Why does the "Wild Thing" exist?

[montanaman]

I did some service work on a Poulan Wild Thing. Customer has been called, but hasn't picked it up yet. Hope he doesn't stick me with it because I'd throw it away before I would sell it!! I even cut my labor charge down a lot out of guilt because I now know what a hunk of junk this thing is!

It all started with me selling a replacement chain for the saw. A day or two later, the saw comes back and the throttle is jammed, and I'm asked if I can look at it. Well the idle screw fell out of the carb and fell down the handle and jammed the throttle. Fix that and notice that the chain is climbing out of the bar groove. Look at the chain and notice the sprocket is so bad that the drive links on the chain are getting smashed by the sprocket, between the teeth. Now the chain is trying to climb out of the bar.

Track down the sprocket from Poulan and find out they want more for shipping than the part costs? I guess when you have a few dealers around, you have to handle your direct parts sales in a full list, high freight manner so the dealers don't get mad. Because it's a different sprocket than most Poulans, I can't get it through any of my usual sources, but I find it and buy it from ebay.

Get this junker back together and start it up to set the idle speed. Well right away I know why the idle screw fell out. There is absolutely no anti-vibration in this purple and green junker at all. I only ran it for a few minutes and for a few seconds at higher RPM to check the oiler and make sure the chain was tracking OK and my hands were almost asleep!

I hope this guy shows up and pays his bill soon!!

 

[MrJimi]

I have a couple of friends that love those things and I was thinking about getting one
What would suggest for a low price homeowner say? I have an old yellow McCullough that wont start the second time and won't run any longer than 1 minute. I've been using my sawsall with a heavy wood blade but I don't have electric everywhere

 

[Bird]

Sometimes companies do, over a period of time, either raise or lower the quality of their products. The place I've noticed that the most over the years has been with RVs. I know about the cheapest piece of junk motorhome in 1972 later because much, much better quality. By the same token, I've seen some good ones go downhill fast.

So I wonder if that's what happened to Poulan and their chain saws. I had one of their chain saws 30 years ago and it never gave me any trouble at all. I gave it away, still working great, after 11 years because I sold the house and went to full time RVing. Then in the late '90s, I bought another one and it, too, never gave me a minute's trouble. I only sold it when I was selling the place in the country and moving back to town. So I guess you could say I've been a fan of Poulan saws; lightweight, easy to start, and dependable. However, if I remember right, this is the second or third time I've seen something about their poor quality on TBN. And last Fall, one of my brothers bought a new one, tore it up, and returned it for a refund in less than a month. I guess I'd have to think twice before buying one now.

 

[marks]

Big E, I purchased a Remington electric for my wife to use. What a piece of junk, I gave it away. Check Ebay for an electric Stihl or something reliable, you'll be glad you did.

 

[shvl73]

I guess mine is an exception. it starts and runs well. Its 4 years old and I leave the gas in it. It was a gift and I'm not going to complain. I do realize its a low end disposible saw and I don't think I'd bring it anywhere for repair. I would expect repair costs would exceed its value.

 

[Jimbrown]

I have one also. i think i paid $89 for it new. It starts and runs after sitting for months at a time. I only use it to cut down mesquite trees that make me mad every so often. I don;t think the cahin would standup to any real use, and mine will not idle period.

 

[DmansPadge]

I had a Poulan given to me about 4 years ago. Thankfully it was given to me because I would have been mad if I would have spent money on it. I did get a little use out of it here and there but it constantly had problems... the pull start recoil being the worst. Then Hurricane Rita hit and I had no choice but to go get a new saw. I bought an Echo CS440 and have loved it. The Echo probably cost twice as much or more than the Poulan, but, I have used it through two hurricanes and clearing 3 acres without even a sign of a problem or showing any real wear. I ended up giving the Poulan to a friend that wanted it... now I understand why it was given to me.

 

[montanaman]

I guess what got me the most was the complete lack of thought to vibration when they built this thing. They gave it lots of marketing hype with the "wild color scheme", but put no quality in it. I've run a few of their PRO models, and while there is nothing PRO about them, at least they don't shake apart!

I say if you can settle for a Poulan, at least get the PRO, with anti-vibe and it is supposed to have a better cylinder that should last a bit longer.

My biggest complaint is that for anything bigger than limbing, they just don't cut it. They put a big bar on a very weak power head in order to make it look like a great value. The only way they get this combination to work at all is to run a skip chain, with two links between each cutter. This causes it to cut painfully slow and want to bind when cutting larger diameter hard wood.

My dad had a Poulan Wood Shark, I think it was. I was glad when he asked me to set him up with a new smaller saw because the Wood Shark had no chain brake, and he is not an experienced operator at all!

I sold his like new Poulan for $50 to a guy who wanted me to repair the same saw for him. It a lucky day for both of us!

 

[EddieWalker]

I had a Poulon Pro and thought it was a very good value for the money. I got the idea that chainsaws were cheap enough to be throughaways. Kind of like electronics have become. I burned out the Poulon Pro ripping oak beams and cutting 1 1/2 inch slabs off of them over a period of time. It did the job with the wrong blade, so I'm not complaining at all.

I tried the wild thing along the lines of the cheap throw away. It didn't last the day, and all I was doing was de-limbing cedar trees on the ground. I took it back and got a full refund and bought another Poulon Pro. This one was either a lemon, or the first one that I had was a gem. It just wasn't the same saw. The chain wouldn't stay tight, it kept coming off and then the sprocket stripped out. This was in just a few days. I took it back and got a refund.

I had already had a huge disapointment with Husqavarna, so that was out. I won't give them anymore money.

Echo and Stihl were the two that I had to chose from. I have a local dealer that sells both and that I had just bought an Echo weed eater from. He said that for the same money, the Echo had a bigger gearbox and more power. I expected him to say the same thing when it came to buying a good chainsaw, but he suprised me. He said the Stihl was the better saw for the money. I have two Stihl's now and agree that they are quality tools. Lots of power without any quit in them.

Eddie

 

[MikeD74T]

I have a couple of friends that love those things and I was thinking about getting one
What would suggest for a low price homeowner say? I have an old yellow McCullough that wont start the second time and won't run any longer than 1 minute. I've been using my sawsall with a heavy wood blade but I don't have electric everywhere

Mr Jimi, Your post brought back a funny memory. In the 60's our town had a sporting goods store / motor repair shop that sold Homelite chainsaws. The owner always started his sales pitch by telling customers they should by a McCollough if they wanted a long lasting saw because they wouldn't stay running long enough to wear out ! I can hear him saying that now. Thanks for the memory. MikeD74T

 

[Jimmyp5]

Funny, I have one, and have worked the heck out of it. It's just like all the Troy Built stuff at Lowes... if it breaks you trash it... so far my wild thing starts and runs well... do agree the chain is sometime a little bit of a issue it's the quick adjust ... if you use it, expect the chain to come off after a few minutes of cutting... I just max it and adjust the old way...pull until the chain is tight and then tighten the bar down.

 

[MFL]

MrJimi,

Bought a Homelite 16" when I first bought our property. Didn't know any better, and bought a lot of stuff from the box stores back then. Since then, I've picked up a Husqvarna and a Stihl from our local guy that sells both. The Husky and the Stihl are 20" and 22" and I've beat the snot out of both. Great saws, but for the price they should be. The thing is the Homelite is still kicking and doing what it is meant to do well. I use it for limbing, spring clean up, etc. Light weight, starts on the first pull and except for a new chain on ocassion and regular maintenence, haven't had to do anything to it. Money well spent at $130.

 

[MFL]

Sorry, forgot to mention the "Wild Thing" thing. When I was a kid many moons ago, I managed a ski shop in the mid-west. We used to carry a ski line called K2. I learned a very good marketing lesson early on through them. When they first came out they called their skis names like ' The Cheeseburger' and 'The large Fries'. The skis were so rotten they would delaminate and crack within days of getting them on the slopes, but because of the cute names they sold a ton of stock. K2 went on to become a market leader and one of the best known ski brands in the world, but in the beginning, marketing got them over the hump.

To this day, when I see ANY product with a cute name I get suspicious. Decals and marketing can take you a long way when your product is a pile a cr*p!

 

[Egon]

Hey, I got a pair of K2 Extremes!

 

[davitk]

i bought a "Wild Thing" 8 years ago for cheap and not expecting much, haven't had a lick of trouble with it (leaks oil but so what). For the price I would consider it a disposable saw, I just haven't had to dispose of it yet

 

[MFL]

Egon,

Like I said, this was back in the dark ages. '75-'76. Since then a lot of gold and world championships have been won on K2 boards. Was a Dynastar man, myself. Used to live on skis back in the day, closest thing to perfection was a good run on a black diamond anywhere in the Rockies! Haven't been on a pair since before snowboarding got big. Probably have to be air lifted off the mountain if I tried it now!

 

[EastTexFrank]

I agree with a lot of what you say. I'm on my second Wild Thing in 10 years. The lastest one is 2 years old. I must admit that I've never had any real trouble with them and view them as "throw aways" although I did keep saw #1 for spares. I agree with you about the vibration. I find that if I'm using it all day them it's my elbows and forearms that hurt, not my hands or wrists.

A few years ago we lost a huge oak tree in the yard. A friend came out one week-end to help me cut it up and brought his Stihl. He must have outcut me at least 2 to one. When this current green and purple monster dies a death, that's what I'll probably replace it with.

By the way, I bought a 12" Efco from Northern Tool for pruning and limbing. I looked at the 12" Stihl but they wanted something like $700 for their Arborist saw. So far I've been impressed with the little thing.

 

[Egon]

MFL:
What bugs me is that the skis and and bindings [Salomon800's] and Salomon racing boots are now obsolete!

I can remember the salesperson saying " For our older customers we recommend these" which ain't what I bought.

Then there were those midweek days when it was ski into the chair with no line ups!

 

[montanaman]

I agree with a lot of what you say. I'm on my second Wild Thing in 10 years. The lastest one is 2 years old. I must admit that I've never had any real trouble with them and view them as "throw aways" although I did keep saw #1 for spares. I agree with you about the vibration. I find that if I'm using it all day them it's my elbows and forearms that hurt, not my hands or wrists.

A few years ago we lost a huge oak tree in the yard. A friend came out one week-end to help me cut it up and brought his Stihl. He must have outcut me at least 2 to one. When this current green and purple monster dies a death, that's what I'll probably replace it with.

By the way, I bought a 12" Efco from Northern Tool for pruning and limbing. I looked at the 12" Stihl but they wanted something like $700 for their Arborist saw. So far I've been impressed with the little thing.

Not $700, but the MS200T is almost at $600. They do have a MS192T that is a lot less money than the MS200T. I don't sell a lot of top handle saws and most buying them are making a living with them. It seems that once a tree climber uses the 200T, that's all they will buy!