Buying a chain saw, what kind?

cpurvis

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Echo and Stihl are both good brands. So is Husqvarna, which I have.

Don't go overboard on bar length. My Husky only has a 16" bar but I was able to cut down a storm-damaged pecan tree that measured ~108" in diameter.

Some of the lesser known brands have good reputations, too, such as Johnserud and Dolmar.

I also have an early '80s Poulan Micro XXV which is still going strong but I can't vouch for today's Poulans.

Oops, I waited too long to edit this. I'm surprised no one called me out on this.

That tree was 108" in circumference, not diameter.
 

Ronno6

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I have sworn that my next saw will be a Stihl.
Seems like about every time you see a TV show where guys are using chainsaws for livelihood or use in remote areas, Orange and Cream are the colors on their tools.
I have used Craftsman (Poulan) for years, but hey require pretty constant chain/bar/drive sprocket replacement, even when the oiler is working.
Do try to see who actually makes the saw of your interest, as some brands sell saws from more than 1 manufacturer.
 

cpurvis

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Stihl's wear out chains, bars and sprockets just like any other saw. It may seem like they don't on TV because they don't bother to show you the footage of sharpening chains and flipping bars--nobody's interested in that.

'Product placement' is an advertising method used in movies and TV programs. Companies pay to have their products prominently featured in the program. Everything from Coke and corn flakes to cars, and obviously it works.
 

7394

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Ain't that the truth.
 

173abn

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I have a sthil,my opinion..piece of crap.Bought a Jonsered,with the decompression release is a breeze to start and cuts good.However the way it cuts is only how good your chain is sharp....russ
 

bertsmobile1

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Stihl make saws in
Germany, excellent top end professional saws that your grandkids will pass down the line.
Italy & Spain, top end domestic saws that you will hand down to your grandkids.
Japan excellent saws in both domesic & professional ranges and smaller sizes
Argintina & Brazil acceptable saws that you might never need to replace if maintained properly , cheap to sell into the USA market under NAFTA
China , junk that might last 5 years if you are lucky, made cheap to be sold cheap because they are cheap to compete with Walmart rubbish.

Which one did you buy ?

The code is in the first 2 numbers in the serial .
Any number higher than 5 is in the disposable range.
I still have my Farm Boss we bought new in 1981.
I lend it out to customers when their saws are going to be a long time for repair.
Every one loves it I could have sold it 20 times over.
The trick is I bought QUALITY, it was 2 weeks wages when I bought it.
Nothing you pay less than a weeks wages for will be a quality saw that will last a very long time.
There is also an 08 ( lightning ) with a 20" bar that gets loaned out, it is 55 years old and works perfectly, but without a chain brake I need to be careful who I lend it to.
 

173abn

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Jonsered made in Sweden has the same internals that it's cousin Husqvarna has. The Sthil I have had a busted fin on the flywheel,The dealer swore up and down quality control at the plant would never let the saw pass. Told him I'd never had the cover off and the only reason I saw it was a broken flywheel key, wound up having to buy the whole flywheel because the key is part of the flywheel. I know a lot of the brands make the flywheel and key as one,seems to be a crappy way of doing it because if you could just replace a key would be way cheaper. When I was told the price of a flywheel I went home and tried to cut a groove on the busted flywheel and use a key but could'nt do it. ...russ
 

bertsmobile1

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Jonsored was the first company Husqvarna bought out when they were hived off by Electroluxe.
AFAIK Jonsored was not exported much and mainly a European brand.
They are very well designed and the ones from Europe are also well made, the ones from China are rubbish.
Huqsvarna are yet to come up with a logical brand management plan as they are still running around grabbing brands like a kid in a lolly shop.
The Rider Pro version of ride ons are rebadged Jonsoreds.

Sounds more like you have a dealer problem than an equipment problem.
And it sounds like it was a low end Chinese made saw.
I do not agree with the management idea of spanning the entire range of quality levels with a single brand.
As you have just demonstrated it weakens the brand name
Stihl are even worse in this regard because they make the same model saw to different quality levels so it confuses the buying public.
A sheared key on a hand held is extremely rare as they are on a taper and the taper takes all the load all the key does in locate the flywheel for accurate timing.
While not impossible to do you have to cause the engine to come to a dead abrupt stop and have the mounting bolt loose at the same time.
Because saws have clutches on them this rarely ever happens.
Usually I only see this on blowers where debris got sucked into the blower are intake or cheap no clutch line trimmers
 

jekjr

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The Dolmar name is on final closeout at the manufacturer and is being replaced with the Makita name. Same saw as Dolmar with the Makita name on them.
Have not run a Dolmar in years but we ran them in logging crews years ago and they were awesome saws.
 

JBrzoz00

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I understand Stihl can only be bought at a dealer. That's fine but what about parts? Can parts be bought online? Or have to go to the dealer? That may be the downside as dealers aren't usually open when I would have time to go.
 
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