chainsaw

[bob a]

what do you think is the best saw brand

 

[MGTPa]

Stihl, Jonsereds, or Husqvarna! Can"t go wrong with any of their Professional models.

 

[Bob - MI]

Look in the archives. You will find that there's no single right answer to this one.

 

[Ron in Nebr]

Been looking into this alot lately as I just bought a new woodburning insert for the fireplace of the new/old house I had moved onto our place and I'm gonna be cutting alot of wood in the future. Check out "hearth.com" for alot of talk about the various brands.

Other than the die-hards who say it's their brand or no brand, the general concensus is to tell everyone to look around to see which brand has the best local dealer available for service, parts, etc.

Going with Stihl myself...although the $200 Stihl gift certificate that came with my new quadra-fire fireplace insert helped that decision a bit!

 

[ericlb]

mgtpa has it perfect ive used shihl ever since i could keep it off the ground while i started it, if its not stihl jonserud or husquavarna,[ no i cant spell either] then dont wast money on it, a chainsaw is the one thing where it doesnt pay to get cheap, a cheap saw just wont get the job done unless you have say 2 small trees in your yard and have all weekend to prune 1 branch off

 

[BigMarvfromGa]

Stihl and Jonsreds are the only saws made now that are not sold to the big stores. My brother bought a husky at Lowes and our stihl dealer said he can't get the parts. You have to take it to a Lowes service center.

 

[Dave 2N]

Best price isn"t always the way to go here. As someone said below, find the dealer(s)in your area with the best service. Then, narrow your search to Husqvarna, Stihl and Jonsereds.

Neighbor and his brother are loggers and they"ve used them all so I picked their brains before buying a second saw. Final answer was Husqvarna by a little bit.

I bought a Husky last fall and I love that wildcat!!

(I also have a 25 year old Homelite Super XL that doesn"t have all of the latest technological upgrades the newer saws have but it"s like the "Energizer Bunny;" just keeps on tickin". But the good old Homelites are no more--so it"s back to the above choices.)

 

[G.Bott]

Like they said before stihl, johnsered, or husquavarna. I run a saw for a living. You will notice husquys and johnyreds being pretty much the same saws jus one is red and one orange. I choose stihl but I have friends that run husquavarnas and johnyreds. Stihl is more of a top end saw and the other two are more bottom end saws with deeper sounds and what I think are different types of power. If u have anymore questions let us know. You found the one topic I know.
G.Bott

 

[Anonymous-0]

Depends on how much you want to spend ? How much your going to use it . Lots of answers . Most will say the top 3 ,Stihl ,Husky Johnsurd . Myself ,,just bough a new Red Max ,,Love it . $399 18 inch . Owned by Husky ,,they bought RedMAx for some design patents . I also have 17 older saws I use from time to time . Two go with me every trip . Homelite XL 903 24 inch bar ,and an old mac 610 . Never let me down yet . Total invested in those two saws ,,,$50 yep ,,,,garage sale , needed work .Rotted fuel lines . Up and running ,,great saws on a budget . If your handy at fixing things ,,don;t be afraid of older saws , they are plain tough, and be found cheap . If not ,bite the bullet and spend some $ on one of the big names

 

[redtom]

Take the plastic off a husky and its a Poulan. Stihl still makes their own and you can only buy them at a servicing dealer. Me, I got two 028s a super 028 and 034. They hold their value used too.

 

[Meat man]

From what I see, there are two versions of Husqvana, big box store homeowner version and then high end professional.

I'm interested in hearing what the real differences is. I looked at one of the homeowner version and was turned off. When I saw the priming bulb on the carb, I said NO WAY. To me those saws look cheaply built.

I guess I'm just partial to my older Stihl, but was looking for a smaller trim saw.

 

[CJ3b_jeep]

Sthil, Dolmar second. I've owned my smaller Sthil for almost 20 years and never had an issue with it. Dolmar is the company that invented the carb allowing your saw to run at any angle. They are great saws still made in Germany.

 

[RodinNS]

Stihl. Husky and Jonsered are also both probably equally as good when you're comparing professional saws tho thay have a differnet feel than a Stihl.
The Stihl MS361 makes a nice smaller all around small pro saw...
If you need a bit more than the MS441 is a good choice.
There isn't much we can't do with either of them around here and both get used hard blocking firewood comercially...

Rod

 

[JML755]

(quoted from post at 18:17:26 09/24/09) what do you think is the best saw brand

I did a lot of research few months back and picked a Stihl MS361. Pricey (around $600), but worth it, IMO. It's a little harder to start than I'd like, but once it gets going, it cuts through even the big, tough stuff like butter or is great if you're going to be doing a lot of cutting. When it's right out of the case, I feel like starting is a voodoo ritual, gotta do it right or you'll pull on it till you're out of breath. Once it's warm, no problem starting.

My Poulan (big box store purchase) is relegated to light trimming now and if someone wants to "borrow" my chainsaw.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Big 3 mentioned on this thread.

 

[Loren MN]

I'm picking up my new saw today at the local shop. I went with a Jonsered 2152. With the $100 junker trade in, final price is $399 with better quality 16" bar. I have a 55 Rancher that is 10 years old now, and it still runs great. Looked at new Huskys, but decided to go with the Jonsered. Seems like a more professional grade saw for the money. The cheaper Huskys have plastic crankcases. Same dealer also sells Stihl, but I don't know much about them. They put Stihl chains on all brands of new saws they sell.

 

[Marsha Thue]

As others have said, the big three are the only ones worth looking at. Personal favorite is the Stihl 361c.I like the chain brake for those "unexpected moments" and have gone through 4 1/2 footers with the 28" bar on. My neighbor bought a new Poulan Wild Thing from a box store, then asked me to drop a big laurel he had. As payment he offered the Poulan, but at risk of hurting his feelings, had to politely decline. Wouldn't touch one of those. My .02

 

[Anonymous-0]

Grew up FIGHTING a huge old McCullogh, all did was make noise and repel mosquitos, took a can of ether and 3 of us to get it started!!!
I was given a low end Husqvarna 345 and thought it was amazing...
Bought 372xp on ebay, followed by 495xp from a buddy who couldn't make it cut (wrong chain) and recently traded the tired old 345 for a 346xp, they have all been very reliable and rugged saws, with the latter being the most impressive from a weight to power ratio perspective. My local dealer is terrific, so that helps. Whatever you buy, test it out first, any reputable shop should have a setup appropriate for safely testing a saw before you buy.

Good luck and be safe.

 

[ohio]

We have an 044. And it's a very well made gutless tird. An "antique" 670 super Jonsered (same as a 272 Husky) will eat it up.

 

[ohio]

I just bought a 395XP and The Husqvarna dealer I bought it off of can get parts for any Husky.

 

[JF in MI]

Well, I'm probably going to start an argument but here goes; About 35 years ago I asked the same question to a friend who was in the firewood business. He told me it didn't matter too much except to get the largest cubic inches I could afford if I wanted to be happy. I bought a Mcculloch 610 at a box store and can't complain (well, maybe the only complaint is that I think it is a gas hog). Only thing I added was some claws. Haven't put anything into it except replaced numerous worn out chains and bars over the years (latest is a 24"). Last tree I dropped and sliced up was 44". I would like one of those big professional jobs but I can't afford that kind of cash.

Jim

 

[Anonymous-0]

well that depends on what you use it for if you want to sharpen up your mechanic skills buy a poulan or some other off brand but if you want to cut wood without working on it half the time you take it out buy a stihl or a husky its as simple as that no brainer in my book THANKS RICK

 

[schmuck]

Ohio, if your 044 won't absolutely amaze you with how fast it cuts, then something is seriously wrong with it. I have and 044 and it will go thru 24" hedge (osage orange) in 14-15 seconds with a 25" bar.

 

[schmuck]

Ron, if you haven't already bought a saw I would HIGHLY recommend spending the extra money and getting a 361, 441 or 461. Yes, they are pricey, but if you are like me and time is precious to you, these saws will save you HOURS of time in the woods. I have an 044 and three people cannot drag brush off and throw wood in the trailer fast enough to keep up with me and that saw. I've won a lot of bets from people who didn't think it was possible.

 

[RodinNS]

There's something wrong with your 44. A 272 Husky is about the same size saw... I think. They should be quite comparable.
The 44 is a good saw if it's setup and workign correctly... I've never found it to lack power.

Rod

 

[Guido.]

Hello bob a,
Thats easy! the one that lasts the longest.
My longest lasting is a Pro Mac 610,1981 vintage.
Guido.

 

[Russ from MN]

Jonsered, some models of Husqvarna are identical but my Father switched from Homelite to Jonsered in the early 60' and I will stick with them as long as they are reliable. Just bought a new one last winter and love it.

 

[gatorhide]

(quoted from post at 15:17:26 09/24/09) what do you think is the best saw brand

...The daily special available from your local -Pawn Shop- should work just fine. Brand ? who knows... :shock: