How to pick a chainsaw

[adamsredlines]

A few simple steps


1) Move to Nebraska next to an abandoned lot with lots of dangerous looking trees along the property line/near one of your buildings

2) Decide to take care of the mess and start with the small stuff

3) Do as much as you can with your DeWalt sawsall


4) Get tired of charging batteries, decide you wanna also cut some real trees too

5) Start researching saws, realize there's way more options than you ever realized, get overwhelmed

6) Solicit advice from your old man on what to look for and what to avoid

7) Enjoy your "new to you" Stihl 031 that your old man wasn't using any more and decide that's the perfect saw for you

It's not pretty or new but it got about a dozen trees yesterday, a few of which were the biggest ones I will need to deal with so it's all gravy from here in out

 

[adamsredlines]

 

[Timmy59]

Make sure it says Stihl on it. Lesson complete.

 

[emapples]

A few simple steps


1) Move to Nebraska next to an abandoned lot with lots of dangerous looking trees along the property line/near one of your buildings

2) Decide to take care of the mess and start with the small stuff

3) Do as much as you can with your DeWalt sawsall


4) Get tired of charging batteries, decide you wanna also cut some real trees too

5) Start researching saws, realize there's way more options than you ever realized, get overwhelmed

6) Solicit advice from your old man on what to look for and what to avoid

7) Enjoy your "new to you" Stihl 031 that your old man wasn't using any more and decide that's the perfect saw for you

It's not pretty or new but it got about a dozen trees yesterday, a few of which were the biggest ones I will need to deal with so it's all gravy from here in out

View attachment 265147

Well I know a little something about saws ,there is a reason people don’t keep using the old Stihls

 

[emapples]

I used to rebuild old Stih saws , Stihl 041‘s and 028’s nobody wants to spend the money on the good stuff anymore I still have 1 041 and 3 028’s out there, but I use the new 362 c-m now and one echo 355-T, I haven’t run the 028 or 028 super in a few years. I should probably sell them all and commit fully to the new saws but I haven’t done it yet… i almost have enough parts to build a brand new 041 all from new old stock parts.

 

[Chaparral]

I have a nice, new Stihl. Easy start, ergonomic. Powerful enough for jobs around the farm. I have taken over a newer one made in Japan from FIL, easy start ergonomic . I have a 20 year old poulen pro big HP easy start and also dampening.

yeah, I always seem to end up with the heavy metal Echo from the 70s I bought for a buck, literally $1.00, at an auction around 2012. Cleaned up carburetor, solid fuel tank, greased and new blades, old bar. When everything else gives me heartache this old beast just starts easier and runs! It is heavy and will beat you silly but man is it a beast! I maybe have less than $50.00 in it, bought a used carryin case, cost more than the saw, with new chains. does not leak, hard to kill. Wonder if thext person after I get too old will get their $1.00 worth from it as well?

 

[rickm]

I have been using Stihl saws for over 50 years even thou i have used other brands at work i prefer the stihl over all of them but everyone has their own preference and i dont try to talk them out of it just like the ford, chevy, dodge debate.

 

[emapples]

I have a nice, new Stihl. Easy start, ergonomic. Powerful enough for jobs around the farm. I have taken over a newer one made in Japan from FIL, easy start ergonomic . I have a 20 year old poulen pro big HP easy start and also dampening.

yeah, I always seem to end up with the heavy metal Echo from the 70s I bought for a buck, literally $1.00, at an auction around 2012. Cleaned up carburetor, solid fuel tank, greased and new blades, old bar. When everything else gives me heartache this old beast just starts easier and runs! It is heavy and will beat you silly but man is it a beast! I maybe have less than $50.00 in it, bought a used carryin case, cost more than the saw, with new chains. does not leak, hard to kill. Wonder if thext person after I get too old will get their $1.00 worth from it as well?

Yeah thats the issue with the old saws, you measured there useful life in decades not years. But damn if they weren’t heavy. My new breed 362 is lighter than my 028’s but certainly not simple to work on like they are.

 

[emapples]

I have a nice, new Stihl. Easy start, ergonomic. Powerful enough for jobs around the farm. I have taken over a newer one made in Japan from FIL, easy start ergonomic . I have a 20 year old poulen pro big HP easy start and also dampening.

yeah, I always seem to end up with the heavy metal Echo from the 70s I bought for a buck, literally $1.00, at an auction around 2012. Cleaned up carburetor, solid fuel tank, greased and new blades, old bar. When everything else gives me heartache this old beast just starts easier and runs! It is heavy and will beat you silly but man is it a beast! I maybe have less than $50.00 in it, bought a used carryin case, cost more than the saw, with new chains. does not leak, hard to kill. Wonder if thext person after I get too old will get their $1.00 worth from it as well?

You should check out the new Echo topping saws, the 2511-T is so light I can still use it one handed over head but it holds a thimble full of fuel so its usefulness to me was limited. I opted for the 355t which reminds me of the old Stihl 200T (NO not the 201t) the stihl 200t might have been the best saw Stihl ever made.

 

[Chaparral]

Besides weight there is the issue of no safety break. It is what scares me the most with that saw! But man is it a cutting beast! I wore out some poulens when that was all I could afford and only had to chop down one or two.