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I will be in the market for a chainsaw in the near future, and since I'm not sure what to look for I need all of the help/advice I can get. I would prefer to stick with one of the "premium" brands just in case I would ever need to service or re-sell it, but the only names that come to mind that are "premium" (to me) right now are either Stihl and/or Husqvarna. Are these good, or are they the Bose of the chainsaw world?Normally I would do my own "homework", and I still will, but since I'm sailing into strange waters I thought maybe somebody here could steer me straight and offer some help.
Thanks.
Jim
Follow Ups:
Their top choice was the Stihl 025C, followed closely by the Echo CS-4400, and the Husqvarna 345 and 350. They rated the Craftsman Red Chassis 35048 and the Stihl 018C as "Best Buys" -- meaning almost as good as the best at about half the price.
"Music is the medicine of a troubled mind." -- Walter Haddon, 1567
This sounds similar to all of the advice given below, with specific model numbers thrown-in to boot. It's somewhat gratifying to hear that an independent agency agrees with my informal poll (This is a smart group we have here!), and I appreciate your looking this up. Thanks!And, Bruce? I'll give them newer Craftsman ("Craftsm e n"?) chainsaws another look. Sounds as if they've improved on their performance and reliability. And if I came off as overly "negative" below, my apologies.
Jim
you guys probably have to deal with a hell of a lot more trees than I do. Looks like the folks that have real tree challenges favor Husky. I was just joshing around about vindication and all that, but was curious about WestFest participation.
How is Tuscon? Are ya coming to WestFest in Palm Springs this year?
as I used to build Stihl chainsaws wayyyyy baccck about 30 years ago about the same time when Magellan discovered the Spice Islands in the South Pacific. I even went to work for their molding and casting foundry in Hamilton Ontario for 3 months as part of my training. Based on my experience with it we build them to last heck we even get rid of the burr around the bushings and the handles so customers don’t get splinters during handling it when the motor start to whirrs away.BTW, 90% of the engine parts were heavy aluminum gauge I should know I poured and molded about 10, 000 of them when I was working at the foundry. If I remember correctly, they’re quite expensive as it took about 3 months of my salary to afford one back then. I’m not sure if they still build them as if they used to but if you can find a used ones say around 30 years old you can bet your sawdust dollars that they’re just as good as it gets.
Wow! That company has been around a Helluva long time, huh? But that makes you how old, exactly? :)You've lead an interesting life, haven't you? Cool.
And Thanks!
Jim
has been going strong for some 20+ years.
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
Hmmm....I wonder where they're sold.I'll give 'em a look-see. Thanks!
(Have we driven our son's new vehicle yet?)
Jim
........You reminded me that I have a \made in the USofA/ little Homelite 2-stroke chainsaw. I got it about 18 years ago and it has never missed a beat.I use it to trim the dozens of Grevilleas we have around the place. As the name suggest it is light and I can easily use it overhead to trim the shrubs/small trees etc. (there is no-way I would attempt that with the bigger saws)
Smile
Super EZ. Very nice saw for smaller tasks.
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
.........……….Around here in the local farming community suggests, I think without exception, all the farmers use either Stihl or Husqvarna.So I think you are on the right track with either of those.
FWIW my preference is Stihl.
Smile
Sox
Farmers! Duh! (Slaps forehead). Sheesh, why didn't I think of that before? If a tool can stand-up to a Farmer's use and still keep him satisfied then that's good enough for me.Thanks, Soxie!
Jim
I don't think you will regret it. Several people
I know have had very good luck with them. All this
talk about Craftsman reminds me of my chainsaw.
Believe it or not I still my Dad's Electric Craftsman
chainsaw and it still works great. For small trees
and trimming it works great. Just be careful and
don't cut your leg or anything MORE IMPORTANT off... ;-)
You could always "hit-up" Mrs. scm for my new TT....:)
Jim
Hi,
they are the most popular brand around here. Lots of pros use them.
More important than the brand is getting the right size. Some of the small ones are are dangerous, IMHO, if you are taking trees down. Mine is a couple steps up and I installed a longer than standard blade for larger trees. I've had mine for several years.If you haven't used them before, even the good ones are deadly.
Always wear eye protection. I used to wear 2 pairs of rugged pants, but
I have gotten a bit casual with it. I have had it bounce and hit my leg with the chain still turning. It was just luck that it hit sideways and
didn't even leave a bruise.Be careful, and don't think once, much less twice, about dropping it and running if things go wrong. Speaking of wrong, plan your exit.
If the tree comes your way know ahead of time where you are going to go.
I, too, have had the bar hit me in the leg, and on one occasion it was still turning and ripped a hole in my Levi's. Not a scratch on the leg, though, but it scared the hell outta me and taught me a valuable lesson.
Jim
Buy a Craftsman.
And I borrow it quite often (but I don't really care for it). Don't get me wrong- I like Craftsman tools. Heck, I have a whole garage-load of Craftsman handtools. However, their chainsaws leave a little to be desired ever since they started farming-out the manufacturing to, uh, a vendor best left unmentioned.Maybe I'm just getting old. Remember when your Father (or some other old dude) used to say, "Eh! They just don't make 'em like they used to". Well sir, I'm finding myself saying that more and more now...
(sigh)
Jim
I use it a lot at the cabin for cutting firewood, and for various cutting I've done around here. It's taken everything that I've thrown at it, from 15" diameter oak logs that I picked up down in the Cities to the 8"-10"Chinese elms I've taken down here at my house. It comes with an 18" bar now, and priced as low as $259. I have to give it a thumbs up, but I can't comment on the Craftsman or other saws, since I haven't used them.
And my apologies again that our schedules didn't work out better this weekend. Shame you could only pop-in for 15 minutes, but I guess that's better than nuthin'.
Jim
Not to worry, Mon....I let Josh drive back. He only gave me heart failure once; probably better than I was the first few times I drove.Based on the above postings though, it's hard to see you going wrong with either a Stihl or a Husky. I guess the real question is whether or not you're going to use the thing enough to justify the extra cost - if it's going to get a good bit of use, I'd spring for one of the above. If it's only going to see occasional use for pruning or taking a limb off here and there, then the Craftsman is probably a better choice, since will do an acceptable job without costing near as much. Whatever you end up buying, a spare chain and bar is also a good idea. I don't know how much you're used a chainsaw, but using one that's even marginally dull is not only hard on the saw - the hazard goes up by an order of magnitude.
One last thing - I bought my saw online from Alamia. After my experience with them, I could not recommend them to anyone else. Actually, I wouldn't recommend buying a saw online at all. Yes, you'd save a little money, but there are some good dealers out there that really go the extra mile to take care of you when you buy a saw from them. Then again, you're enough of a gearhead that it's hard to imagine you taking it anywhere to get it worked on. Never mind.....as you were. ;-)
the don't make nothing <> /i> like they used to.
They seem to be making these better these days!
Jim
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