Board logo

Chainsaw Recommendations
greglogan - 28/6/11 at 08:00 PM

Hi guys

as per title. I have a few trees that fell in the last storm a few weeks back so was thinking about getting a chainsaw to cut them up for burning. As I want to buy a good one I thought I'd try here for suggestions on make, model, cc and bar length.

Hope you guys can help


Rallye_Mark - 28/6/11 at 08:16 PM

It depends on the diameter of the trees to be cut etc, but you can't go wrong with a good old Husqvarna, I recently sold my 254XP, was 10 years old and ran like new and cut trees like you wouldn't believe!!!

If it is only for a few things, it might be worth getting a cheap on of eBay, they are good saws for minimal work, but if you intend to do lots of cutting, a Husqvarna is the only way forward


richmars - 28/6/11 at 08:19 PM

Stihl or Husqvarna are the two main makes. Mines a Husqvarna, had it for a few years, with no problems. You should be planning on spending at least as much on safety gear, helmet, ear defenders, gloves, boots and trousers.


daviep - 28/6/11 at 08:28 PM

Do you have a price in mind?

I prefer husqvarna or the older makita's not really that keen on stihl. Jonsered and Echo also have a good reputation but I have no experience

Unless you are going to be tackling stuff bigger than 3 foot diameter then something with a 14" bar will be sufficent.

If it's for smaller limbs less than 1 foot diameter i'd be tempted to go electric if it's possible.

Smaller is generally better with chainsaws where possible, holding on to a big saw is tiring and this is when accidents happen plus long chains/bars are more expensive and take longer to sharpen.

Do you have experience with chainsaws? If not be very careful a chainsaw makes an angle grinder look about as dangerous as a tea spoon.

Davie


coozer - 28/6/11 at 08:38 PM

I've got an electric one and it struggles with another bigger than 9"

Been wondering whether a petrol one is stronger??

Are these £100 ones any good??

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=146466&Referrer=froogle&ctype=2&gclid=CLGl-Li62akCFRRc4QodIT4STQ


blakep82 - 28/6/11 at 08:45 PM

Had a ryobi, wasn't great, got a sthil, omg, what a difference! Used it to cut rail sleepers, the ryobi took about an hour with breaks and the chain was a bit worn, sthil, 15 secs.
Huqsvana (cantel spell it)are held with as much regard as sthil, not used one, but its sthil for me! They have metal gearing for the chain oil pump, cheaper saws don't, and can fail early


daviep - 28/6/11 at 09:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by coozer
I've got an electric one and it struggles with another bigger than 9"




How fussy are you with chain and bar condition? Anything which is light on power requires that the chain be kept properly sharpened all the time and the rakers be set to the correct depth. If you file the rakers to deep on big petrol saw it pulls your arms off, if you do it with a low power saw it won't manage to reach the correct chain speed for efficent cutting.

For occasional work something like the ryobi will be fine, can't say I've ever had any cutting problems with cheap saws as this is mainly to do with chain/bar condition, but it won't last as long as a "professional" brand and spares can be a problem.

How ever some of the saws at the cheaper ends of the "professional" brands range are quite crap but at least there is good service back up.

Davie


greglogan - 28/6/11 at 09:28 PM

thanks guys. Yeah, I've used them before and have owned a cheapie one (lent it to a "mate" who ran it without 2 stroke cos he thought it was smoky!) in the past. I'm having a multi-fuel stove fitted and figured as there are a few good sized trees down on my in-laws land, I might as well chop 'em up now for use next year. I don't want to borrow one and you can't hire them over here anymore, so I might as well buy one but want to stick to a known brand. I've got a Husquvarna Automower so I might try the Husky dealer and see what he has to offer.

Thanks for all the info!

Greg.


cliftyhanger - 28/6/11 at 09:28 PM

I bought a cheap power devil chainsaw about 10 years ago from argos, as they were/are good about refunding if something doesn't work properly. It was bought top do one job, lop a few trees for me dad. Actually ended up cutting quite a lot of tree stuff, no real issues, and despite having a few chains replaced (usually after people have borrowed it that has now stopped) it still cuts well and will cut 12" approx linbs. I suspect I have done bogger by going gently.

Don't discount electrics, only downside is you need a lead. Upside is that at th echeaper end of the market they are pssibly more reliable. And if you happen to buy from argos, they are still good about taking stuff back. 3 year warranty is good


daviep - 28/6/11 at 09:28 PM

THIS is a nice little saw which I like. They are very rugged and don't have any stupid gimmick fetures which makes them simple and reliable. I like these older models better than the new all plastic versions.

Davie


greglogan - 28/6/11 at 09:31 PM

Had a quick search on Argos for chainsaws and saw this one, but think it might be a bit low on power tho

Chainsaw


daviep - 28/6/11 at 09:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by greglogan
Had a quick search on Argos for chainsaws and saw this one, but think it might be a bit low on power tho

Chainsaw


Nah it's reduced by £7 which completly outweighs any short comings in the spec


greglogan - 28/6/11 at 10:08 PM

the 3 year extended warranty is a must tho :p


Peteff - 28/6/11 at 10:54 PM

I bought a Dynamac from Machine Mart. It hasn't been worked hard but it does the job but if I was buying one now it would probably be a Stihl as the spares are readily available. Do Husqvarna sell to the public? You had to be a registered tree surgeon to get one when I was looking for a saw.


Bare - 29/6/11 at 03:25 AM

IMO from worst to best: Ryobi,.... Stihl,.... Echo/Shindaiwa.... Husky.