dillo99
Gold Member
Stihl or Husky...can't lose. I have the Husqvarna Rancher 55 and that thing just goes and goes.
Another Chain Saw Question
- Thread starter GarthH
- Start date
- Views: 9489
Nice thought.
This year I got a Honda 4 cycle trimmer/brush saw.
I wonder if we will see 4-stroke Honda chains saws.... PLEEEEZE !!!
2-stroke chain saws really ARE higher maintenance than they need to be.
JMAO
Yeah, guffaws came from the peanut gallery when 4-stroke outboards first appeared too (-:
WayneB
Elite Member
Garth, I am not sure why you are purchasing a chainsaw, but I would suggest that you spend money on a good gas powered saw. I suggest that you find someone that uses saws a lot and have him show you the operation of the saw. You should also learn about keeping the chain properly sharpened and the right tension on the chain.
Weekend saw users normally are living on the edge when it comes to using a power tools and chainsaws.
I would buy the very best saw you can afford. I believe the more expensive brand name saws are just built better, easier to maintain, have service centers that can provide parts or fix the saw.
At the same time I would buy a second chain, ample amounts of chain oil, files, and 2-cycle oil for mixing with the gas. Safety items would include helmet, gloves, ear and eye protection, and maybe chaps, although I do not use them, although I should!
Go to a dealer and have them explain the saws they are selling, be upfront with the guy and have him tell you the proper use and maintenance of the saw. Even if you don稚 buy from him he will have good information for you. If you go to a package store be warned that the guy selling the saw might not know a single thing about the saws he is selling.
By the way I switched from stihl to Husquvarna mainly because the Stihl dealer I was going to closed up shop. We have a Husquvarna dealer in town that has most parts on hand so it was easy to keep my saws running.
Weekend saw users normally are living on the edge when it comes to using a power tools and chainsaws.
I would buy the very best saw you can afford. I believe the more expensive brand name saws are just built better, easier to maintain, have service centers that can provide parts or fix the saw.
At the same time I would buy a second chain, ample amounts of chain oil, files, and 2-cycle oil for mixing with the gas. Safety items would include helmet, gloves, ear and eye protection, and maybe chaps, although I do not use them, although I should!
Go to a dealer and have them explain the saws they are selling, be upfront with the guy and have him tell you the proper use and maintenance of the saw. Even if you don稚 buy from him he will have good information for you. If you go to a package store be warned that the guy selling the saw might not know a single thing about the saws he is selling.
By the way I switched from stihl to Husquvarna mainly because the Stihl dealer I was going to closed up shop. We have a Husquvarna dealer in town that has most parts on hand so it was easy to keep my saws running.
Last edited:
mbohuntr
Platinum Member
I highly recommend the last post, Chainsaws are one of the most dangerous tools you can use and definately not a do it yourself learn as you go tool. They can and will seriously hurt you when you least expect it. Please get some run time in with a knowledgable person. And sharpening a chain makes the work better for you and the saw. Good luck whatever you buy. If a big storm knocks your power out, An electric saw would probably not work well. I've owned homelite, sears, mccullock, and stihl saws. I will not own anything but stihls now, last saw you'll ever buy! my little .025 has outworked me year in and out, I drop, and block-up at least 14 face cord for myself each year.(except this year, I moved.)
MossRoad
Super Moderator
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Good electric chain saws are not whimpy. For occasional around the home use they are fine and it is one less gas motor to deal with.
As for gas chainsaws... 2 stroke gas engines should not be a mystery. I seriously think that people that have trouble with them are always messing with the carb, spark plug, oil mixture, and that gets them out of adjustment. I've had several 2 stoke engines over the years, from tiny weed eaters, big weed eaters, chain saws, snowmobiles and I used to drag race a 400cc Yamaha 2 stroke twin RD400. Get it running right and LEAVE THE CARB ADJUSTMENTS ALONE!!!
KHNewman
Bronze Member
I would have to agree with most of the posters advocating gas over electric. I have a Stihl and an Echo and I use them occassionaly and they start in a few pulls even after months of not being used.
I was a climber for a logging company for 5 years and we only used Stihl and found them to be indestructible but I can't complain about my Echo climbers saw.
I see a lot of people who try to start small gas engines who struggle every time becasue they don't have a feel for how to use the choke, throttle and priming pump properly and end up flooding the engine and then just keep pulling and pulling. There is definitely a bit of an art to getting a two cycle engine to start in one or two pulls.
As one of the other posters mentioned a dull saw is a dull saw so keeping the chains sharp is critical. I keep 3 or 4 extra chains on hand and have them sharpened professionally. Most weekend users don't realize that you only have to barely hit the dirt once to really dull the saw. That can mean the ground or dirt on a log etc. The chains are really sensitive to hitting anything but wood and they dull FAST. Proper cutting and keeping the chain out of the dirt is the best defense against dull chains. Most novice users are constantly plunging that blade into the dirt and digging tomato gardens with the bar.
I would not recommend hand sharpening if you don't have a great deal of experience or a need for constant sharpening. I also find that once a chain is machine sharpened it gets too hard to properly hand sharpen although some disagree. Get yourself 4 or 5 extra chains and have someone sharpen them. At the rate you use the saw you might only need to have them sharpened once a year if you keep it out of the dirt.
I was a climber for a logging company for 5 years and we only used Stihl and found them to be indestructible but I can't complain about my Echo climbers saw.
I see a lot of people who try to start small gas engines who struggle every time becasue they don't have a feel for how to use the choke, throttle and priming pump properly and end up flooding the engine and then just keep pulling and pulling. There is definitely a bit of an art to getting a two cycle engine to start in one or two pulls.
As one of the other posters mentioned a dull saw is a dull saw so keeping the chains sharp is critical. I keep 3 or 4 extra chains on hand and have them sharpened professionally. Most weekend users don't realize that you only have to barely hit the dirt once to really dull the saw. That can mean the ground or dirt on a log etc. The chains are really sensitive to hitting anything but wood and they dull FAST. Proper cutting and keeping the chain out of the dirt is the best defense against dull chains. Most novice users are constantly plunging that blade into the dirt and digging tomato gardens with the bar.
I would not recommend hand sharpening if you don't have a great deal of experience or a need for constant sharpening. I also find that once a chain is machine sharpened it gets too hard to properly hand sharpen although some disagree. Get yourself 4 or 5 extra chains and have someone sharpen them. At the rate you use the saw you might only need to have them sharpened once a year if you keep it out of the dirt.
Egon
Epic Contributor
How do you get the experience?
One vote for sthil, if you go to sthil's web site they have a good product selector. The last saw I got 025 was out of a dumpster (yes someone threw it away) cleaned it up, put on a bar and chain, new gas, ten pulls later it started, a small carb adj and has worked great
Flatheadyoungin
Veteran Member
i used to work at a small hardware store that sold remington electric saws....JUNK.....they came back all the time, right after the people bought it......
with that said, my grandpa bought a used milwaukee electric chainsaw.......i was skeptical! let me tell you, it'll flat out cut......
however, he only uses a saw about every 3 years or more, so for him it suites him well.....
i really wouldn't want anything but gas, but that really depends on your situation....
with that said, my grandpa bought a used milwaukee electric chainsaw.......i was skeptical! let me tell you, it'll flat out cut......
however, he only uses a saw about every 3 years or more, so for him it suites him well.....
i really wouldn't want anything but gas, but that really depends on your situation....
KHNewman
Bronze Member
Egon - Hand Sharpening is an art. I worked with guys who could hand sharpen a saw so well you could shave with it. There is not a machine made that could put an edge on a chain the way they could. I watched them a thousand times and they explained all the principels to me and after 5 years of full time commercial logging I would consider myself adequate at best. I only hand sharpen a saw in a pinch when I am out of sharp chains and I can do a sufficent job to allow me to keep working but certainly not at peak performance.
The original poster is a novice and does not use his saw frequently. He does not have anyone to teach him how to properly hand shrpen a saw and does not have the frequent need for sharpening so he will get little practice. There is no substitute for practice and at his rate of use it will take him forever to become adequate at sharpening. It is a waste of his time and it would be better to invest in several chains and have them professionally sharpened.
I understand your point about learning and I am someone who is always willing to invest the time to learn a new skill but you also need to judge the amount of time it tkaes to learn the skill and the amount of use you will get out of the skill once you learn it and judge if it makes sense to invest the time necessary.
The original poster is a novice and does not use his saw frequently. He does not have anyone to teach him how to properly hand shrpen a saw and does not have the frequent need for sharpening so he will get little practice. There is no substitute for practice and at his rate of use it will take him forever to become adequate at sharpening. It is a waste of his time and it would be better to invest in several chains and have them professionally sharpened.
I understand your point about learning and I am someone who is always willing to invest the time to learn a new skill but you also need to judge the amount of time it tkaes to learn the skill and the amount of use you will get out of the skill once you learn it and judge if it makes sense to invest the time necessary.