just bought a new chainsaw

[MasterMech]

I personally own 2 stihls and love them both but always wondered how the other saws compared in durability, price, and customer service. Stihl seems to be at almost all the privately owned shops in the area except for one shop that sells Huskys. I tried a used echo cs-300 for limbing and was disappointed at how it ran and didn't like the style of the limbing saw and took it back to the shop the day after I purchased it and exchanged it for a new ms-180-c and couldn't be happier w/ the shops customer service and knowledge of the products they have on the shelf! I almost purchased the easy start version but the dealer told me i didn't need it and it wasn't worth the extra $$ unless i was having trouble starting standard style saws/pull-cords. If I would have talked to the dealer the first time I went into the shop i would have realized i didn't need a saw w/ controls on the top of the handle, but i was sure that was what i needed....oops. Hindsight is always 20-20!

Stihl has made a commitment to NEVER place their product in a box store. That means something to every independent dealer out there. It sucks to watch a box store sell the same product you do, list it for the same "list price" since they are contractually obligated to do so, and then at the bottom of the ad offer "10% off with 0% financing for 36 months!" or similar. Then the manufacturer that sells that product to you and the box store shrugs and says there's nothing they can do to help you compete with that price. The average American consumer still doesn't care enough about service to think twice about where they purchase and continues to obsess over how much they paid. Then they get angry when the service they need after the sale is "sub-par" or it's a "hassle" to have to take the item to a service facility for warranty work.

In my perfect world, buying anything you might need service/parts for from a box-store should be a one-time experience. You purchase, realize you need service, locate a dealer for said service, and realize that this is where you should have gone in the first place.

 

[BrotherBart]

I just don't see the difference in buying a saw at a big box vs. buying one of those Sthil saws adorning the walls of every ACE Hardware store in my area. There isn't a soul in the ACE store that has a clue about the saws, much less anybody there to do service on them. But yet they are listed as "Full line sales and service dealers".

And ACE Reward Points and the $50 off for applying for an ACE Visa card can be used to buy the saws.

May not be sold at "big box" stores but they are sold at "bigger than your average box" stores.

 

[MasterMech]

I just don't see the difference in buying a saw at a big box vs. buying one of those Sthil saws adorning the walls of every ACE Hardware store in my area. There isn't a soul in the ACE store that has a clue about the saws, much less anybody there to do service on them. But yet they are listed as "Full line sales and service dealers".

And ACE Reward Points and the $50 off for applying for an ACE Visa card can be used to buy the saws.

May not be sold at "big box" stores but they are sold at "bigger than your average box" stores.

If you find that to be the truth, then I'm sure Stihl would be very interested to know about it. It's a requirement that somebody be within the dealers employ that services the product they sell. Finding that person may be the trick tho ;-)
ALL Stihl dealers must have a service dept of some kind, even the hardware stores.

One big difference in buying a Stihl is that all Stihl products are supposed to be ran/tuned before handing them off to the customer. BB, you yourself admit that your Chusky saw didn't come out of the box ready to go. To someone such as yourself, who has the necessary skills and tools to make the adjustments, it's no big deal but to the average person, having to re-tune a brand new product is unacceptable.

On that note I'd be interested to hear just how many people received their Stihl un-prepped or worse, in the original box.

As for the the less than knowledgable associates, well, they're only hurting their own business. I think that Stihl could be a little bit pickier whom they give dealerships to but selling through the local ACE hardware store is far less of a sin than a Home Depot/Lowes IMO.

Vote with your wallet as to where you should be buying equipment and may the best business model win.

 

[Todd67]

I'm shopping around for a new 18" or 20" chainsaw for harvesting firewood on my 15 acres. I have no preference for any particular brand, but I expect to get the most quality and reliability for my money. I have a 14" husky (don't even remember what model it is) that might be 7 or 8 years old that I've used for light duty cutting, but it leaks oil all over the garage floor in between uses, and the chain comes loose quite often. Is this a problem with most other chainsaws? Like some of you have mentioned on here already, it's hard to judge a saw by reading all of these reviews. I've been reading reviews for 2 months now and I don't feel any closer to making a decision on a particular saw. I've been considering something along the lines of the husky 455 20" saw or the poulan pro 20" saw. I need a saw that can tackle my big old maple and ash trees without breaking. A stihl might be out of my budget, but I haven't ruled them out yet.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[amateur cutter]

Stihl ms 290 & the husky 455 rancher are comparable saws in price & durability. Both are very good homeowner grade saws with a long track record of reliability. Both are heavy for the power they make, but will cut circles around the Poulan. Either are repairable with good parts availability etc. If this is the type of saw you're looking for, I would suggest choosing the brand that has the best dealer support in your area. If you want to step up to a pro grade saw, post back & get ready to do some reading of opinions from the guys that use them regularly. A C

 

[onetracker]

i love my little 180. sometimes i'll carve a turkey with it. starts like every stihl saw i've ever used. 3-4 pulls on full choke and 1-2 pulls on 1/2 choke. every time like clockwork. the ezstart is a little wierd but now i'm used to it. huskys with a priming bulb burp a little sooner. old poulan starts like the husky. i let the poulan sit for two years in my nephew's storage locker with gas in it (don't ask...long story) and it started on the 2nd pull. good luck with your saw. all that matters is that it cuts wood safely and reliably and that you are warm.

 

[Thistle]

i love my little 180. sometimes i'll carve a turkey with it. starts like every stihl saw i've ever used. 3-4 pulls on full choke and 1-2 pulls on 1/2 choke. every time like clockwork. the ezstart is a little wierd but now i'm used to it. huskys with a priming bulb burp a little sooner. old poulan starts like the husky. i let the poulan sit for two years in my nephew's storage locker with gas in it (don't ask...long story) and it started on the 2nd pull. good luck with your saw. all that matters is that it cuts wood safely and reliably and that you are warm.

Poulan's made before the mid 1990's are built much better than the consumer crapola sold today at Home Depot,WalMart,Lowes etc.They dont make any bigger than 50cc now.The older ones all had chrome plated bores for longer life & some mid sized ones had twin thin piston rings for more RPM's.

 

[Todd67]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I have plenty to sort through in the next couple of weeks. The only professional grade saw I was considering was the 70.7cc Husky 365 with a 20" bar (around $620), which is about 15cc bigger than the MS 290 and the Husky 455. Just thinking the extra power would get me through some of those very large, stubborn maples. But again, the jury is still out. There are several Stihl dealers in the area, but not sure how many service centers there are for Husky. So it might end up being the MS 290 for the customer service aspect.

 

[MasterMech]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I have plenty to sort through in the next couple of weeks. The only professional grade saw I was considering was the 70.7cc Husky 365 with a 20" bar (around $620), which is about 15cc bigger than the MS 290 and the Husky 455. Just thinking the extra power would get me through some of those very large, stubborn maples. But again, the jury is still out. There are several Stihl dealers in the area, but not sure how many service centers there are for Husky. So it might end up being the MS 290 for the customer service aspect.

Whoa, Whoa, WHOA! $600 beans will buy a lot more saw than a MS 290......... Step right over here and let me show you this MS392, and if that doesn't tickle your fancy then there is always the MS362, nobody ever regrets going for a pro grade saw......


Check this link out too.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-441.88854/

 

[Todd67]

Whoa, Whoa, WHOA! $600 beans will buy a lot more saw than a MS 290......... Step right over here and let me show you this MS392, and if that doesn't tickle your fancy then there is always the MS362, nobody ever regrets going for a pro grade saw......


Check this link out too.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-441.88854/

Thanks for the recommendation... and the link. Great thread! Many years ago I played guitar, but never outside of my own house, and never in front of a crowd. But that never stopped me from wanting a top quality guitar because of it's playability, sound and feel. My son now has that guitar

 

[amateur cutter]

Whoa, Whoa, WHOA! $600 beans will buy a lot more saw than a MS 290......... Step right over here and let me show you this MS392, and if that doesn't tickle your fancy then there is always the MS362, nobody ever regrets going for a pro grade saw......


Check this link out too.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-441.88854/

+ 1 to that. If you spend $ 600.00 now you will not regret it later. Husky or Stihl. Hey MM that would just about buy a 441 wouldn't it?

 

[MasterMech]

Thanks for the recommendation... and the link. Great thread! Many years ago I played guitar, but never outside of my own house, and never in front of a crowd. But that never stopped me from wanting a top quality guitar because of it's playability, sound and feel. My son now has that guitar

Now you're gettin' the idea....

While $600 will put a good dent in it, it won't quite get a 441 in your truck. $949 (list) for the non M-tronic version wearing a 20" Bar.

Now that MS392, ... er ... 391 rather , comes in at $560 and the MS362 at $700.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I'm shopping around for a new 18" or 20" chainsaw for harvesting firewood on my 15 acres. I have no preference for any particular brand, but I expect to get the most quality and reliability for my money. I have a 14" husky (don't even remember what model it is) that might be 7 or 8 years old that I've used for light duty cutting, but it leaks oil all over the garage floor in between uses, and the chain comes loose quite often. Is this a problem with most other chainsaws? Like some of you have mentioned on here already, it's hard to judge a saw by reading all of these reviews. I've been reading reviews for 2 months now and I don't feel any closer to making a decision on a particular saw. I've been considering something along the lines of the husky 455 20" saw or the poulan pro 20" saw. I need a saw that can tackle my big old maple and ash trees without breaking. A stihl might be out of my budget, but I haven't ruled them out yet.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

I was recently looking at the Rancher 455. Lots of complaints about chains coming off and hard starting (cold or hot). I ended up with the Redmax G5300, but a Husky 353 would be comparable. Spend the extra money, avoid a consumer grade saw.

 

[MasterMech]

I was recently looking at the Rancher 455. Lots of complaints about chains coming off and hard starting (cold or hot). I ended up with the Redmax G5300, but a Husky 353 would be comparable. Spend the extra money, avoid a consumer grade saw.

Most of the time you will find a glut of those type of complaints about a saw that is heavily marketed to consumers/homeowners. Often it comes more from the ignorance of proper care and feeding of the machine rather than any fault of the machine itself. 455 is a solid unit, I wouldn't rank it with the (modern) Poulans or Homelites on the HD/Lowes shelf. That said, the previous advice regarding pro grade saws still stands!

 

[Todd67]

Mr W, I read some similar reviews on the Husky saw.

I tend to agree with MM that many times it is operator "Headspace and Timing" that causes a lot of problems. I'm a research-aholic when it comes to buying a new product like a new saw or anything else that I want to get many years of reliable use out of. Just when I think I know a little about a particular saw I go back and research all of my options again and again. I like the IntelliCarb and Ematic lube system on the Stihl saws, but I am more familiar with the Husky saws. With my budget as it is, it looks like a toss-up between the Husky 455 and the Stihl MS290. I think I could do the ol' "Inny-Minny-Miney-Mo" thing and be happy with either saw.

My Husky 338XPT was given to me without an owner's manual about 7 years ago, and lucky for me and the saw, I only used it for limbing and small storm cleanup chores around the house that I couldn't cut with my trusty bow saw. After finally getting around to locating and printing the owner's manual off the Husky web site did I realize that I was the cause of ALL the minor problems I had with that saw. I had enough knowledge to do basic maintenance but I already have a list of things I'm going to buy for that saw to get it back in tip top shape before I start it up again.

I appreciate all of the tips and insight and will update my signature block with whatever saw I decide on in the next couple of weeks.

 

[smokinj]

If you find that to be the truth, then I'm sure Stihl would be very interested to know about it. It's a requirement that somebody be within the dealers employ that services the product they sell. Finding that person may be the trick tho ;-)
ALL Stihl dealers must have a service dept of some kind, even the hardware stores.

One big difference in buying a Stihl is that all Stihl products are supposed to be ran/tuned before handing them off to the customer. BB, you yourself admit that your Chusky saw didn't come out of the box ready to go. To someone such as yourself, who has the necessary skills and tools to make the adjustments, it's no big deal but to the average person, having to re-tune a brand new product is unacceptable.

On that note I'd be interested to hear just how many people received their Stihl un-prepped or worse, in the original box.

As for the the less than knowledgable associates, well, they're only hurting their own business. I think that Stihl could be a little bit pickier whom they give dealerships to but selling through the local ACE hardware store is far less of a sin than a Home Depot/Lowes IMO.

Vote with your wallet as to where you should be buying equipment and may the best business model win.

For myself its the only way I will buy it. 2 saws have been screwed up just because the 3/8 set-up I wanted was done wrong! So, I do buy mine in a sealed box, and they understand. Last one they smoked the clutch on an 880 first one was a 260.

 

[amateur cutter]

For myself its the only way I will buy it. 2 saws have been screwed up just because the 3/8 set-up I wanted was done wrong! So, I do buy mine in a sealed box, and they understand. Last one they smoked the clutch on an 880 first one was a 260.

How do you screw up a 3/8 setup? Just curious Jay. A C

 

[smokinj]

How do you screw up a 3/8 setup? Just curious Jay. A C

Have no idea but the same dealer done it 2 times. Seems a 3/8 bar with the wrong sprocket 880 was 404. I have a thread on it when it happened. The clutch was as blue as dipping it in blue die. The 260 war a 325 sprocket with a 3/8 bar and chain. That one didnt blow the clutch but smoked the bottom of the drive links. Either time was I wanting the crap to happen but it took time to explain what they did wrong. Kinda like now. I run these things more than the dealerships has a clue at times. Just want what I want. If its not perfect for what then I I sell it. Dealerships are only as good as the techs, and I would rather buy with it in the sealed box. 880 took 3 weeks to get fix I used it for no more than 60 seconds. 260 was quicker but was a major argument on what they done wrong.

 

[MasterMech]

Have no idea but the same dealer done it 2 times. Seems a 3/8 bar with the wrong sprocket 880 was 404. I have a thread on it when it happened. The clutch was as blue as dipping it in blue die. The 260 war a 325 sprocket with a 3/8 bar and chain. That one didnt blow the clutch but smoked the bottom of the drive links. Either time was I wanting the crap to happen but it took time to explain what they did wrong. Kinda like now. I run these things more than the dealerships has a clue at times. Just want what I want. If its not perfect for what then I I sell it. Dealerships are only as good as the techs, and I would rather buy with it in the sealed box. 880 took 3 weeks to get fix I used it for no more than 60 seconds. 260 was quicker but was a major argument on what they done wrong.

Any dealership with techs that don't know .325 from 3/8" from .404" ought not be messin' with chainsaws. Somebody should sit down with an owner and explain what happens when someone cuts off a body part with a saw that you sold them, improperly prepped.

 

[smokinj]

Any dealership with techs that don't know .325 from 3/8" from .404" ought not be messin' with chainsaws. Somebody should sit down with an owner and explain what happens when someone cuts off a body part with a saw that you sold them, improperly prepped.

Dont think I didnt.....After the 260 mistake we had another good talk and assured me the 880 would be right. Pretty big dealership to with the whole JD line-up. I set in the owner office with the sales-manger and then the tec. Next Monday they got it back with a smoke clutch!

 

[MasterMech]

Dont think I didnt.....After the 260 mistake we had another good talk and assured me the 880 would be right. Pretty big dealership to with the whole JD line-up. I set in the owner office with the sales-manger and then the tec. Next Monday they got it back with a smoke clutch!

Wow... just wow. That'd be the end of the road for that tech if he worked for me...

 

[Todd67]

I settled on the Husqvarna 562XP AutoTune with a 20" bar. I was wanting the 24" but it won't be available until the end of September. I found a good dealer and service center just 3 miles from my house. It should come in sometime next week, and I can't wait to fire it up and cut some firewood. Thanks again to all who shared your opinions and experience.

 

[rkshed]

looking to buy a cheap chainsaw,came across a YARD DOG at grossmans,for $150 decided to take a chance,after 40 min with my arms hanging out of my sockets it started!.ate everything i could feed it,22 inch tree trunks no problem,this is not a HV or a STL but neither is the price,great bang for the buck for the average homeowner

Grossman's is still around?
Where?

 

[onetracker]

good luck with the new saw.

never ran one but i hear its a hum-dinger of a saw. every time i hear from people that run them it makes me want to get one just for the fun of it. economics and healthy marriage aside.

 

[mywaynow]

The starting process for my 359 is critical in order to have successful firings. Decomp button in. Full choke and 2nd or 3rd pull gets a burp. Go to half choke and 1rst or 2nd she's fired. You may already use this on your 338, but if not, you should be aware of that step by step.