I am looking to replace my old POS Homelite saw with a real one. I don’t need a huge saw, looking at ones around 50 cc with a 16″ to 18″ bar. So what do y’all prefer? Any experience with long term reliability and getting them repaired or finding parts?
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Replies
Stihl!
I've got one that I bought back in 1980 and it still starts with 3 pulls or less. Never had any major work done on it, just keep it clean and run the gas out of it if it's going to sit longer that a month or two. Plenty of power and cuts through whatever without complaining.
BILL
Both are excellent. Pick the best dealer - if he sells both, ask for his advice.
The older Homelite's were good saws in my experience. For your new one, what's available for service?
Around here, Stihl's got several shops. My Stihl's never seen the inside of any of them though. Two bars and countless chains (hand-filed) worn out and I finally put in a new plug last year. Even when my idiot help left mine in a loader bucket, subsequently operated, all it needed was some new plastic.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
My Homelite is 20 years old. It has a 14" bar and 30 cc engine. It has always been underpowered, hard to start, overheats quickly and has no safety guard. I replaced the cylinder about 5 years ago after a buddy gave me a new one that he had bought and never installed before losing his saw, it didn't do much to help and I am tired of screwing with the carb to keep it running. It worked ok for cutting branches and brush but would die as soon as I even looked at a fallen tree or firewood.I am going to go to the farm supply that is both a stihl and husky dealer here and talk with them.
Worst chainsaw I ever owned was a homelite!Brian words it well, Stihl is good, just not AS GOOD as the ahusky, but availability of service and parts is very important.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I love my Husky. I haven't seen a Stihl that will keepup with a comp sized Husky in the fioeld.
The Stihls start easy because they are factory set with slightly advaced timing. But the same trick that makes them easy starting also robs them of power in use.
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This is like asking wormdrive or sidewinder. It really doesn't matter. Both will get the job done well. I've got a Huskie and I've got a Stihl and they're both great dependable saws. If I were you I would compare shops instead of saws. If one shop is more convenient to you than the other, or you feel that one has better service after the sale than the other.... then that's the one you should choose.
Everything else will really just be opinion.
New small Husky saws are Poulan inside.
I have a 142E (I think) I got at Lowes, a return marked down to $100.
Took it apart for maintenance & found all the same bits as Polan. The only piece different was the plastic side case had a different detail. Same same as far as mechanicals.
It does start and run just as well as my Poulan green thing, but the Polan has a handy primer bulb that the Husky doesn't.
What I don't like is the idea I'm buying a Husjy and find out I didn't. At least it was cheap.
My Stihl is old but it's a good saw & here Stihl has a dealer, Husky doesn't other than the farm supply & they have no parts department.
Joe H
I agree that both are good saws. Keep in mind that there are two levels of saws that you can purchase. A good dealer will steer you toward the saws that should last you a lifetime and away from those that are for occasional homeowner use. I have a Stihl MS 260 which is the smallest professional saw and I love it!
Edited 12/4/2006 4:53 pm ET by scruff
I had the same decision to make about a year ago. I have an old Stihl 011 that I bought new, and used it to death (or so I thought). When I went shopping for a new, bigger saw, I was torn between a Stihl and a Husqvarna. What decided it for me was that the Stihl is still a dealer product, while you can buy Husqvarna in pretty much any retail store (including Lowes). The price was comparable, so I bought a new Stihl Farm Boss.
BTW, while I was there, I left the 011 with the dealer to see if he could wring any more life out of the old saw. He called about a week later and told me the it only needed a good cleaning and a couple of small parts. For $75.00, the old saw is running good as new, and I now have 2 Stihl chainsaws.
Bob
Edited 12/4/2006 4:54 pm ET by bobguindon
Bought an ECHO in 1979. 50cc. Just use it for firewood and fence posts. It is very loud.I keep it clean and sharpen (touch up) at each refuel. New plug every fall.Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Husky w/operator....
Yummy
chaps?
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Chaps are not necessary in that application :)
i'll take 2,never hurts to have a spare larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Is she standard or is she an option?
Edited 12/4/2006 11:32 pm ET by restorationday
I would love to apply the calamine lotion
a few days after she saws into a poison
ivy vine.
This is a question that gets asked a LOT in another forum I frequent. It's like the Ford vs. Chevy argument. Personally, I prefer Stihl. Their MS250 is a perfect small saw for infrequent use and small-scale firewood use, although I would bet that it's well suited for daily use. I have one, as well as a much-larger MS390, probably too much saw for most people who don't use one daily. The Husqvarna has its' fair share of supporters, but seeing as you can buy them at the big box stores and online, finding service after the sale could be difficult. Stihl at least sells all their products through dealers and all dealers do service. I have heard good things about their '359' model.
You should also look at Echo, Jonsered and Dolmar - all good, high quality saws. Find a dealer you like and stick with whatever they sell - it will be best in the long run as far as parts, maintenance and repair.
Interesting comment keeps repeating about Huskies at retail places. Around here, there are two locations only that I can buy. One is the farm supply where they are out of them a third of the time.The other is a small engine shop that makes all their money in snowmobiles, garden tractors, string trimmers,, and chainsaws.
When I went to buy, I think three years ago now, they walked me through all the choices in the Husky line they carried. They actually had a lot of choicesin peak season when the farm supply had already sold out.They showed me every detail about how to run it, as tho I were a novice, and told me the price included a tune up/adjustment after the first year. I took it bacl in ten months and visited while they looked it over, but with only 4-5 cords of cutting, it was barely dulled, let alone broken in.Another year later, the choke linkage separated, so it went back.
No charge!Which all goes to underline what several have already said - the shop you buy from is almost as important as the tool choice and colour.Another reason I like Husky over Stil is that it fits and balances with my body better and doen't wear me out as fast. I've never held a Jonsered, but have never heard a bad thing about them either
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
When I went and bought my first saw, I went to a local dealer that specialized in Echo and Jonsered saws. The dealer had a pile of logs out back and a few 'demo' saws around, and let me cut a bit with several of them. I think it was his way of getting his firewood supply cut for free. Anyway, I had been using an old Homelite Super XL (the old blue 'farm saw') for a decade, and was used to a stiff and shaky ride. The new Echo and Jonsereds cut like hot knives through butter, but they felt loose to me - kind of "floppy". It was the anti-vibe mountings that threw me off. I wound up with the saw that felt solid, that didn't flop around like a wet noodle, which was the Stihl. I've since gotten used to the anti-vibration mountings on the newer saws, and have had a chance to use quite a few in the past fifteen years. Our fire department has a big Dolmar 133 which is a beast, and I have also had my hands on a Shindaiwa, which are good, powerful saws. If I had to buy a new saw right now, I'd probably be all over a new Makita or Dolmar (Makita being made by Dolmar), but there's no dealer for Dolmar in my area. So I'll stick with the Stihl, I'm a loyal customer and they are a good saw brand.
My firstchainsaw, not photo modelwas an ancient McCullough with a 24" bar and a gas tank on top that resembled a one pound coffee can turned over on its side. Had to have the tank full for feling of run out of gravity feed gas. It was quite a workout just getting that thing started!I haven't seen a McCullough for over twenty years. Wonder if they are still marketed?I had a Poulan 350 for 12 years, but she burned out - probably half my fault for bad mix. That was just before they started making them with anti-vibe and brakes. She was a heavy mutha. Got to where I could not do much limbing with her, just straght bucking.
so I got a smallish Dolmar for limbing, then when old bertha gave it up, I bought the Husky to replace her. I've used a lot of Stihls on jobs and they just never worked for me. The Husky feels part of me.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Hey, I had a Husky once -- a 250 cc rocket w/ close ratio gears for motocross. Never would cut wood. Some ride, though. Those were the days!
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Bet it had no anti-vibration either!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"Bet it had no anti-vibration either!"
N-N-N-ope!. N-N-N-o a-a-a-nti-vi-vi-bration! <G>
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
I like holding my jonsered.I wish I could get that sawmodel to hold my jonsered for a while...
Get over it....... The angry going eat you up. ~Brownbagg '06
I also agree on the Echo.And my secondary saw is a sacs dolmar. Cuts well, but is slightly more tempermental than I like.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I'm mostly a lurker here and gotten good advice just reading so I think I'll help out with something i know about. I use chainsaws everday being an Arborist (treeguy) . I'll echo everyone else and say the dealer is going to be the major deciding factor here. The older huskys are better than the older stihls, because the husky's have more antivibe features. But recently stihls have caught on and have done this, at least in their profession models 360 and up(460, 660 etc) I'm not sure about the 260 though.
I would go with the professional models (either stihl or husky) as they are better all around, even though they are more money. I would highly recomend the stihl 360 or husky 365 they may be more power than you think you need but you will be happier in the end.
Also i highly recomend buying and using chainsaw chaps or chainsaw protective pants , even more so if you are going to be cutting in the woods by yourself. Or at the very least have a good first aid kit with you when go cut, even sharpening a saw you can cut yourself pretty bad.
Good luck and be safe.
Steve
Edit for clarity
Edited 12/4/2006 6:51 pm ET by treeguy
I got 2 stihls and 3 huskys. I got a stihl 026 and a 065 I think it is. My Huskys are a 345 a 55 and a I think a 359. Both the big ones don't used as much but I love them all. The one 55 sits at my cottage and only gets occasional use. The only one thing I can say is that the stihls are cheaper my 026 is gos along with an MS 400 qikcut saw for my demo guys. Bought them a stihl because they cook the saws pretty quick. Truth to be told if I woalk in my shop I usually grab my huskys. There light have better anti-vibe and I think there better balaced. My dealer sells both and I've always bough the huskys for my personal saws except for the o65 I got a good deal on it at a farm show. Whatever you do don't get an echo. They call them echos because everytime you pick them up you go F@#K f@#k F@#K.
TG - as I read your previous post, you are advising against protective pants/chaps -
a mis-type perhaps?
helmet w/face and hearing protection and chaps are definately recommended by me -
I always wear the helmet/face/hearing protection - chaps if I'm brushing -
"there's enough for everyone"
I already own a set of protective chaps and a helmet/ face shield/ hearing protection. They are left over from the summer I spent running a saw for 6 hours a day while cutting hiking trails in NM. I have run the piss out of both stihl and husky pro series saws but have just never sprung for one of my own except the homelite that I picked up lightly used for $50. I know the pro saws are just too big for what I will be using my saw for so I am settled on the "midrange" saws. I went to several dealers around here and only one place took the time to talk to me so I am buying from them but they sell both brands so that doesn't help my decision. It is between the Stihl MS290 FarmBoss and the Husky 455 Rancher. They are almost the same saw so at this point I am leaning toward the Stihl simply because of their dealer system and they are Made in the US.I'll sleep on it and go buy in the morning.I knew I would get most of the comments I got but I had to hear them.
Thanks, you guys are great for that.Day
both..
it's now up to how easy it is to get service for either saw....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Glad to see Jonsered listed here.. jonsered 52, purchased in 75...still starts on 3 pulls after all these yrs. And this is not a machine I service at all.
Used it for 8 yrs. cutting 8 cord of wood a yr. One of my best tool buys.
Stihl.
Mine's almost 30yrs old and never needed more than a spark plug, new chain and one bar (I bent the other). Still (Stihl?) starts in 2-3 pulls. Run it empty for storage and treat it as you would any good tool investment. Get a 20 inch.
Most loggers in these parts also run the Stihls. I've never owned another brand.
...The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...
Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home.
I cut wood for a living and use mostly huskys, I tried a stihl and really did not like its balance. I now own 2-346 xp and a 357xp huskies and a 5160? Johsnonred. Johnsonred and Husky are owned buy Lecrtolux and except for the top and and starter pull they are the same saw. I prefer the Husky over the Johnsonred (and Stihl for that matter) because of its all orange, it doesn't take very long to misplace a saw in the white snow and black woods. The only dig I have against Husky is that the saws at Lowes and other big box stores are not of the same callibur as the pro models at the small engine shops. Loggers here (Northern Maine) use either Husky, Johnsonred or Stihl nothing else. I would consider buying anything else and would make sure I could get it serviced somewhere.
Use a helmet with the ears and face gaurd and chaps, read the manual especially the kick back stuff, and if you haven't ran a saw a lot keep the CC's down, the bigger they are the meaner they kick.
Hey Res. I "stihl" have my 041 that I bought new in 1976. I made a LOT of money with it over the years. Great saw. Can't say its never been in the shop but few have put thiers through what I did mine. But! I also ran a Husky with a bow bar, (Not sure that is relevant) cutting paperwood and poles. It was a great saw too. So thats my two cents worth. The others have given good guidance. Husky or Stihl, you'll be happy. You gonna love makin noodles!!! KD
I got the "laser " option for my old FarmBoss....'88
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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Should I call the dealer and ask if that option is still available? Is it adjustable? Do I have to wear those funny red glasses to see the line? I really hate when I cut my firewood logs a 1/16" too short.
your dealer might not have one...I got mine at the gas station, and it is 100% adjustable ....in every direction. it is most useful in the middle of the night....in the rain....cuz I can't see my pencil marks on the wet bark.!red glasses?
I usually have my eyes closed once the cut starts ,.
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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check your fuel mix or have the dealer check the saw out. This is the first time I've ever heard of a Stiihl not being an easy starting saw
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, my Stihl is easy starting. Certainly not fussy about gas.
Now, my Husky was extremely termperamental with a lot of shop visits. From what you've said they must not all be, but I've understood locally that my experience wasn't unusual. Mostly Stihls in the woods here. I'm confirmed.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
STIHL is the best in my opinion. Im a fireman in a large department in Calif. and dependability/service is a top priority, we exclusively use hundreds of stihls . I have personally used homelites, stihls, husky's. We run with the stihl 044's and I own a 025-its light and cuts well for its size. Parts are easily accessible. I use STA-BIL in my saw at home which extends the life of the fuel and prevents carb issues. When we pull the cord its always an emergency, and it must start. Our sawyers swear by them.
good luck
Hey Maddog, So is that laser attachment for self sharpening? Whatta ya do when the batteries go out and you don't have "extrees" ? Back to the ole file? KD
yeah that's it ...waving a laser around in the woods and igniting everything around you....:)actually the picture is old..there was a few threads here, within this past year, I think, about the goofy proliferation of lasers on tools and I just couldn't resist adding to the silliness with my own idea ..
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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For a small saw, I really like my echo 14". I use it on everything up to about 10" in diameter. For bigger stuff, I use my Stihl Farm Boss. The Echo will start every time on a couple of pulls while the slightly bigger Stihl is like a full workout to get it started. The Echo will run on any type of gas (including some really old stuff) and had no problems, the Stihl will only run on fresh gas without additives. If I had it to do over again, I would buy a second Echo over the Stihl.