Chain Saw Poll

[JW IN VA]

Just wondering.Please no flaming.

 

[slick4591]

My main saw is a Stihl. I do buy disposables from time to time.

 

[JW IN VA]

Mine are Stihl 362 w/20" bar and 3/8
Stihl 026 &
Stihl 028 both with 20 ".325 pitch bars.

 

[TN Cattle Man]

I have both Husky's and Stihl's... Love them both, both are excellent saws but I personally feel the Husky is better.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Stihl with Husqvarna a close second.

 

[Deepsouth]

There are two kinds of chain saws. Still and everything else.

 

[jltrent]

I like my old Poulans as I have quite a few like these. I also have a Stihl 036 Pro, Stihl MS260 Pro, and two Stihl 026 Pro saws. These old Poulans don't have quite the chain speed as the newer Stihl, but they have a lot of torque. The old Poulans have a longer stroke which hurts chain speed, but when you get them buried they will keep digging. I have a full skip chain on the Poulan 4000 24" bar in the picture and it will bury the bar with ease. The newer saws with the Emission crap on em they can keep.

 

[dun]

5 Stihls

 

[Balin' Wire]

Stihl MS260, 20" bar. 18 years old, pull it 3 times on choke, take it off and pull one more time and start cutting something. I will not work harder starting one than cutting with one.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

On new saws I have not ran anything that will compare to the pro series Sthil. With that said, my favorite saw I have ever ran was a 93 year 55 husky. It started easy, had good power for its size, and always ran good. Sadly, dad ran over it with a TD7 dozer and sent it to the saw shop in the sky.

 

[Nesikep]

So where should I start here?? I like huskys.. MUCH nicer to work on than Stihls, and I like the ergonomics better.. I think in quality they're about equivalent (pistons/cylinders often manufactured in the same place) Each one has a little quirks or flaws that the other got right..

My lineup is something like this
(*) denotes a 'project' that is running but needs a little love

for huskys
35 (Frontier) Tophandle
2x 61 (one is crazy build of mine. LOVE the thing, and give 100cc saws a run for their money)
5x L65's in various states of tune, from stock to crazy
3x 2100's (*)
A bunch more coming my way soon.. a 288 and a 3120 I'm hoping

Stihls
064.. I do like the feel and power of that saw.. they got the ergonomics to feel like a husky
038*
028*

Ford (O&R) tophandle saw
Homelite XL12
Also am fixing up an old "Titan Blue streak" 2 man saw.. 2 cylinder, 48" bar with helper handle for a friend

I think the old poulans are OK, but I have a pile of 4218's that didn't outlast the original chain.. absolute garbage now... I like Jonsereds.. .the old 920's are a real powerhouse... I've heard good things about Echo, never had one though. I hear good things about the Makita/Dolmar saws as well... Old McCullochs, Pioneers, etc are good to hang on the wall, but nothing more

Here's my crazy husky 61 with a 34" bar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIk8tc20L7g

This is my done up underdog Husky L65
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMqUESZUwXU

Here's my friend's Jonsered 920 I did up for him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy7IE3cm4rM


I showed a fellow how to sharpen his saw, it was a nice new husky 550.. that thing was really nice!.. I'm scared of the electronics in it though

 

[John SD]

I've only owned one chain saw and it was a Sthil 024. Mid 80s model I bought new. Really liked it, good ergonmics, good power but not too heavy, always started and ran good. Don't use or need a chain saw anymore, so I sold it

 

[bball]

There are two kinds of chain saws. Still and everything else.

+1. Will never buy another brand..unless stihl goes the garbage route

 

[C-Ranch]

1+ for Sthil. I can't say anything good or bad about other other brands except I did own an old Craftsman saw once but it's not even in the same class :lol:

 

[wbvs58]

I can't vote for two, I have owned a Stihl but currently have a Husqvarna which has been great but the almost 40 yr old Stihl is still going strong.

Ken

 

[talltimber]

I don't have a saw of my own. No more than I use to need one (before I started taking care of the farm) I would just borrow Dad's for the ten minute project. Now though I do use one often enough. Dad has a Stihl MS260 that starts good when the gas has been treated and runs good. I like it pretty good for a thorn sprout, small job saw. He also has a Sachs Dolmar. It's a different class of saw. Bigger, heavier, longer bar, hotter saw. That son of a gun will cut pretty good, if it will start. I went and got it the other day to cut up a blow down and it wouldn't start. If I can't get it going I guess it will have to go to the shop. I figure it's the gas, although I'm thinking I may have been the last one to use it and should've had treated gas in it.

 

[dun]

I don't have a saw of my own. No more than I use to need one (before I started taking care of the farm) I would just borrow Dad's for the ten minute project. Now though I do use one often enough. Dad has a Stihl MS260 that starts good when the gas has been treated and runs good. I like it pretty good for a thorn sprout, small job saw. He also has a Sachs Dolmar. It's a different class of saw. Bigger, heavier, longer bar, hotter saw. That son of a gun will cut pretty good, if it will start. I went and got it the other day to cut up a blow down and it wouldn't start. If I can't get it going I guess it will have to go to the shop. I figure it's the gas, although I'm thinking I may have been the last one to use it and should've had treated gas in it.

One of the mix oils that Stihl has has the preservative stuff built right in.

 

[talltimber]

That's handy enough. I will look for that.

I have a Stihl weedeater that I bought new in about 98 or so. As far as I know, it's not had a drop of gas ran through it without preservative. Best I can recall, it's never not started. I am a believer in the preservative.

 

[jltrent]

Preservatives in a 2-cycle engine is a waste. During when not in use just pour out the gas, start up and run until dry. By doing this you want be rebuilding carbs and replacing fuel lines as often, especially if you use the junk ethanol gas in them. It eats rubber up which includes the fuel lines and the tip of the needle in the carb, also it is very corrosive. I would like to have the Billions of dollars that junk has already has cost this country and it is a big sham as being pushed as being environmentally friendly.

 

[Nesikep]

You shouldn't need to take it to a shop to get it started... drain the gas that's in it and put fresh stuff in, remove spark plug and let it sit overnight open, perhaps turn it over a few times.. on the particularly temperamental engines I'll warm the top end up with a propane torch, put a new plug back in, and most of the time they'll fire up again.

I don't like the ethanol fuel either, it goes stale super fast, preservative or not.. Around here we can get Chevron 94 which has no ethanol, which I use in all my small engines that might be sitting for a long time between uses... draining and running them dry is the best, but I'm too lazy for that.. I haven't had to rebuild many carbs, but I do have to take them apart once in a while and clean them, which isn't really a big deal