Chainsaw recommendations

[Wrongside]

Huskvarna & Stihl are usually good saws. Growing up on the farm, we heated exclusively with wood and used mainly Huskys, but had several saws of either brand. My current saw is still a leftover Husky from those days. It has one rebuild on the engine and still works great. Echo is another company making great saws these days. As mentioned earlier, I'd look for the brand with solid local service and parts support.

 

[5MilesBack]

My Stihl Farm Boss with 20" blade has been running great for 19 years now. It ALWAYS starts, and has never not run. I heat with wood and have run the saw many times all day long without any issues. The biggest tree I've taken down with it was a Ponderosa that was close to 40" in diameter at the base. Barely got through it coming from both sides. I always run the Pro yellow-coded chains with it. They last longer between sharpenings and throw larger chips.

 

[ezmorningrebel]

i would suggest you find a good local outdoor power equipment dealer that does the service work and buy whatever brand they sell.

i use a stihl 271 with an 18" bar (successor the 270 wood boss) and i haven't had any issues with it. my dad runs a 290 farm boss and it's been a great saw for him. i find the 271 still has plenty of power but is lighter to carry around in the woods than his. also runs longer on gas.

 

[Buckman]

I run a Husky 346XP. Its been a great saw, runs at a higher rpm than some of there other models. Not to heavy not to light cuts real good with a sharp chain. It has a decompression button on it which makes it very easy to pull start. I would buy another if it craped out.

 

[charvey9]

I always carry my saw in the truck when I head to the mountain to handle windfalls across the road. I almost got stranded once a few years ago without it, and had to do some brush busting to get home. Other than that I only cut a load or two of fireplace wood a year. I have had a Husky 55 for 20 years that has treated me well, but few times I found it a little underpowered to really get through some of the windfall I encounter and wanted something bigger.

I went back and forth between the comparable Husky and Stihl models, and found that you get a little more for your money on the Husky and ended up getting a 460 Rancher with 24" bar just recently. It rips pretty well.

 

[Elkfitness]

Our family has been cutting wood off and on for 30yrs. Stihl and Husqvarna are both great and the rancher and farm boss are both good. My dad has had stihls forever and my wife's dad has had huskys. Both are great. I'd get a 20" bar at least (if you're only going to have one saw) and don't cheap out. They will last you. FYI, if you have a murdochs store nearby they have 20% off sales occasionally. Good time to buy a chainsaw.

 

[ransom87]

I'm a small engine mechanic and husqvarna and stihl dealer here in norcal. I my opinion either brand is great what's more important is fit and function. As mentioned above go with a local dealer that can service or rent pair it, not all dealers carry both stihl and husky. As for echo and other throw away draft brands ( homelite, Poulan craftsman and so on) these saw are so cheap more than often the cost more to fix than the the cost of a new saw. If you don't have a saw currently I would recommend no less than a 20" saw. I a stihl I'd go with the ms261 it's their 20" pro model. I husky the 545 would be their 20" pro saw. If you chose to go with the consumer model I would go with the stihl ms291 still a 20" saw (Keep in these are max bar lengths for these models). Also keep in mind that most of the new stihl and husky saw have automatically adjusting carbs, stihl's are called m-tronic and husky is called autotune. Stihl's m-tronic carbs have been working well I have many in the field both pro's and consumer's. Husky's autotune carbs have had problems in some models the husky 545 I mentioned earlier is the only one that the bugs seem to be worked out of, I would stay away from other husky autotune models for awhile. Hope this helps.

If you or anyone else have any questions feel free to pm me

 

[Take-a-knee]

I wouldn't trade my stihl 044 for anything. Its big enough to cut anything I need but not so big it leaves me with a sore back after a weekend of cutting.

You're more of a man than I am. A 44 is a BIG saw to me. I max out with an 036. I also have a Stihl 260 and if I could only have one saw that would be it. I run a 20 bar on it and 3.8th's chain on both saws. A 260 will usually come with 0.325 pitch chain which cuts a slightly narrower kerf but I run the larger chain so I only have to keep one size. You just change the sprocket on the saw. Make sure no gasoline containing ethanol ever gets inside your saw (or any other small engine) and your life will be easier.

I don't know if Husky has changed or not but Sthil and Dolmar Sachs used to be the only saws that had an inertia chain-brake. IE, the kickback itself, and not your hand hitting the handle/lever, will lock the chain. That saved me from what would likely have been a horrible cut on my foot in a moment of shear stupidity. I'll always be a Sthil man.

 

[sodaksooner]

I just picked up a Husky 455 rancher. Ive always had a cheapie, but for less the $400, seems to fit the bill. I chewed up a huge oak tree with it. Most of it on just one chain. For a homeowner/occasional firewood cutter, dont know how you could go wrong for the money. I did pick it up at a big box store. Wanted a Stihl, but the local dealer was already closed that afternoon and I needed it that day. I haven't been disappointed however.

 

[1hoda]

I once made my living with a chainsaw. The only one i own is a Husqvarna. You get what you pay for. If you use one just on weekends it's hard to tell the difference but day using it all day everyday and the subtle differences come through. You get what you pay for, so spend the extra $ and get the Husky.

 

[husky390]

WOW, I didn't realize this was almost a Ford or Chevy/Johnson or Evinrude thing.
Thanks guy's, great advice and some very valid points, especially about the closest saw shop. Murdochs is close to me so hopefully I can stuff one of the PRO saws into a bucket and get the discount as it looks like I'll stay with a 20" bar and will just have to choose between the two.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Any of those will work great for what you are doing.
Good advice earlier about the chaps if you are new to saw work.
I've used the full line of Stihls. From the 192 climber to the 880. No complaints except the 880 is like carrying one of those vespa scooters around.

 

[good2eat]

Been running the same Stihl 290 for 15 years. I cut about 8 cords a year, we heat exclusively with wood.

Never a problem, starts everytime.

 

[huntin'monkey]

I've run both Ranchers and Farm Bosses cutting about 10 cords of firewood a year. Either will chew wood if it's tuned up and has a sharp chain. The biggest difference for me, and what puts me on the Stihl side of the fence if I have to buy another one, is ease of changing the chain out. Stihl, have their clutch on the motor side of the sprocket, while Huskys have theirs on the outside of the sprocket and just annoying to change chains on. I carry two or three spare chains in the field and change them out when they get the least bit dull/dragged on dirt because saws don't like dull chains. I change the chain on a Stihl in a quarter of the time it takes me to do a Husky, with much less annoyance. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[flyinsquirel]

Good point Monkey, inboard clutch also makes abandoning the bar easier if you get pinched real bad and don't have the means to extract yourself.

The big Stihl's also have the chain tightener on the side, whereas the Big Husky has it on the front next to the bar, at least on the older models, haven't looked at these new auto-tuned ones. Side chain adjustment is far more user friendly.

But I run Husky's anyways, so maybe I'm just stubborn. Although when my chain gets dull I reach for the other saw

 

[4ester]

Stihl, Husqvarna, or Jonsered. I believe that the Huskys are actually made by J-Red.

All are good saws.

 

[Take-a-knee]

I carry two or three spare chains in the field and change them out when they get the least bit dull/dragged on dirt because saws don't like dull chains.

I can file on the bar as fast as you can change chains, and if I've got my cordless Dremel I'll be cutting way before you get that new chain on, not to mention one less chain to drop off to be sharpened. This only works until you've shortened the cutter enough to need to file rakers, that takes a bit.

 

[jwb300]

Doesn't really matter with your soft woods up there! You could cut most of them up with a butter knife

 

[mallacootasmoothie]

Doesn't really matter with your soft woods up there! You could cut most of them up with a butter knife

Haha, yep we pretty much only cut hardwoods, it's not called Iron bark because it's soft.

 

[djsmith46]

I've used chainsaws a few times a year for firewood etc since I was a kid and I've found that I've always liked the bigger displacements and longer bar sizes. It's kind of like the cliche, better than to have it and not need it.......you get it.

As far as professional opinion a logger of over forty years told me last year that as far as which saw, stihl or Husky, he stated they are both phenomenal but the availability of stihl shops, at least in Washington has lead him to exclusively buy stihl.