View Poll Results: Which chainsaw for under $400?

Voters
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  • Stihl MS251

    30 45.45%
  • Husky 445

    10 15.15%
  • Dolmar 421

    3 4.55%
  • Mods here are shit

    15 22.73%
  • Some other saw

    10 15.15%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Thread: LittleLebowski's big inspirational chainsaw thread

  1. #21
    Super simple to file by hand. Just hit all the teeth on the opposite side its cutting toward. I never used a guide just the correct diameter file for your chains. Also get chipper chains. They are more aggressive cutters.

    Quote Originally Posted by SLG View Post
    I prefer Stihl, but we have Husky too. The Stihl is just easier to use and more refined. I know nothing about their light duty saws, but I have a small pro model (260) and just love it. Had a 261 and it wasn't nearly as nice as the now discontinued 260. I would be very happy picking up a used saw from a small saw shop if it was a few years old and in good condition. My saw shop here tears them all down and fixes what needs fixing before they sell it.

    I guess I'm weird, but I enjoy hand filing my chains. I'm far from great at it, but I seem to get them sharper than my shop does, and with less wear on the chain as well. There are some great youtube videos from the Canadian Forestry Service that have a ton of good info, and will make you enjoy caring for your saw.

    I ALWAYS wear chaps and a helmet/eye/ear pro. Gloves too.
    I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
    The lunatics are running the asylum

  2. #22
    Member Luke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Alabama
    Idk what all has been posted, and to be honest I really didn't even read your original post.

    I came here to pass on 2 wisdoms I has about chainsaws.

    1. Buy nice name brand. Don't go to Home Depot and buy some consumer piece of crap.

    2. Run it out of gas and/or use stabil. Chainsaws never run right for people who don't own a tree service. 99% of the time it's because the carbs are all gummed up. Most people don't use them every weekend which means they sit..


    Hopefully this is all new info. It's important info, but I just can't read 3 pages of chainsaw thread lol
    i used to wannabe

  3. #23
    Site Supporter Maple Syrup Actual's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    Northern Fur Seal Team Six
    Quote Originally Posted by SLG View Post
    I prefer Stihl, but we have Husky too. The Stihl is just easier to use and more refined. I know nothing about their light duty saws, but I have a small pro model (260) and just love it. Had a 261 and it wasn't nearly as nice as the now discontinued 260. I would be very happy picking up a used saw from a small saw shop if it was a few years old and in good condition. My saw shop here tears them all down and fixes what needs fixing before they sell it.

    I guess I'm weird, but I enjoy hand filing my chains. I'm far from great at it, but I seem to get them sharper than my shop does, and with less wear on the chain as well. There are some great youtube videos from the Canadian Forestry Service that have a ton of good info, and will make you enjoy caring for your saw.

    I ALWAYS wear chaps and a helmet/eye/ear pro. Gloves too.
    Well, DUH.

    The Huskys are usually a bit harsher to run but they're also lighter and faster...the big felling saws up here are all huskys but then you're into giant saws which obviously are totally not applicable to this anyway. In the mid-size saws I think the Stihls are a lot more forgiving.

    Somewhere I have a nice old Husky that belonged to my grandfather, then my father. My dad never liked using chainsaws on account of the noise so he cut 4-8 cords a year with a 42" bow saw. Which reminds me of the old joke about the swede and the chainsaw:

    Sven had cut firewood by hand with a bow saw for fifty years, until the last bit of tooth had worn off his saw. He drove slowly into town to pick up a new blade at the hardware store, where he saw his first chainsaw.

    "These things are amazing," said the salesman. "You'll cut ten times the wood you used to!" So old Sven bought the chainsaw.

    The first couple days were not very productive--he only cut one cord each day. By the third day he had cut 3 cords but was dead tired. "Ja, it's no good," he thought to himself, "The salesman said it would be better, so it must be broken."

    The next day he was in the hardware store complaining to the sales clerk about his lack of production. "Blade seems a little dull, but not that bad. Let's start it up," the clerk muttered as he pulled the starting cord.

    "Vat's dat noise?"
    This is a thread where I built a boat I designed and which I very occasionally update with accounts of using it, which is really fun as long as I'm not driving over logs and blowing up the outboard.
    https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ilding-a-skiff

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by misanthropist View Post
    Well, DUH.

    The Huskys are usually a bit harsher to run but they're also lighter and faster...the big felling saws up here are all huskys but then you're into giant saws which obviously are totally not applicable to this anyway. In the mid-size saws I think the Stihls are a lot more forgiving.

    Somewhere I have a nice old Husky that belonged to my grandfather, then my father. My dad never liked using chainsaws on account of the noise so he cut 4-8 cords a year with a 42" bow saw. Which reminds me of the old joke about the swede and the chainsaw:

    Sven had cut firewood by hand with a bow saw for fifty years, until the last bit of tooth had worn off his saw. He drove slowly into town to pick up a new blade at the hardware store, where he saw his first chainsaw.

    "These things are amazing," said the salesman. "You'll cut ten times the wood you used to!" So old Sven bought the chainsaw.

    The first couple days were not very productive--he only cut one cord each day. By the third day he had cut 3 cords but was dead tired. "Ja, it's no good," he thought to himself, "The salesman said it would be better, so it must be broken."

    The next day he was in the hardware store complaining to the sales clerk about his lack of production. "Blade seems a little dull, but not that bad. Let's start it up," the clerk muttered as he pulled the starting cord.

    "Vat's dat noise?"
    Funny:-)


    Yeah, the Northerners seem to like those big Husky's. Proof to me that the brand doesn't matter as much as the guy running it. As you said though, the smaller saws are a little different, and for the closest identical model from each company, we prefer our Stihl. Regardless, those videos are a gold mine, and it is fascinating to me to see pro loggers at work. Faster and smoother than any competition shooter:-)

  5. #25
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Wappinger NY
    I cut ,split and burn 15 full cords a year. I use a Heatmaster MF 5000 outdoor boiler to heat my home. My saw is MS 362.
    If I could find a good condition Farm Boss for $200 I would be ecstatic. Great saw great price.

  6. #26
    Reading every post and researching like a madman. Thanks, gents.
    #RESIST

  7. #27
    Get it from a certified retailer.

    Husky and Stihl are the big boys, but don't forget Echo. They all make saws in professional grade, farm/ranch (mid-grade), and homeowner (consumer-crap) grade.

    Stay away from the homeowner grade and you should be fine, but I would really try to get the best you can afford. Lifetime investment and all that. Maybe a lightly used pre-owned. I spent a month or so searching the different chainsaw snob forums before I settled on an Echo, but the Stihl 261 (Pro grade) came up over and over again.

    Also, I don't recall if it was mentioned but consider adding some good chainsaw chaps to you list of PPE.
    Last edited by David S.; 02-28-2016 at 10:18 AM.

  8. #28
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Off Camber
    Quote Originally Posted by David S. View Post
    Get it from a certified retailer.
    He has a Stihl dealer about 5 minutes from his office...

  9. #29
    Site Supporter vaspence's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Richmond VA
    I was talking about this to some of the guys down at the farm today and we all agree. You are going to want to pick up the Stihl backpack blower at the same time!

  10. #30
    Researching this like a madman. I can't endure anymore "PoorFag!" emails from SLG
    #RESIST

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