modern chain saws

[WTA]

Have any of you recently bought one of the little low priced chain saws and gotten really ticked off with it? I sure have. I did some research on the net yesterday on the particular model I got and was shocked to hear how so many other people were as frustrated as I am with the same model. In fact I couldn't find one good thing said about it except in the store reviews from places that were selling them. Makes you wonder.

I had an old Poulan that was nearly 20 years old till last fall when it finally wore out. I went out looking for another one but couldn't afford much so we got one of the 100 dollar ones from wally world. It has a 14 inch bar and was the same brand so I figured it must be good. The first time I used it it cut through limbs like they were butter. When I was done for the day, I cleaned it up, sharpened the chain and put it away like I always did with the old one. Then I had to use it again to clear a tree off our driveway that was blown over about a month later.
I filled it up with fresh oil and fuel and went to cutting and every time I put it down it would shut off. What a pain that is to restart the motor every time I pick it up.
I looked at the adjustment screws and they are some proprietary design and even with 20 years experience as a mechanic on everything from aircraft and steam engines to modern car engines, I couldn't come up with a tool to adjust it without firing up the lathe and making one. That was my first big disappointment with it. I wasted about 2 hours that day making a special tool and adjusting the carb. I did that after calling the customer service number in the owners manual and getting told they did not sell the tool or the shop manual for it. They said it had to go to an authorized service center. Also that since I did not fill out the warranty card that it was out of warranty so I'd probably be paying for it. Yeah right. I'm not spending more to have something fixed than I paid for it in the first place. I just junked my wifes car for that reason.
I got it to idle ok and went back to work but I have to say that idle adjustment screw is touchy. It's either too slow or its so fast it turns the chain. There is no in between no matter how precisely the mixtures are set.

I finished up the job that day, did my routine of cleaning it, sharpening the chain and putting some fuel stabilizer in the gas and put it up untill yesterday. About 9 months or so.
I had to drop a big honey locust in the yard and got it out. At first it was hard to start but I got it finally. I didn't readjust anything and it was running as close to perfect as it gets when I put it up last time. This time it wouldn't hardly cut through a 2 inch thick limb without bogging down. My chain was very sharp too. The high speed mixture was off I figured. I spent another 2 hours looking for that special tool I had made and readjusted it to work on the high end and then the darn thing wouldn't idle again.

Now I have rebuilt well over a thousand carburetors in my time and I know what I am doing. This thing is a piece of trash! I've done carbs on antique tractors, motorcycles, 2 cycles like this, hot rods and all kinds of stuff and I have never seen one that wouldn't get through one use without needing to be adjusted.
That tree was only 15 feet from my house and between it and another building so I was up in the thing with a harness on limbing it from the top down untill there was no danger of it falling on something. Imagine my frustration having to restart it every time I got done with a cut while hanging on to the tree in a harness 30 feet above the ground.
When I had to restart it probably for the fifth time I threw it as far as I could across the yard. Then I went in to tell my wife we're going to the store to buy a real saw! I came home with the biggest Husquevarna saw I could get. It's a 20 inch with almost 4 HP and is very nice. I don't care if it's a little heavy. At least it's working. The reviews all seem good on them and I don't think I'll have a problem with it.
I will never buy another cheap tool as long as I live! That little Poulan was a piece of junk!

 

[shvl73]

If it was roughly a month old, I would have returned it. Wal-Mart is easy to deal with on returns. My el-cheapo Poulan WildThing saw is 3-4 years old and still starts and runs well. I keep the chain sharp but, I don't do anything special other than that, old gas, etc...
I'm a infrequent saw user so it was (and is) good for me, so far anyway. my father-inlaw said I needed a saw and to go pick one out. I didn't see the need for an expensive one, so that was what I picked.
Maybe I've just been lucky.

 

[tallyho8]

After Katrina, the cheap Poulan was the only saw I could find to buy and I had to travel 180 miles roundtrip to get it. I was cutting trees 14 hours a day for months. The Poulan would last about a week or two then I would bring it back to Home Depot and exchange it for a new one. I went through about 6 of them plus a McCullough in 4 months.

My last one is barely running now and is out of warranty so I am also looking for a new saw.


And the only reason they even ran as well as they did was because I followed some advice from a friend who has repaired chainsaws for 50 years. He said to make sure to use the recommended oil and mix it EXACTLY. Even a tiny difference in the mix will require carburetor adjustment.

 

[streamin]

I bought 2 Stihl saws 5 years ago with many uses.No problems except a fuel line split.They cost more but reliability is worth it to me.

 

[kenmac]

WTA, I use to buy the cheap trimmers. Have been out in the heat trying to get the line to feed , trying to keep the thing running. Threw the thing away & bought a commerical grade string trimmer & have lived a happier life since

Buying cheap some times just ain't worth it

 

[Silver_Knight]

I bought a husky from TSC a while back and probably have a good 15 hours on it and am really impressed.

 

[ultrarunner]

It's worse in California...

My 35 year Craftsman 14' limb saw with Power Sharp finally wore out. I replaced it with a light commercial Echo with prime start 3 years ago.

The little 14" Echo has performed great, I paid $209 for it.

Last year I went back to the same Mower shop to buy two more for my brothers. The shop said the saw had been redesigned to comply with the new CARB standards and they have had starting and idle complaints from customers. The replacement saw no longer has the primer bulb. The shop recommended Stihl for more money.

CARB stands for California Air Resources Bureau.

I also learned that most of the inexpensive saws are mostly plastic and are rated for a 50 hour service life.

 

[tony123]

I'm a firm believer that a little extra money spend on a quality tool pays back dividends in spades. However, I have a Homelite Timberman 18" that I paid $120 for at HD. It's about a year old now and (I'm guessing) roughly 25 hours of cutting time on it. I've cut down roughly 40 trees and bucked them all into firewood.

If it died tomorrow, it was worth the $120.

I think my next saw will be a higher quality one, but only because I might appreciate joy of ownership more.

 

[Skyco]

I've got a Homelite20" also bought at Home Depot for about the same price.
So far it has been great. I've cut alot with it. Of course Homelite now isn't the old Homelite from the past...it is a Chinese company now owned by Techtronic Industries of Hong Kong since 2001!

 

[hayden]

For $400 to $500 you can get a Stihl or Husky that will last 20+ years, start every time, and work like a dog. It's just not worth the frustration and hassle to do anything else.

 

[SPIKER]

I have had pretty good luck with the 2 poulan saws I have the 18" wild thing from wally world, 130 bucks and a close out kmark 54 buck 14" poulan saw. bothy start & run great I got the poulan pro ole saw, reconditioned but it won';t run for diddly, I used a hunk of aluminum 1/4" tubing and filed it slightly to fit onto the carb adjusters, to get it running... still dies if tilted more than 45~50 degrees UP (maybe some sort of safety to prevent cutting limbs overhead???)

anyhow I use the poulan lube and have wore out several bars & many chains, (resharping them often by hand too) I bought it to cut rail road ties (18" wildthing) when I was building a tie wall ~300' long by 4~5' high with a 1/2 circle and multiple direction changes. believe me when I thought i'd ruin the thing sawing ties I wasn't far off, I even left it out int he woods for 18 months and it fired the 4th pull after finding it! that seems to me OK for 130 bucks out the door!

mark M

 

[Robert_in_NY]

We bought a Homelite saw a couple years ago that was reduced down at a small hardware shop. It doesn't run very well and you have to constantly fiddle with it. The old Homelites we have had run great and a couple are still going strong. But for new saws I will never buy another Homelite. We bought a Husqvarna hedge trimmer and Pole saw. Two different units and both are plenty powerful and have worked flawlessly. If the big, old Homelite finally dies I will buy a Husqvarna chain saw to replace it.

I have got tired of buying cheap tools that don't work when you need them. If you don't need a tool very often then the cheap ones will probably work but if you plan on using it any amount spend the money and buy a good machine.

 

[elad]

In 1971 I bought Stihl 020 chain saw with a 12 inch bar & chain. This saw
is probably an exception, but it has cut more than 100 tri-axle loads of logs
in approximate 24 inch lengths. I replaced bar 2 times, many chains. Rebuilt
carb. couple times or so. Replaced plug--?. Fuel line 3 times due to rot and once because of pinched line. Saw still runs & starts like it did new. Even
the pull card has never replaced. Needless to say, I've been happy with it.
Just thought I would tell you about my good luck. elad

PS Don't remember the price; but it was worth it.

 

[txdon]

I bought a Sears Craftsman in May and finally took it out of the box more than 90 days later. It kept dying the first ten minutes and then the pull cord would not wind in. That was a total of about six cuts till it's death.
Since it was more than 90 days since I bought, it Sears would only let me exchange it, but the new receipt says I can get a refund, from the new exchanged saw, If I bring it back in less than 90 days. HMMMM - Stihl

 

[cp1969]

The names Homelite, Poulan, and McCulloch have been ruined by their getting contracts to sell to big retailers such as Wmart, HDepot, etc.

That is why I cringe when I see Husky being sold at Lowe's(?) It is only a matter of time before the price pressure applied by the big box store leads to a decrease in quality of the tool.

 

[shaley]

I've got a '72 031 AV Stihl and it still runs great. Needed a carb kit once. Used it Sat to cut fire wood. The stihl's have a chrome cylinder bore for improved service life. I've never had much luck with the consumer brand saws. It seems they never want to run when I need them too.

 

[schmism]

Ive had a 039 i bought in 1994. About a year old at that time.

Ive serviced it regularly and i can still start it cold on a cold day in about 5 pulls.
I picked up an older 010AV from an estate sale. a little tune up and she runs good also but a bit more stubborn to start. But once running it will cut all day long.

Id buy a $250 entry level Stihl long before i bought 2 or 3 or more junk saws from HD, Lowes, wally world etc.

I consider my saws much like i do my generators. Perhaps they arnt used often, but when you have a need for it, its never a "oh i could use something else, but ill just fire up the saw instead" its usually a must have.

Shure i shop at HF... i buy sockets, and bolt cutters and stuff i dont expect to use but a few times once in a blue moon. The stuff i want/need to work reliably every time i turn to it. Thats when you see me skipping the cheep chit.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I bought a Husqvarna 460 a couple years ago and love it. I cut at least 10 cords of firewood a year and do other projects as well. The local loggers told me to get the husky. They say that the handle is on a Stihl to push the saw thru the log, the handle is on a Husky to keep it from hitting the ground because they cut so fast.

 

[rtimgray]

I've had three Homelite Chainsaws - we bought a 14" XL model in 1996 and I used it on the farm for 10 years or so and had very few problems. I would usually just finish with it and put it up, no cleaning, etc. I would change the air filter and spark plug occassionally, and put on good chains when needed. I also always kept it inside and dry when not in use. We paid $90 for it from Wal-Mart and got literally 100s of hours of use from it.

The second was an 18" that I got of eBay and it has been worth the money (bought it for about $80. It starts and runs good, but it's too heavy for most of my use, so I don't use it a whole lot. It's probably been a years since I used it at all.

Last year, when the XL finally died, I bought a new 14" Homelite (maybe it's a Ranger or something), for about $100 and proceeded to cut down 80 trees in clearing a fenceline. Since then, it's been used on and off with good luck. I will say that it is a bit harder to start (gotta prime it, full choke, pull 5 times, half choke, throttle lock, pull til start, etc etc), but once it starts and warms up its a single pull to start again. Idles great, easy maintenance.

I've also had 3 Homelite string trimmers and do a lot of trimming in the summer. I've paid anywhere from $60 to $90 depending on if it was the cheap curved shaft (never again) or the longer straight shaft and I get about 3 or 4 summers out of them, so that's about $20 or $30 per year, and I'm guessing about 50 cents or less per hour of use.

Now I have no doubt that if I bought a Husky or Stihl or Echo or any of the other higher brands, I would probably get longer service out of both of these items (chainsaw and trimmer). It's simply a case of "Good" versus "Good Enough". One of these days, I might get a Husky (mostly because they use the same fuel mixture as Homelite - I'm almost positive, correct me if I'm wrong). Until then, I'll probably stay with the "Good Enough" brand that worked for me over the years.

Good luck and take care

 

[Blagadan]

Speaking of McCulloch chain saws, I have a 35cc 14" McCulloch I bought back in 1997. By all accounts I only bought it because it was inexpensive and I didnt plan on using it much. I have to say though, It has far exceeded my expectations.
It is still going strong, has worked countless hours even cutting down large trees. I use it regularly and fairly heavily, and still do not needed to replace it. Yeah, I've fitted a few new chains alright but only had to replace 1 bar.... IN 10 YEARS...!
Sure, its a "man thing" to have a big expensive chain saw but, I paid very little for this McCulloch unit, its light, and it does what I want it to do... Starts on the third pull every time and it idles and runs at full revs perfectly.

I use this little McCulloch in preference to a clean shiney Husquvarna 18" I got as a birthday gift from my FIL. I only use the Husquvarna for big cuts, I find it gets uncomfortably heavy after a few hours of use.

General Advice...
Tallyho8 hit the nail on the head, the 2 stroke oil/fuel mix has to be spot on, and that is the case for a lot of low end 2T machines... Any time I have heard my friends complaining about their crap string trimmer or crap chain saw or crap blower isnt running well, I ALWAYS tell them to be meticulous when mixing the 2 stroke oil. if it says 50:1 on the cap then gosh darn it, make sure its mixed right, not a dollop of oil in the bottom of the can before you fill it with gas... It makes a HUGE difference to the performance of the tool.
I have finally convinced my dad of this (and that took some doing..lol). I was sick of seeing him in a cloud of white smoke when he was out with his trimmer, his motto... "a little extra oil for good measure", darn trimmer wouldnt rev to max, choked by too much oil in the mix.
40:1, 50:1... theres a reason for those numbers on the gas cap... lol.
If I got a dollar for every time my dad brought that trimmer over to me to adjust...
Sure you could tweak the screw on the side of the carb to get it to rev out, but then the low end would run like crap.... Usually I'd just walk into my workshop, drain the fuel, refill with my pre mix and off she'd go, no problems...lol
The only cleaning I ever give the saws is a shot of compressed air to blow out any chipppings buildup and maybe a rub of a cloth if I had nothing else better to do....