Good Electric Chainsaw

[Mike Turner]

Is there such a thing as a good electric chainsaw ? I will just use it to cut pieces for the lathe. I know I wouldnt be able to take it in the woods but I dont really want a gas one.

[Roger Chandler]

Is there such a thing as a good electric chainsaw ? I will just use it to cut pieces for the lathe. I know I wouldnt be able to take it in the woods but I dont really want a gas one.


Stihl has a fairly good one, though I do not know the model number. Stay away from the Remington and others.........they are dangerous. Stihl knows the chainsaw business in and out, and makes good stuff.

[William Bachtel]

Ditto.....................

[Mark Levitski]

Did a lot of research years ago and bought a Husky electric. Really like it and use it a lot in the shop near or even on the lathe.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Is there such a thing as a good electric chainsaw ? I will just use it to cut pieces for the lathe. I know I wouldnt be able to take it in the woods but I dont really want a gas one.

Mike I have both, good size Stihl gas chainsaw and a Poulan electric Chainsaw.

As I don't want to use the gas saw in the shop, (I don't run well on 2 stroke fumes ;))

I started out some years ago with a small Poulan and it didn't last but a year or so, got another one, same thing, then believing some other turners, I got a Remington that thing didn't last a week :mad:

So last call for the largest Poulan they sold, ..........just had to look it up when that was, (still have the box here) October 01, so 9 years and still going strong, the small ones didn't last for me but the large one is a tough one, Oh BTW Poulan is a Husqvarna company.

It has an automatic oiler, and doesn't leak like the small ones that you also have to keep pushing a button to get oil to the chain, a pain in the neck.

So for what it is worth, the biggest Poulan does work for me, and I use very large pieces of wood often enough, that I have the bar buried and got to saw from both side to cut the piece up (18" bar) :D

[Alan Trout]

I have an E20 Stihl which is now the MSE220. These are incredible electric units. Not quite as much chain speed as the gas but plenty of power. I have an 18" bar on mine but it will take up to a 20" bar. I paid $200 used for mine. New they are a bit over $500. It is considered a professional unit. I prefer this to an gas unit when I am cutting blanks at the shop.

Good Luck

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

Stihl has about the best I have used.

[alex carey]

I have a 16" homelite. When I bought it I thought I'd just use it for little things but I was totally blown away at how well it works. The only problem I have with it is it goes through oil pretty fast. Not really a big deal though.

[Chris Struttman]

I have the 16" Husky and it works like a charm.

[Gene Hintze]

I have an 18" Craftsman. Works great and has a five year warranty. $99 on sale.

[Ben Martin]

Good to see this topic being covered, I was just wondering the same thing.

Is this the Poulan model that people seem to be having good luck with?

http://www.amazon.com/Poulan-400E-18-Inch-Horsepower-Electric/dp/B00080OD9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290609442&sr=8-1

Also, does anyone know who actually manufactures the Craftsman models? If the warranty/return policy is better there, they might be the best bet.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Good to see this topic being covered, I was just wondering the same thing.

Is this the Poulan model that people seem to be having good luck with?

http://www.amazon.com/Poulan-400E-18-Inch-Horsepower-Electric/dp/B00080OD9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290609442&sr=8-1

Also, does anyone know who actually manufactures the Craftsman models? If the warranty/return policy is better there, they might be the best bet.

That Poulan looks identical to mine but is the newer Model, (more HP ?)

I did pay more $$ though 10 years ago or so

I have no clue who/where the Craftsman saw is made, sorry.

[Mark Levitski]

Beware of lower price but a seemingly good warranty. The company could just simply reject a warranty claim. Pay the extra dollar and get a good product.

Recent experience for me: bought a nicely built ATV trailer and the Chinese-made tires literally fell apart after only a season of hauling. After submitting photos, the company asserted that it was "not a manufacturer's defect". The tires on my J. Deere lawnmower are original and have been used for MANY years. Still good. My ATV tires too.

Could happen with a chainsaw too. My advice--don't buy a Polar (Clam Corp.) ATV trailer. Customer service and warranty are terrible.

[David Pearson]

I have an 18" Craftsman and I keep waiting for the thing to quit on me, but the dang thing keeps on running!

[Ryan Baker]

Stihl MSE220 is the king of the electric crowd. Makita has some nice electrics too.

[Dave Carey]

I've had a Makita for the past couple of years and have not been disappointed. Mostly use it on oak, ash and cherry.

[Ben Martin]

I've had a Makita for the past couple of years and have not been disappointed. Mostly use it on oak, ash and cherry.

Which model do you have Dave? The Makitas do look nice.

I don't see any Stihls listed used anywhere.

I have a cordless battery lawn mower and after that, no more gas tools for me!

[john taliaferro]

stihl 220 e holds up well but takes a 12 guage cord and 20 amp breaker and a bank loan

[Ben Martin]

stihl 220 e holds up well but takes a 12 guage cord and 20 amp breaker and a bank loan

Yeah, I was looking last night, and they are $500+ new...not going to happen.

Anyways, buying a used one seems like a crap shoot, would hate to get one with a burnt out motor.

[Dave Carey]

Ben,
Sorry for the delay in answering your question; was away for a couple of days without computer access. The Makita is model UC4030A 400mm (16"). I think I bought it from Amazon; they currently carry it for $230. I know I didn't pay more than that. Cheers, Dave

[Alan Trout]

I got my still E20 on e-bay for $200 It is one heck of a saw. It was worth the money that I paid for sure.

Alan

[Jeff Nicol]

I think the Sears and the Poulan are made by the same company. I have a craftsman that I got at a pawn shop for $35 that looked like it was used to build a deck or something as all the shavings in it were green treated. I cleaned it up and filled it with oil and it has been going a year now and has been put through things an electric saw should not do! It says it is a 3.5HP and it will hog through hard maple and oak all day. It has the auto oiler on it so that is good. I do have a little 14" Remington that I abused but it still comes into play once in a while, it is just made for small jobs so if you don't force it to cut faster than it wants it will do for most little things.

The Stihl or Husquvarna cost a bunch more but will last a life time, I know guys who build post and beam buildings and log homes and they use them all the time so if the pocket book is full spend the cash, if things are tight go with the Craftsman or Poulan.

Good luck,

Jeff

[Jon McCoy]

I was just looking at these down at the Stihl dealer, to replace my aging and anemic electric Homelite. The MSE220 has higher chain speed and torque than the MSE180, but lacks the chain brake. As a result, the MSE220 takes several seconds to spin down after letting off the trigger, while the smaller MSE180 & MSE140 saws stop the chain in under a second. That alone pushed me away from the bigger saw, but the $150 price difference for the MSE180 made up my mind.

-jon-

[Chuck Jones]

I'm normally a Husky or Stihl fan but someone seems to think I already have too many gas powered chainsaws. So I just paid a whopping $39.99 for a Harbor Freight electric. It was on sale of course (never buy anything from HF that's not on sale). I've used and abused it for a couple weeks now and it's doing great for what I want. Check back with me in a couple months.:)

[Dennis Simmons]

whatever saw you get, if you are going to make rip cuts have your chain sharpened at 10 degrees. works for cross cut, but does very well ripping.