Thread: Chainsaw advice - what to buy?

Whatever saw you buy for pruning, if you are cutting small branches down to 1" its best to get the smaller 1/4" ( I think) type chain which is the McCulloch but not sure about the Stihl.
The temptation is to get a bigger saw but they throw chains on the small stuff. A tip for cutting smaller stuff is to use the top of the blade, as using it "normally" can drag the twigs etc into the cowl & jam/ throw the chain.
McCullochs are made in Italy nowadays. I would estimate they are designed for 40- 60 hours use ( if not abused & are serviced)

We have a large forest area oour property and also use wood for heating in winter. So I use my chainsaws fairly often and quite hard.

I've got a MS290 Stihl, it's a great chainsaw, but is a little plasticky. Parts are readily available etc.

I recently bought a 24" chainsaw from Ebay for $99, it's 60cc, It's actually quite well built, parts are also readily available from the dealer. It's also powerful. It's got a decent metal ignition switch, and the linkages inside are all metal. I only bought it as an experiment - for something to throw around and not worry about. I was quite surprised with the quality, etc. I'd say there would be a fair gamble buying a cheap saw - it might break after one chain or bar has worn out - who knows, but given the entire chainsaw cost $40 less than just the bar and chain for a Stihl....

I like my stihl, and am happy I bought it. But the cheapy was a bargain in my books.

NOTE - I recommend you get all the safety gear. Chainsaws are messy if you have an accident. Also I'd recommend you go on a chainsaw course to learn how to do it properly. A chainsaw in your nuts will make your eyes water.... Pruning is a particularly dangerous activity with a chainsaw, learning how to do it properly is a must.

I have 2 and I use my cheap one more often. It is from bunnings but it is not a McCulloch..... I'll post the name when I think of it. It was in that cheap range though. It has been going for 12 months now and runs great. 6-8 inchs would be fine. That's right! it's a homelite. It *use* to be a good brand!

It is marketed in heaps of different names and the only difference is price and colour of the saw housing.

But, I think it jsut comes down to what you want to spend. The Homelite has been out bush and taken about 100 x-mas trees or more and done lots of work around my yard but the dearer machine is better.... I'm not sure about 600 bucks better though. AND I still have all my limbs.

When it comes to tools I buy the best that I can afford. Learned this through having wasted money on what could be described as disposables.

I'd go the Stihl. Cheap chainsaws only increase ones frustration and the likelyhood of this leading to an accident.

Having said that I have a McCulloch Beaver that I was given 10 years ago It hasn't been used in 8 years. I got out of the shed the other day primed it gave it 5 pulls and it went

I've got a Stihl 021 which I've had since '91 and it has never given me any problems. It's a relatively small chainsaw, but I still don't think I'd like to do a lot of pruning with it. I'd be more inclined to look at a lightweight electric one if I had any significant amount of pruning to do. They're cheap and easy to handle.

While I'm happy with the Stihl, quite a few of my mates have Husqvarna's. They are all happy with these as well. I think they're much of a muchness. I've heard plenty of people who swear by Husky's, and just as many who will tell you that the Stihl is better - comes down to personal preference.

I recently had a look at the new Makita saws - they don't look too bad. They're another brand originally which Makita bought out. Can't remember which brand, but sombody on here will know.

Stihl or Husky - both excellent.

Hi
I have 2 Stihl chain saws, a small to medium size, that I have owned for 25 years and use to cut our fire wood every winter. It has never let us down, Just general maintenance. 2 years ago purchased a large Stihl Farmboss to use around our farm and I can not fault it. 25 years use with one chain saw I would buy a stihl.

Mike

Thanks for the info everyone - I'm kind of thinking the Stihl is going to be a good buy in the long run.

Stihl make 2 types of Woodboss Chainsaws - normal recoil start and something they call an "Easy2Start" series. Any experience / opinions on which type to go for or if one or the other would be less problematic? The Easy2Start are slightly more expensive.