Best and worst chainsaw?

[Skeans1]

I have had the same Stihl Farmboss saw for about 30 year. It has had to have a couple trips to the shop for tuneups and minor repairs, mainly to the fuel lines because they tend to break down over time. My expaierience is that it is not so much the saw as the chain you use. I bought a couple of "consumer grade" safe chains that would burn through a log faster than cutting it. A logger friend told me to go to a pro shop and ask for what he called a "skip tooth" chain. He said I would have to be careful or it would tear me up, but it cut through the same logs extremely fast and smoothly. Also, keep your chain sharp. Like a dull knife, a dull chain is much harder to deal with.

Have you ever seen a cutter like this?

 

[mx842]

Your photo prompted my question, both to you and any other chainsaw cognoscenti:

Background: I have used chainsaws (fire service roof operations, and ranch/firewood duties). I no longer perform either (residence no longer supports the need), nor possess a chainsaw.

Requirement: I intend to purchase a chainsaw for preparedness purposes. It will, in all probability, never be used. It will function as a "break glass in case of emergency" item for clearing downed trees to enable emergency egress/travel. I intend to store it in a saw case together with an extra bar, 2 additional chains, Stihl pre-mixed fuel, bar oil, etc.

Question: Does storing a never-fueled/never-operated, virtually new-in-box saw create any long-term issues to the saw itself?

(I considered a cordless/battery model, but with zero use for potentially years, battery life would be an issue.)

Thank you in advance for any input.

I'm just wondering what you are going to do with this brand-new saw that's never been run, and a big emergency pops up. You take it out of the box, and it turns out to be one of the late Friday afternoon saws that the guy putting it together has a hot date with a cute little hotty that has called him 5 times during the day reminding him of their date tonight. Sometimes stuff just happens, and you get a dud. In an emergency that's not the time to find out that you have bought one.
Get that sucker out of the box and run that thing at least long enough to get it broke in good. That way you can address the issue before your life depends on it.
I don't mean just take it out of the box and go outside start it up and rev her up a few times. Put the bar in some wood and let her eat for at least several tanks of gas. That's the only way you will know what you have. Three tanks of gas are not enough time to get it all the way broke in but at the very least you will know by then you didn't get that dud. Don't worry about the gas being left in the saw for long periods because these newer saws just like boat engines, 4 wheelers, name brand lawn equipment all have been built with materials that can take the use of the gas we have today. They are designed and built to run on reg ethanol pump gas.
I remember back in the early 80's when Mercury marine engineers finally figured out why all the fuel lines, gaskets, fuel pump rubber parts were turning to mush. They took the gas companies to court and was only one of the very few times Mercury ever lost in court. The ruling was that if they wanted to build engines, they needed to build them to run on what gas was available. It took them a couple years to come up with rubber parts that could handle pump gas, but they did it. I can't say much about the box store saws and other stuff you get from them, but I do know any of the name brand saws and equipment have been built to run on reg pump gas. The ones that saw you have to run their canned fuel for your warranty to stay active are just trying to soak the last bit of change you have in your pocket.
I'm not saying not to run the canned fuel that's your choice, run what you think is best. All I know is what I have found to be true there's nothing wrong with running pump gas. I would recommend you use the oil that the brand of saw has to offer. Water is the biggest problem to worry about with any engine especially 2 stroke engines.
Do yourself a favor and get that saw out and run the heck out of it for several hours and you should get her out every 5/6 months for a spin just to let her know you still love her.

 

[mx842]

Pick a brand of battery powered lawn equipment that you want to use (string trimmers, blowers, ect), and get a chainsaw that matches. I know that the power will be out when its time to use it, but keep 3 batteries charged and you won't need to worry about that. 3 batteries is enough to do quite a bit of work so long as you not cutting everything into firewood lengths. Cut it short enough to move it, and that's it.

Sitting there on a shelf, the rubber (intake boots, fuel line, oil line) on a gas powered tool will eventually dry out just like the old brake and vacuum lines on a car that sits in a garage or barn for years. If you use it from time to time, then you can run into carb issues if you use fuel with ethanol in it. Even with non-ethanol fuel, you still have varnish that can build up. Bottom line is that if you use it, it WILL eventually have starting issues. If you don't use it, eventually the rubber will dry out. With battery tools, when you squeeze the trigger, it turns on. Besides, battery powered string trimmers are nice and light

Bullshitske..........

 

[kozal01]

We have several Stihl MS 250’s and they have been very good saws. Aside from our Stihl fleet of chainsaws, we have been buying Echo Chainsaws recently. It’s hard to beat IMHO Echo for the price and feel they make great 2-cycle engines.

We have a 620PW which would be close to the 590.

My recommendation is go with a 50cc saw as a companion to your 590. We have a 501P and like it. I feel the 4910 is a better value and with a few exceptions, pretty much identical to the 501P. You might still find a 4910 at Home Depot or a dealer.

Another saw Echo recently discontinued is the CS400. If you look, you can still find a left over. They are a great saw too. We have one of these too.

Best of luck!

I had an MS250 for over a decade and it was a great saw for its price range for sure, never a lick of trouble from it when used within its duty cycle. It did tend to get hot when used for hours and would vapor lock sometimes but I was using it more than it was designed to be used. I replaced it with the 261 and it was a nice upgrade in both power and comfort but at twice the price of the 250 that was expected.

 

[TimberFarm]

Bullshitske..........

Depends on what you are cutting.
I had a Makita 36v 12", and a Makita 36v 14". The 12 was good for limbing and small brush. The 14 was good for anything up to about 10". They were both stolen along with my Stihl 390.
I replaced the Stihl with a Husq 562 mkii, and I absolutely replaced that 14" Makita. The 12 can wait.

 

[RFB]

I'm just wondering what you are going to do with this brand-new saw that's never been run, and a big emergency pops up. You take it out of the box, and it turns out to be one of the late Friday afternoon saws that the guy putting it together has a hot date with a cute little hotty that has called him 5 times during the day reminding him of their date tonight. Sometimes stuff just happens, and you get a dud. In an emergency that's not the time to find out that you have bought one.
Get that sucker out of the box and run that thing at least long enough to get it broke in good. That way you can address the issue before your life depends on it.
I don't mean just take it out of the box and go outside start it up and rev her up a few times. Put the bar in some wood and let her eat for at least several tanks of gas. That's the only way you will know what you have. Three tanks of gas are not enough time to get it all the way broke in but at the very least you will know by then you didn't get that dud. Don't worry about the gas being left in the saw for long periods because these newer saws just like boat engines, 4 wheelers, name brand lawn equipment all have been built with materials that can take the use of the gas we have today. They are designed and built to run on reg ethanol pump gas.
I remember back in the early 80's when Mercury marine engineers finally figured out why all the fuel lines, gaskets, fuel pump rubber parts were turning to mush. They took the gas companies to court and was only one of the very few times Mercury ever lost in court. The ruling was that if they wanted to build engines, they needed to build them to run on what gas was available. It took them a couple years to come up with rubber parts that could handle pump gas, but they did it. I can't say much about the box store saws and other stuff you get from them, but I do know any of the name brand saws and equipment have been built to run on reg pump gas. The ones that saw you have to run their canned fuel for your warranty to stay active are just trying to soak the last bit of change you have in your pocket.
I'm not saying not to run the canned fuel that's your choice, run what you think is best. All I know is what I have found to be true there's nothing wrong with running pump gas. I would recommend you use the oil that the brand of saw has to offer. Water is the biggest problem to worry about with any engine especially 2 stroke engines.
Do yourself a favor and get that saw out and run the heck out of it for several hours and you should get her out every 5/6 months for a spin just to let her know you still love her.

We used to live extremely rural. Intermountain west in a 1500 square mile county with 3000 people. Heavy timber area; we used to drive 10 minutes to harvest 20 cords. Now we have zero ability to run a saw as you suggested. We are now suburban residential, and the saw is intended for the aforementioned usage. I might have to write off the planned acquisition of a saw since it seems that it will not be a piece of equipment that can lie dormant and still be available for use.

 

[OzarkChris]

Mine too... he reminiesed of being able to not have to lock your doors or getting sued as a business because the public restroom sink was a half inch too high and the police actually came when called...

We dont lock our doors out here and quite frankly never have, not even when we leave for a couple of days! I hate to admit it, but we don't have a clue where the keys to our house actually are. Don't use them, so they just ended up somewhere quite some time ago! Just one of many reasons we love it out here!

 

[RayIN]

At 82 my Ryobi 14" 48V chainsaw is perfect, by the time the 6AH battery is run down so am I. I go to the house for R&R, put the battery on the charger, grab the 4AH battery, put it in the saw. Then sit on the back porch and drink a couple glasses of cold beverage for an hour.
If I'm feeling good I go saw until that 4AH battery is run down, then call it a day.
I have 2 great Echo gas saws, but my bad shoulders will not allow me to start either.

 

[Bmantel]

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 Pennzoil

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.

 

[TreePointer]

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)

Although some oil bottles say it's okay, Marine 2-cycle oil (TCW rating et al.) is not recommended for every air-cooled engine and certainly not for prolonged use. The additives in marine oils and air-cooled oils are often different because air-cooled engines tend to run hotter. You may not see carbon in the P&C, but it can be harder on the bearings over time.

There are also special air-cooled engines that benefit from specific 2-cycle oils. The Stihl 4-Mix engine (on many pole saws, string trimmers, and combination equipment) uses 2-cycle mix, but it also has valves that don't like most mixes other than properly mixed Sthil Ultra.