# Buying a new chainsaw



## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Gas or electric ? I have the two cycle Stihl MS 170 and it is a great saw. Sixteen inch bar and chain. Light weight, will cut up to 12 in. diameter logs if need be, but it is not designed for such heavier work. Loves the 6 inch and under diameter wood though. Run the Stihl HP Ultra 50:1 oil mix for best performance.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

For a cheap saw I like my Poulan 3314 [I think that's the model] it only has a 14" bar and is a lot lighter than my Husqvarna rancher. I also have an electric saw I inherited from my father. It's a stout saw but I rarely use it because of the need for a cord.


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## CodeMatters (Aug 16, 2017)

I have a Husqvarna 257. Nice saw but it's probably bigger and more expensive
that you need. I've heard good things about the smaller saws made by Echo.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> Gas or electric ? I have the two cycle Stihl MS 170 and it is a great saw. Sixteen inch bar and chain. Light weight, will cut up to 12 in. diameter logs if need be, but it is not designed for such heavier work. Loves the 6 inch and under diameter wood though. Run the Stihl HP Ultra 50:1 oil mix for best performance.





I have the same saw. Great little saw for home owner use. I'll have to try that Stihl HP Ultra 50:1 mix. I have always used the standard 40:1 in all my 2 strokes.


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

I have a Stihl as well for the larger trees. IMO no better saw.

For the smaller trees, I actually started using my chain saw attachment to my gas string trimmer. Great for trimming trees and cutting up small trees. I was surprised how well it worked, and for a noob with saws, it is a lot safer .


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## comfun1 (May 20, 2010)

I have had 3 or 4 of the 14" Poulans. They used to sell for around $100 and I thought it was silly to spend more. My complaint about the Poulan 14" was hard to pull the starter and easy to flood and didn't idle consistently. I found this true on all of them. Several years ago I bought the Stihl 170 and I have none of the above issues with it.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

> My complaint about the Poulan 14" was hard to pull the starter and easy to flood and didn't idle consistently.


I'm on my 2nd one and have not had that issue at all. Mine has always started on the 2nd or 3rd pull and as long as the chain is sharp it cuts well. My first one finally died and I couldn't figure it out so I bought another since it doesn't make sense to take a $100 saw to a shop for repairs.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

*NON-ethanol* gas will save you lots of grief in the long run.
(for all your gas motor yard equipment).


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

One of the biggest mistakes DIY"S make with any gas powered tool that gets little use such as a chainsaw, generator or rototiller for example is leaving the gas in it when done using using it.
If you know it's not going to be used for a month or more dump the fuel out and let it run until it runs out of gas.


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## t.carpenter00 (Jan 23, 2018)

You cannot go wrong with that 170 stihl. I had a couple of those when I worked for the utility. My dad used to log- he's always ran Stihl. We've never had problems with them. 
I don't think you could go wrong with stihl, Husqvarna, or echo. Personally, with my logging background, I would avoid the others completely. Even though people have success with them. But that's just my experience. 
I would also shy away from saws made by the frontline wood tool manufacturers. Very expensive, overly complicated, and hard to get parts for. 





Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


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## chiraldude (Nov 16, 2013)

Johnny_inFL said:


> *NON-ethanol* gas will save you lots of grief in the long run.
> (for all your gas motor yard equipment).


Have to continue this thought. 
Chainsaws are on the one hand powerful little beasts but on the other they are very picky with how you take care of them. Non-ethanol gas for starters but make sure you use a good quality 2-cycle oil, mixed to manufacturer specs. If you get a Stihl, use premium octane gas because of the high compression ratio. 
Never store the saw for more than a month or two with gas in the tank. Dump the tank, start the saw and let it run dry for storage.
Also remember that you will spend a lot of time sharpening the chain which takes a bit of practice to get right. Cutting wood with dirt on it or hitting the ground with the chain will dull the chain really fast!


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## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

Part of buying a chainsaw is safety. Get a pair of chaps, and a plastic bump hat w/the face shield.


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## chiraldude (Nov 16, 2013)

Keep in mind that the words "Chainsaw" and "Emergency Room" are spoken in the same sentence way too often. 
Be safe!


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## CodeMatters (Aug 16, 2017)

If you enjoy other peoples catastrophes -) :


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## ReignStout (Aug 15, 2018)

https://www.chainsawjournal.com/chainsaw-buying-guide/
This is very detailed guide if u are not lazy to read it.


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## curtiscampher50 (Sep 26, 2021)

I am using *Poulan Pro 20 in. 50cc Chainsaw PR5020* and It’s an excellent saw for cutting firewood, removing trees, and cleaning up around the house, garden, or hobby farm. These 50cc chainsaw reviews have a fair lot of power, and it can slice through logs of reasonable size.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I have a Husqvarna and a Stihl, about the same sizes. The Husky fell off the truck, got run over by a Bobcat, got broken and put back together, on and on. The Stihl is perfect and almost new. The Stihl is ornery, starts hard, and is unreliable but it cuts well if it runs. The Husky always starts right up and will cut all day. Even if neglected with old gas in it the Husky starts on the second pull and will idle. I think I will get another Husky and let my son “borrow” the Stihl.
An electric saw is ok to trim a couple of branches, but to cut more you will get tired of having your cord snagged on all the branches you cut.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I went electric. EGO 56V 16" chain saw cuts anything I have tried so far. Starts every time.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

Go electric for small trees. For larger jobs i like ECHO 16 in gas saws . Has as good reviews as Stihl for less money. Starts very easy and cuts like a bear.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

joecaption said:


> One of the biggest mistakes DIY"S make with any gas powered tool that gets little use such as a chainsaw, generator or rototiller for example is leaving the gas in it when done using using it.
> If you know it's not going to be used for a month or more dump the fuel out and let it run until it runs out of gas.


Doesn't the Stabil product work well?


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## quatsch (Feb 4, 2021)

For small, live trees I use a bowsaw, wedges & a rope. And maybe a comealong.

The chainsaw noise distracts me from the little noises that the tree makes while cutting it that are telling you what it is going to do next. 

Already know your escape route.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

jeffnc said:


> Doesn't the Stabil product work well?


It does, but it's not forever. I don't know if there are hard and fast data but I wouldn't keep gas for much more than 6 months, Stabil, Seafoam or not. I use my saw pretty infrequently now so drain it and run it dry each time. It's a bit of a pain but I think worth it.

We recently had a crew take down a ~70' poplar. They basically dismantled it and the guy in the bucket used an electric (Husky) and I recall the ground crew passing up a battery once. The only time they used their gas was to drop the main trunk. The crew boss said the electric would do it but slower and harder on the batteries. All in all, pretty impressive (and entertaining) to watch a crew of professionals at work.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

The EGO battery saws will cut anything their gas brothers of the same bar size will cut. They make them up to 18".



turbo4 said:


> Go electric for small trees. For larger jobs i like ECHO 16 in gas saws . Has as good reviews as Stihl for less money. Starts very easy and cuts like a bear.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> Doesn't the Stabil product work well?


I think it does. I add it to my saw gas anytime I'm not sure I'll use it up shortly. I use my chainsaws fairly often but occasionally one won't get used for several months - never had any gas issues. I've also used it in my pressure washer if I don't think I'll get to run it dry before putting it up for the season, no issues there either.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Well according to Stabil it's good for 24 months, so I'm just wondering where people are coming up with a figure like 6 months.


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

lenaitch said:


> It does, but it's not forever. I don't know if there are hard and fast data but I wouldn't keep gas for much more than 6 months, Stabil, Seafoam or not. I use my saw pretty infrequently now so drain it and run it dry each time. It's a bit of a pain but I think worth it.
> 
> We recently had a crew take down a ~70' poplar. They basically dismantled it and the guy in the bucket used an electric (Husky) and I recall the ground crew passing up a battery once. The only time they used their gas was to drop the main trunk. The crew boss said the electric would do it but slower and harder on the batteries. All in all, pretty impressive (and entertaining) to watch a crew of professionals at work.


Operative word “poplar”. EXTREMELY soft, light, straight gained and easy to cut wood. Were that a 70’ oak, totally different story. If I am cutting something small, I’ll likely grab my makita battery recip saw and pop a brush blade in it. Saves me the trouble of fastening all of the 9 snaps in my chaps that I put on before picking up the stihl 290.


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## timsouthee043 (Oct 12, 2021)

A basic guide is that the chainsaw should be at least 2 inches longer than the thickness of whatever branch or tree is being cut. For example, if the branch is 8 inches thick, the guide bar (or blade) of the ideal chainsaw should be at least 10 inches long.


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