Thread: Cheap Chainsaw

Originally Posted by EchiDna

whats a lumberjack?
dontcha mean a tree feller/tree surgeon/arbourist?

regarding the safety aspects, all it takes is a dodgy link in a chain and you can be pretty much cut to ribbons by a saw chain... motors etc - warranty jobs... dodgy chain? I don't want to think about it. At the very least replace the chain with something good!!

Its a carlton chain can u suggest a better brand?
Cheers Dean.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

A lot of those small saws come out of the same US factory, i have a 14" Poulan i got for $60 that was hardly used but for $99 i would have bought the GMC. I'm no lumber jack and i cut wood for home use so i dont need an over priced monster.

We dont get Jonsered or Poulan saws in aust through any dealer network, and they havent been more than assembled in the US (and thats the big ones only) for about 20 years, they were made in Japan for a long time buy Echo but now Echo is the only manufacturer of saws in Japan and the rest are chinese or European (Husky/Stihl and a couple of unheard offs in Aust).

A 20' roll of .325 chain from Oregon (cheap chain) is $230 at trade price so on say a 16" bar makes it about $23 per chain, add a bar @ $48 your getting the rest for $29........I wouldnt trust it.

It is not worth relying on a saw like that, all that needs to happen is the anti kickback not to work and your dead, not bruised or cut a little bit but more than likely dead.

Add to that that how many people on here own a pair of chaps or wear them, wear any upper body protection when using a saw or head protection, I would rather rely on the saftey features built into the saw.

If anyone would like to know how to use a chainsaw and sharpen a chain properly should go and do a chainsaw course, it is cheap in comparison to stuffing up your equipment or even worse doing yourself some damage plus it is something else to put on a resume and means you can use a saw for organisations like DSE and Parks vic or a council.

Originally Posted by 953

Its a carlton chain can u suggest a better brand?
Cheers Dean.

Yes....

Stihl
Oregon

Originally Posted by mcrover

Lots of stuff.

Nice story, but after useing 058 stihls with no chain brakes when I was younger, I think I'd have enough faith in a $99 dollar saw, with chain brake, that's a mere 29cc, expecially in comparison to some of the older stuff

Matter of fact, I have a Poulan little thing at home too, its a mate's, I was useing it no end, doing my fenceing and couldn't fault it one bit as it was lighter than my Dolmar 062

The likely hood of something bad happening to a saw operator, is directly proportional to his level of stupidity, it will seldom be the machines fault

Hmm... I have now been turned off a cheap saw. I suppose I'll be looking at Husky and stihl. I was doing the google on them today and am thinking the farm boss 250 or there abouts or a small husqvarna. I have never used a Stihl and never had all that much time behind a chainsaw but I know my way around one.
The husky 340 looks like it might be the go.


I think I have now sufficiently hi-jacked this thread. Sorry!

Xav

Originally Posted by rovercare

Nice story, but after useing 058 stihls with no chain brakes when I was younger, I think I'd have enough faith in a $99 dollar saw, with chain brake, that's a mere 29cc, expecially in comparison to some of the older stuff

Matter of fact, I have a Poulan little thing at home too, its a mate's, I was useing it no end, doing my fenceing and couldn't fault it one bit as it was lighter than my Dolmar 062

The likely hood of something bad happening to a saw operator, is directly proportional to his level of stupidity, it will seldom be the machines fault

Yep so how many people out there think a small saw can do damage......

Matt, you and Landyandy, Dean and myself I would have no problem using a saw with no chain brake due to the amount that we use saws and that we all have learned how to or been taught how to use them properly but how many people on here have that sort of experience behind them plus the training that then breeds the so called "common sense" that will save them if you put the saw in a kick back situation.

It still scares the hell out of me handing a 17 yo apprentice greenskeeper a chainsaw with all the safety gear and the training and getting him to cut some dropped branches etc as it is so easy to stuff up and do damage.

retrospect is a wonderful thing, but I was using a stihl mini boss before I was 10... was that safe for my Dad to teach me? I dunno... but it was almost a necessity at the time (post ash Wednesday fires, 1000's of trees to drop and clean up). Would I teach my boys that young, probably not... but as Matt and mcrover wrote, it's all in the sensibleness (or not) of the user in question.

Originally Posted by Xavie

Hmm... I have now been turned off a cheap saw. I suppose I'll be looking at Husky and stihl. I was doing the google on them today and am thinking the farm boss 250 or there abouts or a small husqvarna. I have never used a Stihl and never had all that much time behind a chainsaw but I know my way around one.
The husky 340 looks like it might be the go.


I think I have now sufficiently hi-jacked this thread. Sorry!

Xav

No probs Xavie,
everyones entiteled 2 their say & what u said is relevant.
I just feel that some r missing the point of the thread but as Con would say..................dozen madder!
If everyone drove around wearing a helmet, statistically the death rate would be reduced, but thats not gunna happen. Its all about common sense.
I would encourage anyone that would use a chainsaw on a regular basis 2 do a coarse.
Originally the thread was 2inform ppl about a compact cheap saw & I do respect ppls concerns 4 safety. It wasnt about this saw vs that saw & I do own much better quality saws but if u feel comfortable useing a saw , dont use it. As in another thread, Im comfortable with chainsaws but 9" grinders in confind spaces scare the thing out of me.
Cheers Dean.