Lookin at buyin a new chainsaw-been looken real hard at the Huskevarna 350 for about $280.00. Also lookin at Stills. Any input?
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Replies
Nothing but good experiences with Stihl.
Have heard good things about Huskevarna.
Don't think you could go wrong with either saw. But make sure and check that you have a local dealer that stocks parts. No saw is worth a darn if you can't get parts when ya need 'em.
A closed mouth gathers no feet.
I love my Husquvarna 371XP. She's not a cheap saw...about $550 or so, but if you need a saw for a big job, like firewood or slabing logs for benches and such...what a great tool.
I also own a smaller Husky 41 (now 141). I actually was rather disappointed with this saw.
The two are not even in the same category though...the 371XP (now 372XP I think) is a professional saw...and built like it. The 141 is a homeowner saw...and built like it. It cut well, but not for long.
I was told everything over size X is built in Sweden...smaller here in the states. Not sure about the 350. Been thinking about another...and if I'm going to spend $300, I might just spend $550. You can't compare the two.
Last comment...I blocked a load of log length firewood, about 6 cords worth when finally split, in 7 tanks of gas with the 371XP. That's about 3 hours. I used to spend days with a small homelite...
I have heard good things about Stihl as well. You get what you pay for...depends on your need.
I bought my very old, very used Husky for 50 dollars.
It is a husqvarna 380CD.
It was one that had been abused for many years by a logging company. Then owned by an aquaintance for several more. It had a sticky butterfly valve in the carburator. Ran well, just got stuck occassionaly, and had to be triggered sometimes to unstick it.
After bringing it home, with no work whatever done on it, except replacing the sparkplug, it cut several downed trees into firewood, and got them out of my way.
Used it that way for a year. Then bought a new blade and couple new chains for it. Dismantled the whole thing. Cleaned the parts. Replaced the butterfly valve on the carburator. Put the whole thing back together. Then logged many trees for fun and profit.
It's been running and cutting great the whole time I have had it.
Keep the chain sharp. Be at least moderatly careful about the gas/oil mix. And keep the oil resevoir full, and the oiling system working.
Quittin' Time
How often, how long and for what do you plan on using the chainsaw. Most any modern saw will suffice for occasional use so long as you use fresh gas and store it right. If you will use it often then the 350 is a nice saw. If you will be using it for more than an hour at any session or humping into the woods any distance then the 351 with magnesium crankcase is worth it. Check the weight/balance comfort for you; they're your carpal tunnels after all.
Ditto Boss Hog's comments ........... no saw is any good without a servicing dealer. Stihl or Husky......... both are good. I'm a Husky user, mostly because of good local dealer. The Husky 350 is a nice saw for occasional work- good combination of power and weight. If the saw will see daily use, I'd step up to the XP line, the pro saws. Some are available with heated handles. Most of the loggers I know here use Huskys; mostly because of the dealer network I suspect. Most of them use the 357XP.
As an x firewood dealer I have to agree with the others.
Bought a new stihl 064 cut ~1500 full cords of firewood before the 1st rebuild. That is how many years of use for the average person?
Logger friend has had a husky for years and loves it
I do not know what size a 350 husky is .But I recomend buying the poffesional grade saw over a homeowner saw.
Edited 7/29/2002 8:08:48 PM ET by bee
Edited 7/29/2002 9:41:22 PM ET by bee
I have all Stihls (including weedeater) because the gas mix is the same. Husky and Stihls are both excellent saws. If a vote was taken with the loggers out here, I would guess that a slight majority use Husky and I think it has a lot to do with cutting speed. IMO the Stihl maybe has a slight edge in longevity but I wouldn't stake my lunch on that opinion.
In addition to taking care of a saw as others have noted, I would add two important points: 1. Use only the mixing oil formulated for the saw you buy. It is dyed so if your saw burns up and your Husky or Stihl saw has some other oil brand, your warrantee is toast. 2. Both Stihl and Husky make a couple of grades of saws; one line is homeowner duty, one is pro duty. The difference is in crank and bearing size and a few other little details that make the pro saws more expensive but also stronger, more powerful and longer lasting under continuous use. Go to a saw shop and have them explain the difference, because except for the price tag, the saws all look pretty much alike.
As an example, I have an 025 Stihl that is small but beefier (internally) than the 026 which looks nearly identical but is more lightly built. But if I recall, my saw cost about $80 more than the 026. Both run an 18" bar.
My 044 is bigger and I can run a longer bar (42") which is great for firewood cutting because I don't have to bend over so much. And as you get into even bigger saws and the prices sans bar start pushing $700 or $800 I don't know if there is a cheap equivalent in those two brands.
I Hope you enjoy whatever you choose! ( And you might consider buying a pair of chaps to wear while cutting. I have a couple ragged scars on my left knee to bolster that advice).
Never had the chance to run a Husky (except for a dirt bike)
However I've used plenty of Stihl's and find that they are great one-pull machines... Except for my very old string trimmer, it's a little more finicky and takes a couple pulls to start.
I have 038 and 045 stihls,and a husky 266, all used and all run. The husky is light , a little temperamental but its chain speed is up so I like to use it for medium work. The 038 is a tough saw, the older generation stihls are heavier and tougher and it doesn't quit on me. The 038's are the saws loggers use on landings to bump knots and do the tough work but for falling a lighter saw is preferred like the 044 or husky 372. The airflow system on the huskys is said to be a wunderkind and because the chain speeds and weights are about the same i'd probably go for the new generation huskys but a few years ago I walked into a hardware store and bought a factory rebuilt2150 Poulan which is my construction and get out of trouble saw and for $75 its worth more than the other saws for the money its made me.
If you've ever used both saws sililar sixed sharpened and together on same wood same day, you know that the Husky will cut circles around the Stihl. That's not taking anything away from the Stihl because they will laast a life time too. But I've been told that what Stihl does is to preset the spark advanced slightly. This helps it to start easily which is a good point too. But it also makes sure that the saw will never develope it's full power potential so it cuts slower and bogs more quickly while the Husky is plowing wood. Either are good saws in my book.
Comparing some of the old dinosaur saws to these new sawdust makers is like comparing an old 454 big block to a modern Honda engine.
I'll take the lighter weight nowadays but that big boy was it's own kind of pleasure.
Excellence is its own reward!
This is one of the better chainsaw threads I have seen here, but I am going to throw a little functionality into it.
I've used this and that, and I own a Husky 268, but I noticed with the Stihls that I used, I kept shutting the damn thing off because of hitting the on/off switch when getting into stunt work with brush. I'm sure it is just me, but it only happened when I picked up a Stihl.
Notch, they all use the same fuel mix, and you are using a 42" bar? You must have meant 24", but not great for firewood cutting. I wouldn't dive into a pile with a 24, I'm too lazy, I'd change to a 16.
42" for real, with chisel bit chain. Most of what I cut for firewood is Myrtle (I can hear the gasps, but it's a weed out here; AKA California Bay Laurel) and some of it's pretty big and the long bar is the ticket...sometimes I use a 36"...depends on the situation. 044 handles it just fine.
Also, the long bar (preferably even longer) is best for ripping. I have a Woodmizer mill which has a log cap. of about 30" dia. but a throat cap. of 42" so if I get into some big stuff I use a long bar for halving or even quartering (and several years ago a friend and I cut up a redwood log 14' dia and 36' long. Had to rip it and split out cants to get it on the mill. My friend had the biggest Husky and special ordered a 72' bar. He's 6 foot eight and 300# so I just handled the maul and wedges).
A long bar is also good for sweeping through blackberry thickets.
To Piffin's comments on the old saws; My Dad's still got an old C-9 Homelite circa mid fifties. Came with a 9' bar and a stinger. It's a gear drive, slower than molasses, heavier than a dead priest, eardrum splitting loud, but it still runs and walks right through big old windfalls. I've had a couple of the old Mac gear drive falling/bucking saws...great when fresh...mankillers when old. Hated both of them. Greatest innovation for chainsaws (and most any other small engine, for that matter, is electronic ignition IMO).
I know the fuel mix is the same (50:1 I think) but I know of several people who blew up fairly new saws and their warrantee was denied because they were using after market mixing oil.
Edited 7/30/2002 12:46:12 AM ET by Notchman
I don't believe for a second that their saws blew up because of the oil they were using. It's just a ploy by the manufacturers to sell the same friggen oil, at a higher price because it has their name and color on/in it. And a way to beat some warranty work at the same time. A win-win for them, but the consumer gets it in the shorts coming and going.
Any oil made specificaly for using for gas mix in a chainsaw is good. Make sure that you use the correct ratio. This is the one thing you want to be careful of. The older saws used more oil in the gas than the newer ones do.
Bar oil. In the winter, I use plain old 30 weight, right out of the can. I respect the saw too much to use used oil, so it is the cheapest 30 weight I can find. In the summer, I use bar and chain oil, made for the purpose. My reasons... In the winter the bar and chain oil gets too thick. You end up not getting enough oil on the chain. It has stuff added that makes it 'sticky'. That stuff seems to have the qualities of molasses in the winetertime. But in the summer, straight 30 weight gets flung off too fast. So, I use the B&C stuff in the summer. If I notice the 30 weight getting a bit too thick, because it has gotten too cold out, I switch to 10w30.
Gasoline. Always use premium. The highest grade you can get at the regular station. Don't go overboard and use airplane or racing fuel, though, or you'll burn up your saw.
Replace your spark plug at least once a year.
And always keep the chain sharp. Get a couple boxes of files. They are cheap. A buck to a buck and a half a file. Use a file until you can tell that it is starting to get dull, then trash it in a way that you will not be tempted to reuse it. Continuing to use a dulled file is frustrating, time comsuming, and results in a poor job. The poor job results in more frustrating, and poor quality cutting as well. You will save yourself a lot of time and effort if you will not try to be frugal with the new files.
Using old files will also result in shorter life for the chain. You will take more off of the chain each time you sharpen. You can also tend to deform the cutters because of the extra effort involved.
Quittin' Time
Good points Luka, Any man using ANY dull tool should be threatened with exportation to China or Iran and sent to join the old ladies quilting club.
I hada an ooouullllde fence post digger (well, maybe it's OK to have the auger on that a little dull) with a Chrysler two cycle engine mounted to four bars that were suppposed to be handles for two or four men to control it with. The book on that thing said to use thirty weight to mix with the gas at such and such ratio - I think it was twenty to one. Boy did that hummer smoke - not that you'd notice once the auger hit a root and the handles started whacking you in the knees, LOL
My old Poulan uses 30/1
My newer stuff calls for 40/1
Excellence is its own reward!
My husky uses 30 to 1. Some of the newer huskies actualy use 50 to 1.
I would almost be willing to bet that some or all of the following was true of the saws that 'blew up'. They never saw a sharp chain after the original chain dulled. (Just kept pushing harder and harder on them logs with the chainsaw.) Plus, the oil to gas ratio was not carefully monitored. And the gas that was used was 1. the cheapest gas available. 2. sat for up to 3 years, and was used again. 3. gas for the lawnmower, weedeater, and chainsaw were all poured out of the same mis-mixed can. The plug was never changed. The carb never adjusted. Used motor oil used for bar oil. And/or the oiling system was not monitored, and the bar was not getting enough oil.
I think that if the saw actualy 'blew up' the most likely thing that happened was not so much that they used the wrong oil in the gas, as that they neglected to even put oil in the gas at all, more times than not. And when they did, they didn't put enough in the gas, and the cylinder wall got washed down.
Quittin' Time
"They never saw a sharp chain after the original chain dulled. (Just kept pushing harder and harder on them logs with the chainsaw.)"
That's how I was taught to use a chainsaw. Dad was incredibly talented at many things, but didn't believe in sharpening stuff. He believed using the tools didn't wear them, but sharpening them did. Don't know why.
"I think that if the saw actualy 'blew up' ........ they neglected to even put oil in the gas at all"
This happened to me in the Army. They gave a couple of brand new Stihl chainsaws to a platoon of guys and turned them loose. They brought the saws back to the motor pool in a few hours, with the engines locked up. Seems not one of the group knew to put oil in the gas. Our tax dollars at work.......
BTW - Any of you guys carry 2 saws? I've taken to doing that whenever possible. I like to have a big saw for the bigger trees. And keep a smaller one for limbing and smaller stuff. Not so hard on the arms for us guys who are office jockeys most of the time.......(-:
It's also nice to have a 2nd saw when you get one stuck. But maybe that doesn't happen to you "pros"???
Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
The army isn't the only one with more money than brains. My Husky "51?" (can't find any other markings) came into my life because the previous owner thought he knew more than the rest of us and headed into the field with the wrong gas can. Blew the engine in no time flat. Cost me about two hundred bucks to replace the cylinder piston and rings and now I've got a saw that just won't quit.
Before I get cra* for saying this, I know we all do this, trying to pull the cord while the saw is in the air is impossible at best. (YES I know it dangerous) The compression is huge. darn thing has more power than I know what to do with. And that is a rebuilt engine. I love it.
"Any of you guys carry two saws?" All the time for all the reasons you mentioned. My Husky for the big stuff and my Homelite for limbs and such.
If any one out there is familiar with Husky 51, I've got a 16" bar on it now, could I go longer as the machine seems to have the power for it?
The 51 will handle an 18" bar with no problem.
Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Now I just need to find an 18" bar
Weekend,
You can put up to a 20 inch bar on that saw.
http://www.planopower.com/reference_materials/saw_chain_info.shtml (just one of the references you can find in a google search.)
You can buy a bar for that at almost any chainsaw shop. No matter the 'brand name' of the shop. If the shop doesn't have a bar to fit a husky, they can order one.
However, I suggest that you stick with an 18 inch. Mine came with a 28 inch bar It worked beautifully, but was just a bit unwieldy at times. I was then given a 24 inch bar and chain for it. It was a lot easier bucking logs with the longest bar, because you could stand upright, and let the weight of the saw do the work for you. But it is a larger maintenance hassle. It is heavier. And it can be a lot more dangerous.
I stuck with the 24 inch bar. Then, when I had the opportunity to actualy buy a bar, I bought a 20 inch bar. With that 20 inch bar on the saw, I find myself, 'in the zone'. It is easier to handle, and because the saw is rated for a larger bar, it utilizes the smaller size much better. Sucker simply refuses to bog down.
The point is that even though the saw can handle a larger bar, it really does a better job when the bar size is not maxxed out. 20 inch being max for your saw, I'd hate to see you get the 20 inch, then be unhappy because it bogs and such. My saw is 4.5 HP. Yours should be between 3 and 3.5 HP. As a general rule, a 20 inch bar CAN be used on anything 3.0 HP and up. If you REALLY want to go with a larger bar, then I would highly reccomend that you get a bigger saw to drive it.
THE one most important thing that you need to be aware of is whether the oiler hole on the bar lines up correctly with your saw. Just because the shop says the bar was made to fit a husky, and indeed, the bar will actualy mount on the bar studs, doesn't mean that the oiling system fits. I found that out the hard way. Well, not as hard as it could have been. Bar didn't cost me anything, but if I had not noticed the oiling system not working, I could have done major damage to the saw.
And, get chains to match the bar, when you get the bar.
I would suggest that you buy 3 chains. Two to use in revolution. Use one till it dulls just a bit, then put the second on while the first is sharpened. Never let your chain get very dull at all. The instant you find that it seems to be a bit harder to cut with, stop and change chains. Or stop and sharpen the one while it is still on the saw.
One other reason to buy three chains to fit the bar, at time of bar purchase. (The one actual reason I did so.) I was told by a good logger, that I should buy 3 chains with the bar. Then, when all 3 chains have given up the ghost and cannot be resharpened any further, etc... it is time to get rid of the bar as well. The bar can be reworked during it's lifetime, as well, but as a rule of thumb, he says that keeping the bar when the 3 chains have been used to their max, is false economy in the same way that using dull files to sharpen with, is.
Keep that 3rd chain aside. For cases of, one of the other two breaking, or not enough time to get the other two sharpened, etc. I kept the third one aside for firewood cutting. All the field stuff was done with the first two chains. Then, when I could control the situation, and have the logs I was working with, away from the dirt and rocks, I would use the third.
When cutting firewood, it is like cutting warm butter with a hot knife. A thing of beauty. Learn to use it and maintain it right, and you will start dreaming of opportunities to use it.
Here is my saw. Although I do not have a chain brake. Or tree dog. (Someone was over eager, and broke the mounting boss for that right off the aluminum body.) I know that I can get one to mount on the outside like in this picture, but the last time I checked it was nearly 30 dollars, and I can't afford that.
The people who owned her before me, (probably the loggers), saw fit to get rid of the chain brake in favor of a beefier, better overhead handle. I also do not have a banana bar. Glad I never had to deal with one of those.
http://www.vannattabros.com/saw3.html
Quittin' Time
I have the three dog on the inside already. Lucky me! The other machine that this owner still has and has not killed yet has the dogs on the outside. I have used both and I can't stand the dogs on the outside. They make the saw drift as you cut. if you can't get the inside dogs just forget it. Thanks again for the input and I will definitely get the 20" bar.
When in doubted over do it!!!
"Its also nice to have a 2nd saw in case one gets stuck."
Yeah... how about a 3rd saw for those really bad days.
10:00 am when the 1st saw stuck. Walked out to the landing and retrieved the 2nd saw . 10:45 2nd saw is stuck . 12:30 after lunch whent back with the skidder and pushed tree off of the two saws.
Lessons learned .
1. Some trees are better left standing.
2. Many days are better spent fishing.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one that has happened to !
Why is the third hand on a watch called the second hand?
By golly! I guess I haven't lived long enough yet. There's something I HAVEN'T done!
I'm really enjoying this thread. All basic man stuff that should be part of "The Talk" that a guy should hear from his father.
Excellence is its own reward!
Edited 7/31/2002 10:28:24 PM ET by piffin
I've got a Jonsored bout three years old with 20 or so hours on it. Mostly use it now to cut firewood for MIL. Dug it out a few weeks ago and soon found it running hot, and getting hard to start. By the second tank, it was losing power, so took it to the shop. Guys there found the rings in good shape, the cylinder wall scored and the piston shot. New parts cheaper than a new shop, so more or less rebuilt it.
The mechanic was quizzing me up on what oil/gas mix I was using, and I told him it was the 40:1 recommended by the manufacturer, and factory oil too. He said that wasn't what was in the tank, and that in the newer saws the ratio was critical because in most cases - and especially with the polycarbonate bodies (like mine) a lot of the cooling was done by the evaporation of the gas from the cylinder wall, and too much oil could interfere to the point of causing the damage my saw had gotten - just as bad, he said, as too little or no oil.
I couldn't argue with him as he's the one with the diploma from the chainsaw repairing school on the wall, so I took my "new" saw home and checked the gas can. I had mixed it up last spring (2001) in a can with a leaky vent cap and stored it in a shed that gets pretty hot by times. Next morning, I went back and picked up another can of factory oil ($2.49 - enough for 4 and 1/2 Canadian gallons). After mixing it and comparing the two, I found last year's mix to be quite a few shades darker blue than the new stuff. Looks like enough evaporated out of that can since last summer to seriously alter the gas mixture, and provide a very expensive lesson.
Back in the old days with gear driven slow-speed chains, you needed that dog to lever the saw into a cut - especially if the chain was a bit dull. I don't think the newer saws need them - they just get in the way, and likely the only the only time they are useful is in keeping a clump of bushes from slapping you in the face as you mow them off.
Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement
Doc
Doc -
I still like having those points to help lever the chain into the cut. Don't really need them when cutting stuff that's laying on the ground. But they sure are handy with a big saw making a felling cut in a standing tree.
"If a candle factory burns down, do they try to put out the fire? Or simply stand around singing happy birthday?"
move to front. To valuable of a thread to bury.
Guy at the Stihl shop gave me this tip. Stihl (026 at least) has a air filter cover that slips off pretty easy. I keep an old but good natural bristle paint brush in the case and pull the cover to brush that filter off every tank fill. I cut mostly dryer stuff that tends to generate sawdust rather than chips like the green stuff does...plugs the filter faster.
Now that you moved... Are you up to something..
Sir put the chainsaw down and step back...
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
4 to 5 ft dia willows that keep dropping these huge limbs in the yard and brook.
Other trees leaning too close to the house.
And sometime I'll end up with some kind of woodburner in the house.
Time for a purchase.
And no I don't climb willows thank you.
Trim or removal?
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Mid range trimming.
I'm not gonna go after a 5footer. I'll deal with the limbs as they fall from the willows.
The other trouble trees probably max at 18".
http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/comparison.html
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
More
http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/
Either brand will do you justice
I have the 260 and 390 with the use of a 088 in Sthil.
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
You might very well be right about Mfgs using oil type as an excuse to weasel out. However, in the cases I'm familiar with (both Stihl and Husky) the users were loggers with plenty of chainsaw experience. A couple of the saws had been ported for a little extra snoose, which might have had something to do with the engine failures, but the oil was the issue.
The problem with using used oil for a bar oil is that it results in accelerated bar wear. Better off using a bar oil or, in cold weather as you suggest, a clean motor oil.
Another thing that affects saw performance is bar condition. If you use a saw a lot its a good idea to get the bars rolled and profiled occasionally so the chains run snug and true in the slot.
One of the best ways to reduce power is to cut with a clogged air filter, keep a compressor or a can of brake cleaner and keep it clean.
Chain kerf has a lot to do with the cutting speed, just like table saw blades. Thin will cut faster. Also, Stihl has a safety chain out that has a green tab, they are junk, cut slow, too slow. Get the Stihl yellow tab. I think the green was made for homeowners to protect them against themselves. The green tabs just dont cut well. Dont know about husky chains, since i dont own a husky but i do own several stihl products. The tab is only designed for kick back reduction.
Learn how to properly tighten a chain.
Keep extra chains about, dull chains make you work harder, i hate to do that...
I carry a pole trimmer, its nice, has a thin kerf and lets you get into a mess.
Get chaps, i have scars to show you why. Hearing protection is a must too. Pretty much any safety gear is essential.
Winter i add some kerosene or diesel fuel to the bar oil to reduce the bar oil.
Last advice, keep your saw clean of dust and chips. Brake cleaner is non flammable, use it. Keep your chain and saw clean. only then will it last.
Oil is too inexpensive to skimp on. A six pack of Husky XP 2 cycle oil is way less than than $10.00- enough for 25 gallons of fuel. A generic 2 cycle oil in a new saw may be asking for trouble. Emission standards now apply to outdoor power equipment and will get stricter still in 2005. Most new saws run pretty lean; why risk trouble for a few cents saved. Most new saws extract a lot more power per cc than older models. The 346XP turns up 14,000+ rpms! Fuel oil mix is critical. Mixed properly (the right quanity of oil and the proper octane fuel), factory oil will cya if you have engine problems during the warranty period. Husky bar oil is available is available in 10wt and 30wt- no need to thin in the winter with 10wt plus it clings better than regular motor oil. They also have a vegetable oil based bar oil (biodegradeable). Older saws were a lot more forgiving of fuel oil mixtures, new ones are not- why risk it.
Edited 8/3/2002 8:42:58 AM ET by jc
Extra bars and chains; first to match bar to job, second to have a sharp edge, third to get out of a jam (when I screw up and pinch a blade, I'll unbolt the stuck and rescue with a new combination -- record, two sets of bar/chain stuck in a twisted cottonwood from hell)
For cold weather I use transmission oil, motor oil doesn't "cloy". Store the saw in a warm dry place and transport it in the warm cab and not the cold bed.
I have 4 Huskys in the family, a 350, a 345, a 50 and a 45. The 350 and the 345 I think are identical except the 350 has a compression release button. The 350/345 are the updated models of the 50/45.
I must say I love all of these saws but the 45. They are light, powerful and generally well engineered. Also, the chain tension adjustment on the newer saws is on the outboard side of the bar, very handy.
$280 is a good price for the 350, great bang for the buck considering a Pull-On will run you $200 and isn't half the machine.
Stihls are nice, but I've been working the crap out of my Huskys for 8 years and have become a true believer.
1. new Huskevarna = Poulan
2. HomerDespot, et al. sell Huskevarna
'nuf said.
Stihl for me.
Great. I finally decide to go for a husky and Pro comes up with a comment like that. I don't have enough hair left to be pulling anymore.
Anybody have any recent data to add about the huska line one should know about before purchase? Thanks.
As I think was discussed earlier, for a light trimming chain saw, my choice would be the small Echo CS-300 or CS-340. An ad: http://www.northwestpowertools.com/lawnandgarden/chainsaws/cs3000.htm
Similar to the older CS3000 that I have:
http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Lawn_and_Garden-Power_Tools-All-Echo_Top_Handle_Saw_CS3000
You might want to check this listing of a number of different saws:
http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Lawn_and_Garden-Power_Tools-All-Echo_Chainsaw_CS3450/display_~reviews
You might also look at the opinions on chainsaws at:
http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Lawn_and_Garden-Power_Tools-All-Saws
Edited 1/5/2004 7:21:54 PM ET by CaseyR
dunno about you guys, but why mess with motor oil on a bar? There is such a thing as winter weight chain/bar oil that is thinner so it continues to flow through the oiling mechanism at lower temps. It is coloured red like regular bar oil so you soon notice if the oiler is not delivering oil. I have also used a special clear bar oil for log builders - no ugly red stains on finished work.
Husky vs Stihl is like Ford/GM debates. Check them model by model and go from there. If either made bad products they wouldn't be in business.
File often. It's easier to keep a sharp tool sharp than to revive an old one. The fancy file guides don't do much for me. Decent quality chains have the correct tooth angle scribed into the back of the tooth, just keep the file parallel to it and you'll be fine.
For badly dulled chains, get the appropriately-sized chainsaw burr for a Dremel or other rotary tool. Taking lots of material off is not desirable, but if the chain is badly damaged it is hard to avoid. The Dremel burr takes it out quickly and cleanly and then you can hone each tooth with 2-3 strokes by hand.
At work we have Husky gas saw and Stihl electric saw. If I have convenient access to power, the electric saw get used every time. More power, less weight, no fumes.
Wally
Lignum est bonum.