Good Homeowner Type Chainsaw

[Bill Stockard]

I need to buy a good homeowner type 14"-16" chainsaw for under $200. We need one to clean up storm damage and trim a few trees in the fence rows. We live on the prairie and only have about 20 trees on 200+ acres and don't have a fireplace or a wood stove, so we won't be doing any serious wood cutting. I read one consumer report that listed a Craftsman(Sears), Makita and Echo as "Best Buys", but don't know anything about any them.



We have an old Homelite that is over 30 years old and needs more work on it than it's worth. Most of the problems with it have been from lack of use.



Thanks,

Bill

 

[Bertram65]

I have a Craftman 16", I think it's like 43 or 45 CCs. I got it 3 years ago. It came with a case and spare chain. It was around $150. I have used it hard for 3 years all the time and it has been great, no problems.

 

[Duluth Diesel]

Get a quality saw that will last you for years, even if it is a small homeowner saw. My dad had an old Stihl 032 saw for over 15 years. It was running great at 15 years old when it was stolen out of his truck. It is probably still running. They are great saws and worth the investment. I have a Stihl 210C and a 440 Magnum. The 210C is a great homeowner saw that can drop trees up to 8" diameter with a little skill. This was my first saw and it has been perfect. I got the big 440 for felling larger trees and bucking.



For about 250 bucks MSRP, the 210C will be a great, powerful little saw that will be with you for a heckuva lot longer than a craftsman or homelite (the new ones ain't what they used to be). As I tell my wife, I'm too poor to buy cheap tools. Get a quality saw the first time and you won't live to regret it.



Here is the 210C

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS210C.html



Here's my 440

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS440.html





Also, Husqvarna makes a great saw. My brother-in-law has a mid-size Husq and has been happy with it, although he was drooling over my 440 after I let him use it.

 

[mcoleman]

Stihl. I've never had to have any of my Stihl saws worked on. I've got a 2000 029 Farm Boss that I would like to upgrade to a 360 Pro though.

 

[Duluth Diesel]

I would have got the 460 rather than the 440, but they didn't have any 460 saws in stock.

They were trying to talk me down from the 440 to the 360, but I didn't want to just step up a little from the 210C. I wanted the second saw to have more than enough power for what I demanded of it. That 440 just melts through oak logs. Its gotten to the point that I seldom use the 210C at all. The 440 just does everything better and faster. I usually hand the 210C off to a helper and let them cut up the stuff I've already dropped. I've even considered selling the 210C just because I usually reach for the big hammer.

 

[TPCDrafting]

You guys will laugh, but I bought a reconditioned 16" Poulan at a tool sale for about $100 about 5 years ago. I cut and burn around 6-7 chords of fire wood every year. As long as I dont cut over the length of the bar it works great. Otherwise it still gets the job done, just slowly. It gets tossed in the barn with dust and hay after I'm done. I've ran it in 0 deg. up to near 100 deg. weather and it still starts on the 3-4 pull. If I had my drothers, I'd have a nice Stihl as well, but I can't justify throwin' this one out as it still runs just fine.

 

[RT66DOC]

Bought a Stihl 390 a year ago. So far, so good. Zero problems. Great little machine. My wife likes it alot too.

 

[ropinfool2]

I had a stihl 032 I believe w/ 18" bar. Loved that thing, wish the case was better though. I gave it to my brother when I move to Ca. , didn't think I would need it anymore. Wish I'd never done that. He won't give it back!!! John



on edit: I paid 100 bucks for it at a pawn shop. I had to fix the shut off switch, the wire came off the back side. JR

 

[BarryG]

I own 10 acres of heavily wooded land with pinyon and juniper and cedar. When we bought the property it just needed a little cleanup here and there so I bought a craftsman 18" and it worked great (especially for the money). It was 150. 00 with case spare chain etc. It worked great. Sometimes a bit hard to start when it had been worked hard and it was hot outside but not really a big deal. Well a couple years ago the area the property is in got decimated by pine beetles. I have several thousand trees to cut down. At this point I started looking at stihl saws and purchased the 360 pro. That thing is just plain awesome but it better be for 500. 00+. There is no comparsion between the craftsman and the stihl. With that being said for the use you described I would go the craftsman route and save the coin. It will do that job just fine.



By the way, free firewood just for the asking. Although I guess if your close enough to want to come and get it you already have more than you can use.

 

[LandShark]

The Stihl is a good saw, but way overkill for what you need. Pick up a good deal at Wally World or Sears and if you take reasonable care of it, it will last many years.



Also, if there's any way you could use an electric saw, they are cheap and you will get way more power for the money. Electric chainsaws have way more torque that gas consumer chainsaws and the quiet is nice. I have both a Stihl 021 (gas, 16") and a Remington electric 18" and always use the electric when I can reach the work with the power cord.

 

[tractorface]

I use Stihl and Husqvarna. I like the Husqvarna much better but both are great. Husqvarna never needs anything done to it. Stihl always runs but seems to need more TLC. With that said a good deal can be had for under $300. 00. Or shop used for your $200 price limit. Junk will just frustrate you.



I got a Stihl 032AVP for $50. 00 at an auction and $50. 00 in parts later and I have a real nice small saw to go with my bigger Husky. BTW I threw out my old Stihl cause parts were obsolete and it was heavy. That thing was probably built in the 60's. Still ran fine!

 

[Duluth Diesel]

Drive a little sissy truck that just gets by? Buy a cheap chainsaw and look the part.



Drive a CTD? Get a real chainsaw that means business.

Guys with real trucks deserve real tools. Just my opinion.

 

[JoshPeters]

Originally posted by Duluth Diesel

Drive a little sissy truck that just gets by? Buy a cheap chainsaw and look the part.



Drive a CTD? Get a real chainsaw that means business.

Guys with real trucks deserve real tools. Just my opinion.

Overkill is never enough! We've proven that!



Josh

 

[willyslover]

however for 20 or so trees and years of non use... .

just buy a Homelite or Mac and be done with it. . low $$ and electronic ignition means a good little saw at half the price and suits your needs just fine. . [suggest a 16" or 20" one]



However if your going to do some CUTTING. . get a Stihl and love your purchas for a long time !!

 

[tractorface]

?????

Hold on. I was gonna offer to lend you my saw but I see you live in Texas. I did not think you guys even had any real trees in Texas. You don't need a chainsaw for tumbleweed.



But since everything is bigger in Texas maybe you should build a 12V twin turbo chainsaw. Anybody say Monster GarageOo.

 

[Duluth Diesel]

Ok ok, fair enough. If you're gonna knock over a small number of trees and then shelf the saw for an unknown period of time, I guess I could see the arguement of getting a hamstersaw. My only logic is this: Lets say you're going to spend 150 to 200 bucks on a cheapo saw. It works for a few years well enough but after that reliability goes down and repairs and down time go up. The 210C is not Stihl's smallest saw and RETAILS for 250. It can probably be found for 225 or less if you shop around. Also, stepping down to 170 model would put you under 200 bucks and give you a saw that's still reliable and strong running for years after the cheapo saw has been retired to boat anchor status. For a homeowner application, you're really not out a whole lot more $$$ for a Stihl, and the time, hassle, and headaches spared are priceless. There are lots of cheap saws owned and still sold today at Menards, WalMart, etc. They are out there because it has been proven time and time again that there is a vast market in this country for manufacturers to sell cheap, compromised garbage to consumers who are used to replacing these items every couple years. There is a frighteningly large number of people in this country who happily buy cheap tools, use them for a short while, and when the break, they drive right back to WalMart and get another identical one. All with a smile on their face! Why??? Because this country has been marketed to and forced to eat so much cheap plastic advertising that we think this level of quality is normal! Stores that mass-market cheap plastic garbage do it because its cheap for them and keeps you coming back for more. In a ten year span of time, I'd rather buy one chainsaw for 250 bucks than three cheaper saws for 150 or 200 bucks a crack.

Yes, for some people, a cheap saw is all they want or need. Use it for a project, stash it in the shed for years and hope it starts if and when you need it again. For these uses, a Stihl would be quality wasted. I don't know, maybe I'm over the top on this, but I hate to see good people buy cheap junk that is poorly manufactured and marketed to the masses for quick sale and no promises down the road. For 50 to 100 bucks more, you can get a high quality Stihl saw and you now have made a wise investment with your money and every inch of wood you cut you'll enjoy that saw and be happy you did your homework and bought the right one. And going back to the top of this thread, anyone who gets on a tech-savvy site such as TDR and asks about what is the RIGHT equipment to buy is obviously a smart person who knows that they want quality and good advice from good, trusted people. I was very happy to see that most of the above posts agree that Stihl is the preferred brand of saw. Just makes me that much more happy about my purchases.

Buy it once, buy it right, and be happy you made the right decision. I should be a salesman...



Ok, I'm off the soapbox now. Thanks.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Hey guys,



Thanks for the replies and information on chainsaws.



We will probably use the saw 5 or 6 times in the next 10 years. Like I wrote earlier, we don’t have many trees out here on the open prairie, and of the approximately 20 trees, half of them have been planted. We’ve had several severe thunderstorms this summer that have broken out limbs on a couple of old native hackberry trees in the fence rows and damaged the fences. The only time we use the saw is to cut up the limbs to clear the fences. For what we paid the fence repair crew to clear away the limbs and repair the fence; we could have easily bought a professional’s chainsaw!



Bill

 

[apkole]

Diesel Pickup = CTD



Chainsaw = Stihl



Nuf said

 

[RT66DOC]

How about a high quality axe?



Much cheaper, multiple uses over a lifetime and good exercise.



Any body know if Stihl makes axes?

 

[Bill Stockard]

Originally posted by RT66DOC

How about a high quality axe?



Much cheaper, multiple uses over a lifetime and good exercise.



Any body know if Stihl makes axes?

:-laf :-laf :-laf



Too old and lazy!!



Bill