WHICH CHAINSAW

[alderman]

I just picked up a Shindaiwa 360.  I know its not big enough for some of you to consider it a chainsaw, but I thought it might come in handy when puttering around in the wood lot.  I've had good luck with the Shindaiwa's.
My old 500 that I purchased used for $100 finally gave up the ghost after 20 years of use and abuse.  I bought a used 488 to replace it and it runs well and is lighter than the 500.  If I need anything bigger I just grab my step dad's Stihl 045.  Mostly I stick with the small stuff. 8)

[rebocardo]

> I know its not big enough for some of you to consider it a chainsaw

Anything big enough to cut off a limb, attached to my own body, is big enough to call a chainsaw  for me :-D

[Ianab]

I know its not big enough for some of you to consider it a chainsaw,

Not if it's the right machine for the job  ;)
No one in their right mind wants to usea MS660 for pruning / thinning 6" dbh pine trees, where a saw like that is ideal for limbing, pruning and falling small tree, you can swing it round all day without killing your arms  :D

Ian

[beenthere]

Interesting poll, but not surprising, based on past general-comments made on the FF about chainsaws. Pretty even between the top two brands that cover 86% of the 'next-to-be'.  Probably speaks volumes for the distribution centers and dealerships in their organizations, as much as anything.

[customsawyer]

Tried to vote wouldn't let me.  I have two saws that I use around my mill and there are things that I like and don't like about both.
1. Husky 385 with 36" bar first thing I had to do was get a larger set of dogs for the front as the dogs that came with the saw would not grip the wood at a angle if you were trying to cut off a large limb close to the trunk and I don't care for the newer style choke lever/switch. Other than that I like the saw very much easy to start runs very well and don't have any trobles with it.
2. Stihl MS460 with a 28" bar seems to be harder to start as it will flood alot easier than the husky and the on off switch has been replaced twice so far also the decompression button likes to pop out early and make a heck of a yank on your arm if you ain't ready for it. It runs very well and gets lots of abuse and don't seem to mind just keeps cutting wood.

I think that a saw is some what like a truck in that they are all just as good as the operator. I've seen some really great trucks that were pur trash do to the loose nut behind the wheel.

[wedge]

ive got huskys and stihls but ill go out on a limb here and go with echo, ive got 2 cs4400s and theyre a good saw

[Raphael]

I'm running all Stihl: 026, 066, & MS660.  The big boys are primarily for milling.
  The MS660 was an emergency purchase this fall when the 066 was out for a rebuild.  My primary consideration in choosing the MS660 over a Husky 395XP was interchangability of sprockets w/ the 066.

Until Stihl lets me down they've got my vote.

[sawguy21]

Echo is a very good saw but the selection over 40 cc is very limited. The top handle units are nice to use.

[Jim Spencer]

I have a Stihl 066, Stihl 028, and love them.

I replaced an excellent 032 with a Stihl 029 which is the worst piece of spoiled kabasabobs anyone could ever buy.
Have not used it much but everytime I do I find out more about how they made a cheaper saw.
Studs screwed into plastic falling out.
The 029 piece of spoiled tuna finger sandwiches is literally falling apart.
Jim


(edited for lanquage)

[Jim Spencer]

A friend of mine came over and wanted to try his Husky on my Logosl mill and we realized that with a 16" bar on his saw it was about 1.5" shorter reach than a 16" bar on my 066.
I will stick to my 066.

[Kevin Ginter]

The family logging business has run Stihls for longer than I've been around(1976)....All you'll find in my trucks are Huqvarna's though!!!!

[Quartlow]

Well I can't leave sawguy21 hanging in the breeze here, but I'm in the Echo camp, if there is one  :D

I've seen two new saws in the last couple years, one was small stihl that the cous bought new little over two years ago, it wiped out the rod and crank. the other one is a husky , I think its a 345. he bought to replace the stihl. That has got to be the hardest starting saw I've ever seen. he keeps it inside next to the woodburner. My saws sit in the unheated shop. I can have my old 500 echo running and cutting before he has that husky started.  Heck I can dig out the .066 which only gets started once in a blue moon and havre it running sooner than the husky.

[Alta]

Stihl, Stihl, and then Stihl. I know others are just fine too but I have too many spares to change and I know Stihl saws pretty well. So...... Stihl.

[vgbob]

Count me with Ian, just bought a Dolmar. Had been looking at all
the usual suspects: Stihl, Husky, Jonsereds. I've run Jonsereds
for 25 years, but times change. Still have them, but needed a
small saw. Looking for a 60cc saw, but decided on the 50cc
Dolmar 5100.

[snowshoveler]

now thats a question that leaves the door open for a lot of discussion.
i would have to ask myself some questions.
what is the saws primary purpose.
any brand preferred
how much to spend
is the dealer a good guy
are parts readily available
are heated handles required
is the saw to be eco friendly
now i will try to explain these questions.
primary purpose is just that,what are you expecting to do with the saw. cut your firewood,maybe use it on a mill or how about just oacasional use for some tidying up around the yard.
a different saw for each job.
whats your preference,some folks will only have 1 brand of saw and there is only 1 possibility.
others dont care which brand as long as it gets the job done.
how much to spend.now this is another tricky one .
the pros know how much a saw costs and they know they are getting good value.
but with most saw sales going to the oacasional user now many people get what you might call sticker shock....you have to be prepared for this one.
what about the place you are going to buy your new saw.
is it a convienent spot.do they have enough product to be on top of things.can you expect to have any warranty issues handled there or is that going to be a hassle.
would the dealer actually lan you a saw if you were in the middle of somthing and your saw quit .
does your dealer have an adequate supply of parts,it can be difficult to have everything but all the wear items should be in stock ,i dont mean stocking crankshafts for obsolete saws but clutches and carb kits should be there.
what about things like heated handles and good vibe control.
anyplace it gets cold there are some folks that will only buy a heated handle saw.
how about the so called GREEN saws...beleive it or not some people have asked for the saws with the cats in the muffler and they are concerned about the environment.
its all part of the sale and must be taken into account before the sale is final.
thats all for now
chris     

[Bernhard]

When I started with saws, my first one was a Solo. Why? Cause there was a dealer and a shop only 1 km away from me, and it was cheaper then a comparable Stihl. My first bruscutter was a Solo. Why? Please, look above.

Most people here ran Solo stuff at these times, even we have to Solo Mowers left.
But when I tried to replace the saw and the cutter, the owner of the shop had retired and the shop was closed.

Husquarna and Dolmar we didn´t have here in the mid 80`. so I go with Stihl and bought my first, a 028, which is still running without any major probs.
I stayed with Stihl, cause of the good dealers support.

If the shop would be still here, I think I would have gone ahead with Solo, but 25 km to the shop is too much, cause my Stihl Dealer is only 6km away.

So what should I vote for? Stihl, cause I´m running them since around 20 years?
Or Solo, which have a good quality, are cheaper then the Stihl, but have bad dealers network?

[JD hauler]

husky all the way.

[Norm]

I've always been a stihl fan but have heard so many good comments about the husky 372 that when the baileys sales catalog came in yesterday I couldn't resist buying one. Got the 20" and 28" bar with a few loops of chain for each.

Now the bigger question is how I'm going to explain why I need that fourth chain saw when the box arrives. ;D

[boboak]

Stihl...mostly because of dealer support.  I wouldn't mind running Husky but the Stihl shop has been great for over twenty-five years.   There are several Stihl "dealers" in this area...mostly bike shops and hardware stores that sell Stihl stuff in addition to their other product lines...but they don't come close to what a real saw shop should be.  I"ve tried ordering parts a few times and they have no real idea of whats going on.  The saw shop I use can even get parts for my old stuff...032s etc...and can work on them,too.
Stihl has never let me down...my 066 is like the Energizer Bunny,just goes and goes and goes.

[DoubleD]

Well Norm you could explain your fourth chainsaw in this way:
"Honey you know four is better than three" 8) :D :D ;D

[Norm]

Unfortunately DD I never got the chance to explain anything, I was just going to put it in the shed and act like I'd had it all along. But noooo the next morning after I ordered it when we came to work there was a message on my phone from baileys. They had noticed on my order that I'd picked the wrong chain size for the 28" bar and left a message to ask if that was really the chain I wanted. Next time I won't use the speaker phone to listen to my messages while Patty's sitting next to me. :D

On the other hand how many companies care enough to make a call to help out their customers. Thanks to Charise at baileys, nice folks to work with.