Another chainsaw thread

[terravista]

I have read a couple of previous chainsaw threads and was going to ask my question there but red writing said it was over 120 days old and maybe I should start a new thread.
I have a need for a chainsaw and would be happy for a 16" bar (what male wouldn't)
I need a chainsaw for use between home/hobby /camping use and semi pro. I know Stihl are considered the best but have no desire to spend over $600 and a half decent Stihl is over a grand.
Huskies have a good reputation also, but based on current research are turning to Chinese quality. I can get a Huskie for $399 including a hard case and $100 rebate. Cases are $70 so that makes a 16"Huskie effectively $230. Sounds good but the reviews suck.
Plastic saws are available from Bunnings and the like for $300 but I figure quality shops don't sell them just because they would be a little bit dearer.
The local three mower shops are pushing me towards either  Shindaiwa 352S or 452S(Japanese) or Oleo Mac 935 (Italian)
Both around $500 to $650, and one place is adding an Echo into the equation.
Service for all three would be within 40 minutes from home.
Do any of our knowlegable members have any input on these brands or particular saws?
Cheers
Ian

[jk]

We have an Echo chainsaw, hedge trimmer and wippersnipper, their brilliant. The chainsaw is now about 12 to 15 years old and has never skipped a beat  . Bang for buck we're very happy and it's got plenty of power ! Last Saturday we bought a Shindaiwa blower.........the guy in the mower shop told me they have the same parent company as Echo, and the two factories are accross the road from each other in Japan. It came with a 5 year warranty which I thought was bloody good    !
Good luck with your research and purchase !

Cheers
John K

[Streetkid]

There are some good deals on the smaller stihls sat the moment, $349 for a ms180 16 inch bar, not really a ball tearer but will do a Shit load of work for that sort of money. Ms 170 for $249, it's a baby saw but you won't find a bad word said about them for that sort of money. Check out The Mower Place web site.

[terravista]

There are some good deals on the smaller stihls sat the moment, $349 for a ms180 16 inch bar, not really a ball tearer but will do a Shit load of work for that sort of money. Ms 170 for $249, it's a baby saw but you won't find a bad word said about them for that sort of money. Check out The Mower Place web site.

Thanks.
I checked out some reviews for the cheaper Stihls and they don't come up all that favorable  (much like the cheaper Husqvarna's). Review ratings between 2 to 2.9 stars out of five.
Oil leaking out when in storage, easy flooding on starts, and hard to start other times.
It may be Stihl and Husqvarna's way of keeping market share but sound like the quality in the cheaper range is suspect.
Older ones and much dearer ones sound unbreakable, but sub $1000 range and there appears to be troubles.
Cheers

[Streetkid]

Yeah, for that sort of money the saws are built to a price but they still represent good value, with average use you will get years and years out of one and you needn't worry about having too much cash tied up in one.

[Hoyks]

Shindawa and echo are good and have been around for years. My dad had a shindawa brush cutter, bought it over 20 years ago and flogged it around the farm, now it is doing service at my sisters farm, in that time it has had a carb rebuild and a few new blades.

Don't be tempted to get a realy cheap one from bunnings, I had a cheap plastic one* and it did the job, but if you are using it a lot then you will appreciate the extra money that goes into vibration dampening. The cheap saw gave me sore hands and numb fingers, so I couldn't use it for more than 1/2 an hour.

*I bought it broken for $50, spent $6 on parts and got it going. I got 5 years out of it and then sold it for $100

[HKB Electronics]

I purchased an elchepo McCulloch, had some good reviews and some bad, bad were seizing after running for awhile
and hard to start.

The saw is made by Husqvarna, hard to start, nope starts fine if you follow the instructions, like my other McCulloch gear,
choke and turn over, when it coughs set the choke to half and away it goes, if you leave the choke on full you'll never
 get it started. Seizing, I actually think a lot of inexperienced persons are not using the correct fuel oil mix causing that
issue, I find its a great little saw for the price.

As for oil leaking, all chainsaws leak oil, if you look after your saw you'll clean it after you use it and drain the oil anyway
so a major leak shouldn't be a problem, if you just chuck it in the car or bag after using then you'll just end up with blocked
oil passages and oil everywhere.

[Footy Shorts Shane]

Seizing, I actually think a lot of inexperienced persons are not using the correct fuel oil mix causing that issue, I find its a great little saw for the price.

As for oil leaking, all chainsaws leak oil, if you look after your ............

I think you've hit the nail on the head here for a LOT of bad reviews.

When a large % of those who now purchase these types of product have the mechanical aptitude of a jelly fish and the expectations of the product being a joyful experience to use, well you're going to have bad reviews. 'It's very noisy, smelly, hard to start, gets hot and smoke comes from the bar after only cutting small tree roots in the soil. It was only very soft soil too.'

These same people would leave a bad review of a crowbar, because 'it is too heavy and gave me blisters.'

[Shippo]

A few years back I bought a makita 16inch chainsaw. It cost me about $400 from memory and came with a bonus Pressure Washer, which worked twice then died! The only time the saw has let me down is when one of the fuel hoses off the back of the priming bulb came loose and it wouldnt pump fuel through. easy fix though. I give this thing absolute curry, out on mates farms chopping branches I probably shouldnt be, and cutting cross grain on big stumps so I can get them down to size to fit in my fireplace(yes I know it blunts the saw).
According to salesman at Total Tools it was a well known German saw Branded by Makita, and for $400 im more than happy

[terravista]

I think you've hit the nail on the head here for a LOT of bad reviews.

When a large % of those who now purchase these types of product have the mechanical aptitude of a jelly fish and the expectations of the product being a joyful experience to use, well you're going to have bad reviews. 'It's very noisy, smelly, hard to start, gets hot and smoke comes from the bar after only cutting small tree roots in the soil. It was only very soft soil too.'

These same people would leave a bad review of a crowbar, because 'it is too heavy and gave me blisters.'

I agree on the quality of reviews when they are from Amazon, Whirlpool and the like but some of the worst reports were from aborist and landscaping sites etc.
Many of these may well be morons, but when a post is generally written intelligently, and they say all the oil leaks out of the chain reservoir after the saw has been stopped, cleaned and the reservoir caps loosened to reduce pressure then done up tight again, or the saw just won't start when warm, I start to take notice.
Some of the complaints on the less reputable sites can be good for a laugh though.
Cheers

[core420]

Several years  when we tree changed, I bought a 15" Makita DCS4610. I use the saw on our property to cut fallen trees for firewood. Mainly peppermint gums and stringy bark. The Makita was easy to operate, but was gutless and could handle no more than 300 mm diameter trees. After one season the plastic chain tensioner broke and I retired the saw. I replaced it with an 18" Stihl MS291 and never looked back. From memory, the Stihl was more than twice the price of the Makita, but it is well worth it. It is now in its 5th season and still going strong. Never missed a beat, easy to start, even in very cold winters. It has tremendous power. The largest trunk I cut was well over 1m in diameter (had to cut from opposite ends). Each season it cuts around 15 cubic meters of fire wood. It gets serviced once a year by the local dealer. If you are looking for power and reliability, get a Stihl.

[terravista]

Thanks core420.
That model Stihl is now advertised around $1200 and that seems to put it in the Stihl price range where you still (not a pun) get the quality expected from the brand.
Unfortunately that is $600 more than I feel comfortable paying for something that will likely not get the use to justify the expense.
On the other hand, the Oleo Mac is Ferrari red in colour, and that can't be a bad thing.
Cheers

[Mrs smith]

I used to have a very old Tanaka, was a ripper saw.
Might be worth looking at.

http://www.parklands.net/products/chainsaws/TCS-40EA-18

[Ben.Archer]

Thanks.
I checked out some reviews for the cheaper Stihls and they don't come up all that favorable  (much like the cheaper Husqvarna's). Review ratings between 2 to 2.9 stars out of five.
Oil leaking out when in storage, easy flooding on starts, and hard to start other times.
It may be Stihl and Husqvarna's way of keeping market share but sound like the quality in the cheaper range is suspect.
Older ones and much dearer ones sound unbreakable, but sub $1000 range and there appears to be troubles.
Cheers

Ive got a couple of Stihls a 340 and a smaller 171 and personally I use the 171 far far more, yes it is a smaller saw, yes it has less power and yes it is a lot lower cost, but it certainly isn't a "Cheap" saw.

I really love it and have no complaints about oil leaking from it (that would be my big one) or any build quality, you can tell it's DNA is Stihl through and through.

[D4D]

All saws leak oil, put an old towel in the bottom of the case and forget about it.

Buy a saw around $500-600, this seems to be the sweet spot between price and quality. You'll end up owning it for 20 years if you look after it.

I have an Echo saw that I haven't been able to kill in over 10 years. Mate has a Husky and Stihl, they go ok too.

I can start my Echo first time every time, even on stale fuel. I can't start my mates Husky or Stihl, but he can start them first time every time. It's what you get used to.

Invest in a good hand sharpener and learn how to sharpen your chain, this is the most important thing to do, besides making sure you have bar oil. Sharp chains cut wood, blunt chains break saws.

[jwb]

My 031? Stihl ( bought new around 2001) must be a faulty unit as it has never ever leaked oil.
It saw often use when we were on 2 acres for 4 years, only 2 visits to the shop in it's life, starts 2nd pull very regularly
Love it!

Cheers

[fuji]

Try treestuff.com, they do send saws to Oz even though the ads say they don't.
Jack

[SambOz]

You have researched very well terravista and sorted the wheat from the chaff.

Unfortunately chainsaws are like everything we buy, you get what you pay for.

A STIHL middle range saw round 55cc - 65cc will most likely last you a lifetime
and give minimal problems with some luck.

They are roughly sorted into Home Owner, Farmer and then Pro level. I wouldn't
touch a Home Owner saw, just haven't got the quality of manufacture.

If you had a good local STIHL dealer perhaps he would have the odd S/H saw he
would check over and warranty that suited your specs.

Maybe read up on ARBORISTESITE - some good info there, the chainsaw forum
discusses your exact question many times. ( http://www.arboristsite.com/community/forums/chainsaw.9/ )

Something like a lightly used MS271 / MS291 would do the job for you, don't be afraid
to go a bit bigger.

Work or domestic use, I always wear P.P.E.

Edit - Only STIHL owned this neck of the woods. 

[jk]

All saws leak oil, put an old towel in the bottom of the case and forget about it.

Invest in a good hand sharpener and learn how to sharpen your chain, this is the most important thing to do, besides making sure you have bar oil. Sharp chains cut wood, blunt chains break    kill saws.

Coudn't agree more 

[Streetkid]

Thanks core420.
That model Stihl is now advertised around $1200 and that seems to put it in the Stihl price range where you still (not a pun) get the quality expected from the brand.
Unfortunately that is $600 more than I feel comfortable paying for something that will likely not get the use to justify the expense.
On the other hand, the Oleo Mac is Ferrari red in colour, and that can't be a bad thing.
Cheers

Just as a price guide, less than a year ago I paid $900 for an ms311 brand new with 4 years warrantee. This saw from memory was rrp $1349 from the mower place. I had to be patient for the right deal to pop up but this will give an idea of how little you can pay if you hunt around. When stihl do cash back deals this is on top of whatever deal the dealer is willing to do.

[markymark]

I've only used Stihls so can't comment on others but don't be put off by their smaller ones. I use the little MS170 as a partner to my 381 Magnum and it's a great little thing - I use it whenever I can and try to save the Magnum for the big stuff.
Check out the latest deals as they have the MS181 for $479 (bit more grunt but still a 16in. bar) and you get a free hand sharpener and carry case. Comfortably under your $600 so change for an excellent Fiskar splitter!
Cheers,
Mark.

[jk]

Forget the Fiskers, you want one of these              http://www.neemantools.com/en/products/axes/finnish-splitting-maul       I've been looking at some of the overseas tools lately, cool stuff but bring your money 

Whatever you end up buying, make sure it's going to suite your needs. If it's only going to get lite use then don't over capitalise on your investment. I only use our Echo for camping and firewood collection for home, so it's lasted well. But if used in a professional workplace then it would most likely be found wanting as it's not designed for that type of use.

Cheers
John K

[markymark]

Forget the Fiskers, you want one of these              http://www.neemantools.com/en/products/axes/finnish-splitting-maul       I've been looking at some of the overseas tool lately, cool stuff but bring your money 

Wow, talk about quality, they look brilliant. Problem is there's too many I like - if I bought one of their splitters, plus an axe and a wildlife knife, I'd be carrying tools that are worth more than my old ute!

[terravista]

Thanks for the input people, much appreciated.
For the sake of a few hundred dollars I didn't feel like losing any warranty on a used machine no matter what brand, and I can't get my head around spending $1500+ for a top brand. It is a small petrol engine stuck on a flat blade and chain.
In my mind 10 chainsaws does not equal a brand new Hyundai car.
I took  a leap of faith and paid $540 for a Oleo Mac 16" 41cc engine, a hard case, 500ml of Oleo Mac oil (which then qualifies for a 5 year warranty) and a sharpening kit.
The most important part is the Ferrari colour.
Yep it is Italian, just like Ducati's, Alfa Romeo's and the like which hold world records for the shortest distance between tune ups, but time will tell.
Cheers
Ian

[2010banditsa]

http://www.stihlusa.com/products/hand-tools/axes/prosplitaxe/?rev=BVSpotlights

Stihl shop near me has these splitters... about $100 but built in handle protector which i really liked (and need)