Chainsaws?

[gmcooper]

Not sure if this fits here but here goes. My old Husqvarna model 51 saw died. Had it for quite a number of years. Compression is gone. Local dealer is pushing a Johnsered model 2152 as a good replacement. Anyone have one and like it or not?
Mark

[jrthe3]

i had one it ran ok but vibrated alot then i was down to my hunting camp and the clutch went bad the saw was 6 mounths old tryed to find a dealer around there could not find one close so i traded it in on a Husqvarna 359 best saw i have ever owned the johnsered are good saws but it is hard to find dealers and parts for them and i use my saws alot so i can't have them down

[tuckermtn]

the best thing is to find a dealer who has good support..Stihl/Husky/Jonsered saws are like ford vs chevy vs. dodge.

having said that, I swear by the Stihl 361 saw...excellent power/weight ratio and the best anti-vibe of any saw I've used...mostly use an 18" bar...

my $.02 worth...

[peacemaker]

my vote husky
but heres a bit of a heads up with the 10% ethanol in the gas mix it more like 40 to 1 and use the stabil my dealer says he has had alot of saws burn up this from it

[jrthe3]

see how bad he wants to sell you that saw see if he will let you try it for a weekend i don't think you will like it over the husky

[forester1]

Husqvarna and Jonsered are owned by the same company, I think electrolux. Around here both brands are sold by the same dealers. I think I have a 2152 (I forget the # offhand) as well as a husqvarna 359. I like them both. I like the husky better, it has more power and the 3/8 chain. I think the 2152 has a 5/16 chain.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

They are all bad now, when all the saw manufacturers changed them to meet emissions, they made them to be throw away. Mark if you want a good dealer, try Wescott & Sons in Gorham, I always used them when I lived in Maine, and they are great to deal with.. They sell the Stihl's. I have a 044 that just won't die.

[PatS]

I'm new here & I can't really give any advice about sugaring, but I have some experience with chainsaws. About 8 years ago the city forester (at that time) in Buffalo NY told me to get a Stihl because they were about the best. Prior to that, the city workers were using Echo's. They switched over to all Stihl & the workers were all impressed with the improvement in power. I bought an 029 Farm Boss back then to handle heating with wood at my new home with 20 acres. I have cut at least 10-12 cord every year since, and with minor maintenance I can still start it, set it down & it purrs like a kitten. Doesn't seem to be any loss of power since I bought it. It uses a 3/8" chain & I have an 18"bar.

Last year made about 4 gallons of syrup in a pan & it turned out pretty good. Then I counted trees & found I have almost 250 Sugar Maple trees along with 40 or 50 reds. I guess you could say I'm officially hooked on sugarin' due to the fact that I just bought a half pint.

Guess I'll be using the Stihl a lot more.

I guess it depends on how much wood you have to cut, but I'm glad I spent more & got a decent saw.

[DS Maple]

I run both Huskys and Stihls and do prefer the stihl models. I will admit that they are both good quality products though. One thing that really gets me on the huskys is the choke mechanism being separate from the throttle interlock. I find that when starting a saw properly, (by tucking the handle behind your right knee,) I knock the choke in on the huskys and pull many more times than necessary before I realize what I did. Because the stihls have the choke on the same moving lever as the the throttle lock, this is never a problem.
I won't go as far as to say buy one over the other because it really is a Ford vs. Chevy comparison, but I would recommend shelling out a fair amount of money. I've got a stihl 044 along with an 029 and it's amazing that the two weigh about the same, but one has significantly less power than the other. While the 044 is twice as much at nearly $800, I would have to say that it is worth every penny. Lastly, gauge your bar size on the size wood you are cutting. If you find yourself cutting really large trees get a large bar, but if you are mostly cutting cordwood 18" is probably all you need. You will just find yourself running a larger bar into the dirt more often.
Hope this helps!

[gmcooper]

Thanks guys for the info. There are hardly any Husky dealers left here. Once Husky started selling to Lowes, Depot, etc. several went out of them. I really like the 51 as the weight was not bad to lug thru the woods on snowshoes and it really did seem to have enough power. Dad has a Husky 55 rancher that I use some and it is a bit heavier and has more power, bigger chain. The Johsered dealer used to have Husky. I had already questioned them on parts as that was the biggest issue I have heard on them over the past 10 years. Of course he said "they stock nearly everything for every saw". Right up till I need a part then they will be on back order for sure.
I have never been a fan of Stihl saws. May be it was from a couple I used back in early 80's that were heavy, hard starting, and just plain uncomfortable to use. I will check a local dealer to see what they have now.
Mark

[3% Solution]

GM,
Give this place a call, Ashuelot Valley Outdoor Power Equipment, ask for Bob.
They are located on Route 10 Lempster, N.H., by New Hampshire's only "Wind Farm".
He is pretty reasonable, and he is a very honest guy!
He sells Stihl and Husky and has a very good business going.
Tell him I told you to call.
It's just nice to see other folks get biten, while the rest of us are soooo infected!!!

Dave

[brookledge]

I had a husky 51 and a 55 at work and used them very heavilly and finally after alot of hard use they both started giving us problems. So I got 2 new 350s about a yr ago and they aren't the same quality as the 51 and 55 were.
It seem like Husky is trying to compete more with homeowners and now selling at home depot etc. that a little quality has been sacrifised. We also have an 044 and an 084 stihl that seem to go forever.
Also Husky might be headed in the direction of homelite in the scense that they start making them cheaper to the point that homeowners by them knowing that most of them will not bother to have them serviced and repaired that way trhey will just buy a new one. Unlike a professoinal who is likely to get many years out of a saw and in the long run the companies make alot more money selling alot of cheaper saws than a few durable ones.
Back in the 70's a homelite would last for years. I still have a 410 that might be alittle heavy but I can toss it around and not worry about it and it runs great.
Keith

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[RileySugarbush]

I have over 20 years with a Stihl 028 super. It always starts right up and is very handy with a 16" bar. I'm on my second bar. I have never really needed a longer bar.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Stihls are a lot different now than 20 to 30 years ago. I have used a lot of different ones and best saw for the money in my opinion. I have a 310 which may be a touch smaller than you want, but it has an 18" bar and it has cut a ton of wood over the past several years and never the first problem and still the original plug.

[MaplePancakeMan]

I have two 029 supers that i bought as is online and one of them has a scored cylinder but still runs. The good one blew a gas line and i needed to cut wood that fell on my neighbors yard good locust for sugaring wood. He let me have full use of his three Huskys... a 372xp 55 rancher and a 350 i found that every one was hard to start, didn't cut well and bogged down a lot. I got all the chains sharpened and they still didn't cut well. i got fed up with only getting 14 logs cut in an hour so i took the scored 029 out of the barn sharpened the chain and it ran circles around all of the huskys. Thats not to say that there may not have been something wrong with his saws but i figure at least one of the three should have been fine. I just prefer Stihls because parts are readily available and more stihl dealers.

I picked up a new cylinder and piston set for the scored saw for 80 bucks shipped to my door and thats probably the most expensive part i'll need to replace.

one thing i've learned from talking to mechanics is that when in doubt use more oil... spark plugs are 5 bucks cylinders are way more.

Go test out all the saws you can and see whats best for you.

[royalmaple]

mark-

Abbotts in Waterboro sell husky's if you want to look at some. I run stihls and we've had good luck with them. I have bought them all from wescotts.

I think the best price on husky's if you go with them is going to be at Reggies in Auburn on Minot ave. A buddy just bought a bruiser of a saw there and he was by far the best price around. 783-0558.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I think the Huskies 20 years ago were a better saw than what they are now. They sell them in about every store on the face of the earth and I think they have cut costs and quality to make a price competitive saw. Hard to be a pro-shop/dealer only item like Stihl is and that goes for about anything.

[peacemaker]

i do know that huskys makes two grades of saws one they sell at lowes and such and the other to the dealers ... the bars are even different gauge
when i bought my first husky over 20 years ago its what the forest service used for the brush fire crews they torture tested both stihl and husky husky won things like how long would the both run with unmixed gas how long they would run without shutting them off drop a telephone pole on them to see which stood up the best

[maple flats]

I have 2 Huskeys, a 359 which I use a lot, and a 350 used mainly for limbing. I have had no problem with either yet but they are only 2 yrs old. I cut about 15 full cord a year plus several thousand feet of sawlogs for my sawmill. In face I just ordered a 28" bar with a few loops of full skip chain for the 359. I think it has the power with the full skip, time will tell.

[Brandon]

mark i would definitely check into the huskys. i have 2 a 575xp and a 372xp there both great saws with lots of power the 575 is a little heavier but its more for a yard saw or cutting big wood. the 372 is one of the best saws they have made. perfect for anything. ive also run a 346xp and that was a nice little saw, extremely light but powerful. in high school at the tech center a couple of kids had 2152s and they werent that great. every brand has its pros and cons and every one has the brand they are loyal to

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I have a 30" for my 044, makes a great limbing saw you don't even have to bend over :) The skip chain is the only way to go, makes sharpening so much nicer... I have heard rumor that osha is trying to get the manufactoring of it stopped.. like anything if it works good, lets bann it....

[Gary R]

Interesting responses. I don't use my saws that much but,I have to throw my two cents in. I've looked in the back of a few trucks around here where there are sawmills everywhere. It's seems no one manufacture dominates another. Must be that Ford, Chevy Dodge thing.

The XP line for Husky is the Pro series. I bought a 357XP about 2 years ago. You pay about $2-300 more to get a saw that has about 30% more power than a homeowner version of the same cc's. I own a small Stihl also. I love that saw for all the TSI (trimming, thining). I use the bigger saw on the wood pile. I don't want to cut all day long. The bigger saw probably would cut a cord of wood in 30 min. That way I can kick back and drink some saw'in soda's:) .

Don't use to much oil! After about a year my new saw would not run. I took it to a dealer, who did a compression test. It failed. The reason was the ring stuck to the piston. I had a few discusion's with Husky factory technician's in order to get a warranty repair. They told me it was because I had to much oil in the gas. I was using Klotz (2cycle racing oil) by the quart. Always erroring on the side of too much oil. Probablly my fault. But, I have 2 Stihl products that ran on the same mixture. That said, I'd probably by a Stihl if there is a next time. I did get the repair covered.

Maplepancakeman, There had to be something wrong with those saw's. I cut about 10,000bdft of cherry with my nieghbors 372XP. It was awsesome having that cutting power in your hands. I should have bought one of those.

Happy sawin'

[hard maple]

you can have the best saw in the world......
but if you don't know how to care for it?

who thinks a new chain is sharp and ready to go?????

The rule of thumb is: if you don't know how to sharpen a chainsaw,you shouldn't be using one.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I don't care where you get your chain from, it mite be ok when it comes from the box or the dealer, but it is not sharp... its kind of like taking a sharp fillet knife and throwing it in a drawer without a cover and shaking the drawer for a hour, I bet its not the sharpest now....

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[MaplePancakeMan]

Gary R, i actually talked to the guy today... his not so legal employees ran too thin of a mixture through the saws while clearing a lot for him. Long story short, the saws came back with a bill of 635 bucks for all three to get cleaned and repaired. Two of the pistons were burned up. Not sure why he didn't just buy two new saws for that price.


I Look around daily online and such for parts saws can get some really cheap ones that need the cylinders and pistons replaced. Stihls parts seem to be cheaper in price than Huskys and if you know how to fix them or someone who does it cheaply i got a guy that does the labor for 20 bucks an hour. I just picked up a 036 for 30 bucks that needs the cylinder replaced.


Has anyone tried re-boring a cylinder and fitting a bigger piston on any of the chainsaws to fix scaring?

[Gary R]

Because the 372XP is about a $700 saw. I like the old saw's for cheap. None of that emmisions stuff!

[Amber Gold]

My preference is Husky only because I grew up with them. I also think Husky/Stihl is like a Ford/Chevy thing…they both make good products it just comes down to personal preference. Didn’t realize that Husky sold out to the box stores…it’s a shame to see quality manufacturers sell out like that. Not positive in Husky’s case, but I think this usually results in a drop in quality of the product.

I personally use a 372XP with a 20” chain, I think it’s early ‘90’s vintage. I love the saw, it cuts faster than a horse and the 20” chain is nice because you’re not bending over as much. The only problem is the 20” chain can get in the way sometimes if you’re cutting into a log pile. The only bad thing is it sucks gas like a pig, and after cutting all day you really start to notice the weight of the saw. It’s bigger/heavier than your standard saw. I think unless you’re a logger, this is overkill for most applications, but I couldn’t argue with a free saw.

Those are my thoughts.

[Dill]

Josh your 372xp just like mine is much newer than early 90s. Its late 90s to current. In fact Husky just did a limited run of 372s last year. The early 90s was the 272, which in fact I perfered it was a torquer saw than the 372. Your 372 is nice pile saw, maybe you should run a smaller bar, but I like the 20 on it.
I also run a 55 rancher, its a nice little saw 53cc, that I run an 18 on. And its surprising how much it will cut. Not to mention it has the same pitch chain as the 372 so I only need to carry one file.


My father runs a Sthil farm boss, which is 58cc I believe. If I had to run only one instead of the 2 I would use that.

[Amber Gold]

Sorry I was mistaken. I got the saw from my father and we've had it since I was 15 +/- years old, so that would be about 1994 and the saw was used then when we got it. It is the 272XP. The saw's definitely seen some use but is holding up nicely and cuts/runs great. Original everything (piston, carb, etc.).

My dad has a 257 with an 18" chain which he prefers wood pile cutting.

[brookledge]

I looked at husky's web site and found that they have 3 classes of saws cheapest is Homeowner then landowner then the most expensive is professional.
So the two 350s i bought for work I probably should have gone with 346XP
Keith

[maple flats]

Yes, especially in the 350, I can feel and see the cheaper, lighter weight saw. I think this is likely a homeowner saw. The 359 might even be a homeowner version but it is much heavier and more powerful. Might be the XP saws are the pro versions. However I do like my 350 and 359, and they are used more than just casually. I go thru about 5-7.5 gal mixed gas in the average month and I get a lot done on a full tank even on the 359. As for chains, I sharpen it as soon as i detect either extra pressure to cut or see the sawdust getting any finer. If you are not getting big saw dust the chain is dull. It takes only a few minutes to sharpen the chain and get the thing cutting properly. Also, a sharp chain makes it much easier on the saw and all of it's components.

[gmcooper]

The search is offically over. I bought a Husqvarna 346xp with 18" bar this morning. Cut up about 1 1/2 cords on the pile with it in no time. Saw is fairly light but way more power than my old 51. Cut thru 12" oak and beech like it was pine. Seems like it has at least as much power as dads 55 rancher. Saw was about $100 more than the 353 but well worth it so far. Also way less vibration than the 51 or 55.
Thanks for all the input.
Mark

Anyone need a 51 for parts?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Just about any saw is a good saw with a sharp chain, if the chain isn't sharp, then any saw is junk for cutting wood at that point.

[hard maple]

Brandon
So true, that's why I did not mention what brand I use. I feel that is sometimes less important.

I've cut thousands of acres between NH and VT with my dad back in the day,
could have been done with any saw...
One key thing to remember, running a saw with a dull chain causes fatigue,
you're working your body and saw more than necessary.
Which might not be good.
When my saw is on point, and I lay into a piece of firewood, If I'm not holding on tight, I'tll pull me right into the pile.

That's when you know she's cutting good!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I'm not much good at sharpening a saw, but I take mine up to the local hardware store and the guy there is 70+ and been doing it all his life. He uses a machine but when he gets done, everything is exact on the chain and you just about have to hold the saw back.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[maple flats]

Most new chains I get are sharp in the box, but i buy mine from a large dealer. I think that makes a difference just in the way and number of times it is handled between the mfgr and me. A large dealer does not have everyone picking up a box and tipping it every which way to "study it" like the big box stores. There they are dropped on the floor and fall of the peg hooks, this does not keep a chain sharp. Where I buy the customers are mainly pro's and I buy 10 of each number at a time as do most of the pro's (The dealer has a sharp price deal on lots of 10 [pun intended]) When I do sometimes get a dull chain, I sharpen it by hand and get excellent results. I used to take them in to get sharpened but when I took the Game of Logging training I learned how and now it is quicker to sharpen than it is to go get a spare and change it. One of the things about sharpening that made it much easier is when Oregon started putting an angle ref. line on the tooth, just stay parallel with that and stroke till it stops grabbing the file. The file must be sharp or this is no good. I buy my files by the dozen and find that 3 or 4 filings on a 20' bar is about it, use a new file. To verify, put a piece of paper or clean cardboard under the bar and file with just 2 strokes, if you do not have a good qty of filings the file is dull. Don't waste your time, bought by the dozen from most places the price is about 60-70 cents a file, cheap enough.
When filing if you have a problem holding the saw and bar still try a stump vice, either driven into a stump or clamped into your shop vice. I however find it easy if I have a tailgate of a truck or a log or high stump to rest the saw and bar on, lock the chain brake and file. If done as soon as needed it seldom needs more than 4 or 5 strokes per cutter unless you hit something real bad, but do not do it by counting strokes but rather by the feel, if a roughness grabs the file do more, when grabing stops take 1 more stroke and move to the next cutter. Close examination will show that the tooth is sharp as whitnessed by the lack of a shine on the very tip of the cutting edge. Most people think the top of the tooth does the cutting, this is false. The side cuts and the top removes the piece. The only part that needs to be perfectly sharp is the side edge of each tooth to get a great cutting action.

[Gary R]

Congrats GMCOOPER! There's lot's of ways to cut a wood pile. I imagine with all these post's we'd confused you. Good luck with your saw. As these guy's are now talking, it's the chain that cut's not the saw. So true.

[Brandon]

good choice mark. i almost bought the same saw to chop with back when i was working in the woods full time. light and powerfull.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I think with a little simple instruction anyone can keep thair saws working for them. Its nice to have a chain sharpened on a saw jig mostly to get it EVEN it wont be sharper but it will cut stright. In the field it is best to tune up the teeth and fix what you can. A loose chain will cause a chain to cut twice as much kerf as a properly tightened chain. If you change a saw chain and dont dress the side of the bar with a draw file you will have a saw that will bind and stick in the groove. Always check the saw tip if it is starting to show peaning of the bar the roller tip is shot and should be replaced. A chain that is worn out will cause damage to a new bar so dont put old crappy chaines on a new bar it will damage the rail and cause the chain to wabble. When hand sharpening its important to not only sharpen the sides and most important the TOP but you must also MAINTAIN the angle of the top cutting edge so the wood chip is cut rolled and stored in the saw tooth and then carried out of the kerf area. One of the biggest mistakes when hand sharpening is to let the file follow the path of least resistance and what happens is it rides up and you end up with a bad angle on the tooth that is why its nice to freshen up a chain with a jig sharpening. If the saw wants to cut right or left it because its hard to hand sharpen a chain and not over sharpen one side or the other so count your strokes and twist the file as you go. The top of the tooth does the cutting just ask a competition sawer

[Mike]

My brother bought a new Husqvarna yesterday at TS. I think it was a 345 or a 346..Had a price of $259 on it....It was brought back after a guy used it for 2 hrs and said it was siezed up...It had a price of $129 on it...My brother picked it up pulled on the cord and it pulled over, brought it out side to see if it would start and found the chain break was on.....Bought it, brought it home, put gas in and it runs like a top........

[jrthe3]

that is funny but the sad part is that is not the first time i have herd of that

[maple flats]

That just shows that some stores have no business selling chainsaws. I wish I had such luck, I would buy several at prices like that.

[maple flats]

I may have insinuated that the tops of the teeth don't count. They do but the sharpness is less critical than the sides. The sides cut and the top removes between the 2 sides, the same as when you want to remove a groove from a piece of wood without a dado. You saw each side and if wider than your chisel, you may perform several cross cuts, then even a moderately sharp chisel will remove the wood in between the saw cuts. Both need to be sharp but the most critical is the sides. When I was taught this in Game of Logging, a professional oriented training course i didn't want to believe it, but then I tried one sharpening by hand using the correct cross angle but using slight down pressure so as to intentionally miss the tops, the difference was barely perceptible, and the cut was very close to that of a properly sharpened chain. Now that does not say the tops can be blunt but there is some room for error.

[Amber Gold]

I was running an old Husqavarna 272XP. Great saw, loved it, and it cut great. A few weeks ago the saw died and can’t figure out why so I bought a new Stihl MS310. It was running great. Died because it was out of gas…went back to the garage, filled it up, gave it a good cleaning while I was there, and now it won’t start. Limited mechanical experience with chain saws, but everything seems to check out (gas, spark, etc.). I’ll look at it some more when it gets warm out. Now I'll have a backup saw.

I was going to go Husqavarna again, but not after all the bad reviews I’ve read on the new ones. On the MS310 I like how easily carb adjustments can be made as well as how removing one panel gives access to the air filter, spark plug, and carb. Very nice. I cut a bit over the weekend and this new saw is great. Cutting speed is comparable to the 272, but it weighs less. I was missing the heated grips on the 272 though. It was pretty cold over the weekend and they would’ve been nice.

[dano2840]

a 262 husky is about the same size as a 51 a little bigger, i dont know if they make that model any more but if they dont i would go with a 359 or one of the XP models
i had one of my buddies from school over to help me cut some wood up about 2 months ago he brought over his brandy new 372XP and his older 272XP (272 is the older version of 372) I ran both and i must say i really liked the 272 but i liked the 372 just as much they are both good saws, if i could find a used 272XP i would snap it up, but if i dont find one before spring i will buy a new 372XP

[dano2840]

i runn my file through the tooth and it always seems like my angle changes at the end of the stroke, but it files and matches the line, but should i try to be pushing back and pulling up on the file at the same time? my chains never seem like the top is cutting right because my file doesnt hardly touch it. and the other thing that ive noticed is that the teeth that i file tword the right dont get as much material removed as the ones going left when i get to the end of the life of the chain, like the ones going left will be worn down and the ones going right will still have 1/3 more life left in them, and Haynes what did you mean by a JIG? a file guide that goes on the file?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Dano I was a mech. for a tree service for 10 years and then on my own equipment and I would never ONLY file my chains till they are gone. We would sharpen on the jobsite and then when they came in to the shop we would swap out chains and sharpen on a elec chain jig. As you mentioned over time you tend to favor the one side over the other depending on if you lefty or righty. So its important to get them strightend out every so often. The nice thing about the saw jig is it takes the same amount off each tooth both top and sides.
You can buy file guides that you clamp you file of choice into and they help keep the file riding up so you keep all teeth the same. Whats nice about the guide is it has a handle and if the file breaks you dont stab your finger into a sharp tooth. One problem you mentioned is that one side ends up smaller that the other and that is a reason to jig sharpen atleast once in its lifetime. What some people do is do all there sharpening from one side of the bar and that is a disaster for the cutting edge of the tooth that you file away from. When you sharpen a knife you lead with the sharp edge of blade and that is how you should file your chain. Plus tighten your chain first and use the chain brake for help.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Where can you buy the nice file guides you are referring to?? Do you have any online links??

[Haynes Forest Products]

I went to Ebay and they have differant models of the same concept that I was talking about go to (chain say file guides) the husky looks good and the flat type are simple and for the money will make sharpening easy. I can say from experiance that once you learn the right way to file a chain its a snap to touch one up in the woods and enjoy wood cutting. The file guides will help keep your index finger from going numb and raw even with gloves on. You havent had fun till you file the chain on a Stihl 098 about 10 times just to get threw a city roadside silver maple with nails and cavity cement in it.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. My grandfather had one years ago and I hadn't seen one since and always wanted one, but I had never saw one in a store but I hadn't looked very hard either.

[Zamboni Driver]

I run a 372 XP. So my vote is husky
Jim

[KenWP]

When I moved to Quebec I bought a chainsaw in Alberta to bring along. I told the guy at the sthil dealer I was cutting firewod and he recomended the smallest saw they made. Of couse the biggest trees I ever cut down in Alberta were maybe 6 inches at the biggest. Guess how hard it is to cut down a 2 foot tree with a 12 inch chainsaw. I had to put up 13 cords of wood in the summer to heat the house and finally went and bought a bigger saw.

[OneLegJohn]

Stihl MS 361 is my vote.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have a Stihl 310 and it has cut many, many cords of wood and timber and still on original bar! Can't beat a Stihl for the money.

[3rdgen.maple]

If it isnt orange it isnt worth buying. By the way the more orange on the saw the better lol.

[Russell Lampron]

3rdgen,

Orange is a good color but it's got to have some white on it too!

[VT maple maker]

I have run Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, Craftsman, Reds, Poulins, Depending on the size of the job you have to do as long as there running fine then they will do the job. That being said Husqvarna is deffinately the best!!!

[Maplewalnut]

Had a stihl 026 and got rid of it.....to buy a stihl 039!

[Paddymountain]

I bought a 450 Husky 2 years ago after using Homelites for 30 plus years, including climbing trees for Asplundh for 11 ,Never again will I have any thing
as slow and ineficient as the Homelite

[farmall h]

Jonsered/Husquvarna/Stihl is my choice...Homelite is from a long ago time...just like the McColloughs', Poulins, (old Jonsereds) and Olympics. They were nice in their hay-day but the top three have proven to be the best commercial saws out there.

[Pete S]

Another vote for the Husky 359!
I run Amsoil synthetic at 40:1 and run the piss out of it!