Chainsaw brands, full time vs. part time.....

[Oldpath05]

Would someone say there's a plethora of chainsaws out there now. A guy I work with bought a $110.00 45cc Blue Max chainsaw couple years ago, he likes it, say it's all the saw he needs for part time firewood cutting. That same saw is on sale right now at HD for $169.00, come with 2 bars, the only issue I have is it come's from China, which make's sense at that price, then again so don't Apple products and their smart phone's are't cheap

Any taker's out there or would you rather spend $500.00 for a Husqvarna 550xp?
("What I can tell you is that Blue Max chainsaws are made in China and follow the recent trend of cheap Chinese-made chainsaws being introduced in the marketplace. But just because Blue Max chainsaws are made in China doesn稚 mean they aren稚 good. Apple iPhones are made in China and they?*e pretty darn good.")

Blue Max Chainsaw | Affordable Gas Power

 

[adventure bob]

I'm not sure you can get a new 550Xp for $500...
There's nothing wrong with consumer level saws. However when it comes to running a saw all day and having it withstand that type of workload, Id take the pro level saw. Working on the pro level saws is also much easier than the consumer saws. I can get my 550 torn apart in about ten minutes. My neighbors homelite is a jigsaw puzzle. There are a ton of other small things that make a difference if your using it all the time. Plastic parts instead of metal, replacement parts availability, dealer support.
Theres an argument that could be made for just buying two or three cheap saws and just chucking them as they break.

 

[MossRoad]

I wouldn't buy it. And I'm cheap. Super cheap. Read his other article...
Best Cheap Chainsaws | Reviews | Chainsaw Journal

There are better saws with better parts support for similar price range.

I have a 42CC Poulan Pro 18" saw. I've had it for quite a while now. I'm thinking about 10 years?. I got it for under $150. I've had to replace the fuel line ($1.00) and the muffler ($20.00 I think). I just ran it again yesterday for about 4 hours (3 hours run time). We heat our house with wood. So I cut about 6 cords per year with it for that. Plus wind downed trees, cleanup for the school/church, etc.... Its been a dependable saw. I'd buy another one.

 

[KennyG]

I'm a cheapskate on saws. I have a 15+ year old Poulan 14" and a 3+ year old Chinese off brand 18". They both work OK and get the job done, but I wouldn't buy the off brand again. On the other hand, the Poulan just keeps going. Maybe one of these days I'll buy a good one....

 

[LD1]

If you depend on your saw....either to keep you warm or for income....get something that will last. It will be cheaper in the long run.

To buy a saw, just to carry on the tractor or in the back of a UTV, for occasional trail maintenance or whatever....by all means buy a cheap one if you want

 

[MossRoad]

I wouldn't buy it. And I'm cheap. Super cheap. Read his other article...
Best Cheap Chainsaws | Reviews | Chainsaw Journal

There are better saws with better parts support for similar price range.

I have a 42CC Poulan Pro 18" saw. I've had it for quite a while now. I'm thinking about 10 years?. I got it for under $150. I've had to replace the fuel line ($1.00) and the muffler ($20.00 I think). I just ran it again yesterday for about 4 hours (3 hours run time). We heat our house with wood. So I cut about 6 cords per year with it for that. Plus wind downed trees, cleanup for the school/church, etc.... Its been a dependable saw. I'd buy another one.

I went back and looked. I bought the Poulan saw in October of 2009. So about 7 years old now. We bought our wood burning stove in 2008 and I wanted to upgrade from my father's old Craftsman 18" saw (also Poulan made). He died in 95, and he had it well before he retired, so it was probably 20 years old. I wanted something with a chain break.

So, I've got about $150 in a saw that has heated my house for 7 years. $21 per year so far.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I have several saws. My first was a 14 inch Poulan. It lasted a long time...about 5 years in, I bought a used Husqvarna 365 special...ran the heck out of it..... When the Poulan finally died, I bout a dolmar 420......I've had that for 6 years at least....just after I bought my land last year I saw a deal on a still 261c. I snatched it up...It makes a great go to saw for intermediate jobs. And in the spring, when I was clearing a lot of land I bought a Dolmar 7910. I would never buy a saw that doesn't have an inertial break. I also wear a helmet eye protection, ear protection and chaps. You can still kill youself. Saws are dangerous. Buy a good one.. Doesn't have to break the bank....but buy a good one.

 

[Billrog]

I have a HuskyXP for falling, bucking & fire wood. About 10 years a go I bought a 44cc Poulan with a 16" bar for $99.00 for a dowel making project but since have been using it for liming do to the fact it's nice and light compared to the large saw. I probably use between 10 and 20 tanks of fuel a year in it and so far it's ran like a champ. So for part time use most likely a reasonable investment.

 

[hslogger]

I am always constantly amused by the chain saw threads and haven't chimed in on one for long time, so here goes.
Regional differences in trees and wood are a given. So is terrain, and above all, your physical strength and real need to operate a gasoline chain saw in the brush or on your patio.
In the Pacific Northwest, Stihl and Husky have it wrapped up for professional users. You will find a Sachs here and there but by in large, the hobby brands are just that. NO ONE out here wants to work on those things. We call em disposable saws. If you have a local up brand saw shop in your locale, that's the guy you wanna buy it from for service and advice instead of the box stores.

I know some will say " I had a Stihl or husky and is was junk. Well there are models and then are models, some are lesser quality than the others and made for light use or flat *** balls to the walls heavy duty knockem down and buck em all day long. I am glad so many users have gotten good use from a PULL-on or Macattack or homeatnight.
And now my shameless plug for Madsen's logging supply and Baileys. Happy logging to ya'll.

 

[MossRoad]

I guess the question always boils down to someone asking themselves if they can justify purchasing an expensive saw for seldom usage. For me, there's no return on investment in a $500 saw. I'll never see it.