"Pro-grade saw"

[fluidpowerpro]

Forgive me if this is a dumb question.
Even though Ive owned a few chainsaws in my life, I don't consider myself very knowledgeable regarding the subject. 
I do realize that there are differences between a cheap, throw away, saw and something better, but beyond that, Im quite ignorant.
I suspect that there are others here that would put themselves in the same category. 
That being said, I often see the term "Pro-grade saw". 
What makes a saw, pro-grade?
Can someone please educate me.

[lxskllr]

Price  :^P

Seriously though, pro saws generally provide more power for less weight. They also tend to be more repairable, especially compared to homeowner grade saws.

[doc henderson]

on pro saws often the side case uses metal like Magnesium, I think?  also, more durable and strong chain tensioner and bar holding bolts.  and yes, more poser to weight.  usually have a decompression valve.



 

these are the 3 homeowner saws I have.  the first one is electric, and it is what it is.  I would not cut firewood with it but great to trim little nubs on the mill, or cut a slab in the dead of winter in my shop with no fumes, and no noise per se, and it starts every time.  the second is a m251c (I got as my sons first saw) with a plastic cover and child friendly tensioner (tool-less).  It has EZ start where you can pull the rope slow 2 or 3 time to wind a spring then it turns over.  easier, but you really do not know when the spring is going to turn the saw over.  the back one is a 271 farm boss the next saw for my son.  there is no decomp valve on any.  I do not see an oil adjustment screw on the bottom on any.  It looks like they all have the star type drive gear that is part of the clutch drum.  most all frame components are plastic.

[doc henderson]

Here are my pro saws, still in the truck from the Walnut tree with burl.



 

they all have decomp valves and oil adjustment screws.  metal cases.  they have the drive sprocket that has more of an enclosed groove and gear.  The rear is a ms880 with a four-position start switch.  full choke, half choke fast idle, run, and off.  no computer solenoid. It uses a .404 chain.  It usually has a 5-foot bar but had the 3-foot bar on for that project.  I through the chain on the big walnut when splitting the burl log as i could not lift it with the 277c cat track loader.  the idle one is my oldest Stihl.  bought in about 1996 and was my only saw for years.  still runs well.  it uses a 3/8th pitch chain.  It has a 3-foot bar hanging up and not needed since I have the 880.  It normally has the 2-foot bar on it.  the front saw is the ms261c.  I had trouble with it starting early on and the test came out normal for the solenoid twice.  finally, the dealer said, let's just replace it with a newer model solenoid.  It has run great since.  it uses a .325 chain.  It usually has a 20-inch bar.

[Colonel428]

As mentioned above one of the biggest differences between "homeowner" saws and professional saws is the cost to repair vs the residual value of the saw.  I own pro grade Husqvarna xp saws but bought a near new Stihl 291 (homeowner saw) for $100 and gave it to a friend of mine.  He straight gassed it and killed the engine.  Stihl dealer wanted $400 to repair it with OEM parts.  That's spending $400 to fix a used saw that you can buy new for $500.  Sure, you can save money by using aftermarket parts but unless you're able to do the work yourself you still gotta pay someone to work on it.  I just picked up a newer looking Husqvarna 455 rancher (homeowner saw) that a guy straight gassed.  He was going to throw it in the garbage because it was going to cost as much to repair as buying a new one.

[twar]

Yes, what Doc said. Above is a plastic housing on which the entire motor is "nested". This is an old Stihl 025.
Below is an older Stihl 028, with a split metal case which houses the crank, with the cylinder bolted on top of the case. These are commonly referred to as homeowner and pro saws, respectively.

(It's amazing how many projects can be packed in to such a small shop.  :D)



 

[barbender]

 For me, mainly a pro saw gives me the best power for weight, better balance and usually throttle response as well. 

 As far as repairability, I've had several situations where even my pro saws weren't really worth investing the money in to rebuild. Certainly not having a shop do it, because I'd end up with nearly the price of a new saw invested in it. So repaiability really isn't a factor for me, they all kinda end up a wash if they need major repairs. 

 In all honesty, around the sawmill and home place I could make do with a bigger homeowner saw. And many people would be completely happy and well served with one. I have folks come to me for new saw advice on occasion. I always suggested a pro saw for longevity and performance. Typically they opted for a homeowner saw instead. I started to realize, the homeowner saw did everything these folks wanted to do with a saw, for a lot less money. Now I just recommend a good homeowner saw, unless the performance of a pro saw really tickles them🤷

[firefighter ontheside]

I bought my pro saws because of the power to weight ratio.  I had an MS291 that was underpowered for the 20" bar on it.  I replaced it with a 362 which was about the same weight, but with considerably more power.  I got it very lightly used for a good price.  I bought my MS261 new for a very good price due to the dealership going out of business.  It's about the same weight as my old 025, but also with considerably more power.  I suspect that the fact of being easier to rebuild will never be a factor.  

[Al_Smith]

Home owner saws do okay for what their intened use but for things like tree service work are not that robust in the long haul .I've got many boxes full of parts from those they tried for tree service that might have lasted at best two years .Conversely I've got many saws over 40 years old that run as good as they did brand new . I doubt they had been fed a diet of gasoline and oil at a 50 to one ratio .

[Daburner87]

Ive had a lot of luck with Echo's homeowner stuff.  Lots of hours on them, never an issue.  The only Stihl I have has had and still has problems.   The weight isn't too big of an issue for me, I'm not scaling trees, or using for more than 2 hours a day at most.

[Gary Davis]

once you use a pro grade you wont want to go back

[DHansen]

Just my opinion from a home owner that heats with wood since 1985.  Vibration is my first complaint on some low cost brand name saws.  Second is gas and oil cap ease of use.  Third chain tension screw placement.  There are pros and cons to every model and from every manufacturer.  And longevity is engineered into this type of products.  For me I will spend the extra money for the options and features that I consider important.  I tend to stick with and find what I want in the higher end of the product line.  I have several homeowner designed saws and they work great for me.  I have homeowner saws that I think suck.  Some time you don't realize a gem till it's been out on the market for 5-7 years.  Just my rambling opinion.

[RetiredTech]

  I'm kinda window shopping for a larger saw now. I just don't know what I should be looking for. My current biggest saw is an 40cc Echo with  either an 18 or 20" bar, I don't remember which. It has served me well for years. However, I do need a larger saw from time to time to cut trees in the 30"+ diameter range. I don't think I need anything as big as the ms880. What would you guys recommend? The Echo would probably continue to be my goto for most normal jobs and I've got a pair of small Husqvarna 136 saws I use for limbing and smaller trees.

[lxskllr]

The echo 590 will wear a 20" bar nicely, and a 24" bar satisfactorily. If you're looking to do it without double cutting, you'd probably want a 90cc saw from Stihl or Husqvarna. They're a lot of saw to carry though, and very thirsty. I have a 661 mainly for milling, but it's nice to have for the occasional big wood. It's a lot of money if you aren't always doing big trees.

[doc henderson]

RT if I were in your shoes, and money no object I think I would try the 500i with a 20 inch and 32 or 36 inch 2nd bar and chain.

[TroyC]

I just got the Echo 590 with 24" bar. Used it to cut a couple trees, one tank of gas thru it so far. It has the decompression button. Ordered a 20" bar/chain also. I'm in the 'homeowner' group, by no means a professional user but I probably cut more than most 'homeowners'. For me it is the nicest saw in my collection, worked great. Does not have a primer bulb so I wonder how it will start if it sits for a while.  I like the Echo's, told my friend, it they don't start, put gas in them! My oldest 16" Echo was bought in the early '90's, the old gray case one, still starts and runs fine!

[barbender]

RT, a saw in the 60-70cc class is what your looking for, imo. I have a Husky 562 in my collection that gets used more than anything else. It wears a 20" bar. I have a Stihl 500i I bought used this winter because it was a great deal. It is very light for how much power it has but it is still a large saw. I may pick the 500i up before the Husky 390xp, but I'll grab the 562 before either of them.

[Magicman]

It's easy for us to spend your $$ Wes but I would still be happily using my non-pro Stihl MS310 if it had been equipped with a decompression button.  I very satisfactorily used a 20" bar.  I was using the "sawmill's money" when I upgraded to an MS362 pro saw which is also a 59cc, and have been very pleased. 

I would seriously consider a non-pro Stihl MS311 59cc which is the MS310's replacement and has a decompression button.

Regardless of what you decide, much depends upon having a reliable dealer.  

[Gary Davis]

I made the mistake of getting the 500I with a 32 light bar now I don't like my other saws, the power to weight is awesome  

[teakwood]

I have the 500i since about 6 month, i don't touch the 361 anymore, my worker uses them now for pruning and tree top cutting. i love the 500 for felling and bucking

[RetiredTech]

  I don't think a 20" bar is going to do it for me. I hadn't thought about using a saw with multiple length bars. Money is definitely not growing on any trees I've found around here. Just had to buy a new splitter too. But you have to have tools to work with.
  My Branson/Stihl dealer recently retired and sold his business. I'm not sure if the new owner kept the Stihl dealership or not. I know he dropped Branson leaving me without a local dealer. :'( 
  I've seen Stihl saws in pawn shops before, usually very beat up and priced high. I'd be afraid of paying too much for a saw with an unknown background. I'm sure something will come up. It always does.

[Magicman]

I bought my 25" bar when I was still using the MS310 and I have used it on the MS362 a few times but I found out that the 20" bar will handle the greatest majority of anything that I normally have to saw.  I saw from both sides with anything much over 24" anyway so my 25" bar is very seldom used.

[Mooseherder]

Do the pro saws leak bar oil when not in use like the Joe home owner saws? :D

[RetiredTech]

  My current saw is either 18" or 20" and it does cut most of what I need cut. I have had a couple instances where it just wasn't big enough. I'm thinking a 32" or 36" bar is probably what I need for the  big stuff and then maybe run a 18"-20" bar on it most of the time or just use the old Echo. We've had 4 trees I know of in the last few years that were too large for me to do anything with. One large oak is still rotting where it fell during a storm.
  I've got a huge Oak behind my house that needs cutting. I could buy a nice saw for what the local tree service guy wants to cut it and still have some change left over. Plus he wanted the log.

[RetiredTech]

Do the pro saws leak bar oil when not in use like the Joe home owner saws? :D

You mean that's not a feature?