What is your favorite brand of chain saw

[weisyboy]

S T I H L all the way.

nothing else can compare.

[Ken]

For years we run Husky as the Stihl saws had a reputation as being a farmers saw.  Over the past 8-10 years the Stihls have become the professional saw of choice in these parts.  Over the past few years we have been running the 361 and 440's.  We recently purchased a 362 and it seems to work very nice.   Keep good gas in them, a clean filter and spark plug and they seem to be trouble free.

On the spacing saw side of things most of my crew runs the Stihl 550.  There are those that still run the Husky 365 and they do have more power but they are a much higher maintenance saw.

Cheers
Ken

[redneck]

BEST and Most Frustrating saw i have owned is stihl 361.  Tons of POWER and very light but i could not keep it running in the winter.  it just would not idle or start half of the time..   took it back to the dealer that i a bought if from 4 times.  Then i took it to another dealer and said what the F*!?  He told me that he sold 30 of these saws that year and the only ones that he has seen since were the 5 0r 6 that where being used in the winter.   I sold that saw 6 months latter for 350$  lost almost 500 on that crap box. >:(  Would love to know if anyone else had this problem.

I now have  a 372 and two 357 saws  these saws all work in the snow but don't start nearly as well as the Stihl saws

[indiaxman1]

Used to run Stihl....had some starting issues.(esp in winter like redneck)..now have two Sachs-Dolmers....one 72cc is quite old... made in west Germany...but hooked to a 2ft bar rolls through all big stuff...is solid, but a workout...other is new 52 cc...all purpose grinder....sweet starter...keep small Husky for trim....general maintenance/file teeth...all ready to roll

[lumberjack48]

I had the same problem with the first Stihl i bought, about 2 tanks of gas and it would not run. Well i was really pee'ed off, i had to drive 50 miles back to the dealer, i walked in with the froze up Stihl and set it on his nice clean desk, and told him i don't have time for this.
Well to find out they come with a winter kit, i took a look at it, it's a piece of plastic that covers up half of the rewind cover, a another plastic piece between the carb and the head and a boot like cover for the air cleaner.
To make a long story short, i didn't  us any of it, he told me what was happening, [its been 30 yrs] the vacuum line got moisture in it and was freezing up.
I put duck tape over half the rewind cover and put a touch of heet in the gas, that fixed it for me, i could stick it under the snow just like my Husky 266 and keep on cutting.
I ran Stihl 10 yrs after that down to -40 never had a problem, the day i got hurt it was -57 below wind chill, i was felling with my ole trusty 034s.

[beenthere]

BEST and Most Frustrating saw i have owned is stihl 361.  Tons of POWER and very light but i could not keep it running in the winter.  it just would not idle or start half of the time..   took it back to the dealer that i a bought if from 4 times.  Then i took it to another dealer and said ..................

 Would love to know if anyone else had this problem.

.................

Not at all. Nor does my son who owns one.
My MS361 runs great, winter or summer. Have had it for 7 years now. Paid $500 for it new from the dealer. Had to run a few tanks of gas through to get it settled in but now it is very trustworthy to start on idle with one pull when warm. That I like. To tune it, I used a recommendation from this Chainsaw forum. I wouldn't sell it for $500

I wouldn't suspect it was the brand or model of the saw that was the problem. ;)

[Reddog]

Favorite Saw or the brand?

The one that runs and that has the best dealer for the area i am working in.

[Corley5]

I don't really like any of them.  They're just a necessary evil  ;D   I buy Jonsereds and have ventured into Dolmars with good results. 

[redneck]

I had the same problem with the first Stihl i bought, about 2 tanks of gas and it would not run. Well i was really pee'ed off, i had to drive 50 miles back to the dealer, i walked in with the froze up Stihl and set it on his nice clean desk, and told him i don't have time for this.
Well to find out they come with a winter kit, i took a look at it, it's a piece of plastic that covers up half of the rewind cover, a another plastic piece between the carb and the head and a boot like cover for the air cleaner.
To make a long story short, i didn't  us any of it, he told me what was happening, [its been 30 yrs] the vacuum line got moisture in it and was freezing up.
I put duck tape over half the rewind cover and put a touch of heet in the gas, that fixed it for me, i could stick it under the snow just like my Husky 266 and keep on cutting.
I ran Stihl 10 yrs after that down to -40 never had a problem, the day i got hurt it was -57 below wind chill, i was felling with my ole trusty 034s.

Yep i had bought all that plastic stuff and added a winter filter too after the first trip to the dealer.  it didn't help...  to control condisation the second dealer told me to not take the saw in my heated garage at night, just to leave in the trunk of my car. He also said i should not lay saw down in the snow.  What made it more frustrating is how my old ms260 (backup saw at the time)  never had any of these issues and finished the winter with it.   

what is this heet that you put in the gas?? 

[mad murdock]

what is this heet that you put in the gas?? 

Isopropyl Alcohol, or Rubbing Alcohol that you can get in any drug store.  HEET is a brand name.  fuel system dryer for gasoline engines.

[Bobus2003]

Have ran both Husky and Stihl.. Husky is just too heavy and tempermental... My stihls have been good reliable saws

[Dave Shepard]

I have good Husky and Stihl shops close by, and I run both. Like Reddog said, dealer is half the equation. We have a couple of small Jonsered saws at work. They run well, but I really don't like the handles and suspension systems on these saws. Yes, the basic saws are the same between Husky and Jonsered, with the exception of those handles. I saw a 2095 last year, and it had some sort of funny strap holding the handle on. ??? I'm always afraid of breaking them.

[captain_crunch]

Did not know Jonsereds were still made have not seen a new one in 15 years ??? ??? Sach Dolmar made an attempt here in Oregon years ago also. Around here it is Mainly Husky country 372 ect or sthill. But around here a 28 is as short of bar as you will see in woods. I still have a 2100 with a 42" bar and everything else is a 32"

[H60 Hawk Pilot]

Well.. I was Homelite Man in the 60's to 80's, we cut a lot of timber and pulp wood back then. The 1st Homelite was a gear driven, good for log yard work (70_?) then the 903 & 1050. We traded them and still have the XL12 and SXL, in nice shape for old saws. I got a Classic 240 for ten bucks and tinkering with it. I bought it for the nice bar and chain on it but heard the newer Homelite's are cheap and junk.

Three months ago I bought two new saws as open box deals & run real well. The Efco 151 had a tank filter problem and fixed that, runs perfect and a cutting fool for 52 CC. The Solo 681 is fine too and broke in now. The Solo goes through log in No time (good power).

I was going to buy a PRO type Husky but found the Efco & Solo deal. I'd like to try out a Stihl or Husky and compare them to what I using now. However, it's unlikely to happen because I don't know anyone that's cutting wood in my area.

That's all I know and it were'nt that much (little jok'ee :D..

Avery   

[WildDog]

I have always had Husky's, did have a couple of small Homelites 1 for mortising and the other with an atom borer, they  served me well. The boreing plant now sits on a Stihl 029 and it doubles as my mortising saw. Even though I prefer Huskys IMO Stihls can handle a bit more abuse, I take pretty good care when transporting etc so its not a problem only wish I took care of my rifles like my saws :(.....any one got a plastic stock all stainless .308 for sale ;)

[tjdub]

Did not know Jonsereds were still made have not seen a new one in 15 years ??? ???

They are just one of Husqvarna's brands now.  Essentially every Jonsered is a Husky with some mods.  For instance, the Jonsered CS2188 is a Husqvarna 390xp in every way except for a different intake and carb (and the color of the plastic).  Basically, a Jonsered is just a Husky with the trademark "turbo" intake system.

They are still marketed heavily in my area because Jonsereds were popular before Husqvarna bought them, and Husky had virtually no presence at the time so Husqvarna just stuck with the color that was working for the area.  

The only chainsaw service/dealers that are worth their salt around here are Jonsered dealers, so that's my brand of choice.  I have no doubt Stihls are great, but when the only places selling them around here are Ace Hardware and a John Deere dealer, that scares me away when I think about getting service down the road.

I still think the best saws ever made were the pre-buyout Jonsereds.  I still run two 930s, but unfortunately Husqvarna has phased out almost all replacement parts for them now so they're running on borrowed time.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

I had a husky and did not care for it. Was very difficult to start once you turned it off after the initial run. Took it back to dealer and replaced it with a stihl and have not had a problem since and have run about 20 tanks of fuel through it.

[Ed_K]

Husky, I started with a XL12 with a super kit.run alot of others,the best saw I ever run was a Partner,no vibration.tried a jred 920 and a 2171 for awhile then went to huskys.
ran a little 345 girtling an got 3000hrs out of it not bad for a homeowner saw.346xpg limb saw, 576xpg for bigger and 394xp 36" for big maple & pine.
I travel 60miles round trip for shop work,have a husky shop right in town but look the other way when passing.Blamed loggers for saw thefts,police found the saws later in a rental storage along with the drug bust  >:(.
I have found that the bigger huskys need to be high idle started even after they've been run and start just fine.The town highway 385 won't start without the high idle.Everyone hates it,but i don't have a prob with it  ;D.
Oh,the 394 has a taylor skidder for movement :D.

[logman81]

I like my 385 no problems with it yet as far as starting, has plenty of power for what I cut with it. I fabed up a nice little bracket on the back of the loader arm on my tractor for it. But hope it will have a new machine to ride on when this job is finished. Darn snow has stop me in my tracks snow is a little deep for my tractor. :( Hope to up grade to a small skidder and keep the tractor for doing other stuff.

[clww]

Stihl!
I support the Orange and White!