going to buy a chainsaw- question

[chris_harper]

ok, i finally get to buy a chainsaw this weekend, as i got a pretty good bonus coming friday. now then, i know poulan is a good brand, or maybe it should be was a good brand. my landlord has a craftsman 18" and a poulan 16", and the poulan is the better of the two. his craftsman is crap, imo. his poulan is the green one. it runs good, cuts good, and so on. i borrowed one from a co-worker this past weekend, an 18" craftsman- identical to my landlord's. it was crap too. won't idle, hard to start, etc.
at the flea market here, a guy sells brand new poulan pro saws. he wants $120 for the 20", the one i want. lowes ans sears want $200 for the same one. the flea market dude has them with the carry case and all, just like the store. i read some reviews on sears site, and almost everyone of them said they had problems right off. should i stay clear of it, and get the one wal-mart has (the poulan "wild thing")? that one is an 18" for $145. marvin (msmith) has that one, and i know he likes it. i have seen it in action, and it ran great. has poulan went down hill?
any comments, suggestions? i can't spend the money and get the really good one, husqvarna. here are the reviews at sears.com on the poulan pro.

oh yeah, the 18" craftsman, the one that is $129, has good reviews. it is a different one than the one my landlord has. i might get that one, as if i have problems, back to sears i go.

 

[phil s]

IMO, there a 3 chainsaws to choose from: (no particular order)

Jonsered
Stihl
Husqvarna

You spend a little more on any of them, but they WILL outperform the others, and last virtually forever if you take care of them right.

I have owned both Poulan and craftsman, which were fairly disposable to me when I was cutting a lot more wood. I now own a Jonsered, (had it about 10 years so far) and have used many Stihl and Husky's.

My Jonsered still works like new! My brother and brother-in-law have the Stihl and the Husky, and they are both excellent!

 

[glued2it]

I'm with phil!

 

[goat]

Husqvarna is my weapon of choice.

 

[Deer Meat]

My friend has a tree business, when he first started out he used poulan because they were cheap, and that is what they are cheap. He also found out that poulan makes the saws for craftsman. He would buy up all the saws he found at yard sales for parts.

If I were you, i'd just hold off till you can buy the quality husky you really want.

 

[chris_harper]

ahh, poulan makes the craftsman saws. no wonder they use the same chain and bar. i can't afford the husky, and i am tired of borrowing a saw to cut wood, hence why i want to buy something for now, while i have the money to buy one. later, when i have more money to put on one, i will get the husky. that is a very nice saw. maybe a pawn shop has one here, never hurts to look. plus, you get to start it before you buy it. you can get lawn mowers for cheap here at pawn shops, i.e. $30-$100.

 

[crawdaddy]

Finally...I get to post something instead of reading and learning :-) . I work on small engines as a hobby and agree with both sides of the fence on this one. How much wood are you planning to cut?

 

[taz6317]

Poulan, Stihl and Husky, do yourself a favor and stick with Stihl or Husky. I finally found the plastic case my Poulan should have come with........the Rubbermaid trashcan in my garage! Seriously, I think you'd be much better served with a used Stihl or Husky than a new Poulan. I bought an old used Husky off ebay a few years back, use it to mill lumber from logs. Works great.
Check ebay, you may get a great deal.

 

[walking dude]

will......i am going to echo in here.........stihl or husky's.......my uncle used to cut wood for many years for folks fireplaces...........he has passed, but the husky still lives on..........its bout 20 years old.......

jmt2w

d8de

 

[navionjim]

Jonsered or Stihl, buy nothing else.
Jimbo,

P.S. I grew up logging in Oregon.

 

[blackhawk19]

I have a Poulan Pro 18" from Lowe's. I just got it this year when my first Poulan died but it didn't owe a dime, I had it since 1986, it cleared a lot of trees from my yard, cut wood for the fireplace and cleaned up major tree damage after 2 hurricanes. Not saying it's the best but it fit my budget and meant my needs
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...145&lpage=none

 

[walking dude]

SHIRLEY, you keep some of the wood for smoking?


d8de

 

[blackhawk19]

I wasn't smokin then, now that I am I have nothing that needs cutting

 

[thumper]

My husky 55 still going strong since 1995 great saw.

 

[TulsaJeff]

Chris.. I bought a Wild Thing a year or so ago and I had more trouble with that thing than you can imagine.

Spent more time working on it than working with it..

I ended up buying a Stihl with the EasyStart feature and I love it. I look for reasons to start it up and use it.

I got it at a local dealer for right around 200 dollars and it has been well worth the money.

 

[gypsyseagod]

a stihl is hard to beat. of course my father in law is a certified stihl mechanic so it's a double plus but i've never had trouble w/ mine.

 

[shlaba]

stihl.....have same one going on 12yrs now

 

[monty]

Chris,

I really do not care what type of saw you buy but I really do want to save your life. Buy a pair of chainsaw chaps.

And while you are at it wear good eye and ear protection. I may sound petty and like your mother but I will say that I have seen first hand what can be prevented by wearing the proper gear when using a chainsaw.

And the reason I wear the gear is because I have also seen firsthand what can happen if you don't. It takes about eleven seconds for a severed femural artery to plant you. In three seconds you are unconscious and unable to do anything for yourself.

I respond to fallen trees blocking roads in all sorts of weather year round and do a lot of saw work in my occupation as we maintain proper roadways. Nuff Sed

As for saws I owned a Husqvarna 41 for 23 years before it finally could go no more. I have bought larger Huskies used and have had excellent service from them. My newest saw is a Huskie 455 Rancher which backs up my 365. the State of Vermont buys Stihl and Husqvarna. Both are fine saws.

Now, in addition to my smoking I heat my cabin solely with wood. Some of it I cut myself and some I have delivered log length. I have thrown away more Craftsman/Poulan and similar low priced saws than I have Bic lighters and pens combined.

Oh, and don't forget to learn how to keep your saw in good tune, your chain in fine temper and sharpness and the proper cleaning procedure for your saw. And I won't even mention a chainsaw safety course!

When it comes to saws and safety I take both very seriously!

Cheers

 

[walking dude]

i second everything srmonty just said...........

and want to REALLY point out.........keep the chain sharp..........like any tool........a dull tool will hurt you..............wether its a screwdriver, or a chain saw


d8de

 

[gypsyseagod]

and steel toed boots for sure.good luck w/ your choice of purchase chris. btw- here's a great catalog i get all the time-they have everything for the professional logger to the weekend sawer.
http://www.baileysonline.com/