Chainsaws!

[Larry Ashcraft]

Oh, my first saw was a Poulan.  It was actually less work to use a hand saw than it was to start that thing.

[BozemanMT]

Oh, my first saw was a Poulan.  It was actually less work to use a hand saw than it was to start that thing.

I've owned that saw
In fact, I finally got so made, I threw the POS down the driveway after working on it for like 30 minutes
I was a wee angry.
It deserved to die.

[mtnbkr]

Oh, my first saw was a Poulan.  It was actually less work to use a hand saw than it was to start that thing.

What is it with Poulan and hard starting?  You're the third person to mention that (Bozeman below makes 4).

I agree about Homelite being hard to kill.  Other than it being a bit small at times, it was a trooper.  I say "was" because I haven't seen it in a few years, but being out on my own, I'm not normally around when my dad would be using it...

Chris

[Tallpine]

I bought a brand new Homelite 350 back in 1979 and pretty much wore it out in about 30 days.  It would still sorta run, but it wasn't much good for anything.  I think I finally traded it in for my second Stihl 045 (the state of the art saw at that time), after keeping it for a spare for a while.

YMMV ... but running a saw 8 hours or so a day for five or more days a week is a lot different than cutting a couple cords of wood a year.


Oh yeah ... and use the manufacturer's recommended oil and mixture - especially if you want the warranty honored

[stevelyn]

Homelite, McCullogh, Poulan = Junk. Don't waste your time and money.

The only one's I would consider are Husqvarna, Stihl, Jonsenred or Shindiawa.

Last fall I went to buy a chainsaw and went to the Husky dealer. I ended up buying a Shindiawa Professional model on the dealer's recommendation and after comparing it with the similar Husky model. The Shindiawa is the saw that the local electric utility uses to outfit their service trucks. They're reliable and seem to cut circles around a Husky.

I got an 18" bar for mine. It's okay and is big enough to cut through anything I need to drop, but I think a 20" might even be better as you don't have to bend as far when cutting logs. I also recommend getting 2 or 3 extra chains and swapping them out while working rather sharpening on-site.

[TarpleyG]

Well, I just bought a Craftsman 18' with a 42cc engine.  We had some big tree limbs come down during Ernesto and I was finally forced to spend the money.  Besides, I hear that if we have ice storms in the winter, I'm going to need it anyway.  Oh, and I paid about half what a comparable Stihl or Husky would have cost me...just didn't have the budget to get the saw I really wanted (Husky Rancher 455).  I'll report back after I cut some stuff and hopefully not myself.  It's been a while since I have used a chainsaw.

Greg

[Tallpine]

well, good luck with your Craftsman chain saw ... they may cost half as much as Stihl or Husky but only last 1/4 or 1/8 as long

and by next year they probably will have discontinued that model and you won't be able to buy parts for it

[erik the bold]

You guys don't pay too much attention, do ya........

Husky, Poulan, and Weed Eater are the same company.  They also make many of the saws for Sears.  We used Husky/Poulan units (46cc) on the fire dept without problems for years.

I currently have a Poulan 46cc w/20" bar and small Homelite (14").  Never have any trouble with either.

Use good synthetic oil (Royal Purple, Amzoil, or Redline) and add some gas stabilizer to the mix.  

Don't buy more saw than you need.  Many times I'll use the Homelite over the big mammu, to save my arms.

[French G.]

For no reason in particular I picked up two chainsaws from the pawn shop for $63 total out the door. One Homelite 16" with no starter rope and a Craftsman that didn't start.  So, the Homelite is near new looking, I unscrew the side cover, pull out the starter cord, re-knot it throught the handle still laying in the case and have it running in 5 minutes.  

 The Craftsman will be trickier, it is not picking up fuel due to sitting forever, its fuel system pre-dates the push bulb primer. By the look of the saw (new, muffler not even rusted over) and the smell of the fuel( damned old) it is probably on it's first tank of gas. So, next tinker time I get I will have it sucking fuel. I am kind of excited about this one, it is a pretty rugged saw, vibration isolated handle, big bar, big motor, ought to be a lot of saw for the money.

I know these two are not the best names in chainsaws, but a deal is a deal, and when I can get that price for two near new saws I will. I know one little Homelite that has run well for 30 years. My Homelite may get sold to cover the project cost.


Were I buying new, it would be Husqvarna. My dad has run an 8hp model for 20 years, lots of wood heating in that time, it is a pretty indesructible saw.

[TarpleyG]

Husky, Poulan, and Weed Eater are the same company.  They also make many of the saws for Sears.  We used Husky/Poulan units (46cc) on the fire dept without problems for years.

It's funny you mention that because I got the impression yesterday while looking around in Sears and online that the riding mowers and chainsaws were all Husky with a Craftsman label on them.  I could not confirm that theory, however.

Look, bottom line is that I paid $170 for the saw and it might see 50 hours of use in its lifetime.  I could not justify spending $400 for a tool tha will sit in my garage and not ever see daylight.  I have a principle...I buy the best I can afford for the job at hand and you know what?  That little principle has rarely let me down.

Greg

edited to add these links which somewhat substantiates what I said above.
http://www.weedeater.com/poulanpro/pressReleases.do
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:gmeF049QIMEJ:www.poulan.com/weedeater.asp+weedeater+craftsman&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a

[mtnbkr]

Tarpley, you did fine.  Most people get caught up in having what the pros use even when their own duty cycle won't come anywhere near a pro's.  Casual chainsaw users don't need what a logger uses, gun owners don't *need* what the folks in SF need, etc.  Of course, if you *want* it, then by all means buy it...

Like I said earlier, my dad's Homelite has been used quite a bit over the years and it still runs well (even after sitting in a wheelbarrow full of water for a few days recently).  A Stihl might be better, but would he have noticed the improvement?  Probably not.

Chris

[K Frame]

"Husky, Poulan, and Weed Eater are the same company.  They also make many of the saws for Sears.  We used Husky/Poulan units (46cc) on the fire dept without problems for years."

Yep, same company.

Same designs, same manufacturing specifications, same parts?

Not hardly.


"and by next year they probably will have discontinued that model and you won't be able to buy parts for it."

Yeah, that was a real impediment to my ordering parts from Sears for my circa 1958 Craftsman 2.5 HP industrial router. Only took them a week to get them to me! If they maintained decent stocks of parts, they would have had it to me BEFORE I needed it.

[Tallpine]

I dunno if Husqvarna owns Poulan or not, but they are definitely not the same saws

There is also a "Huskee" company that makes lawn mowers that is not Husqvarna ("Husky")

Buy whatever you want ... by the same reasoning might as well get a Jennings instead of a Ruger or S&W since you probably will only need to shoot it once in self-defense in your whole lifetime

My limited experience with Sears parts has been dismal - we had an old Sears gas range once that the in-oven control had failed.  They wanted something like $100 for it (over 20 yrs ago) and had no idea how many months or years it might take to get it but I was supposed to pay for it up front - no thanks.

I won't have anything to do with Sears stuff - ever since they pulled the plug on the catalog business some years back.  Our neighbors had just bought the local catalog store, and suddenly everything they paid for (name brand, franchise) just vanished.   Somehow they managed to avoid bankruptcy by switching to Coast to Coast.

I think I used to have an old Craftsman chainsaw that I got used.  I don't remember what it's problem was but it was always breaking down.  I got a Homelite (actually a couple of them - one used and then one new) and didn't have much luck with them either.  Then I finally wised up and bought a Stihl and never looked back.  There's nothing more frustrating than trying to get something done with a tool that won't work.

[BozemanMT]

 There's nothing more frustrating than trying to get something done with a tool that won't work.

+100 to that
words of truth.
Good tools last a lifetime and are worth paying for.