Any advice on new chainsaw?

Riley Henderson · #1 10-02-2020, 11:11 PM

With the wood cutting season among us, my main workhorse (a Stihl 026 pro from around 1993) was not running right and seemed to be down on power. Long story short, the cylinder and piston are scuffed up and needed replacement. I am looking at getting a new main saw and keep the 026 until I can track down the repair parts. I got a few older saws but none that are easy to use for extended periods.

My question is what saws do you guys have that you like? Anything to steer clear of? My dealer showed me a new Stihl ms261 pro, the equivalent of my old saw but I read the reviews and some say it's kind of cheap quality. I did read some good things about the ECHO CS 490 and 590, a guy at work said he has one that has treated him well.

Any information is greatly appreciated.

yodaddy · #2 10-03-2020, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riley Henderson

Any information is greatly appreciated.

I highly recommend the Stihl 362. It's a light saber disguised as a chain saw. I'm running a 20 inch bar and have dropped and cut every kind of wood that grows in New England, and the saw hasn't bogged down once. Even Rock Maple doesn't slow that baby down.

Mike McKown · #3 10-03-2020, 07:55 AM

I have a 450 Husquvarna Rancher I'm pretty proud of. It's close to ten years old. I've never done anything to it except throw away the anti-kick back chain it came with and replace with a full chisel.

I've never touched the motor. Just add gas and oil. Very high rpm engine. Cuts wood like it's butter. It has always started on the 2-3 pull regardless of how long it has been idle. 20 inch bar.

Also have a 16" Stihl that's 4-5 years old. It's a good saw but no compression release and no primer bulb makes it a little cranky to start sometimes.

Be kind to yourself and stay away from the economy brands.

West Valley G · #4 10-03-2020, 09:59 AM

I run a Husky Rancher same as Mike and have been pretty pleased with it.
Also to agree with Mike, don't put your staying warm this season on the
back of a cheap saw.

My favorite saw however is a Homelite 330 I bought in 1980.
Have certainly put it to the test over the years and it still goes, with
a few repairs now and then of course.

Ken

SS5150 · #5 10-03-2020, 12:06 PM

I've got a Stihl ms271 Farm Boss with an 18" bar, had it about 4 years. It's been a good saw but I'm only using it for yard maintenance and some light firewood cutting.

Usually in the fall Stihl runs the MS250 w/18" for $299...I'd have gone that route when I was buying but missed the sale by a few days. Given this years corona situation I'm unsure if they'll run that sale this fall or not.

Matt Ellerbee · #6 10-03-2020, 12:50 PM

I like Stihl's. That 026 is worth fixing for sure. But don't just slap a piston and rings at it, it failed for a reason, I'm betting air leak, either on the impluse line, carb boot or crank seals. Replace rubber stuff with OEM only. Caber has good rings and Meteor makes a nice piston.

Here are what I use, 044, ported 026, 192T and HT101.
saw.jpg

saw1.jpg

IHCubCadet147 · #7 10-03-2020, 10:42 PM

We have a Stihl Farm Boss and a Husqvarna Rancher, both are great. The Stihl is about 15 years old and has had a lot of hard use over the years, never any trouble. The Husqvarna is about 8 years old, hasn’t had as much use, but so far so good. My dad got a really good deal on it from one of his friends, brand new.

Billy-O · #8 10-04-2020, 10:29 PM

I'm all Stihl in my shed and happy as a clam. Chose your model from the Farm/Ranch or professional line and avoid the homeowner. I also hear the Husqvarna is real good stuff.

sorner · #9 10-05-2020, 02:35 PM

Probably no help whatsoever, but I just picked up a Stihl 025 recently for a good price, it needed a new bar and chain, so I put an 18" forester bar and chain on it and it is a hungry saw. I like it a lot. The only thing I have to compare it to is a Poulan 3416, which has been nothing but a pain on anything other than limbs.

As soon as I put the bar on it I went and dropped a 20" or so wide dead ash tree in my front yard with no trouble at all.

Riley Henderson · #10 10-05-2020, 08:17 PM

Thank you everyone for the information I just went and looked at the Stihl dealer today and he suggested the Ms 362, but I also looked over the Ms 261. Both are in the professional line. I'm going sometime over the weekend to the Husqvarna dealer to look around. I am definitely planning on keeping the 026 and having it gone through and keep it as a backup.