Best Chain saw brand

Cadman-iac

Tractorologist
Senior Member
Member
I need to get a good chainsaw to replace the Poulan PRO I have now. What would be a decent brand to get that's also not going to break the bank?
Has anyone had any experience with the Stihl brand?
My Poulan was actually a very good one, except that it wears out the chain brake strap, or band, that goes around the clutch hub. The second one has just worn through.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Rick
 
I bought NEW 009 Stihl 25 years ago,,no issues ever. Also have a 026 thats older yet and no issues. They are also quite simple and few tools required, and no specialized tools.
They all great...when they run. Check starting instructions on whichever make you choose,,,some are 5 steps or it never start...

Two things I have bought NEW in my life...the Stihl 009 and my Honda 50 outboard :thumbs:
 
I like Stihl but not the price, so I bought a Husqvarna. I don't know about longevity, but it is the easiest starting 2 cycle I ever had.
 
I have a small stihl that replaced the McCulloch that my dad gave me years back. He bought new in the 80s. It was worn out (still have i always intended to fix it)

Not sure what model I bought. MS180 or MS181? I think it was 2 models above the cheapest. Short bar and light.

I just use it to trim limbs and ive cut down 2 small pine trees with it. It always starts and always does what its supposed to. I paid 149 for it 4 years ago on a spring sale. I bought the saw and a week eater that day.

I've used it maybe 6 times...I am not a tree cutter.
 
I have had plenty of poulan/Craftsman types, seem to run great the 1st time out of the box, then won't ever run again. I have good luck with echo or stihl.
I haven't ever used one yet but I hear good things about jonsered and OLDER Husqvarna
That said, I just got a new stihl ms 250 a couple of months ago. Right after the storm on Aug 10. I had an echo for years and hadn't used it in a couple years so I sent it down the road. My new stihl was a return after being used maybe once by the original buyer. Got a great deal on that one, when I got it farm and fleet was down to about 4 saws in the house total, chain saw aisle was almost bare. One of those 4 was the one that I bought. They had 1 other "returned" saw (a husqvarna if I remember right) and 2 new stihls in that aisle. All the echos the Remington and the husqvarna were all sold out that day
 
Last edited:
I love the older Husqvarnas, I had a 1982 50 Rancher that ran until last year, and only quit because the horse stepped on it and broke the cranckcase. I hear that the newer ones are not as solid, especially in the smaller, more "homeowner" sizes. I have also run plenty of Stihls, they can be expensive, but I've never had one I didn't like, from an 026 up to an MS660.
 
Nothing but Stihl for me. My Dad bought one a big Farmboss when I was a kid. It runs great today. To give you an idea of the age, it was built in West Germany.

I’ve have three Stihls. An arborist saw I bought thirty years ago that was ten years old when I bought it. Still runs but can’t get oil pump parts for it. Bought a new MS about ten years ago. Runs like a top. Bought a two year old used one recently for $50. The guy “serviced” it and then couldn’t get it to run past idle. I took it home and out the air cleaner cover on correctly so you could turn the choke off and it runs great.

I’ve heard bad things about the late model Husqvarna’s.

if you buy a good new saw and take care of it, it will last you a lifetime.

I have a twenty year old Stihl weed eater that runs great. My leaf blower is a Stihl, too.

So you drop $250 on a saw. Get 20 years out of it and that’s$12 a year. You‘ll go through three cheap saws in that time.
 
I still only have 2 saws my Stihl ms 180c that i love light weight easy to start an my old Poulan wild thing that has never let me down . That being said i dont cut fire like i used to now im mainly cutting shrubs an small trees down so the Stihl is perfect for that.
 
Yeah, my Poulan has been a good saw, sometimes it is a little hard to start, but fresh fuel usually always gets it going. Other than the chain brake band wearing through, it's been great. Of course I have worn out some chains, and a bar or two, but that's the cost of having one as I see it.
The cost of parts is not too bad either, but this last chain brake didn't last very long at all, and I really don't want to have to keep replacing it.
Then to top it off,I noticed that the flywheel had "made in China" cast into it, which really pissed me off.
So I'm looking for a good saw that's not made in china. I don't care how cheap it is, I don't want it if it's Chinese. I can't believe that I let this one get by me.
Does anyone know where the Stihl saws are made?
 
This was taken from the Web. They do have a factory in China also. I haven't confirmed this but many of their recargable tools may be made in China.

Is Stihl made in the USA?
Our state-of-the-art facility in Virginia Beach manufactures millions of finished products every year and exports them to more than 90 countries around the world. A majority of STIHL gasoline-powered units sold in the United States are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components.
 
This was taken from the Web. They do have a factory in China also. I haven't confirmed this but many of their recargable tools may be made in China.

Is Stihl made in the USA?
Our state-of-the-art facility in Virginia Beach manufactures millions of finished products every year and exports them to more than 90 countries around the world. A majority of STIHL gasoline-powered units sold in the United States are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components.

"Domestic and foreign parts" sounds like a Chevy truck. Assembled in the USA.

They have a factory in Germany and China that manufacturers a lot of parts.

Its a crap shoot.
 
I have 2 Stihl saws and one older sears. Sears was a return the some idiot tried to tighten the chains without loosening the bar. Made a new piece and it works good but a bit heavy. Stihl line trimmers (2) and blower. Mainly because they work and I have a good dealer.
 
Could it be the brake is adjusted too tight and 'drags'?
I was looking at it today, and I noticed that the first one wore through on the anchor end of the band, and the second one wore through at the tensioner end, and unfortunately it doesn't have any kind of an adjustment to it. You put it in and that's what you get. This one says assembled in USA on it too, but we all know what that means.
My wife was looking at some Stihl saws at Ace Hardware on line for me, and she found one for $329.⁰⁰, a MS251 model. Kinda pricey in my opinion. What do you guys think about this one?
 
My fire department carries a Stihl with a 20 inch bar, seems like a good saw. Most guys on the department that cut much wood use Stihl. I bought a like new Jonsered 2050 from a work associate for $25, has an 18 inch bar. He said it wouldn't cut straight so I investigated and found it had a .050 guage chain on it instead of a .058 guage chain, no wonder it wouldn't cut straight, the chain was sloppy in the bar. I think Jonsered and Husqvarna may be in the same family of saws, very similar. I also have a Poulan with a 14 inch bar that was free, adjusted the carburetor and it runs much better, cuts good. I think the fuel was probably in it too long, the more I use it the better it runs. I also have a 16 inch bar homelite xl, old, bought it at my uncles farm sale, smokes a lot when I use it, which insn't often. Having run on about what I have, Stihl seems to be the top dog in my neck of the woods.
 
Buying a chainsaw on line can turn into a real rats nest. If it arrives damaged or has a problem are you going to take it to a dealer for repairs? I don't know this but if you buy from a box store or on line do you have to send it somewhere to have it worked on?
It might cost a little more to by from a reputable dealer but I'm willing to bet they will stand behind it. It will probably have been run in and if not ask them to demonstrate it for you. If they won't walk out the door.
My wifes side of the family has been Stihl dealers since back in the early 70's. I've watched how they work with customers and they take care of them.
 
When I bought my new Stihl, the dealer filled it with fuel for the break in. I don’t know what was different about it but it was water clear. I also always run Stihl oil in it with pure gas.

Jonsered used to be a top tier saw. I don’t know anymore. I see them at Tractor Supply, so that makes me doubt them.
 
Buying a chainsaw on line can turn into a real rats nest. If it arrives damaged or has a problem are you going to take it to a dealer for repairs? I don't know this but if you buy from a box store or on line do you have to send it somewhere to have it worked on?
It might cost a little more to by from a reputable dealer but I'm willing to bet they will stand behind it. It will probably have been run in and if not ask them to demonstrate it for you. If they won't walk out the door.
My wifes side of the family has been Stihl dealers since back in the early 70's. I've watched how they work with customers and they take care of them.
I don't think I was clear enough on that. She was just doing some research on them for me. I wouldn't ever buy one online. Like you said, too many problems.
No, I would buy it from Ace if that's the one I decide to go with.
Seems like the general consensus is that the Stihl saws are pretty good. I know I won't be getting another Poulan.
I've never heard of a Jonsered brand before. How long have they been in business?
 
I've never heard of a Jonsered brand before. How long have they been in business?
The company has been around since the 1830's, they have made chainsaws since the 1950's. Currently owned by Husqvarna, and experiencing much the same slippage of their reputation. Back in the early '90's when I was around logging camps, they had a small but ferocious following.
 
Back
Top