But hey, if you need a good upper body workout and don't want to bother with a gym membership, maybe a Stihl would be a good buy. Your shoulder and lats will definitely get stronger.
It sounds like you just don't know how to maintain a saw.

I have owned many Stihl saws, and presently use two of them on a weekly basis. 1-pull starts are normal, if it's been run at least once earlier in the day. Figure on 3 pulls if it's been sitting a week, and up to 5 pulls if it's coming out of storage after having been drained and run dry. That's the same as my Husqvarna and Echo saws, but all are maintained in good working order.
 
   / Stihl Chainsaw #80  
Appreciate everyone's replies on here. Still shopping around for best prices.

Best one for the money I've found.

See you on the other side!

*Queue Nearer My God To Thee*
I like to look at local support where possible. I'm fortunate to have local dealers and service. Online is great, but sometimes it's nice to be able to take equipment in and see the parts in person. Or have service done.
 

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