Which Chainsaw

[Ryan Lee]

I have recently purchased a house in Jacksonville, FL. It is on a wooded lot and there are going to be about 10 trees that I will need to fell. I am looking at a chainsaw from either husky or stihl. Does any one have a preference between the two? Also, I was thinking about getting one of the small light saws like the husky 338XPT. Has anyone used one of these? Is it going to have enough guts to cut some of the larger trees? The largest that i will be cutting right now is about a 18" oak tree. Or should I go with the 357XP? That is a much heavier and more powerful saw.

[Al Willits]

I had pretty good luck with the Stihl, owned two of them and a weedwacker by them, but I think both are great saws, not familiar with the latest models, but 16" bar would be minumum I'd think.

Also if your gonna just cut them trees and not use the saw again, selling a 16" or larger would probably be easier.

Al

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ryan............Welcome to the Creek!

Which chainsaw?.......if you do a search I think you'll find numerous threads where this is discussed in depth! Stihl.......Poulan.......Huskevarna...Echo....some of the more recommended brands IIRC.


Good luck with your decision and Welcome to the Creek!

[Travis Johnson]

Ryan,

To be perfectly honest with you, you'll want to go with the Stihl. Both are well known brands, but the Stihl takes the edge for one simple reason....the piston has two rings rather than a single ring on the Husky. What that translates to is longevity.

A Husky has only one piston ring so the motors are known for turning up. They rev out a few hundred RPM"s higher than the Stihl's so the chain is turning faster, thus cutting faster. The problem is, if you feed the saw a bit too fast, or if you encounter a knot or other denser wood, then the saw has a tendency to bog down, so it's really not cutting faster 100% of the time.

Stihl on the other hand turns slower, but because of the second piston ring, not as much gas and compression is lost past the piston. It turns slower because it is dragging 50% more rings along the cylinder wall, but at the same time has more low speed power, or what I would call lug. With a Stihl your feed rate is not so critical so while it might be turning slower, you can file your chain to take a bit more cut, so the slower chain speed really is not a plus or minus over either saw.

The weak point in any chainsaw is in its piston and connecting rods. These parts are beating up and down so fast and rely on the oil from the gas and oil mixture. What the second piston really does is prevent the saw from heating up. Because not as much compression and spent gasses are not dropping into the crank, this reduces heat there. At the same time, the second piston ring allows more oil to stay on the piston wall reducing friction. Simply put, Stihl is a well oiled machine...literally.

Now I have run both professional as a logger. The Average life of a PROFESSIONAL sized saw was about 9 months for a Husky and about 2 years for a Stihl. Oh Stihl have their issues too, like air filters that aren't anywhere near what a Husky is, or softer suspension points, but these are more preference issues, rather than performance issues. As I said, in real world conditions, the difference between the two really is longevity!

[Travis Johnson]

Ryan, even if you do not heed my advice from the above post, please keep this in mind. If you want your chainsaw to last, (Husky or Stihl) you want to keep heat from generating inside your crankcase. The single biggest thing you can do is to keep your chain sharp!

A dull chain creates friction which then heats up. This heat is then transferred to the bar. Because the only transfer point from bar to sawhead is at the point where the two studs bolt the bar on, you are introducing a lot of heat into the crankcase....the exact spot you don't want more heat! This can lead to connecting rod failure.

This is not the place to go into discussing chainsaw sharpening techiniques, but you want to learn how from the dealer and you want to do it often. I would touch my saw chain up about every tankful and that was just felling trees. Being new and cutting your trees up into smaller sections, means you will probably need to do it even more often.

If your saw ever hits the dirt, it has basically hit a rock. Do whatever you can to keep that bar out of the dirt and you will be ahead of the game. Waiting to sharpen you saw chain is a false economy of time. You will be wearing yourself out, the chainsaw out, and not be cutting the wood you should be cutting. Taking the time to sharpen the saw everytime it needs it, is the best thing you can do.

[Travis Johnson]

Ryan,

I know, I am hyjacking this thread, but I got a few more things to help you get your trees felled in a safe, productive manner. Last year when I did a small log harvest to provide boards for my woodworking shop, I took my camera into the woods a developed a Virtual Harvest that I placed on my website. It is designed to help a novice harvest wood safely and productively. Perhaps you can glean some information I have placed there. (And don't worry, the virtual harvest has many, many pictures instead of endless text as I have done here :) )

Here is the link to start the Virtual Tour, or you can use the navigation buttons below my logo to jump to specific items like Felling, Bucking, Limbing, Milling, etc.. In any case, I hope it helps!

http://www.railroadmachinist.com/Log_Intro.html

[Ryan Lee]

I have been going through the old posts, but I haven't found anything on what is better to go with a small light saw or the larger heavier saw. Anyone with experience please help. Thanks

[Travis Johnson]

Ryan, if you do go with Stihl, you should know they have 2 types of saws. A professional line of saws, and a Home-Owner's line of saws. Now size here is not an indicator. Arborists for instance, need a smaller sized saw when they climb up into the branches of trees, that does not mean they need a home-owners saw though. They need something that can take some abuse. In this case even a smaller professional saw is better than a bigger homeowners saw.

You also want to buy your saw by horsepower or CC's, not bar length. Craftsman saws have a way of putting long bars on small saws that are way underpowered for the bar length of chain they are trying to push.

Lastly, buy the biggest saw that you can. Every saw is heavy and logging is tough demanding work, but you will get accostomed to it. It is far better to have a saw that can make a pretty heavy cut and pull the chips out, then to be struggling with an underpowered saw.

My saw has an 18 bar with around 72 cc's of power. Its a great, but it also is an 700 dollar saw. We have run 036 Stihls in the past and 028's which both had good power to weight ratios and were in the professional line. Just stay clear of the 029 saw though, I owned one and what a mistake. Lots of plastic and lots of repairs...

[Ryan Lee]

I can't get any prices on the Stihl's online. How much would a 361 cost me? It seems to be a conclusion that the Stihl's are the best. I am definately looking into the pro line of saws. I just need to figure out which one I want.

[Greg Ladd]

Ryan,

Try Baileys-online.com. They might be able to help you.

Greg

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Ryan, I've ran both, and both are good saws, some are saying now that that Husky newer saws are not as good as they used to be, but I know a family that are loggers, and they swear buy the Husky. I have an OLD Husky, 1976 CD185 that has had the wheels run off of it, and it still works just fine, don't matter what saw you buy, if you run it hard and long, you are going to need new rings now and then and a new piston every so often.

For what you are doing I doubt very much you will wear out a saw anytime soon. Keep the chain sharp, learn how to sharpen it yourself, carry two chains, as you will hit a rock every now and then, or somekind of metal in the tree (residential trees = Nails and such in wood).

To me, the biggest factor in choosing the saw is your local dealer, if there is a really good Husky dealer around, that would be my choice, if the good dealer is the Sthil guy, go with that.

One other thing you might do is to check the dealers out, sometimes they have good used Pro saws that they have rebuilt for a good deal less than a new saw.

One point, and I'm not trying to start a fight with Travis, but if your saw, one or two rings, has enough blow-by to heat up the crankcase, then it needs the rings replaced, also there is a line of thinking that says one ring is better, as it has less friction that two rings. Either way, I very much doubt that Ryan will burn up either saw in the use he has stated.

Tavis's advice on sharpening cannot be stressed enough, you can listen to his advice about this, or you can learn the hard way. If you saw is not thowing chips, but instead poweder, you really, REALLY need to sharpen your chain :D You need to make sure you keep the chain tension correct as well.

Welcome to the creek, good luck with the saw.

Oh yeah, chaps, good gloves, steel toed boots, a helmet with face shield, and hearing protection are a must.

Cheers!

[Frank Fusco]

My choice is Stihl because of proven quality and, IMHO, the best customer support in the business. Husky's, other than reasons stated, are often overpriced for comparable models. All the major brands are good however. But do go with the professional models. Local service is often the clincher when I make a purchase for equipment like this.

[Al Willits]

"""""""""""""""

You also want to buy your saw by horsepower or CC's, not bar length. Craftsman saws have a way of putting long bars on small saws that are way underpowered for the bar length of chain they are trying to push.
""""""

I suggested a 16" as he said he wanted a Stihl or Husky, he made no mention of Craftsman.
I've yet to see one of these saws that was underpowered for what he wants.
Either saw should work fine for him and I doubt he'll wear the ring out of a Husky.

I also might not lean towards the high horse, big bladed pro saws unless you have more disposable income than most, or plan on cutting tree's down for a living.

I think everybody has their own idea's as to what is best, you need to decide how much to spend and what your gonna do with the saw then find a dealer close to ya.

For basic work I'd not get any shorter bar than 16".

Al

[Ian Abraham]

You mention the Husky 338XPT, thats a specialist saw designed for use while climbing trees, hence the top handle. Not as good for normal use where the rear handle makes the saw easier to control / safer. Also cost a lot for their size, they are a pro quality saw of course.

Any of the 40-60cc Stilhs or Huskys will do what you want. The XP range and the Stihl pro range are better saws, they have more power for the weight and will last longer. They also cost more. If you are only going to run a saw occasionally the part timer grade saws will still last for years and save you money up front.
Something like a Stihl MS280 or a Husky 350 would be a good choice for a first saw considering the work you want to do.

Also, get the safety gear to go with it (chaps, helmet, muffs, visor) and study up on the safe use / tree felling techniques. A flash saw wont do you any good if you drop a tree on your head or attempt to take your own leg off :o . Chain sharpening is a MUST, like any woodwork really. A simple file and guide will let you keep the chain razor sharp in the field (with a bit of practice anyway). A small saw with a sharp chain will outcut ANY saw with a blunt chain. :D

Cheers - and be safe :)

Ian

[Rob Russell]

Ryan,

The saw that I have is a Stihl 044 - the current model is the MS
440. It's a bit bigger than you were looking at, but it's got the power to go through stuff fast. The 044 and 046 have long been favorites of the National Guard for clearing debris because of their power to weight ratio.

Keeping your chain sharp is important for more than preventing wear and tear on the saw - it's important from a safety perspective. When the chain gets dull, you start to push the saw and that's when bad things happen.

Rob

[Jim Becker]

I have, use and love the Stihl .029 Farm Boss with an 18" bar. It does everything I ask of it and is a nice "estate" saw. It will certainly handle the trees you mention.

[Jim Andrew]

What I have been told about Stihl chainsaws, is that the odd numbers are
the homeowner saws, and the even numbers are their pro grade. Notice
that an even number is more expensive. But worth it. Jim

[Ian Abraham]

What I have been told about Stihl chainsaws, is that the odd numbers are
the homeowner saws, and the even numbers are their pro grade. Notice
that an even number is more expensive. But worth it. Jim

Thats correct for the older models, 066, 038 vs the 029 039 etc.
When they went to the new models they sorta went way from it. Like the 280 is a part-timer and the 650 is a pro saw.

Ian

[Lawrence Nitz]

Ryan,
I had a Stihl 290 Farm Boss, which I managed to ruin by using it for ripping tropical hardwoods. On that model the crancase was a rigid plastic, and little things like stess and cracks caused serious compression leakage, making it very hard to start.

My replacement saw was a Husky 65 or 67 CC saw, which just by chance had a compression relief button to facilitate starting. I have had it about a year, and have never had it start on more than two pulls. The Sthil was much harder to start, even though it was 50 some CC.

Once you are out of pocket that much money--whether $500, $600, $700, you might as well get something that is really easy to start.

[Ryan Lee]

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm going to go to a Stihl dealer today to check out what the offerings are. I'll let you know what I go with.
Thanks again, Ryan

[Greg Narozniak]

Just like when your buying a Nail Gun check for local support. You need to be able to have the saw serviced and (to the best of my knowledge) you cannot ship the saw somewhere for service.

I purchased a used Stihl 026 from my local dealer. This is a Pro line saw that came with an 18" bar and with a new Full Chisel chain it runs and cuts like a dream. It was the best $125 I ever spent, Yes I know I got the deal of a lifetime!

I had an older Echo (Solid Orange, all metal housing) and while it cut well and served me for many years the Stihl is night and days above it. The Echo had NO safety features (i.e. Kickback chain brake, etc.) and was heavier than than the stihl I now have and is not in the same league as the Stihl.

My father recently purchased a Husky 359 with a 20" bar. While it is a nice saw, I would choose the Stihl over a Husky. Just my Opinion I prefer the feel of the stihl to the husky. The 359 does have more power than my 026 but the added weight does not justify it for me.

The brands to look for are Stihl, Husky and Jonsered (Same exact saw different colors), Shindaiwa, Echo, John Deere (Their CS series is made by Efco, very good european chainsaw company), Makita (Made by Dolmar another very good company across the pond) As a consumer you will never wear out any of these saws.

The Poulan and Homelite saws are not what they used to be. Not even close!

Good Luck

[Paul Downes]

Either Stihl or Husqvarna saws are good. I have both and the most important consideration is; what do you plan on doing with the saw. If you just need one for occaisional sawing, then just about any saw will be o.k. Of course the more power to bar length the better if effeciency is your aim, but, as you describe your task, just about any saw should work.

Contrary to some opinions expressed here, Husqvarna saws are the saw of choice in most professional circles. It is simple economics. You cut more trees per dollar and you don't care if the saw blows up after a year or so. Most professional loggers I know aren't emotionaly attached to their saw and just want to cut as many trees as possible per day. We average 8-10 more trees per day per saw using husky saws over stihls. That's a lot of $ in a year. That being said, I would look around for the best deal for what you want to spend, and go with that. Spend the money on saftey equipment. It really isn't an option.

[Ryan Lee]

Just an update. I ended up going with the Sthil 361. That thing works great. I looked at the arborist saws and they just seemed way too small to do what I needed.

Thanks again for all the input and advice.

Ryan

[Tim Devery]

Sthil 361, that is a killer saw, you will be very happy for years to come!