homeowners chain saw around $150

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - homeowners chain saw around $150

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:05:20 PM EDT

suggestions?

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:07:46 PM EDT

[#1]

Craftsman.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:08:34 PM EDT

[#2]

KAC

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:10:30 PM EDT

[#3]

Yeah,I found a 16" at Sears for $136 today.Will be 1st saw and don't want to go nuts till I learn more.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:11:40 PM EDT

[#4]

Does Stihl make a saw for that price?

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:15:10 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Does Stihl make a saw for that price?

That was not funny.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:15:52 PM EDT

[#6]

There's no such thing as a homeowners chainsaw, there's just pro-saws and junk you'll be cursing the rest of your life because you'll never really wear it out but it'll always be giving you trouble.

Either go to your local stihl store and buy the cheapest saw they have (it won't be that much more, I think they make a $200 saw) or go garage saling/craigslist/ebaying and get a used 026/ms260, I paid $150 for mine on ebay years ago and it's still going strong. I found a mint 028super at a garage sale for $80 once...You could get by with an 024 or 025, or an 028 too if you found one that's been taken care of, so long as nobody's run straight gas through them those saws almost never get worn out, people use them for a little firewood and pruning and they're 2000 hr machines.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:19:48 PM EDT

[#7]

Spend a little more and get a beginner size Stihl or Husqvarna saw.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:20:47 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Yeah,I found a 16" at Sears for $136 today.Will be 1st saw and don't want to go nuts till I learn more.

It will serve you well, not the best but a fine saw for small stuff around your yard.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:26:00 PM EDT

[#9]

The 14" $100 poulan from Home Depot or Wal Mart will do most people just fine. I use them as my brush saw around my 12 acres. For the money you cant beat it, when the bar wears out sell it for $20 and buy a new one. I have a Husqvarna 22" for my big stuff but again most people dont need to spend that kind of money. To me the Poulan is the best of that class/price range.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:27:47 PM EDT

[#10]

I have a 14" craftsman that has done the trick for many years.
It's not for big projects, but for basic 'around the back yard' projects or the occasional fallen tree branch its a lifesaver.

I dont remember the cost but it wasnt much

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:27:50 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
The 14" poulan from Home Depot or Wal Mart will do most people just fine. I use them as my brush saw around my 12 acres. For the money you cant beat it, when the bar wears out sell it for $20 and buy a new one. I have a Husqvarna 22" for my big stuff but again most people dont need to spend that kind of money. To me the Poulan is the best of that class/price range.

They had a HUSQVARNA 455 rancher for $400

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:28:11 PM EDT

[#12]

Purchased a McCulloch Pro Mac 610 Chain saw in 1982 or 83 to clear my land and cut firewood.
I burned a Tri Axle load of firewood every winter for 14 years and cleared several acres of densely wooded land... used it for pruning trees and for cutting up storm damage.... in a nutshell, used the shit out of it for 28 years.
Put a couple of new bars on it, I forget how many new chains and that's it.
Can't kill the sum bitch... used it a few times this month to help out my neighbors.....got tired of listening to the "pro" they hired spending all freakin day to cut up one tree...... grabbed my saw and cut it up fast.
Stihl and Husqvarna make great saws........ but if they are still making them like they used to, I wouldn't hesitant to by a McCulloch or Craftsmen ...... they're damn good saws for the homewoner......if you plan on becoming a logger, you can spend the extra money.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:28:14 PM EDT

[#13]

I run a Stihl and have for years

My dad bought a el cheapo Poulan Wild Thing at Wally World and had good luck out of it.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:30:11 PM EDT

[#14]

Don't buy a McCulloch, they were good saws in the old days but they've been china garbage for at least 20 years now.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:31:36 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Don't buy a McCulloch, they were good saws in the old days but they've been china garbage for at least 20 years now.

What about the 455 if I go nuts?

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:38:03 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Don't buy a McCulloch, they were good saws in the old days but they've been china garbage for at least 20 years now.

What about the 455 if I go nuts?

Huskies are good saws, I prefer Stihls because it's so much easier to find a shop that stocks parts.

Really, I think the current Stihl homeowner saw is called the ms250 or something like that, that's what I'd buy if I were you, unless you're willing to go nuts and buy an MS260, which is the pro firewood saw.

Nothing at all wrong with the husky though if there's a shop in your area that will service it, but unless you know power equipment, you're probably going to be better off buying from a saw shop, they'll take care of you.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:40:31 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Don't buy a McCulloch, they were good saws in the old days but they've been china garbage for at least 20 years now.

What about the 455 if I go nuts?

Husky from a dealer, not from Lowes - Lowes supposedly doesn't have the same saws.

Go orange, nuff said

ETA: although that replaced a Home Depot Poulan that ran fine for 10 years, and cut some surprising stuff. Then it just wouldn't run. The Stihl? Wow.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:43:08 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Don't buy a McCulloch, they were good saws in the old days but they've been china garbage for at least 20 years now.

What about the 455 if I go nuts?

Huskies are good saws, I prefer Stihls because it's so much easier to find a shop that stocks parts.

Really, I think the current Stihl homeowner saw is called the ms250 or something like that, that's what I'd buy if I were you, unless you're willing to go nuts and buy an MS260, which is the pro firewood saw.

Nothing at all wrong with the husky though if there's a shop in your area that will service it, but unless you know power equipment, you're probably going to be better off buying from a saw shop, they'll take care of you.

Thanks;I live in a rural area where JD and Stihl rule as to dealers.Thanks everyone else.I have always been the type to identify the best tool for the long term and amortize it over the lifetime of the tool;I just don't know about chain saws and "overkill" for my needs.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:45:09 PM EDT

[#19]

You should be able to find an older used 028 or 031 Farm Boss or Ranch Boss for $150 that will last another 30 years, or a Homelite off the shelf that will probably be just fine for 5 or 10 years, depending on how hard you use it.

Posted: 6/5/2010 1:51:38 PM EDT

[#20]

There is an archive thread in this from last year when I wanted one, search chainsaw...

They said Stihl or Husky, period. Anything else was a waste of money.
They were right. The Stihl entry model is around 200ish.

Best money I spent, I will only have to buy and cry once on that.

Posted: 6/5/2010 2:07:58 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
There is an archive thread in this from last year when I wanted one, search chainsaw...

They said Stihl or Husky, period. Anything else was a waste of money.

They were right. The Stihl entry model is around 200ish.

Best money I spent, I will only have to buy and cry once on that.

Waste of money huh?? Now that I think about it, I purchased my saw in the spring of 1981.... the year before my daughter was born so that would make it 29 years old.
It's dirty because I use it often.
No motor work at all..... Don't remember what I paid for it, but I probably could find the receipt somewhere......... I kind of think I got my money out of it and don't feel like I wasted a dime.
Many of my friends purchased the "better" saws.... they seem to trade them in more often than I do.

Posted: 6/5/2010 2:25:12 PM EDT

[#22]

1981 made in USA McCulloch pro=great saw, comparable to the Stihls of that era, maybe even better, lots of old timers swore by them.

2010 Mcculloch= a chinese knock off that sorta resembles that old saw that's been relying on that reputation to sucker in the unwary for 20 years.

Same is basically true of Homelite, Homelite was good stuff 30 years ago, not so much now.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - homeowners chain saw around $150

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