Chainsaw Recommendation

Hey guys, found a couple threads from the past few years discussing recommended chainsaws and wondering of anyone has any updated experiences/recommendations. Main options I’m considering are the Stihl MS250, Husky 440/445, or either the Dewalt 16 or 18. Main uses would be for general yard clean up, the occasional tree felling and firewood, and then toting around at the farm clearing trails and such. I’m fairly invested into the Dewalt batteries, but I’m not afraid of the general maintenance required with a gas saw and runtime is a concedn that I have. I’ve been slowly trending towards more and more dewalt/battery operated accessories lately but I’m leaning towards going with a gas saw for longevity. This will be my first chainsaw purchase (used plenty, never needed to own my own until now), so I think a mid-tier gas saw makes sense for my first one and then down the road purchase one of the smaller dewalts for quick/small jobs.

Get a Stihl, run non oxy gas, it will last forever

Could add the Echo brand to your list. I picked up a CS 590 20″ a couple years ago and have been happy with it. Not a ton of use on it, but plenty of power and a nice smooth operation.

I bought a DeWalt maybe 6 years ago and have been quite impressed with it. If you have 2+ batteries, run time is not an issue. It runs an impressively long time on one battery. Really, the only downsides, to me, are price (maybe they have come down some) and weight.

Joe Jarl wrote:

Could add the Echo brand to your list. I picked up a CS 590 20″ a couple years ago and have been happy with it. Not a ton of use on it, but plenty of power and a nice smooth operation.

This is what I have and it’s much bigger than models listed, not really a “toting around” saw imo. It is a beast though and very well regarded compared to the equivalent Husqvarna and Stihls while being less expensive.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

I bought a DeWalt maybe 6 years ago and have been quite impressed with it. If you have 2+ batteries, run time is not an issue. It runs an impressively long time on one battery. Really, the only downsides, to me, are price (maybe they have come down some) and weight.

Agreed. Two 5 amp hour batteries run for the day for me. I am an infrequent user but have used it to cut firewood. Easy to use, reasonably balanced albeit heavy.

lindyrig79 wrote:

Get a Stihl, run non oxy gas, it will last forever

Get an older, well taken care of Stihl running non-oxy and it will last forever. Some of the emission BS on the new saws is a joke. I’m still a Stihl guy, but like anything…I question how long the new stuff will last and hold up to abuse

All of my garage toys, blower, weed whip and chainsaw are Stihls. Nothing but non-oxy and no more than a two pull to start any of them no matter how long they’ve sat. I do take them off the shelf and start and run them every couple months if they have not been used.

For the cutting you described I wood (pun intended) get the Dewalt and see if it does everything you need a saw for. I bought a Milwaukee M18 to clear ~25 trees and a lot of buckthorn. Some of the green ash being 50+ feet tall. It did it all. Needed to buy extra batteries but sounds like you have those already. I don’t know when I would need to do enough cutting to warrant a gasser.

Reef W wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe Jarl wrote:</div>
Could add the Echo brand to your list. I picked up a CS 590 20″ a couple years ago and have been happy with it. Not a ton of use on it, but plenty of power and a nice smooth operation.

This is what I have and it’s much bigger than models listed, not really a “toting around” saw imo. It is a beast though and very well regarded compared to the equivalent Husqvarna and Stihls while being less expensive.

Correct. They have a nice lineup of smaller saws including electric. Although if going electric sticking with Dewalt is a no brainer. I’ve used the Dewalt electric and it’s pretty impressive.

Dutchboy gave me a old stihl chain saw that came from the 90s era. It wasn’t running and hadn’t in a long time. I took it home cleaned carb, new plug and fresh gas. Runs like a top. I must have downed about 150 trees the last few years with it and am much happier with the 90s era stihl then I am my 2020 model that I can’t adjust the oiler or any thing on it. Always seems to be running the bar dry. Epa said no more oiler adjustments. 1 drop at a time is supposed to be plenty.
If I were to buy another new saw, it would be a new Husqvarna or a older used stihl.

I went electric (Toro) for similar limited use, and have no regrets.

I should add too that I’ve also been looking at the Echo 4920. They seem to get lots of love on some of the arborist forums.

Put me in the gas saw bracket . I can’t imagine cutting a full truck load of actual hard wood with an electric saw . I have a battery dewalt weed eater and while it’s fine for town . A gas one still eats way better when the poop gets tall.

The arborist and forestry forums have a ton of good info, and the regular guys there KNOW saws. The important factor in choosing is knowing what you need.
I have no experience with the Dewalt, but I choose the cordless at least 80% of the time, but I wouldn’t want to be without a gas saw – yet.
Whatever you get, please invest AND USE safety equipment – chaps, gloves, head, eye and ear protection (if running gas saws.)

^^^Great point mojo.

My wife runs a rural Emergency Room, and has commented on a significant increase in the number of chainsaw injuries now that electric is becoming more common. She equates it to the average person grabbing the conveinent, quiet saw and casually taking on tasks that still require safety equipment. Just because it’s relatively quiet doesn’t mean it is a shorts and sandals task. Chaps are a must if you are actually falling trees of any size no matter what the saw.

I bought an echo last year. I like it. I cant recall the model but its small to med sized with an 18 inch bar. Boy, Im a lot of help, right? sorry

Waldo – I have 2 Stihl pro saws and would part with one if you’re interested. It’s a MS361 with almost new 18″ bar and chain. Also put in new drive sprocket, spark plug and air filter when I got it. Runs good. Just don’t necessarily need it and the 362. I’d let it go for less than I paid, but more than what that Echo 4920 sells for new. It is a better built piece of equipment and parts readily available though if you are handy and/or like to tinker with power saws. Quick look on the web looks like they hold value well too. PM me if interested.

buckybadger wrote:

^^^Great point mojo.

My wife runs a rural Emergency Room, and has commented on a significant increase in the number of chainsaw injuries now that electric is becoming more common. She equates it to the average person grabbing the conveinent, quiet saw and casually taking on tasks that still require safety equipment. Just because it’s relatively quiet doesn’t mean it is a shorts and sandals task. Chaps are a must if you are actually falling trees of any size no matter what the saw.

x10 Mojo and Bucky! Great reminder on the footwear too…never without safety toes! Don’t ask me how I know…and I knew better. Got away with it, but pooped my pants.

isu22andy wrote:

I can’t imagine cutting a full truck load of actual hard wood with an electric saw

That’s not at all what electric saws are made for…They are made for the person who doesn’t need to use it often…no gummed up carb to deal with, no bad gas left in the tank a year ago that gets in the way of you cutting up a tree branch that fell in a storm… If you want an electric saw to beat a gas saw, it won’t happen…

I can absolutely see electric saws leading to more injuries as you’re getting alot more inexperienced people using them and its an instant on button to get the chain spinning…

all that being said, I have an Echo 18″ 56V electric saw I keep at home and it’s more than enough saw for any small/medium tree cutting needs in a pinch… I have a gas powered saw at my property up north where the bigger more powerful saw is needed and used more often.

waldo9190 wrote:

Main options I’m considering are the Stihl MS250, Husky 440/445, or either the Dewalt 16 or 18. Main uses would be for general yard clean up, the occasional tree felling and firewood, and then toting around at the farm clearing trails and such.

This is a no-brainer for your stated needs: DeWalt electric 18-inch. Done.

Electric is absolutely the way to go for the occasional user because slap a charged battery on it and it’s go time. No worries about gas, oil, mixing gas/oil, spark plugs, draining the tank when storing, etc, etc, etc. It’s plug-and-play.

I work on chainsaws for friends, neighbors, etc all the time. The chainsaw represents the worst case scenario as far as a homeowner piece of power equipment because almost nobody uses them enough to keep them in good operating condition. So then it’s all about how diligent you are in prepping it for storage, and even then things go wrong with saws even when they aren’t in use.

Just skip all that and go electric.

I’ve been meaning to write a thread about this very topic because this spring I went electric on my yard and garden power tools. What a terrific move!

The biggest things I love were things I didn’t even think about before I bought an electric string trimmer and blower:

1. No stink. It’s SOOOOOOOOO nice not having 2 stroke gas smell on my clothes after doing 15 minutes of trimming. Never even thought about that before.

2. No need to wear hearing protection with many electric tools. Not all! It’s just so nice not having to wear muffs when string trimming for example.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

2. No need to wear hearing protection with many electric tools. Not all! It’s just so nice not having to wear muffs when string trimming for example.

Also, if you have a nosy neighbor that likes to whine any time you trim or remove any trees, it’s much more stealthy.

I just bought a ryobi 40v for pretty much the same usage case. I’ve used tbe Dewalt trimmers and was impressed. I think if you have Dewalt batteries, just get the Dewalt saw.

I have used the Milwaukee M18 saw and was impressed with it for the 15min I used it and we do have the M12 Milwaukee pruning saw (8″ bar I believe) – it will cut quick for sure and certainly work for cutting/trimming smaller jobs

I heat with wood for the most part so I will stick with a gas saw, currently have a Stihl 290 thats about 16yrs old. When/if I ever need to replace, I see more positive reviews about Husky compared to newer Stihl saws so I may make a switch. We will see when the time comes

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Also, if you have a nosy neighbor who likes to whine any time you trim or remove any trees, it’s much more stealthy.

Rightly or wrongly, the leaf blower is the one that seems to attract the ire of the neighborhood noise watch. I think some people see them as unnecessary so the fact that the gas-powered blower is very noisy is just a burr underneath their already irritated saddle.

The battery-powered blower is probably the “loudest” of my new electric tools, but by loud I mean that it’s essentially like a shop vac type of noise. Again, the reasons I love it are no stink, reduced noise, and starting it is a matter of putting a battery on it and hitting the trigger.

Wear protective clothing. Good read.

Do chainsaw chaps work with electric chainsaws? Clever Tips

I think we need to know is the OPs cutting firewood cutting beer can logs in the backyard for a fire pit or truck loads of wood for a stove or wood burning fireplace . That’ll be the deal breaker or maker on electric vs gas .

I have a Stihl 250 and Dewalt electric. The Dewalt is for yard clean up, Stihl is for getting work done. If I had yo choose one it would be simplr, the Stihl.

Now Dewalt does make a fantastic pole saw. No regrets in buying that.

Next purchase is a stump grinder.

I own a Stihl and have been very, very happy with its performance over the 3 years I have owned it. Regardless of the brand you buy, I suggest buying from a local dealer who can service your chainsaw.
Just my 2 cents.

Husqvarna gas for the W