Any chainsaw / firewood cutting experts on here?

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fratzog lover

fratzog lover

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I bet there are...anyways... just bought a new MS250. Had a slightly bigger Stihl about 12 years I bought to cut through a pile of 18-24 inch oak. So Home Depot had an Echo CS590 for 400 bucks that was tempting. But heavy! And lately Husky seems to have a lot of starting complaints (lean settings for EPA?) as well as complaints of customer service being bad and not covering obvious issues. After using my old Stihl for a month I still sold it to a friend for 50 bucks less than I paid, so they seem to hold their value. The old Craftsman 20 inch and Poulan 16 inch Wild Thang are about to leave the tool shed forever.
The Stihl was on sale, plus the local dealer has excellent service. They fill the bar oil tank and fuel tank, start and run the saw checking operation, as well a 5 minute orientation. Yeah, I know, Home Depot doesn't. Just get your butt in the self checkout and pays us and scram. Any Stihl owners have long term relationships with your saws, good or bad?

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The only brand to buy. I can't remember how old mine is. Put fresh gas in, fill the chain oil, start and go. If I remember right I may need a new chain and bar soon.
 
Screw mixin gas. Run True Fuel and you'll never have any trouble. I got a WalMart Poulan cheap Chinkesium special three seasons ago and that's all I've run in it and it runs as good or better than my Stihl 025 ever ran and I got it on sale for 89.99. I like it because you are supposed to leave the tank full through the off season because of all the additives that protect the fuel system. I also like it because it smells like racing fuel when it's runnin. lol
 
I've got three old Stihls. They have all cut more cords of wood than I can remember. They are all from the early seventies. One 020AV and two 031AVs. They all still start right up and cut wood like new saws. I have replaced bars, chains and a few sprockets along with a couple of spark plugs and that's all I've done to them. You made a good choice.
 
I can tell you what not to buy, a new Husky.
Dad bought one brand new, never even used it was going to return it.
I said my saw is broke so he gave it to me.
I put gas and oil in it, fired right up, let it warm up.
Did not use it for a year.
When I did need it, it fired right up easy, but it only ran for around 2 minutes and the cdi box went out.
Bought a new cdi box, from husky, the next time I used the saw it lasted around an hr and the cdi box went out again.
Bought another cdi box from husky, so far this one has wore quite a few chains out, so hopefully I got a good one this time, but it still leaves you with the thought of not being able to trust the saw at all.
 
professional series Husky xp . if you want a good saw buy the pro series you get what you pay for . not the huskys from home depot . the pro series Sthil are good also .
 
jimjimjimmy said:
professional series Husky xp . if you want a good saw buy the pro series you get what you pay for . not the huskys from home depot . the pro series Sthil are good also .
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The one I have is a Lowe’s special, still that many cdi boxes is un-acceptable.
 
I've run a few chainsaws in my younger days, back then a mix of about anything I could get used/ reasonable. If I never have to lay hands on any of 'em again I will be happy LOL
 
fratzog lover said:
I bet there are...anyways... just bought a new MS250. Had a slightly bigger Stihl about 12 years I bought to cut through a pile of 18-24 inch oak. So Home Depot had an Echo CS590 for 400 bucks that was tempting. But heavy! And lately Husky seems to have a lot of starting complaints (lean settings for EPA?) as well as complaints of customer service being bad and not covering obvious issues. After using my old Stihl for a month I still sold it to a friend for 50 bucks less than I paid, so they seem to hold their value. The old Craftsman 20 inch and Poulan 16 inch Wild Thang are about to leave the tool shed forever.
The Stihl was on sale, plus the local dealer has excellent service. They fill the bar oil tank and fuel tank, start and run the saw checking operation, as well a 5 minute orientation. Yeah, I know, Home Depot doesn't. Just get your butt in the self checkout and pays us and scram. Any Stihl owners have long term relationships with your saws, good or bad?

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Stihl is a great saw, but let me tell you a little story about the last Husky I used.
I had about 12 Eucalyptus stubs around 8-10 feet high and near 48 inches across to take to the ground.
First 2 the brackets for the front handle snapped off the case.
Withing the next 3 or so the starter housing tore off the case and I spent the rest of the day filling the gas and oil with the saw running because of the starter housing.
NEVER again.
Husky kicks *** when they run.:D
Same with their bikes.

Went back the next day with the Stihl 880 and finished the job without issue.
I'll tell you another really nice saw I used a lot and loved it.
That was a Shindaiwa with a 36 inch bar.
It was pretty quiet, smooth running with very low vibration and lots of power, started easy and never a problem with it in a commercial cutting environment.
That saw just flat tore it up, and shocked the hell outta me after using Stihls mostly.
 
Another vote for Stihl, the only two stroke anything I'd own. And a disclaimer, it's been long said if it has txxx or tires, it will give you trouble. Add two-stroke to that and you have the trifecta. Any small two-stroke is a headache just waiting to happen. Stihl just has a lot fewer of them than the rest. And this is from a long-time firewood cutter, I use wood almost exclusively to heat.
 
When Dad retired and moved to the city, I inherited his Husky. It was old when I got it, in the 90s. In 20 years and more than 200 cords of wood,it mostly just used up bars and chains, and gas. I thought it was a great saw. I even put a longer bar on it almost right away, 20" I think. I think I put a rope on it once, and an air-screen, and a couple of new plugs. I stopped harvesting about 5 to 7 years ago when I insulated my 2-story, 125 year old. Victorian-style house. I bet that saw could be 40 years old, probably older.
I worked many years in a Honda shop working on motorcycles. My boss had several lines of bikes and snomobiles, and lotsa lawn N garden including chainsaws; Husky and Jonsered. I took a lot of saws apart. The Jonsereds were supposed to be the better saw, but all I could figure out is they looked more modern, and seemed lighter. I worked on whatever saw came into the shop including Stihls. I think they were the lightest. I also liked their engineering better.
As for power, IDK, as a small-time harvester, they all had enough power for my needs.Eventually our shop got too busy with motorcycles to work LnG anymore. First we hired one guy, and then a different guy but it just didn't work out, so we gave up thatchit.
But I'll tell-ya, nothing sounds like a Stihl reved out and cutting with a new chain; man that lil bugger revs.
 
All my woodcutting friends that do it for a living use Stihl.
Lots of timber being cut in WV.
Some of those saws look like they have been dropped from a airplane, but they still run.
If I actually ever had to buy a new one, I would pay the money for one.
 
On the timber forums they seem to get good and bad. The guys who forget it isn't a pro saw pick them apart. The people that realize it's a 3HP light duty farm/home owner saw have great things to say. Cut some 18 inch Norway maple today, it did what it was supposed to do. Glad I didn't buy the 17+ pound Echo after, great considered. Getting too old for a saw that heavy.
 
The biggest thing is to run a quality fuel. Long as you do that, a damned dollar store chain saw will hold up. It's the ethanol that kills them. I had a 025 Stihl for a long time. Probably 15 years. Used it heavily around here. Burned up the crank bearings in it. Wore that thing slap out. It was a good saw. Think I paid like 250 for it back then. It was a good saw. Came with a 16" blade and I upgraded it to an 18". It cut good.......till it quit.
 
I have two friends that both own tree companies. Both guys run Jonsered and professional grade Huskies. Both guys love old Stihls, but have nothing good to say about the newer ones. What in particular they don't like, I don't remember.
 
I've got a Stihl Farm Boss that I've had for years. It's an 029, which I think is the same size as a 290. It has been an awesome saw. Never, EVER, EVER...use motor oil as chain oil! That will ruin a chain and bar quicker than anything. Use bar and chain oil only. I've got chipper chains on both of my Stihls, and they throw hunks of wood instead of sawdust...lol. Don't use a chipper chain unless you've got a lot of experience with a saw. They kick back much easier than a regular chain. I use non ethanol premium gas, and Stihl 50 to 1 mix in my saw, but the 50 to 1 Motomix is good too. Only other thing I can tell you is wear hearing protection. I didn't do it when I was younger, and my ears ring like hell now! Good luck, and be safe!
 
Husqvarna and stihl are the only to buy. Worked as a line clearance tree trimmer for over 8 yrs. MS 250---perfect homeowner saw.
USE 2 STROKE MIX 50:1 WITH NON-ETHONAL PREMIUM, after 8 hrs run time adj idle after break in so chain doesn't rotate when at idle. Remember your PPE safety glasses, ear plugs, shoes and at least pants but chaps cant hurt. It only takes one mistake to get cut.
 
JDMopar said:
I've got a Stihl Farm Boss that I've had for years. It's an 029, which I think is the same size as a 290. It has been an awesome saw. Never, EVER, EVER...use motor oil as chain oil! That will ruin a chain and bar quicker than anything. Use bar and chain oil only. I've got chipper chains on both of my Stihls, and they throw hunks of wood instead of sawdust...lol. Don't use a chipper chain unless you've got a lot of experience with a saw. They kick back much easier than a regular chain. I use non ethanol premium gas, and Stihl 50 to 1 mix in my saw, but the 50 to 1 Motomix is good too. Only other thing I can tell you is wear hearing protection. I didn't do it when I was younger, and my ears ring like hell now! Good luck, and be safe!
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I agree with JDMopar. I bought a Stihl Farm Boss too in about 1992-1993. If it ever quits, I'll buy another Stihl. It has a 18in bar on it and I've never met a tree it wouldn't cut. I burned wood for many years. You really need to know what you're doing and never get too comfortable with a saw. Always pay attention.
 
my5thmopar said:
I agree with JDMopar. I bought a Stihl Farm Boss too in about 1992-1993. If it ever quits, I'll buy another Stihl. It has a 18in bar on it and I've never met a tree it wouldn't cut. I burned wood for many years. You really need to know what you're doing and never get too comfortable with a saw. Always pay attention.
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BACK WHEN WE HAD THE BIG ICE STORM, I bought a big husky, that thing would start the first pull every time , but when it derailed the chain (very often) it chewed the drive sprocket up and the back teeth on the chain. I had three chains so I could change them , instead of stopping to file the burrs off when I was using the dam thing. When I tried to buy a new bar for it , there was no bar and sprocket available for it , nothing husky sold would fit it , luckily the stores took the unusable stuff back. I bought a stihl and have been using it every since.
Back when I was a teenager . we used a 18" homelite , all metal before the plastic stuff came out. We heated solely with wood back then , the fireplace was made wrong and would eat an entire "big" blackjack every 24 hrs. , we used a tremendous amount of wood every winter. That homelite was one of the best saws I ever used , much like the stihl now. .
 
When i worked for parks, it was stihl hands down.
Shed full of saws that were in the hands of may incompetent users. Stihl stood up to the torture.
Same goes for the trimmers.

Buddy runs the huskys,both older saws and they perform very well.

The canned premix fuel is great. But expensive. Great for the homeowner,tree falls down. Gets cut and saw gets put away until its needed again.

If we are cutting lots, mix a couple gallons and last fill with a premix for storage.

Doesent suprise me that husky cdi’s are constantly failing.
My new husky trimmer ate 3 cdi’s before i threw it away and bought a walk behind trimmer.
 
bought mine 10-11 years ago.. i only run Stihl premix and bar oil init.. never had an issue with it.. its not a clean as in the pic anymore but has never let me down..

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