What is it in your opinion. Had a Husky 350 that I liked but it took a poop after only a few years of use so I am looking again. Husky is not out of the question but I am just interested in the best saw for the money. What do you guys think? 18" bar is perfect for me. I cut a few cords of firewood a year and this will be the primary use for the saw.
I have been looking at the Echo cs-400 and the cs-450. Stihl 230 (I think).
Also....an absolute must is starting easy. I hate spending half of my time trying to start a chainsaw.
Husky is owned by Elctrolux, & they also own Poulan, so you could save yerself some coin & buy a Poulan, I did, & as long as you keep the right mix of fuel, & the oil in the resevoir, the chain sharp & tight, yours should last you a long time, so long in fact, that all I've had to do in the four years of ownin' mine, is clean out the air filter a coupla times, & change the chain a every once in a while...likewise, get yerself on Youtube, & learn carborator maintenance, & you will see that any old Poulan that you find at a garage sale/craigslist for dirt cheap, can be tuned up pretty easily to workin' EXCELLENTLY, in NO TIME!
Husky 353. I had a 350 like you and after many years of very hard use traded it for a new Husky 353 (plus some cash) Why? its a pro type saw of the same size and weight of the 350 but has a magnesium engine case vs the plastic of the 350. Has more power as well. A primer bulb and compression release are standard on this saw as well(for easy starting)
Lastly your old bar and chains, clutch cover, clutch, brake and recoil covers and other parts all fit the 353 model saw so you have a ready supply for parts if needed. If you kept your old saw.
I have a stihl model 310 that eats wood and starts with no problems after 4 years of hard cutting. I sell a bit of wood and have had those huskys but there tempermental if you let it set long. My neighbor has a husky and its new and he cusses it all the time. Hes cheap and so is the oil he mixes with it. Use what the factory says and youll have less problems with fuel related repairs.
I have a Husky 455 Rancher and that thing does really well on my wood pile. I go through a stack of wood that is about 5' X 8' X 40' every Winter and my saw is just humming along. Maybe I should move to Fla. :-)
I have had about every type of chain saw made over my life time. There are several good ones but the only ones I have owned over the last fifteen years is Husky. The Huskies are also very much liked by professional loggers in my area. I have logged over 100 acres last year and sold over 100 cords of wood this year, Huskies rule. I know one Amish logger that started logging when he was 12 years old. They wouldn't let him touch a chain saw until he was 17. He is in his forties now and only cuts trees for three logging outfits. He has two huge Huskies that he takes in the woods. He will work about six hours and leaves to go to another logging job. Then it takes two skidders about two days to drag out what he has cut. He sharpens each saw once a day and he does it right in the woods in a few minutes. He carries spare chains for when he hits Spikes that deer hunters left in the trees and were grown over.
If you cut oak for the saw mill the Amish logger showed me how to determine if a felled tree has spikes in it. There will be a black ring around the inside of the cut log. He flags these since they will destroy a blade at the sawmill. Cut them up for fire wood. It doesn't show up on gum trees and boy does the saw mill hate to tun into one of these. It cost about $300 to replace the teeth on a blade.
Poulan "Wild Thing"! 18" bar, easy to start, easy to maintain, can find parts most anywhere, will cut anything the others will, lasts, and is inexpensive.
I bought a Stihl Farm Boss around 1976. It is still mows the firewood better then the new ones. My son in law bought the same model last year and mine cuts circles around his. The reason? The EPA has mandated pollution control devices on the new saws. I have cut hundreds of cords of firewood with mine. My son in law has to work like a dog to cut the same amount of wood in a day as I do.
I'm from New Hampshire and unless you're an immegrant from Massachusetts, up here woodcutting is what jogging and tennis is elsewhere. So I know whereof I speak.
1. There is no comparison between a Poulin and a Husky. I've owned both.
2. No one mentioned Jonsered. The Jonsered mounts the engine transversally so there is no gyroscopic lateral torque. Makes it a lot less fatiguing if you're using it for any length of time.
3. Heavier saws are safer. We have a lot of logging accidents up here (one of the cops in our town just killed himself last year with a saw kickback)and the fact is, a heavier saw will not kick back like a lightweight one will.
4. All chainsaws are tempermental, not just Husky. The only people with one-pull saws are salesmen and liars.
5. Ethanol is bad. Run your chainsaw dry each time you use it.
6. Sawdust is bad. Clean your chainsaw often.
7. To sharpen: use a triangular file. Get an old timer to walk you through it once. Then take your time.
8. Never stand along the same axis as your saw blade. Offset yourself to one side. You'll thank me for this tip if you ever inadvertantly touch the tip of your blade to something.
9. Little saws are big problems. See #3.
10. Don't buy a saw at a big box store. Buy it from a dealer. Otherwise you're buying a logo, not a saw.
Any of the aforementioned brands are good -- Husky, Stihl, Jonsered. But as I mentioned, the Husky you buy at Home Depot is manufactured to HD's specs and is different from their standard model. Best to buy from an authorized dealer. I have a Husky. I don't use any specific oil and I'm not very precise in mixtures, but one thing I follow like a religious belief: Run it dry. Don't store it with fuel in the tank. The ethanol will lay a varnish on your fuel system faster than you can say Federally mandated politically correct petroleum product.
I use a ratailed bastard file, & a guide that I bought from a warehouse store...it's an Oregon File Holder guide...has the 22 degree & 30 degree hash marks on it, to ensure you get the right angle for your chain.
Had Husky and Stihl.... Stihl finally died on me a couple of years ago... Husky was going strong... when we moved to MD, it disappeared.
Just bought a Poulan Pro 42cc 18" bar.. don't own a wood lot and only cut up the oak pipe dunnage that is left over now, works well for me.
If I owned a wood lot, would go back to either the Husky or the Stihl.. would think of the Echo, on the jobsite the demo saws are Stilh and Echo.. both work exceptionally well and are reliable given the minimal maintenance the crews give them
I love my Sthil MS 260 pro. It's a $500 saw but if you're just weekend cutter like I am you will never need another one as long as you mix the gas right.
Rob, that same question crossed my mine. I use a round file, the correct size for the chain you are using and a flat file for the depth gauge. Sharpen the right cutters, turn the saw around and sharpen the left cutters. I can't see any use for any file except the correct size round file and a flat file.
I have 2 stihls and a husky, the stihls are a pain in the butt to start. had an old stihl that I purchased in '72 and just retired it a few years ago, couldn't get parts anymore. That was the best running saw I ever had, much better than the newer stihls, although I think much of the starting problems has more to do with the crappy gas we're forced to use. The Husky starts much easier. We can't get non ethanol gas from the gas stations but there is a place I can buy 5 gal cans of 94 octane VP fuel with no ethanol and they tell me it will last two years. The gas has been the biggest problem for all of my equipment, it gives me fits. My welder/generator is acting up now because of the gas and I can't run it out everytime i use it. I'm finding the gas is a problem with the saws even though I drain them after every use and run them empty. This fuel seems to be the answer for me, it's expensive but so is replacing carbs.
I worked in the woods for many years, and still have several friends that work as tree cutters. Every one of them own a Stihl. Ask, a repair shop for chain saws and most would say buy a Stihl. More loggers own Stihls, than any other brand. Their jobs depend on the quality. My Stihl 310 is 35 years old, and still working great. Also have a farm boss 20" bar that is great.
If you are trying to cut firewood, a 20" bar will make your work that much easier. Plus the fact, if you are only using it a few times a year, the better the saw the fewer the problems.
Definitely use the additive to remove the ethanol if you can not purchase gas without it.
I have 3 stihls, 290, 260, 170 and they do get the job done; however, each one had to have carb work until I learned about the ethanol problem. The 290 is great for dropping big trees for TSI work, but your arms will get tired if you are a tad older like I am. I would choose the 260 if I could only have one. The 170 is for limb work only.
I had a McCullock that lasted for 12 years under harsh work-best saw I ever owned-sorry you orange fans.
'If you are trying to cut firewood, a 20" bar will make your work that much easier.' I disagree. I have cut firewood for years and a 16 inch bar was on my saw 90 percent of the time. It is lighter and cuts much faster. You can cut a 30 inch log easily with a 16 inch bar. If you are cutting that big of timber, it should be sold for lumber, not firewood. I only bought a 20 inch bar because I got into some big timber to fall in one woods I was cutting in. But as soon as I can I put back on my 16 inch bar. Also with less teeth it is easier and quicker to sharpen.
I agree that a 16 inch bar is best for firewood because of the reasons mentioned above.
Another great item to have is plastic felling wedges. they can save you from pinching your bar. Drive one in and if you hit it with the saw blade it doesn't hurt the blade at all and will open a log right up to get your bar out. I don't care how experienced you are there will be times you will be glad you have a felling wedge for more than just dropping trees. They are cheap and I always have a few in my saw box.
Anyone ever use the MS 250? It is almost the perfect size for me and I can pick one up for about $300. I was looking at the MS 270 but the guy said they no longer offer that model and it is replaced with a 271. He said that it was going to cost $100+ more than the MS 290......I am going to assume that commrades Lisa Jackson and President Obama have something to do with this.....emissions maybe?
Bought a 310 with an 18" bar maybe 20 years ago when I used to burn a lot of firewood. Cut a bunch of wood and brush with that thing. Moved to Ak for a couple of years and used it sparingly and then moved back "home" in 2004. Never used it and it pretty much sat until last year. took it camping and cut a bunch of firewood as a favor to a forest service camp-host I knon.
Started right up and cut the stuff I needed to, but I think that I have some varnished up lines as I was always messing with the carb to keep it going. Got to get it cleansed good. The auto-oiler seems to oil a bit more than normal, so the whole saw should probably be gone through. It'll be good for another 20 years.
Hell of a saw, though.
Started out cutting with this McCullough of my dads. what a hawg that was. big and heavy, you just rest that thing a log and it would drop right through it. Dad used to keep those chains 'touched up" all the time. Made life a lot easier.
I have a MS250 and love it. Can use it all day and not be worn out. I have the 16" bar and cut about 6 to 7 cords of hardwood a year. It may not be as big and powerful as some other saws, but I am in no hurry when I cut wood.
I used to live in Washington state - one of my first jobs was as assistant to the maintenance specialist, an older guy about to retire from DOT.
He used to be a logger in his early days. Their saws were the two man type, no motor, ha ha. I recall him telling me they lugged kerosene to swab the saw with as they cut, which would melt the sap on the blade.
On one fire we were on with USFS in Olympic NF we had to stand down while a sawyer cut a snag. It fell poorly, wounding him.
Later I saw the helmet of someone clocked by a snag that fell during the fire - it was flat but I think they made it though wounded.
Another story of a guy who had a good size tree land across his middle. He was lucid up to the time they removed it, then he immediatly expired,
I was clocked by a tree top while watching traffic once, the dumb sawyer kept getting his blade jammed and couldnt pull the trigger, after an eternity the crew yelled at me and I turned in time to see myself get swatted by the top and 1000 half-finger size twigs, took me down hard but no damage.
I currently own three saws and use them for every application - the small echo gets the most use, for reasons stated in above posts.
Be careful out there cuz I know you guys have stories too.
One thing to know about Sthil saws is that the ones have a second number that is odd are the so-called "homeowner" models. The ones with a second number that is even are the so called professional series. There is a huge difference in cost and quality.
"I look for burning firewood to become illegal in the future. Either that or you will have to buy carbon credits. Don't think it can't happen. "
It's already happening in Fairbanks Alaska of all places. Which is terrible IMO as we heat 90% on wood through the winter to save on heating oil costs.
Yendor said "If you are trying to cut firewood, a 20" bar will make your work that much easier." I agree when cutting firewood you actually have to make more cuts on the tree or branches than when cutting saw logs. Saw log lengths are 8 to 16 feet in length. Firewood is 16 to 24 inches in length. Therefore you have to make many more cuts. A logger cutting saw logs usually cuts the whole top off the tree and leaves it lay where it fell. When I cut firewood I always cut the tops up too. This is where the 20" bar saves your back from having to bend over another 2".
I own 4 stihl saws from a small arborist saw up to a 660 with a 32 inch bar. I have run these and have had them sit for extended periods of time. No, they don't start on the first pull. They are well engineered and very well built. There are any number of dealers within driving distance that carry parts. In the real world EVERY mechanical device sooner or later fails and requires some level of maintenance. Being able to perform your own or having a professional bring your saw back to life is what separates the good from the bad. Buying a stihl saw is very much like buying something from a pro shop, you always have support. You can save some money and buy a saw from one of the big box stores but two years down the road don't expect them to have parts or even the same model. I have owned more then my share of saws over the last 40 years, when they start and run they cut great but, that's not always the case.
I have a 455 Rancher Husqy with 20" bar and a 445 Husqy with 16" bar, both are great saws and I've been running them for at least 6 years. My brother in law runs Stihl saws, they are good also but more expensive. Do not buy the cheap Husqy with the toolless chain tension knob, or the hippy enviro model. Do not buy a bigger saw than you need, but buy the best one you can afford.
Best saw I have ever owned was my McCullough 3818, It was not the most powerful but it would not die. I used it for 17 years before the Flywheel dogs for the pull starter broke and I only replaced the plug once. It did't care what type of gas I used or how long it sat, it always started. I have found the parts and will get it going again this year.
The saw I use the most for firewood is a Echo CS500 with a 18" blade, my stove holds 18" pieces otherwise I would go to the 16". Do a light muffler mod and the saw will scream, this is a 50CC saw that weighs less than 11lbs. The new CS501 weighs the same and has 17% more power. For the big stuff I use the Echo CS600 with a 24" bar. I have used the 36" bar from the homelite 750 to cut up a big ceder I had dropped, but that was pushing it.
I have 5 chains and sharpen them by hand for touch up and also use a 12 volt Oregon sharpener when I hit something. When they start cutting a little crooked I take them to the local saw shop and they adjust the depth cutters and resharpen and I am good to go.
On the big stuff , scary leaning stuff that needs to drop the opposite direction or trees that need to be dropped perfectly I hire I local tree guy who comes out and drops them only. I worked in the woods out of Hi School and have lost extended family members to widow makers (snags) etc... and every year I hear of someone being killed form a tree falling the wrong way etc.... Be careful out there.
I had a McCullough 1010.....that was a damn good saw until I mixed the gas wrong once. Then it was a boat anchor. As I remember it....it was running REALLY good right before it seized up. That thing had cut more wood that most people that are not a logger have ever seen. I bought aforementioned Sthil 026 variety to replace it. Doesn't get much action these days.
Cut firewood for 20 yrs for the house, with a Stilh 18" bar and using OPTI oil made a difference from regular mix oil. The place where I bought my Stilh warranty the engine for 1 year more by using OPTI, it ran the motor at a higher RPM, less fumes and non-fouling problems, just wish it kept the chains sharpen longer.
I have owned and now own Stihls and Huskies. Both have been great saws. However one of the best cutting and most used saws I have ever owned , probably because it was light and easy to use was a little Homelite with a 16 in bar and chisel teeth. It was amazing how large a log it would fly through. I still have a little 12 in Homelite that we cut beams with and use on construction jobs. A very high percentage of Pro loggers here in Oregon use Stihls. That says which saw is probably the absolute best. God bless, Steve
I have owned and now own Stihls and Huskies. Both have been great saws. However one of the best cutting and most used saws I have ever owned , probably because it was light and easy to use was a little Homelite with a 16 in bar and chisel teeth. It was amazing how large a log it would fly through. I still have a little 12 in Homelite that we cut beams with and use on construction jobs. A very high percentage of Pro loggers here in Oregon use Stihls. That says which saw is probably the absolute best. God bless, Steve
I have both a Husky and Stihl. they are both good. I have not only a stihl saw but brush cutter and leaf blower, all 3 are hard starting. the Husky is easy by comparison (much fewer pulls on the cord). This has been consistent from the beginning. Most people I know that do wood cutting and landscaping for a living swear by Echos.
I run chainsaws, among other things, for a living. Let me educate you a bit. Because if you do as most do and buy a Lowe's chainsaw, what you save in the initial investment, your back and body will pay for.
If you cut a lot of wood, buy a saw made to cut a lot of wood. By that, I mean a professional grade saw. I prefer a Husky due to cost. I can buy a busted up 372, put a baileys big bore kit on it, have a 6-7 hp chainsaw that weighs what most noncommercial 3 hp saws weigh, and cut 3 loads of wood before you cut one with a homeowners 50-60 cc saw. All at about 16 pounds. If you have ever run a 16 pound saw with that much power, you'll know what living is about. Its quite thrilling really. Not nearly as tiring. And, if all you do is cut firewood, it will last a LIFETIME plus.
Professional grade saws really are the best bang for the buck. Like I said above. I also know it's hard to drop a grand or more on a saw. But, I've cut a lot of wood with lesser saws and, at about 2.5 hours per load with noncommercial 60 cc saws, versus an hour or less with a professional saw, I'll take that increased investment. My time is worth a lot to me. If you burn 6-7 chords a year or, a lot more then that, yours will be too. I like to fish and hunt to much to pay high power bills during the winter and, spend all my free time during the late winter, spring and summer cutting wood.
There are quite a few professional saws to choose from. Stihl is hard to beat. But, they are expensive. Husky's are really good too. A little less money as well. Jonsonred makes a great professional grade saw in the 70 cc range as well. Even cheaper. You also have other brands of professional saws but, in reality they are getting to big to be a benefit to a firewood cutter. Both Stihl and Husky make 60cc or better professional grade saws that will flat out cut. They make smaller professional saws but, you want to run a 20 inch bar or more. So, stay in the 60-80 cc range. This will save your back and HAMSTRINGS.
If you dismiss what I have told you and go with home owner grade, get an echo. For the money,they are a lot of saw. But, if you find a blown husky 372, give the guy $40 for it, spend $300 on parts and build one mean machine. It'll bring the tool man Taylor out in you. If you buy new, Stihl 460/61, a Husky 372, or a Jonsonred 2172 will make you real happy. God Bless
I have a Husky 372 XP with a 28" bar. keeps me from bending over less and it makes short work of big trees. The stihl gets most of the work, it's a small saw with a 16" bar and is better suited for the majority of cutting. Jonsered used to make one of the best. Now they are just a red husky.
The Echo 501 & 620 are anything but home owner saws and as bb stated many professionals who use equipment for a living are turning to them for their value, performance and reliability . You can bore out any saw, do muffler mods and port jobs of any saw to make it scream and run like a raped ape if you have the mind to and most important the ability to.
This is an echo homeowner 490 that has been ported with carb work & muffler mods
If I wanted to use a big heavy saw I could fire up my 20lb Homelite (110CC) 750, but there is no need to lug a heavy saw.
A good full-chisel chain will wake up any saw, but they can and do kick and dirt/dirty wood will dull them. I good semi-chisel chain will kick less and retain an edge longer, especially for dirty wood. Most homeowner saws have a low-profile chain that is made for safety and kick way less.
I'm a Stihl guy, also have Stihl polesaw, weed eater, hedge trimmer and leaf blower. I'm hard on tools and equipment so I buy quality. That said, Buy a saw that can be serviced locally if needed, huskies are quality as well.
Slade, I’ve run more then a few echo’s. I own some now. They are a great saw. Their bigger professional saws are likely the best. But, professional grade means just that. Magnesium fly wheels. Beefed up pull rope assemblies. Magnesium clutch covers. Better main bearings and cranks, etc..... they are just built to last years of work. Yes, echo makes a great saw. But, for the 60-75 cc offerings, they don’t make them as well as the others. And, for the smaller 50 cc saws, they are a great investment.
Yes you can port the cyclinder heads, mufflers, carbs, and fool with the timing to take any saw into a new class. Or, you could just go buy the saw you built by upgrading on the purchase initially. The last thing most people need in a saw is a 12 pound meat grinder. Because when you make those little one’s run hard, they do not last and they will hurt you very quickly.
I was bucking logs two years ago. I had filed down my rakers on my chain. My saw was tuned and running hard. It was a ported and worked 372 husky. I got the tip of the bar Into the next log. In a blink of an eye, the saw kicked. It went straight up in the air about 5 feet and came crashing back down. The chain stopped had locked but, it kicked so hard and fast, it was out of my hands before I could even blink. I shutter thinking about what would have happened had I been standing g over the saw like normal. Instead of reaching out far to finish the cut.
The moral of the story is, if you don’t run them enough to be knowledgeable, you don’t need a dirt bike chainsaw. It’s only going to hurt you. God Bless
I have a Husky that's been great - I use it for trail building and light tree work around the house - it's the super small one for climbing, I forget the bar length - it's small. The thing's great for hiking with it in a back pack for hours though! So far, it's been super. Maybe 10years old and no repairs or issues other than an occasional sharpening.
Bowfreak do you use it alot? The small engine place I use suggested 97 octane race car fuel be used in my mix. My first thought was that this guy is going to laugh his butt off thinking about how he just snowed me into super $$$ gas. Now, I dont care. 3~ years and I loved it so much I started to use it in my blower, and trimmer as well. The stuff basically never gums and I swear everything starts faster than prior.
It's expensive though, so either only use it prior to putting a tool away for a while or be willing to suck it up on the price.
Will, the race gas is probably ethanol free as to why there is no gum-up issues. I was buying the 92 octane from a station 15 miles away, not I just use the 89 from the marina and have not noticed a difference.
Slade I think that was the key feature. I dont use my small engines outside the snow blower and lawnmower often, and it's really seemed to help. That said, it's very possible it's my hope, and I've spent WAY to much on gas the last couple years ha ha ha ha!!!
I don't cut that much and I just have a big box store cheapo deluxe (Ryobi w/ 18" bar)... I bought pre mixed fuel that is ethanol free. More expensive than mixing it myself but I don't have to bother with mixing gas..... The cans of pre mix are supposedly good for 5 years unopened.... Like I said... I don't cut much.... mostly clearing trees off my quad trail on my property and such. I've had that cheapo saw now for several years and it has worked fine. I take it apart and clean all the sawdust out of it when I get home from my place up north..... When that saw takes a dump I'll just buy a new one.... ha !!! I think I paid somewhere in between $100-150 for it.... I know... it's junk compared to you guys' saws that are serious cutters.... ha !!
I have an older Stihl with a 14” bar that has taken a beating. It’s been dropped out of trees and thrown many times. If I’m citing up fallen tress or on a hillside and slip or trip I send that thing flying as daw away from me as possible if it’s running. The only issues have been carb related or some gremlin pouring oil where the gas goes and gas where the bar oil goes.
What I would look for in choosing one is RPM. Faster Revs means faster cutting. Stihl or Husky. I’ve had other cheap brands years ago and they ended up dying. I like a light saw so I can easily trim overhead and throw it further.
I heat my house with wood and also have a side business of selling firewood. I cut on average 250 face cord of wood a year and have run Homelites back in the 80's, Stihls thru the 90's and ran a couple of Husky 372xp's in the early 2000's but the best saw I have ever run is a Jonsered 2165 and now a 2166.
I typically trade my saws in every 4 or 5 years as I can start to tell they are losing a little bit of get up and go. I had 2 different 2165's and they NEVER took more than 3 pulls to start and ran perfect in any weather condition. I now run a 2166 and have had this saw 4 years and it still has all of its power. It sounds like a dirt bike when you open her up. Can be a little finiky to start sometimes (when she coughs you have to shove the choke in or she will flood) but has a lot of power.
Don't know if I will ever run a Husky or Stihl again. Both of the husky 372xp's I had rattled every screw out of them the first week I cut with them. Had to replace several screws on them and put them back with lock tite on them. Both saws also had to have the coils replaced in them.
I had 2 stihl 036 pros back in the 90's. The first one I had was an excellent saw. The 2nd one was a flat out piece of junk. The first month I had it the muffler rattled off. When you ran it, you had to shut it off before it ran out of gas. If you didn't and ran it out of gas and refilled it, it would not start again that day. The dealer put a new carb on it and it still would not start if you ran it out of gas and refilled it. Myself and the salesman that sold me that saw finally had a conversation that came to the point that 911 was going to have to be called if I didn't get my money back.( saw was still under warranty) I got my money and haven't touched a stihl since.
Dolmar merged with Makita, I've run a couple different models and was impressed.
My buddy runs a tree company and that's all he uses. I haven't run the smaller size saws they make but they look like a good home owner/ small job saw.
Damn, Buckhammer. I thought I cut a lot of firewood. Our cabin is 100% wood heat and I cut about 10 cords I'd guess (it's probably 6 cords if I measured it, but it feels like 10!). I've always ran husqvarna, I don't remember which one, but it is the commercial version and was just under $1k as I recall. I'll have to look at that Jonsered, they're quite a bit cheaper than husky.
I'll second to get professional and do not get it from a big box store. The big boxes have enough pull with MFG's that they tell them how many they'll buy and how much they'll pay and the MFG's figure out what parts to cheap out on to meet their price. Model #'s are not good enough to compare apples to apples when shopping around, you need serial #'s, because of how big boxes operate with stuff like this. I'm a contractor and trust me if I'd save money buying tools from Home Depot, I would.
You guys do realize that jonsered is a red husky in the large models and a red poulan in the smaller models. Jonsered is not the same jonsered that existed until the 80,s.
I rent chainsaws. The best chainsaw is one that starts and is SHARP. We use an Oregon bench chain grinder on all ours. Lots of ways to sharpen chains, for short term kick azz, sharpening to stay "sharp" longer, for green wood, hard dry seasoned kiawe (mesquite) etc. Guides cut "properly" are yuge. (lots of folks never touch guides and sharpen chains that you cut yourself handling..... but make sawdust, not chips.)
That and the TYPE of chain is big. Consumer chain with anti-kickback and shallow set guides suck, but that's what ALL the saws in the big box stores will have. It's mandatory by law for non-commercial use. Whatever you buy, go get a good commercial chain for it and be very careful of kickback (most bars are anti-kickback and that helps some without hurting chain performance). Chains are the tires you put on your off road rig. You can have the baddest off road rig made by man with crappy bald azz street tires on it and Coach's quad cab girl truck Sonoma with mudders on it will pass you on the wet trails.....
For rental, we need saws a moron can start every time. We really used to like Shindiawa but they are no more (Echo bought em out) Stihl is good, but their consumer line is no better than anyone elses, the commercial line are expensive and IMO not moron friendly. Repair parts are ridiculous. Echo is good,we have had several pieces of echo equipment, but much is designed for hp per lb and not moron friendly either. (blower and pole saw have been good though) Poulan? Unless much has changed those are Sears Craftsman. When we did small engine repair we called them "pull and pull and pull ons..." But again, any chainsaw that runs and is sharp beats the crap out of one that is dull and won't start. Consumer saws are hands down the hardest to work on. They are not made to be repaired but thrown away and buy another. I remember the little mac saws we used to call "bowling balls" had to take em out of the case just to get to the carbs. Have worked on many hundreds of saws, started off here in '78 as a mechanic. We did warranty work as well for several stores and companies. That's a way to be called many names when a two-cycle came in with straight gas in it......
Right now we are renting husky rancher 455s, 5 of em. Used to run 18" bars on them but now run the 20" bars the last couple came with.Not because it's needed, but you do get a bit longer "sharp" time from a longer chain (more teeth, run a touch cooler per tooth) and for some reason the extra 2" makes a difference to customers. (actually it would seem an extra 2" makes a difference to a lot of people...) A good middle of the road saw that is pretty moron friendly, not crazy expensive, parts are reasonable and while many may not consider them "commercial" they are a pretty good step up from most consumer level saws. We send them out with mixed gas.... but have had em come back full of straight non-mixed gas and still run fine.
Our fuel supplier just recently started carrying non-ethanol for just a few cents more than standard, so have been running that. But in all honesty we never really had any problems with ethanol fuel. With our "seasons" none of our equipment sits long enough for the fuel to break down and harm anything. Theoretically it has a fraction more energy but it's pretty hard to tell the difference with a chainsaw, string trimmer or cutoff saw. You usually lose power before you notice the equipment does.
Jonsonred professional saws are being made by husky. They are as you say, a red Husky. Which is why I recommended them. Both non professional models of Husky and Jonsonred are made by poulan. That means when you go to box store to buy one of those brands, you are buying a poulan produced saw. So, if you are going to go that route, just buy the poulan for half the money. But, it is as TD says. When they break, you throw them away and buy another.
Huskies and STIHLs are the most common among professional loggers so no argument needed :) On an other hand there are cheap household items which would suit one's needs around the house and (biggish) garden, corded or cordless chainsaws, depending on various factors.
One of my neighbors who heats his house with wood swears by his battery powered chainsaw. Has two batteries for it and when they are both dead he says it is time to quit because I'm tired too.
I'll never buy another Husky. I've burned through 3 of them. They are so fickle with their gas and lose compression too easily and it's almost as much to buy a brand new one as it is to change the parts out.
