Cheap Chinese Chainsaw Review

[DeeJay]

I bought a 62cc Ebay saw &, as there has been a lot of chainsaw chatter on AULRO, I thought I'd post up a report.

Purchased Sunday night for $48.00 plus $47.00 postage, it arrived by mail today (Friday)
First Impressions.
Arrived promptly -without postal insurance (was another $15.00)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/11/441.jpg

It came with a "bonus" earmuffs, gloves & goggles "worth $49.00" - or $2.00 each at the local trinkett shop.
However it had good instructions, tools (plug spanner/screwdriver small screwdriver, 2x Allen tools sharpening file & small fuel container & bar cover.
The only thing that has no mention or seems to be needed anywhere is the threaded plug at top right, its a bit of a mystery,actually not a plug as its hollow. Also its more like a 18" bar not 22 as advertised but I expected that.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/11/442.jpg

The quality of castings etc are no where near Swedish but not as crappy as I expected.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/11/443.jpg

It has a chain catcher, floating rim, & good quality bar nuts & studs

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/11/444.jpg

The chain is supposedly Carlton, certainly the box looks genuine, but not the chain.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/11/445.jpg

It has good design features such as Quickstop ( no doubt mandatory) anti vibe, good ergonomics, good air filter, CDI Ignition, adjustable oiler, side access bar adjuster, sprocket nose etc. Pictured with air filter removed & set to one side.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/11/446.jpg

Starting / using the saw.

It does'nt have a throttle latch as per instructions, but fired on 3rd pull with the choke out & started on the next pull with half choke. There is no decomp start & you only seem to get one revolution per pull which is a bit odd.
I gave it a minutes running to lube the bar & then put it through a 12" dead redgum log, that was the only thing I could test it on. Whilst it certainly cut like a 62cc saw, it was certainly not as smooth as the Huskys, but quite acceptable. The chain was a bit dry afterwards so I upped the flow rate a couple of notches.Also, its stickers says 110 DB & my Huskies are 94 but I cant tell any difference.
This is not a complete review, just a users impressions, I dont intend to destruction test the saw for AULRO's benefit but my first impressions are this saw is not junk, quite reasonably well made and bloody good value for its intended purpose. I might add as an afterthought that I was a Sales rep/demonstrator for McCulloch chainsaws back in 78-80 ( when they made good saws) so have a fair idea of chainsaws.
I'll revisit this post after maybe an hours use to report back on wear & tear.

[Disco95]

Good first impressions.
I also bought one of these cheapies. I don't think the same brand as the box looked different and there was a bit more orange on it. The motor is pretty good, but, where mine fell down was..........those two studs....one threaded pretty quickly, and actually needs replacing before I can use the saw again.
The chain adjusting system is very weak and stopped working VERY quickly.
I've done some pretty heavy work with the saw and got my moneys worth in comparison to hiring a man and a saw, it did the job I bought it for....just BUT, it aint no Husky:)

[Redback]

Yep I have one of those too, mine is 52cc, 18" bar, and has Estart, it was $53 and $47 postage, hasn't missed a beat in nearly 12mths.

Best $100 on a saw I've ever spent, if it craps itself tomorrow it doesn't matter. cause it's already paId for itself in firewood.

Baz.

[EchiDna]

......... hasn't missed a beat in nearly 12mths.....

Are we talkin 5 hours of use, 10? 50? 200? in those 12 months?? ;)

I'd say most household firewood gatherers would only ever spend about 2 hours a month actually cutting wood - maybe another 4-6 hours moving, stacking, splitting on top of that, but only a couple with the saw actually working...

[MAD MAT]

this plastic threaded bung supplied with saw is a spare oil pump housing , saw has an worm type oil pump this is a spare housing supplied for future servicing

[mark2]

I've just bought the exact same model and it arrived yesterday.

Its certainly no Stihl but like you say, its not junk either. For $100 its pretty good value. Looks like my Dolmar will be getting a rest while I try to kill this one.

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

Which ebay did you get it from, I had a look on Aussie Ebay and they want around $100++ and extra for postage. I couldn't find any $47 specials:confused::confused::confused::confused::c onfused:

[LandyAndy]

Looks to be a sthil clone.
That plug MAY be to hold the crank at TDC whist removing the clutch???? It doesnt look long enough to me.I have a plastic insert to do such a job,does it have the same thread as the spark plug???
It would be good to keep this thread alive with further progress reports on how the saw performs,GOOD or BAD.
Thanks
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

By the way,Carlton chain is rubbish.It stretchs way to much.Get oregon or sthil chain,well worth the little bit more in cost.
Andrew

[ellard]

hi there

I bought one as well, but it was a bit more dollars than you quoted (approx $140 delivered)

Works a treat but must admit I have broke the pull start, but they are replacing it under warrantee.......very impressed indeed.

Wayne

[mark2]

Which ebay did you get it from, I had a look on Aussie Ebay and they want around $100++ and extra for postage. I couldn't find any $47 specials:confused::confused::confused::confused::c onfused:

It was ebay.au - I think the seller was called agrmachinary or something similar to that. It was an auction, not 'buy now'. I won the auction last Sunday afternoon for $54 + $47 postage.
I think the pull starts may potentially be a weakness - while they dont call it an 'e start' system, it feels a lot like a mechanism whereby pulling the cord winds up a spring which then spins the motor over, supposedly making it easier to start. It works well, but more complexity.....

[Redback]

Are we talkin 5 hours of use, 10? 50? 200? in those 12 months?? ;)

I'd say most household firewood gatherers would only ever spend about 2 hours a month actually cutting wood - maybe another 4-6 hours moving, stacking, splitting on top of that, but only a couple with the saw actually working...

Goes camping with us too, so a bit more use as we go away at least twice a month:D

Baz.

[rovercare]

My mate bought one about 2 years ago, he paid $300ish, he now has a Husky:D

[d@rk51d3]

My mate bought one about 2 years ago, he paid $300ish, he now has a Husky:D

Is the Husky to fetch the sticks for him? :D

[Hoges]

Been looking at chain saws for the past year or so...ummm ahhh ummm again. Was very tempted to go for an ebay special...but ended up last week with a Makita electric 1800 watts. Electric option due to no garage and all wooden "Queenslander" style house on steep slope... SO nowhere to store flammable liquids safely...... Rangie sleeps under extended roofline carport. Trial run...excellent and so smooooth ripping through lillipilli saplings which had taken hold...

[snowbound]

blood hell! reading this makes me think that everyone will soon be ditching the Landies and buying "great wall" Utes off Ebay! Chinese stuff.. You get what you pay for! Ok while it works, and then right at the worst possible moment it goes bung! I bought my daughter a fancy phone off ebay (chinese), it never worked, I never got even a reply to my warranty claims, money down the gurgler.

[Landy07]

I've had a 62cc one for about 12 months but have only cut a couple of trailer loads so far but already the stop switch stopped working, have to stop the saw with the choke until further investigation. The saw itself cuts really well, especially with the rakers filed down a bit.
Have just purchased the same brand in 72cc with "24" inch bar for the extra grunt and longer bar, paid about $200 with postage. (not out of the box yet)

[djam1]

A timely discussion yesterday I finally lost it with my Kipor Generator and hurled it across the yard.
After 4 years of putting up with it not starting when I needed it and generally putting up with it %$#% it is finally gone, went straight to the Honda dealer and bought a new one and am more than happy with my purchase.
Well tonight I pulled the Kipor down and found the engine quite worn for a unit that had done minimal hours been over serviced with synthetic oil.
The overall quality seems marginal if I had of bought the Honda 4 years ago I would doubt if I would be buying a new one today.

[Redback]

A timely discussion yesterday I finally lost it with my Kipor Generator and hurled it across the yard.
After 4 years of putting up with it not starting when I needed it and generally putting up with it %$#% it is finally gone, went straight to the Honda dealer and bought a new one and am more than happy with my purchase.
Well tonight I pulled the Kipor down and found the engine quite worn for a unit that had done minimal hours been over serviced with synthetic oil.
The overall quality seems marginal if I had of bought the Honda 4 years ago I would doubt if I would be buying a new one today.

It's a chainsaw as well as a generator:confused:

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

Hell I'm in, I bought on on ebay today, $62 +$47 postage, no stock till 10th Dec though.
Hell I only use a saw 1 or 2 times a year just to keep my forest at home in check. So it should last me years

[bushrover]

I bought a second hand Stihl for $150.00, let me think mmmm........... 28 years ago and it starts 3rd pull everytime and it will probably stihl be going long after the Chinese ones have died.

Rick

[uninformed]

By the way,Carlton chain is rubbish.It stretchs way to much.Get oregon or sthil chain,well worth the little bit more in cost.
Andrew

plenty of pro's using carlton, nothing wrong with it. I know a guy that made up a loop of half stihl and have carlton to use as a test chain... the carlton held up better than the stihl. id say check your bar condition and your oiler.

regarding these cheap saws.....they are just contributing to land fill, climate change and the increase in price of decent products

Serg

[buzz66]

plenty of pro's using carlton, nothing wrong with it. I know a guy that made up a loop of half stihl and have carlton to use as a test chain... the carlton held up better than the stihl. id say check your bar condition and your oiler.

regarding these cheap saws.....they are just contributing to land fill, climate change and the increase in price of decent products

Serg

Climate change is the greatest con since Moses was a boy, I digress.
I have a Husky XP. I only like to buy something once, and keep repairs and maintenance to a minimum.

$150 for a cheap saw. Worth nothing after day one.
$785 for a Husky XP 20 years later well maintained still worth $500.

You get the point.

[dirtdawg]

ive had one of these for about 2 years, just wanted a cheap saw to cut wood when i went camping and all ive done in the time ive had it was to get the chain sharpend its been a great buy because there is no way im paying for an expensive saw that will only get used 3-4 times a year

[uninformed]

Climate change is the greatest con since Moses was a boy, I digress.
I have a Husky XP. I only like to buy something once, and keep repairs and maintenance to a minimum.

$150 for a cheap saw. Worth nothing after day one.
$785 for a Husky XP 20 years later well maintained still worth $500.

You get the point.

i think that money seems to be the bases for all the points in your post, fair enough it makes the world go round.... but there are greater issues than money....

regarding climate change....the evidence is there, confirmed by scientists that have no vested interest or finacial gain......think about this, if they are wrong, no harm, if you are wrong we are ****ed!

regarding saws, try getting parts or back up for those saws in 2-3 years, how is the fuel consumption for work done compare to a good saw.

and the next time you all(not you buzz66) complain about everything being manufactured in china and the fact you cant by fair quaitly for a fair price, realise you have contributed to market where only crap or the rolls royce are available... no middle ground

whilst i own a few husky's, stihl, dolmar/makita and solo are all good in their pro range. even some of there home owner saws are great.

cheers,
Serg

[djam1]

It's a chainsaw as well as a generator:confused:

No but a simple comment on Chinese quality ??

[953]

ive had one of these for about 2 years, just wanted a cheap saw to cut wood when i went camping and all ive done in the time ive had it was to get the chain sharpend its been a great buy because there is no way im paying for an expensive saw that will only get used 3-4 times a year

Agreed, Horses for coarses! If you,re not using it professionally, youn dont need the top line stuff. There is enough of this stuff on the market now & alot of it has proved its worth. Ive had plenty of saws & its not always the expensive stuff that provides value 4 money.
A cruiser costs more than a Disco so it must be better:o:wasntme:.
Cheers Dean.

[crash]

I bought the same saw (branded differently) from a clearing sale but was brand new still in box un opened, 52cc. When it worked it worked well, but I spent more time and frustration trying to get it started due to the e-z start failing. The problem has been the spigot off of the case that the recoil rotates on is made of soft plastic so it broke, the part that the rope wraps into is again of low quality plastic that can warp easily and the groove was too small for the size of rope in it, and the plastic part that engages the starter paws wore out after very little use. I lost count of how many times I had to pull the starter apart and rewind the recoil spring after it dislodged itself.
Now it is sitting on the workshop floor in bits awaiting me to cast all the above bits in aluminium and get it working again.
I now own a 49cc Solo and it went back to the workshop due to a fuel line not routed properly and the throttle was sticking on - a 5 min reapir for the shop and that happened the 2nd or 3rd time operating it. The Solo has been perfect for my wood gathering.
The thing that I feel is lacking in the chinese made saws is quality control and if you are lucky you could get a good saw and the next one like mine is a dud. The motors and electronis on them are probably good but the plastic bits are a bit dodgy.
Have been burned once and will not let it happen to me again with such items. As mentioned before try finding parts for these they are non existent - if you find spare parts supplier let me know please.

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

I bought the same saw (branded differently) from a clearing sale but was brand new still in box un opened, 52cc. When it worked it worked well, but I spent more time and frustration trying to get it started due to the e-z start failing. The problem has been the spigot off of the case that the recoil rotates on is made of soft plastic so it broke, the part that the rope wraps into is again of low quality plastic that can warp easily and the groove was too small for the size of rope in it, and the plastic part that engages the starter paws wore out after very little use. I lost count of how many times I had to pull the starter apart and rewind the recoil spring after it dislodged itself.
Now it is sitting on the workshop floor in bits awaiting me to cast all the above bits in aluminium and get it working again.
I now own a 49cc Solo and it went back to the workshop due to a fuel line not routed properly and the throttle was sticking on - a 5 min reapir for the shop and that happened the 2nd or 3rd time operating it. The Solo has been perfect for my wood gathering.
The thing that I feel is lacking in the chinese made saws is quality control and if you are lucky you could get a good saw and the next one like mine is a dud. The motors and electronis on them are probably good but the plastic bits are a bit dodgy.
Have been burned once and will not let it happen to me again with such items. As mentioned before try finding parts for these they are non existent - if you find spare parts supplier let me know please.
This seller claims he has spare parts.
All parts are readily available to our customers. We warrant that all products are free from defective material and workmanship and agree to replace any part that proves to be defective; without charge.
PRO 62CC 22" BAR CHAINSAW CHAIN SAW +TRIPLE SAFETY PACK - eBay Outdoor Power Equipment, Tools, Gear, Equipment, Gardening, Lawn Care, Home. (end time 30-Nov-09 15:00:30 AEDST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160382450037&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:AU:1123)

I wonder why Bunnings is in business still, 50% of their power tools are cheap Chinese. What about the HID units forumites have bought from China, If all so so bad why do we still buy?
probably pricing and being cheap skates:D

[slug_burner]

I wonder why Bunnings is in business still, 50% of their power tools are cheap Chinese. What about the HID units forumites have bought from China, If all so so bad why do we still buy?
probably pricing and being cheap skates:D

Bunnings is still in business due people buying cheap tools and not using them enough to have them fail or not know the difference between a good tool and cheap tool.

I think the cheap HID units are not legal.

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

Mine arrived today.... can't wait to fuel her up and give it a rev.

[uninformed]

I wonder why Bunnings is in business still, 50% of their power tools are cheap Chinese. What about the HID units forumites have bought from China, If all so so bad why do we still buy?
probably pricing and being cheap skates:D

because we live in a society where people want quantity rather than quality.......they want one of evrything and 2 of some things.....and if it brakes just throw it away and buy something else to occupy the low concerntration span.

I buy good quality, im not rich so alot of what i buy is second hand......and with that i actually learn stuff as i get to rebuild it and service it myself.

I make my living using tools so i have seen the market change in the last 15-20 years.........it hasnt changed for the better on most accounts.

Serg

[rick130]

:lol2:

A mate of mine (chainsaw repairer, he should have known better, and no Serg, it wasn't Matt ;) ) bought half a dozen of those to on-sell a couple of years back.

Two now adorn his workshop as a daily reminder not to buy cheap Chinese chainsaws :D

They might be 62cc but they only have the grunt (if you are lucky) of a 45-50cc name brand saw, and while their back up is OK from the Oz importer, the saws themselves are still rubbish. (IMO)
They'd be Ok for very occasional use, but for someone that likes good tools, or is a serious firewood cutter (as in your only form of heating during winter) look elsewhere.

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

:lol2:

A mate of mine (chainsaw repairer, he should have known better, and no Serg, it wasn't Matt ;) ) bought half a dozen of those to on-sell a couple of years back.

Two now adorn his workshop as a daily reminder not to buy cheap Chinese chainsaws :D

They might be 62cc but they only have the grunt (if you are lucky) of a 45-50cc name brand saw, and while their back up is OK from the Oz importer, the saws themselves are still rubbish. (IMO)
They'd be Ok for very occasional use, but for someone that likes good tools, or is a serious firewood cutter (as in your only form of heating during winter) look elsewhere.
I'm not a Saw expert and probably wouldn't use one much.
But I felled 2 trees cut them to fire wood lengths. The saw never looked like packing up. Quiet and no smoke. Blade still sharp. I'm happy, it would have cost me the purchase price to hire one.
I presume it would last me years for what I want it for. So I'm at least happy