Posted: 11/18/2021 2:36:24 PM EDT
| Tractor supply is having a sale on poulan pro pr4218 for 120 I don’t do much work with it at the moment and just doing side work with a friend once a week clears downed trees how long will it last since I can pay it off with one job until I can afford something better in a few months |
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Take the money of that Poulan and go out back and burn it. Seriously you go get your $125 and go set it in a pile and burn it. 10 hours runtime before a rebuild. A fool and his money. Your money your business. Perhaps save and get a used stihl, Husqvarna, McCulloch, echo, jonesered, or a homelite. Seriously. Friends don’t let friends get poulans. I’d spend the $120 on a silky katanaboy 500 before I bought a poulan. Imagine if you spend $400 you could get a used Husqvarna 272 72cc saw if you shop around and it’ll last a lifetime and at 72ccs it’ll cut fast, saving time and be more fun and more durable. If you don’t have the money I get it. As the other poster the homeowner grade HUSQVARNAS, Stihls and Echo saws are LEAGUES better than a poulan. Poulan is lower quality than a lorcin and high point. |
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I maintain 2 family homesteads, predominately hardwood forested and use a wood heater in the house quite regularly. My two chainsaws are old Stihl 017 and 026 I bought new. My "holy grail," saw I keep looking for at flea markets, yard sales, Craigslist and other online market sites is a Stihl 038. I've got some 100 year plus red oaks. yellow pine and white pines that occasionally die or become casualties to ice or windstorms so this bigger and powerful saw should be perfect for them. I am able to still (pun intended) able to find any parts I need and they both run as good now as they did when new! Not a lot of saws are in the same league. OP I agree with others when they say try to save a few bucks more and go with at least a farm grade saw but don't fail to check your local pawn shops. If you are not very familiar with saws, try and get someone who is to check out the used ones. I'm on my second cylinder, piston and related on the 026 and by doing the work myself it has cost me around $75.00! If you see a saw you're interested in search Youtube and you should see reviews and DIY repairs! Make sure you get good name brand personal protective equipment and use it religiously! Also, use major brand mixing oil (I use Stihl) even though my saws are commonly referred to as using a 50/1 mix ratio I run 45/1 and believe that is why I these classic older saws are still running tops! Stay safe my friend! |
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Avoid Poulan, or any other trash from the big box stores. Husqvarna, Stihl, or Echo is what you seek. All build decent saws. New Jonsered are all old stock and you'd pay a premium. I know we charge plenty for our remaining red saws. Most get sold as custom builds after they're modified. Disclaimer: Work at a Husqvarna dealership that services all brands except chinesium. |
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Husqvarna, Stihl, Echo. Those are the three things you should buy. OR invest in the Makita battery system and get one of their battery chainsaws. I will put it up against any of the small gas saws in the price range you're looking at. But it sounds like you are after a gas saw. Husqvarna, Stihl. Echo. |
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Quoted: Take the money of that Poulan and go out back and burn it. Seriously you go get your $125 and go set it in a pile and burn it. 10 hours runtime before a rebuild. A fool and his money. Your money your business. Perhaps save and get a used stihl, Husqvarna, McCulloch, echo, jonesered, or a homelite. Seriously. Friends don’t let friends get poulans. I’d spend the $120 on a silky katanaboy 500 before I bought a poulan. Imagine if you spend $400 you could get a used Husqvarna 272 72cc saw if you shop around and it’ll last a lifetime and at 72ccs it’ll cut fast, saving time and be more fun and more durable. If you don’t have the money I get it. As the other poster the homeowner grade HUSQVARNAS, Stihls and Echo saws are LEAGUES better than a poulan. Poulan is lower quality than a lorcin and high point. This...seriously... I bought my used Stihl MS170 for $75 off c-list. My 78 cc Dolmar was 200, I did a complete overhaul for $250 and had a brand new well regarded pro saw for under $500. Just a couple months ago I bought a Stihl 038 Magnum II (73 cc) pro saw for $165. Don't even THINK about spending money you don't want to throw away on a Poulon saw... |
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Quoted: This...seriously... I bought my used Stihl MS170 for $75 off c-list. My 78 cc Dolmar was 200, I did a complete overhaul for $250 and had a brand new well regarded pro saw for under $500. Just a couple months ago I bought a Stihl 038 Magnum II (73 cc) pro saw for $165. Don't even THINK about spending money you don't want to throw away on a Poulon saw... First...I agree 100 percent about Poulan. Don't do it. No matter WHAT you do, don't buy that piece of garbage saw. Chainsaws are frustrating enough (to me at least). Don't make the mistake of buying garbage because it's cheap. Learn the good saws and go to a pawn shop or something. Have them start it up and watch how many pulls it takes (and how many drags on the cigarette the pawn shop guy takes while starting the saw...that's always interesting) and how he fiddles with it. That "fiddling" is something you should not have to do. So if you buy a saw that way, plan to take it to a good shop (which means you need to know what "a good shop" is) and get it worked over and set up so it starts like it should, when it should. So then I will add, playing devil's advocate (and I know SigOwner_P229 will understand my motive) that some of the folks in this thread...they do their own small engine repair. They can fix their stuff. And they base their "I got this used for two dollars and now it runs like a champ" (exaggeration intended cuz...exaggeration  ) on the fact that they think nothing of tearing down a chainsaw and making it work like new. SO....if you can't, OP, maybe the folks here will have advice about that, too, and not assume you are a small-engine mechanic, or want to become one. I guess I think if folks have fixed their own saws (which a LOT Of chainsaw owners in the Homestead forum seem to do), that they should be sure to say that up front.  Just throwing that into the discussion.   ETA: As an alternative, get somebody you know who is really GOOD with chainsaws, and take them with you shopping. Buy them lunch. The $15 you spend on a burger and a beer will be well spent, if you end up with a really great saw for $150, that you can take into the field and work with. I also want to note: You need personal protective gear. Heavy gloves, heavy boots, eye protection and ear protection, at the very least. You will need bar oil and a gas can with mix for your saw, and one of those chainsaw wrenches--that's the bottom line minimum, to me, for taking a saw into the field. I would also not go in without an extra chain or two. All this adds up to money. So go in with your eyes open about what you will spend here. Running a chainsaw in the field is not just about the saw. |
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Quoted: So then I will add, playing devil's advocate (and I know SigOwner_P229 will understand my motive) that some of the folks in this thread...they do their own small engine repair. They can fix their stuff. And they base their "I got this used for two dollars and now it runs like a champ" (exaggeration intended cuz...exaggeration ) on the fact that they think nothing of tearing down a chainsaw and making it work like new. That is a very important point and I am the type that knows OPE well so it is easy for me to figure out what is a deal and what isn't. I should add that all 3 of the saws mentioned above started and ran fine when purchased. The full overhaul on my big one was several years after I purchased it. Through my own stupidity I managed to crack the crankcase. If you know much about the Dolmar 6400, 7300, and 7900 saws you know all 3 of those are the same saw with 3 different piston & cylinder sizes for different displacements. I bought it as a 6400 but always wanted to upgrade to the 7900 piston & cylinder but could never justify the time and cost. When I cracked the crankcase I had to do a full teardown anyways. Ring end gap was getting close to max allowable so rather than check the cylinder out and replace the ring I decided to bite the bullet and do the upgrade. It was worth it! That guttural pig puts a smile on my face when I run it! Up until the recent EFI saws that have incredible power to weight ratios, the Dolmar 7900 is regarded as one of the best sleeper saws out there. It competes with 85cc saws and is really torquey. But I digress, haha. If OP isn't experienced enough or comfortable buying used because he doesn't know much about working on saws then Poulon is a huge no. Save up a little more and get a new Stihl MS170. My MS170 was my first saw. I heated my house exclusively with firewood cut with ONLY the MS170 for 5 years before I got my Dolmar 6400. I must've cut at least 25 cords of firewood the first 2 years I owned it. I still use it regularly and I've never had to do anything to it outside of routine maintenance. It must have several hundred operating hours by now; I've owned it for about 12 years. It's still my go-to saw; it's light so it doesn't wear me out or make me hurt (I'm getting to be an old man) and it sips gas. ETA, and don't let anybody convince you that the homeowner line of Stihl saws are "junk" or not as good as the pro line. It's utter rubbish. There are some differences in the teardown process if you have to open the crankcase up but they aren't inferior. The cylinders, pistons, carbs, etc are all just as good, they're just made in a way that makes them cheaper to manufacture but not inferior quality. The real difference is the pro saws have better power to weight ratios which is a great thing for someone using the saw several hours a week. |
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I bought a Husqvarna many years ago. "Husky 55" they called it, cuz "husky" meant Husqvarna back then. I'm that olde. I bought it because I researched to the point I trolled logging forums, and the loggers said to me (cuz I told them I am a small female and what I needed), "you need a Husky 55"--that meant a Husqvarna 55. At that point (this was 25 years ago) loggers were using Husqvarna for their profession. I don't know what they are using now, but I'm telling you that the saw in my garage, 25 years later, if I chose to pay attention to it, would likely outrun any Poulan saw you can buy anywhere. That is the power of owning a good saw. And it is worth it to own one. If you burn wood for your heat (which we did at that point) it is a decision about "can I keep my family warm?" If you want to help your neighbors in an ice storm, you want your saw to be solid. If you want to use your saw to make money, it's a business expense, whether or not you are in business. And I will also say that if you think about buying a cheap, crappy saw, that will be paid for in one job, consider buying a real, serious, bitchin saw that migh take you three jobs to pay for, but that will last you 25 years, like mine has. Because there is no comparison. If you need a chainsaw, you need it to RUN when you need it to run. (this means maintenance, and regular attention, btw) |
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Good point about homeowner saws. They are in fact as good as the “PRO,” saws, *for occasional use*. The ,”Pro,” is in part a branding and marketing thing to stoke your ego. There are some durability differences in a homeowner saw, yes, but the other side of the pro saw is the often the displacement and more durable. Often pro saws are built for continuous use and have features like more metal, such as a metal gas tank instead of plastic. Things such as a easier to access and disassemble piston head or things like easier starting. More responsive throttle. Faster cuts due to more power. The basics are: keep your chain very sharp, Rotate your bar in avoid cutting dirt, learn how to avoid pinching the bar Learn how to avoid kickback Always wear chaps - playing tough guy or not taking time for chaps because they’re uncomfortable is silly. If you hit your femoral artery which is likely if you cut your inside left leg(the most common cut area by accident) you will have no way to stop the bleeding short of an immediate tourniquet. That’s if you don’t lose consciousness and bleed to death quickly. Darwin has a way of making sure you get it. Be careful. If you buy a used saw they can be tedious. Some shops will be reasonable in the cost of repair. Arborist site in the For Sale section is a good place to find used saws. Ebay is another ok place to look. Often when I look for a saw I ignore price somewhat and focus on what I’m using it for. An occasional use saw? I’d look at something in the 50-65cc range. Something affordable with parts availability. |
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Quoted: I bought a Husqvarna many years ago. "Husky 55" they called it, cuz "husky" meant Husqvarna back then. I'm that olde. I bought it because I researched to the point I trolled logging forums, and the loggers said to me (cuz I told them I am a small female and what I needed), "you need a Husky 55"--that meant a Husqvarna 55. At that point (this was 25 years ago) loggers were using Husqvarna for their profession. I don't know what they are using now, but I'm telling you that the saw in my garage, 25 years later, if I chose to pay attention to it, would likely outrun any Poulan saw you can buy anywhere. That is the power of owning a good saw. And it is worth it to own one. If you burn wood for your heat (which we did at that point) it is a decision about "can I keep my family warm?" If you want to help your neighbors in an ice storm, you want your saw to be solid. If you want to use your saw to make money, it's a business expense, whether or not you are in business. And I will also say that if you think about buying a cheap, crappy saw, that will be paid for in one job, consider buying a real, serious, bitchin saw that migh take you three jobs to pay for, but that will last you 25 years, like mine has. Because there is no comparison. If you need a chainsaw, you need it to RUN when you need it to run. (this means maintenance, and regular attention, btw) My first good saw was a Husqvarna 55 rancher that I purchased in 1998 while in high school. I cut and sold fire wood for years with that saw, cleared many acres of land, and I ran 6 gallons of fuel through it on May 9th 2009 after the Draco effed up this area. I still have it, and it would run again if I cleaned the carb. The oil tank is cracked so it leaks oil, and doesn't oil the chain. I bought a sthil 251 a few years ago to replace it but the Husqvarna is still in the shop waiting to be ran again. |
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Quoted: My first good saw was a Husqvarna 55 rancher that I purchased in 1998 while in high school. I cut and sold fire wood for years with that saw, cleared many acres of land, and I ran 6 gallons of fuel through it on May 9th 2009 after the Draco effed up this area. I still have it, and it would run again if I cleaned the carb. The oil tank is cracked so it leaks oil, and doesn't oil the chain. I bought a sthil 251 a few years ago to replace it but the Husqvarna is still in the shop waiting to be ran again. If you decide to fix that saw, including cleaning the carb, I would be in your debt if you would take photos (or video if you are able to do that--I'm not that techy) and post a thread about repairing it. I want mine fixed, but my mower guy is the best small engine mechanic I know, and he doesn't have time to fix my saw. Plus...husqvarna did something different with the way the air filter is positioned...or something...that makes a difference in their saw quality. (I'm sure I'm botching that--it's been...lessee...almost 30 year.....going back to look I see that I underguessed in the previous post..So....25-30 years...yeah...we start doing that when we get old ) Anyway it's been a long time since I was doing that shopping and learning about that saw.It's sitting in my garage right now because I want it to run again. |
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For some reason, my dad has always had to be different when it comes to chainsaws. He's had a Homelight, a few different Craftsmans and a few different Poulens. They have gotten the job done for him for the most part, but he could have bought 2 really good saws with the money he's spent over the years and still been running them. I'd look for a used Stihl, Husky or Echo. I wonder if a Sthil 170 might be had for $200ish on Black Friday? If so, I'd go that route. |
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Check the used market for the name brand saws. I'd point you to some pro saws that are saws are under two different names. Dolmar = Makita, Jonsered = Husquvarna Shindaiwa = Echo I'd point out some Redmax saws rebranded as Ryobi and Craftsman Pro but you really need to know what you're looking for\looking at. |
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I own 11 saws, with the exception of one saw they are all pro level Stihl. That one saw is a cheap, snot green Poulan that I bought at a Menards in Michigan around 25 years ago. It has a thin 16-inch bar and if IIRC it was around $100. I used it on my farm in Michigan for several years and then took it to Montana and used it three or four years and then retired it to its case. It sat around unused for ten years. A couple of years ago, I saw it in the shop and wanted to see it would run. If not, it was going to the dump. Prior to storing it, I had drained the fuel and had fogged the cylinder. For kicks, I put some mix in it and primed it. It started with just a few pulls. Now I cannot throw it away, the saw is so light and nimble so I put it back to use for light duty needs. If someone asked me if it would be an occasional light duty saw, I would not hesitate to recommend one. |
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Quoted: If you decide to fix that saw, including cleaning the carb, I would be in your debt if you would take photos (or video if you are able to do that--I'm not that techy) and post a thread about repairing it. I want mine fixed, but my mower guy is the best small engine mechanic I know, and he doesn't have time to fix my saw. Plus...husqvarna did something different with the way the air filter is positioned...or something...that makes a difference in their saw quality. (I'm sure I'm botching that--it's been...lessee...almost 30 year.....going back to look I see that I underguessed in the previous post..So....25-30 years...yeah...we start doing that when we get old ) Anyway it's been a long time since I was doing that shopping and learning about that saw.It's sitting in my garage right now because I want it to run again. Quoted: Quoted: My first good saw was a Husqvarna 55 rancher that I purchased in 1998 while in high school. I cut and sold fire wood for years with that saw, cleared many acres of land, and I ran 6 gallons of fuel through it on May 9th 2009 after the Draco effed up this area. I still have it, and it would run again if I cleaned the carb. The oil tank is cracked so it leaks oil, and doesn't oil the chain. I bought a sthil 251 a few years ago to replace it but the Husqvarna is still in the shop waiting to be ran again. If you decide to fix that saw, including cleaning the carb, I would be in your debt if you would take photos (or video if you are able to do that--I'm not that techy) and post a thread about repairing it. I want mine fixed, but my mower guy is the best small engine mechanic I know, and he doesn't have time to fix my saw. Plus...husqvarna did something different with the way the air filter is positioned...or something...that makes a difference in their saw quality. (I'm sure I'm botching that--it's been...lessee...almost 30 year.....going back to look I see that I underguessed in the previous post..So....25-30 years...yeah...we start doing that when we get old ) Anyway it's been a long time since I was doing that shopping and learning about that saw.It's sitting in my garage right now because I want it to run again. Every time I popped the top of that saw the air filter was also popped off  It amazes me I never had engine problems, I ended up zip tying it in place. When the rebuild happens I'll definitely make a thread on it, might be a few years though
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Quoted: I own 11 saws, with the exception of one saw they are all pro level Stihl. That one saw is a cheap, snot green Poulan that I bought at a Menards in Michigan around 25 years ago. It has a thin 16-inch bar and if IIRC it was around $100. I used it on my farm in Michigan for several years and then took it to Montana and used it three or four years and then retired it to its case. It sat around unused for ten years. A couple of years ago, I saw it in the shop and wanted to see it would run. If not, it was going to the dump. Prior to storing it, I had drained the fuel and had fogged the cylinder. For kicks, I put some mix in it and primed it. It started with just a few pulls. Now I cannot throw it away, the saw is so light and nimble so I put it back to use for light duty needs. If someone asked me if it would be an occasional light duty saw, I would not hesitate to recommend one. FWIW, Poulon used to be a reasonably good mid-grade saw, but that was many years ago. To keep their product in the big box stores they continuously cut quality year after year until they were no longer regarded as reliable The quality of Stihl, Husky, etc is similar to what it was 25 years ago. The quality of Poulon today isn't even in the same ballpark as their quality from 25 years ago. Additionally, even a crappy company occasionally turns out an ok product so we have to be careful about using anecdotes as definitive information. |
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I had a cheap poulan and used canned gas, and took really good care of it and it just stopped working in about a year. went to the local hardware to look at Stihl. Told the guy my needs and I said money not an issue as I needed it, wanted a good one for life, and not sure what should I get. I wanted the FARM model. He told me Stihl ms250 16" was better for me than the farm model. Per his recommendation I got the ms250 with the sale price. He said dealers have a sale once a year and I just missed it so he gave it to me for the sale price. Local small town shop is the way to go. At times I wish I had more power but I only use it for trees that fall on their own. Yea I have a large 30" diamature oak I have been working on bit by bit that a bigger saw would do better, but the smaller 8-12" stuff this saw is great. My needs: I use it every week in the fall (weekends/ vacation days). and in summer if a tree is in my way. I do have an old all metal craftsman 18" saw that was given to me too. It's bigger. It still runs and was probably made by Poulan years ago (no idea) but it uses fuel at 10X the new saw. I save that for bigger stuff. |
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Quoted: FWIW, Poulon used to be a reasonably good mid-grade saw, but that was many years ago. To keep their product in the big box stores they continuously cut quality year after year until they were no longer regarded as reliable The quality of Stihl, Husky, etc is similar to what it was 25 years ago. The quality of Poulon today isn't even in the same ballpark as their quality from 25 years ago. Additionally, even a crappy company occasionally turns out an ok product so we have to be careful about using anecdotes as definitive information. When poulan stopped using metal cased saws and began using plastic cased saws quality dropped. It wasn’t due to some chest thumping machismo over using metal it was the corporations getting involved in the engineering and making things weaker and more disposable to sell you a new one. Shorter life span. The thinking was more than superficial such as straight up shoddy engineering and internal components such as a main crank bearing seal being torn up after 10 hours of runtime due to a terrible placement of it making it subject to being torn up by sawdust. It’s about as effective as having a nail sprinkler on your tires for your car. Like I said you go take that money and burn it if you want a modern day poulan. This isn’t brand loyalty it’s a quality issue. Poulan caters to the lack of knowledge of people. Honestly they make it hard to really know and keep them cheap enough to tempt you. |
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Quoted: Tractor supply is having a sale on poulan pro pr4218 for 120 I don’t do much work with it at the moment and just doing side work with a friend once a week clears downed trees how long will it last since I can pay it off with one job until I can afford something better in a few months Buy once cry once. Pick ur poison. Husqvarna, Echo, Stihl. All are good if u maintain them properly. Get the brand from the closest reputable dealer. Not a box store. |
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I did the cheap Poulan $100 saws for years. I was lucky to get two years out of one. 6 or 7 years ago i bought my first Echo on sale at Home Depot. I can go gas it up, right now, smush the fuel primer bulb, choke it and it will be running in three pulls. It is a great saw, but my brother bought a little Stihl two weeks ago. A MS170 for $180. I liked it so much ((and i need a spare saw) that i went to Ace and bought the MS180 this week. It was $209 before tax. |
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Quoted: All the accounts I've read are "they're Chinese copies of Stihl and Husky" saws. With all that means. I certainly wouldn't say "exact" clones. Good point! They're copies of name brand but rarely do they ever meet the manufacturer tolerances and specs of the name brand. They are often made of similar materials but sometimes cut corners like different rubber gaskets, using a single piston ring instead of 2, using thinner cylinder plating or not continuing the plating high enough into the cylinder head area. |
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Quoted: I did the cheap Poulan $100 saws for years. I was lucky to get two years out of one. 6 or 7 years ago i bought my first Echo on sale at Home Depot. I can go gas it up, right now, smush the fuel primer bulb, choke it and it will be running in three pulls. It is a great saw, but my brother bought a little Stihl two weeks ago. A MS170 for $180. I liked it so much ((and i need a spare saw) that i went to Ace and bought the MS180 this week. It was $209 before tax. @Flysc What did you like about it so much that you went and got one? Genuiunely interested! Side note: I have not gone with Stihl because the Stihl saws I have used in the past required so many yanks on the pull rope that it just wore me out. Maybe they were not adjusted right. I don't know. But I choose small equipment based on how hard it is to start. Cuz life is too short to yank on a pull rope. (I'm small and female, and I use chainsaws semi-regularly, and other pull-start equipment EVERY day. It needs to f***ing start, if it's maintained. Yanking that rope is hard. I can cut up a few trees with less energy than I can yank on that damn rope for another ten minutes. I will shut up now about how much I hate things that will not start ) Seriously...I am very interested in why you liked the Stihl saw better than what you had. I'm at the point of trying Stihl equipment to replace what I have. |
| OP,,,Just find a Stihl dealer and pay the man what he wants for an MS 170-180. For your needs it could be a lifetime saw if you treat it right. I just got a 12 year old Stihl Kombi Unit head repaired for $100.18. It was only about $300 when I bought it. It will work for another ten years now. My MS270 is 12 years old too and it starts on the 1st or 2nd pull. I treat it correctly and it loves me. My little 180c "ez" start is almost like a pocket knife to me. It even goes in the Motor Home when we travel. Ya never know. |
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Quoted: @Flysc What did you like about it so much that you went and got one? Genuiunely interested! Side note: I have not gone with Stihl because the Stihl saws I have used in the past required so many yanks on the pull rope that it just wore me out. Maybe they were not adjusted right. I don't know. But I choose small equipment based on how hard it is to start. Cuz life is too short to yank on a pull rope. (I'm small and female, and I use chainsaws semi-regularly, and other pull-start equipment EVERY day. It needs to f***ing start, if it's maintained. Yanking that rope is hard. I can cut up a few trees with less energy than I can yank on that damn rope for another ten minutes. I will shut up now about how much I hate things that will not start ) Seriously...I am very interested in why you liked the Stihl saw better than what you had. I'm at the point of trying Stihl equipment to replace what I have. Quoted: Quoted: I did the cheap Poulan $100 saws for years. I was lucky to get two years out of one. 6 or 7 years ago i bought my first Echo on sale at Home Depot. I can go gas it up, right now, smush the fuel primer bulb, choke it and it will be running in three pulls. It is a great saw, but my brother bought a little Stihl two weeks ago. A MS170 for $180. I liked it so much ((and i need a spare saw) that i went to Ace and bought the MS180 this week. It was $209 before tax. @Flysc What did you like about it so much that you went and got one? Genuiunely interested! Side note: I have not gone with Stihl because the Stihl saws I have used in the past required so many yanks on the pull rope that it just wore me out. Maybe they were not adjusted right. I don't know. But I choose small equipment based on how hard it is to start. Cuz life is too short to yank on a pull rope. (I'm small and female, and I use chainsaws semi-regularly, and other pull-start equipment EVERY day. It needs to f***ing start, if it's maintained. Yanking that rope is hard. I can cut up a few trees with less energy than I can yank on that damn rope for another ten minutes. I will shut up now about how much I hate things that will not start ) Seriously...I am very interested in why you liked the Stihl saw better than what you had. I'm at the point of trying Stihl equipment to replace what I have. @Kitties-with-Sigs I have had stellar service out of my Echo 32cc saw and an Echo weedwhacker. Bought the new Stihl because i like backup equipment. I got to give the new Stihl MS180 a bit of a workout this weekend on a wild cherry. This saw is supposed to be 31 cc, but ripped through wood faster than the 32cc Echo. To be honest, i much prefer the ease of starting the Echo. Prime the bulb, pull the choke ...usually "pops" on first at second yank, then clench throttle (which disengages the choke) and one more pull to make it run. The Echo is several years old and has never failed to run. One thing i always do is drain the tank before putting it up for long spells. Run untill warm, shut it off, drain fuel, recrank and let it run dry. You mention being a small female. When at Ace, the salesman mentioned one of the models had some sort of "easier to pull start" crank mechanism. You might check that out. I'm a fairly strong, 6' tall trog, so i did not demo that one. |
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Quoted: Stihl & Husky pro saws are tier 1, both are good. Echo's nicer models and Stihl/Husky home owner saws would be tier 2 Jonsered is meh I personally wouldn't bother with Poulan at all. Echo/Stihl/Husky are the only currently produced saws I would consider. Wise words! |
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Quoted: @Kitties-with-Sigs I have had stellar service out of my Echo 32cc saw and an Echo weedwhacker. Bought the new Stihl because i like backup equipment. I got to give the new Stihl MS180 a bit of a workout this weekend on a wild cherry. This saw is supposed to be 31 cc, but ripped through wood faster than the 32cc Echo. To be honest, i much prefer the ease of starting the Echo. Prime the bulb, pull the choke ...usually "pops" on first at second yank, then clench throttle (which disengages the choke) and one more pull to make it run. The Echo is several years old and has never failed to run. One thing i always do is drain the tank before putting it up for long spells. Run untill warm, shut it off, drain fuel, recrank and let it run dry. You mention being a small female. When at Ace, the salesman mentioned one of the models had some sort of "easier to pull start" crank mechanism. You might check that out. I'm a fairly strong, 6' tall trog, so i did not demo that one. Thanks! I'm interested in Stihl in large part because they have a backpack blower you can start while it's on your back. (Inevitably the customer comes out to chat while you are using the blower. Never the mower, never the trimmer...ALWAYS the blower. Yesterday on a leaf removal, I had to take off the backpack, start it and heft (this isn't pretty) it onto my back again FOUR TIMES because she just kept thinking of something she needed to say. (One time was to give me soup to bring home for supper, so...yaknow....that's nice.) BUt still....the stihl backpack you can start while you wear it is something I want to look at. So my question had a larger-world component as well. It seems that echo and husqvarna have made "starting easily" their thing. Even at three years old, used constantly, my echo equipment (unless I run it out of gas) starts on the third pull, no matter what it is (two with the choke on, get a rumble, turn the choke off, starts on the next pull). If it doesn't, it needs a new spark plug. Change plug. BOOM! Starts on third pull again. I heart Echo for that reason alone. But the "start on the back" design by Stihl....that's a game changer. And beyond that, every company has its ups and downs. Some models will be better or worse in any brand, based on what I have seen. Although my small equipment is echo, and my chainsaw(gas) has been Husqvarna, I'm not married to a brand. |
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Quoted: Good point! They're copies of name brand but rarely do they ever meet the manufacturer tolerances and specs of the name brand. They are often made of similar materials but sometimes cut corners like different rubber gaskets, using a single piston ring instead of 2, using thinner cylinder plating or not continuing the plating high enough into the cylinder head area. Quoted: Quoted: All the accounts I've read are "they're Chinese copies of Stihl and Husky" saws. With all that means. I certainly wouldn't say "exact" clones. Good point! They're copies of name brand but rarely do they ever meet the manufacturer tolerances and specs of the name brand. They are often made of similar materials but sometimes cut corners like different rubber gaskets, using a single piston ring instead of 2, using thinner cylinder plating or not continuing the plating high enough into the cylinder head area. Clone vs Copy, same same only different but still same. We have "Clone" rifle builds on here after all. To the layperson their interchangeable. As far as how good of a copy/clone. They're pretty damn good. I'm sure the base material isn't necessarily the same spec, but from the one I saw I'd not balk at having one in my tool inventory as a beater saw. The biggest "selling" point for them is they're compatible with the original saw's parts. Personally I wouldn't buy another cheap chainsaw ever again. I honestly would sooner go with a 40v or 80v electric cordless saw over a cheap gas saw. |
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Quoted: Thanks! I'm interested in Stihl in large part because they have a backpack blower you can start while it's on your back. (Inevitably the customer comes out to chat while you are using the blower. Never the mower, never the trimmer...ALWAYS the blower. Yesterday on a leaf removal, I had to take off the backpack, start it and heft (this isn't pretty) it onto my back again FOUR TIMES because she just kept thinking of something she needed to say. (One time was to give me soup to bring home for supper, so...yaknow....that's nice.) BUt still....the stihl backpack you can start while you wear it is something I want to look at. So my question had a larger-world component as well. It seems that echo and husqvarna have made "starting easily" their thing. Even at three years old, used constantly, my echo equipment (unless I run it out of gas) starts on the third pull, no matter what it is (two with the choke on, get a rumble, turn the choke off, starts on the next pull). If it doesn't, it needs a new spark plug. Change plug. BOOM! Starts on third pull again. I heart Echo for that reason alone. But the "start on the back" design by Stihl....that's a game changer. And beyond that, every company has its ups and downs. Some models will be better or worse in any brand, based on what I have seen. Although my small equipment is echo, and my chainsaw(gas) has been Husqvarna, I'm not married to a brand. Quoted: Quoted: @Kitties-with-Sigs I have had stellar service out of my Echo 32cc saw and an Echo weedwhacker. Bought the new Stihl because i like backup equipment. I got to give the new Stihl MS180 a bit of a workout this weekend on a wild cherry. This saw is supposed to be 31 cc, but ripped through wood faster than the 32cc Echo. To be honest, i much prefer the ease of starting the Echo. Prime the bulb, pull the choke ...usually "pops" on first at second yank, then clench throttle (which disengages the choke) and one more pull to make it run. The Echo is several years old and has never failed to run. One thing i always do is drain the tank before putting it up for long spells. Run untill warm, shut it off, drain fuel, recrank and let it run dry. You mention being a small female. When at Ace, the salesman mentioned one of the models had some sort of "easier to pull start" crank mechanism. You might check that out. I'm a fairly strong, 6' tall trog, so i did not demo that one. Thanks! I'm interested in Stihl in large part because they have a backpack blower you can start while it's on your back. (Inevitably the customer comes out to chat while you are using the blower. Never the mower, never the trimmer...ALWAYS the blower. Yesterday on a leaf removal, I had to take off the backpack, start it and heft (this isn't pretty) it onto my back again FOUR TIMES because she just kept thinking of something she needed to say. (One time was to give me soup to bring home for supper, so...yaknow....that's nice.) BUt still....the stihl backpack you can start while you wear it is something I want to look at. So my question had a larger-world component as well. It seems that echo and husqvarna have made "starting easily" their thing. Even at three years old, used constantly, my echo equipment (unless I run it out of gas) starts on the third pull, no matter what it is (two with the choke on, get a rumble, turn the choke off, starts on the next pull). If it doesn't, it needs a new spark plug. Change plug. BOOM! Starts on third pull again. I heart Echo for that reason alone. But the "start on the back" design by Stihl....that's a game changer. And beyond that, every company has its ups and downs. Some models will be better or worse in any brand, based on what I have seen. Although my small equipment is echo, and my chainsaw(gas) has been Husqvarna, I'm not married to a brand. A backpack blower you can start still on your back  I don’t use one for a living and even I can see the Genius. I have the big Redmax to move acres of hardwood leaves. It has that toggle button that full up is the kill/off switch. It’s not a poor design as much as I seem to suck at not hitting that switch accidentally. It sucks to swing that thing around but it is bad ass at what it does. Will move a ATV battery on a wood deck. |
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Quoted: A backpack blower you can start still on your back I don’t use one for a living and even I can see the Genius. ....snip Yup. I know a lot of pros who use this blower. I just haven't tried it. Weight is a thing for me. My current blower weighs abt 23 lbs. I need a bigger blower, but...weight. So THIS blower in the video has a hip belt. That's a big deal. As a small female it's much easier for me to carry weight on my hips than on my shoulders. AND you can start it while you wear it. It weighs 30 lbs. That's a LOT for me, lifting it many times per day to heft onto my back (that's like almost 30 percent of my body weight). Even the 23 lbs hurts at the end of the day, but I start the blower, set it on the tailgate or trailer, and shrug into it. At the end of the day I'm using my knee to shove it up there cuz I'm tired. Even if this one weighs more, the ability to start it without having to take it off my back and heft it back on is worth, like...jumping up and down gold . There's never a tailgate in the back yard, which is where the little old lady comes out to chat about what's wrong with her rose bush, so I have to just muscle it onto my back from the ground. Woops...ETA the link.. @mc556  Stihl BR 800 C-E Magnum Review | Stihl's Most Powerful Backpack Blower As an aside: It is interesting to me, how companies decide to build tools. More and more, they are coming around to building things for folks who are not 6'3" and 250 lbs of muscle. I personally think it's because Mexicans and, in particular, people from Central America, are not big people. The men are short, but still stronger than I am, yet I am benefiting from an industry building stuff for men who are, at least, closer to my height. The question will be...Will the harness FIT me? I doubt it. I figure if the hip belt is cinched, the shoulder straps wont' actually touch the top of my shoulders.  Edits cuz..I'm tired. |
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In about 1988/89 I traded for a used McCulloch Pro mac 10/10S. I still have it to this day. Had to redo the fuel system [new molded fuel line, carb rebuild] once due to fuel but it still runs and cuts better then most of the new saws. As a bonus, it deafens anyone who tries to complain about the noise. |
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Quoted: Yup. I know a lot of pros who use this blower. I just haven't tried it. Weight is a thing for me. My current blower weighs abt 23 lbs. I need a bigger blower, but...weight. So THIS blower in the video has a hip belt. That's a big deal. As a small female it's much easier for me to carry weight on my hips than on my shoulders. AND you can start it while you wear it. It weighs 30 lbs. That's a LOT for me, lifting it many times per day to heft onto my back (that's like almost 30 percent of my body weight). Even the 23 lbs hurts at the end of the day, but I start the blower, set it on the tailgate or trailer, and shrug into it. At the end of the day I'm using my knee to shove it up there cuz I'm tired. Even if this one weighs more, the ability to start it without having to take it off my back and heft it back on is worth, like...jumping up and down gold . There's never a tailgate in the back yard, which is where the little old lady comes out to chat about what's wrong with her rose bush, so I have to just muscle it onto my back from the ground. Woops...ETA the link.. @mc556  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUG7gly2zqsAs an aside: It is interesting to me, how companies decide to build tools. More and more, they are coming around to building things for folks who are not 6'3" and 250 lbs of muscle. I personally think it's because Mexicans and, in particular, people from Central America, are not big people. The men are short, but still stronger than I am, yet I am benefiting from an industry building stuff for men who are, at least, closer to my height. The question will be...Will the harness FIT me? I doubt it. I figure if the hip belt is cinched, the shoulder straps wont' actually touch the top of my shoulders. Edits cuz..I'm tired. Quoted: Quoted: A backpack blower you can start still on your back I don’t use one for a living and even I can see the Genius. ....snip Yup. I know a lot of pros who use this blower. I just haven't tried it. Weight is a thing for me. My current blower weighs abt 23 lbs. I need a bigger blower, but...weight. So THIS blower in the video has a hip belt. That's a big deal. As a small female it's much easier for me to carry weight on my hips than on my shoulders. AND you can start it while you wear it. It weighs 30 lbs. That's a LOT for me, lifting it many times per day to heft onto my back (that's like almost 30 percent of my body weight). Even the 23 lbs hurts at the end of the day, but I start the blower, set it on the tailgate or trailer, and shrug into it. At the end of the day I'm using my knee to shove it up there cuz I'm tired. Even if this one weighs more, the ability to start it without having to take it off my back and heft it back on is worth, like...jumping up and down gold . There's never a tailgate in the back yard, which is where the little old lady comes out to chat about what's wrong with her rose bush, so I have to just muscle it onto my back from the ground. Woops...ETA the link.. @mc556 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUG7gly2zqsAs an aside: It is interesting to me, how companies decide to build tools. More and more, they are coming around to building things for folks who are not 6'3" and 250 lbs of muscle. I personally think it's because Mexicans and, in particular, people from Central America, are not big people. The men are short, but still stronger than I am, yet I am benefiting from an industry building stuff for men who are, at least, closer to my height. The question will be...Will the harness FIT me? I doubt it. I figure if the hip belt is cinched, the shoulder straps wont' actually touch the top of my shoulders. Edits cuz..I'm tired. The EBZ8550 redmax is a animal but it isn’t light. Wet weight is well over 30lbs. The upside is it gets things done fast. I don’t use it professionally so it works great for me. If I did use it daily I’m not sure it wouldn’t be the best choice, but I would certainly look at all my options. I wish I could remember what model Stihl I had before. It was a great unit but the 8550 was next level. I have a ton of mature Beech and those leaves are a PITA compared to oak |
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Quoted: I bought a Husqvarna many years ago. "Husky 55" they called it, cuz "husky" meant Husqvarna back then. I'm that olde. I bought it because I researched to the point I trolled logging forums, and the loggers said to me (cuz I told them I am a small female and what I needed), "you need a Husky 55"--that meant a Husqvarna 55. At that point (this was 25 years ago) loggers were using Husqvarna for their profession. I don't know what they are using now, but I'm telling you that the saw in my garage, 25 years later, if I chose to pay attention to it, would likely outrun any Poulan saw you can buy anywhere. That is the power of owning a good saw. And it is worth it to own one. If you burn wood for your heat (which we did at that point) it is a decision about "can I keep my family warm?" If you want to help your neighbors in an ice storm, you want your saw to be solid. If you want to use your saw to make money, it's a business expense, whether or not you are in business. And I will also say that if you think about buying a cheap, crappy saw, that will be paid for in one job, consider buying a real, serious, bitchin saw that migh take you three jobs to pay for, but that will last you 25 years, like mine has. Because there is no comparison. If you need a chainsaw, you need it to RUN when you need it to run. (this means maintenance, and regular attention, btw) We still run Husqvarna saws. 
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I bought a Poulan Pro a couple years ago when Lowe’s was clearing them out for $18/ea. It’s still in the box and I didn’t buy it with any intention of ever using it. I bought it because I do expect it’ll fire up and run for at least one job, so the next time a neighbor needs to borrow a saw after a hurricane I can hand them the Poulan (to keep) and not have to hurt their feeling when I tell them they can’t use my good Stihl. If you’re buying a saw to earn money with, buy a good one. It’ll cost less. |
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Quoted: I bought a Poulan Pro a couple years ago when Lowe’s was clearing them out for $18/ea. It’s still in the box and I didn’t buy it with any intention of ever using it. I bought it because I do expect it’ll fire up and run for at least one job, so the next time a neighbor needs to borrow a saw after a hurricane I can hand them the Poulan (to keep) and not have to hurt their feeling when I tell them they can’t use my good Stihl. If you’re buying a saw to earn money with, buy a good one. It’ll cost less. This is a GREAT idea! And yeah, I'd buy three of them at $18 each, and use them JUST for that right there! |