What chainsaw is best for my needs

I’m looking to upgrade from my junk McCullough chainsaw that basically fell apart. My primary use is cutting shooting lanes at the woods along with a few trees for firewood in the summer. Also would like to be able to use it to try my hand at spearing and using it to cut ice hole. I’m very green when it comes to chainsaws my last one had a 18″ bar which I did like the length for bigger trees but it was well underpowered. So I’m thinking 16″-18″ saw but with adequate power and performance behind it. I obviously don’t put them to a lot of use so I’m hoping to stay in the $250-$350 price range any info and suggestions are appreciated.

I too am looking, found several 16″ Stihl and Husqvarna saws in the $300 range on c-list…

Those are the only two brands i’m looking at, hoping to find the guy who paid top dollar buying new, then never used it…

Yeah I hear ya I haven’t decided if I want new or used just nervous about the use and abuse of some of these used saws out there. Those are the two brands I’m really considering as well just don’t know which size and model is the best bang for the buck and best for my needs and holds up well.

One word ECHO.. I still use the 2 my dad bought in the early 80’s… have cut hundreds of trees… they cut like a dream. This one is priced at $299… power is not an issue. (I cut next to newer Husq’s and Stihls….they can’t believe the saws are 30+ years old)

Attachments:

1. 

   echo-16.jpg
   

Using an oil/gas mix, infrequent use can make chainsaw use a PITA. I try to religiously drain and clean my carb after use since it tends to sit months between uses.

That’s just it… I just put fresh gas/oil in come fall and start buzzing. There is definitely a difference between the saws built for the Homeowner and those built for Professional use.

big_g wrote:

One word ECHO.. I still use the 2 my dad bought in the early 80’s… have cut hundreds of trees… they cut like a dream. This one is priced at $299… power is not an issue. (I cut next to newer Husq’s and Stihls….they can’t believe the saws are 30+ years old)

We have stil ,huskys , dolmars at work but the echos is the saw il grab for the day.

Is there a specific model I should look up I’m gonna start doing some research on echo!

big_g wrote:

One word ECHO.. I still use the 2 my dad bought in the early 80’s… have cut hundreds of trees… they cut like a dream. This one is priced at $299… power is not an issue. (I cut next to newer Husq’s and Stihls….they can’t believe the saws are 30+ years old)

pro saw!!! cry once!

I would head over to Midwest Machinery in Princeton or give them a call and tell them what you will be using it for, they can steer you to the right unit.

big_g wrote:

One word ECHO.. I still use the 2 my dad bought in the early 80’s… have cut hundreds of trees… they cut like a dream. This one is priced at $299… power is not an issue. (I cut next to newer Husq’s and Stihls….they can’t believe the saws are 30+ years old)

I have an Echo that is about ten years old—about 50 cords of hard maple/oak buzzed up with it and it still has yet to miss a beat. 20″ bar and a mid range size engine. I would not hesitate to buy another…

I find a large saw tiring and fatigue leads to accidents. I took a clue from what I saw being used by the Vilas County forestry guys. Every truck had a Stihl 021 handy for clearing forest roads, brushing, and general use. I bought mine in the about 1988 and it still starts and runs good.

County workers use what the county buys.. not what they want.

I have a older Stihl not bad but it always seems to find a way to leak out the oil. If I would buy a new Stihl I would get the farm boss. But I’m going to check into these echos.

Thanks for all the feedback I will stop by Midwest machinery and chat with them.

I started a similar thread over on the hunting side yesterday:

https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/upgrading-chainsaw-need-advice/

Sounds like we’re looking for similar saws. Let us know what you buy.

I’m between Husqvarna and Echo. I’ve been surprised by the numbers of recommendations for Echo.

Grouse

I’m strongly considering the echo cs590 right now it’s at the top of the list.

I’m not looking for that many CCs or that much weight, but I’m with you on giving Echo a serious look.

I like the upgraded features of the 500P. Aluminum handle instead of plastic, heavy duty auto-style air filter rather than a paper napkin, magnesium sprocket cover rather than plastic, and the power to weight is really good at only 10.6 pounds dry weight.

IME, weight is the killer when it comes to all day use. I had an old Stihl 028 back when everything was metal on those and found I can be more productive with a smaller, lighter saw. It’s slower at first, but the ability to work longer and work safer kicks in just after lunch when I’m not lugging around that extra 3-4 pounds.

Grouse

Yeah that makes sense I don’t blame you at all for watching the weight closely. I only use mine for an hour or two a day so I don’t mind a little extra weight I just want it to cut fast. And to be durable.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I’m not looking for that many CCs or that much weight, but I’m with you on giving Echo a serious look.

I like the upgraded features of the 500P. Aluminum handle instead of plastic, heavy duty auto-style air filter rather than a paper napkin, magnesium sprocket cover rather than plastic, and the power to weight is really good at only 10.6 pounds dry weight.

IME, weight is the killer when it comes to all day use. I had an old Stihl 028 back when everything was metal on those and found I can be more productive with a smaller, lighter saw. It’s slower at first, but the ability to work longer and work safer kicks in just after lunch when I’m not lugging around that extra 3-4 pounds.

Grouse

Hmm after reading more on the 500 I think that might be the ticket I’m gonna go look at a few in person tomorrow.

I picked up a Stihl MS250 a couple years ago for these same uses. It’s been a great saw thus far and I have not had any issues. The MS250 comes in at 10.1 lbs and an 18″ bar and is a good size for this type of work. I think the MS251 has since replaced it.

I agree with whats been mentioned on weight, and I didn’t want to go over 11 lbs as that can tiring if your cutting a lot. My buddy has a farm boss and it is a bit on the heavier side for my uses (12.3 lbs).

i’ve run old Macs for years and they are a horrible saw, but didn’t have the fund to move up market. i heated for many years with them i admit.

however, i think more has to do with operaters than the saw. good gas, sharp chain, most saws will do fine.

that said i’m currently running two stihls and one huskie. i like all of them.

now something that has NOT bee discussed here is the depth gauge. a few years back a guy who has cut for 6 buildings for 20 years pointed out that i should be grinding my depth gauges down to get a faster cutting saw. i had him do it on one of my chains and OMG, i will never go back. i have about half of the gauge ground off and it makes an incredible difference.

now, after having said all that, if you’ve not cut for a few years so that your habits are ingrained,don’t do it. the saw can jump pretty bad as it bites in. IF you do not have a solid grip with a straight arm on the handle, it could be dangerous. BUT, if you’ve run a saw for a few years and have your habits down, it was amazing. Cut TWICE as fast. And even brush fast, something i’ve never found before…

Just saying…

stuwest wrote:

now something that has NOT bee discussed here is the depth gauge. a few years back a guy who has cut for 6 buildings for 20 years pointed out that i should be grinding my depth gauges down to get a faster cutting saw. i had him do it on one of my chains and OMG, i will never go back. i have about half of the gauge ground off and it makes an incredible difference.

Stewart, what you’re talking about are the “raker teeth” on the chain. These are the little rounded non-sharp “teeth” that are on the chain in front of each of the sharp teeth. These teeth have both a function and are a safety measure.

EXTREME CAUTION has to be used here! The raker teeth should be checked with a depth gauge every time time the chain is sharpened, but they need to be filed according to specification and never lower than recommended or there is a strong likelihood increased kickback.

Bottom line, if your saw is bucking so hard that you need a straight arm to control it, you’ve take WAY too much off the raker teeth. This is extremely dangerous. It’s also hard on the saw because properly filed raker teeth help the saw not to “bite” too much so chain velocity is kept to optimum levels.

Generally, most recommendations I see are to maintain the raker teeth to .025 below the cutting teeth. Your spec may vary, so look it up.

As you can see, we’re only talking a few THOUSANDTHS of an inch below the tooth. Filing willy-nilly without a depth gauge means you can easily over-grind and create a bad safety issue.

Best way to maintain raker teeth is with a raker tooth file and guide set. IME, it takes about 3 strokes of a good file to bring each tooth back “in” about every 2-3 sharpenings of the chain. Bottom line is yes, filing raker teeth is part of good chain maintenance, but EXTREME caution has to be used.

Grouse

i don’t disagree with anything you say grouse, and maybe on a public platform, i shouldn’t be discussing.

raker, depth gauge 6 to 1. stihl calls them DEPTH GAUGES…

That said, i tried chains as .030, .040 and .045. I couldn’t see any difference at 30 and the 45 bucked too much for my taste. i converted all my chains to 40 about two years ago and have not looked back. All of that said, i’m cutting mostly soft woods, mostly sugar maple, so i might fall back to 30 if i were doing oak or maple… No question that it has improved my cutting.

i see it as an individual choice. do as you see fit. i think .025 is set for liability concerns. I know the county road crew and the electrical crew run at .035 around here.

Sugar maple is a hardwood. Reds and silvers are soft. I use full chisel chains which are not OSHA approved. However for consumer use they will cut faster but it can take a skilled operator to handle the kickback. The RS chains from Stihl are full chisel chains the RM are reduced kickback chains they will cut slightly slower but are safer to handle.

i meant silver. thanks for catching it.

and an excellent summary of the various chains available. if you’ve not run a full chisel, run a .020 depth gauge for at least a season before you jump to a 30 or 40. they ARE more dangerous.

stuwest wrote:

and an excellent summary of the various chains available. if you’ve not run a full chisel, run a .020 depth gauge for at least a season before you jump to a 30 or 40. they ARE more dangerous.

Exactly. My point is that the added safety risk of going outside of the .025 or so that’s called for on most chains is simply not worth any of the possible benefits for the occasional, non-professional user. An .025 chain that’s sharp and tuned properly cuts just fine and has the added benefit of reducing your chances of losing your face to kickback.

By far the best productivity enhancer for the occasional chainsaw user is to learn to properly sharpen and maintain chains and keep a sharp chain on the saw at all times. Knowing how to spot the signs that your chain is dull and understanding what dulls a chain are great skills to learn.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

By far the best productivity enhancer for the occasional chainsaw user is to learn to properly sharpen and maintain chains and keep a sharp chain on the saw at all times. Knowing how to spot the signs that your chain is dull and understanding what dulls a chain are great skills to learn.

Also, installing the chain in the correct orientation.

ralph-
you hit the nail on the head. and now i’ve got to clean my screen…

a couple of mmonths ago i was sharpening 3-4 chain, on the bar, off the bar for a couple of hours making sure they were REALLY tuned to the top for a session the next day. A buddy was coming over and we were going to take a couple of trees next to the house down…

well, at least i was smart enuf to check the cut of the saw b4 we began. NOTHING.

Called my buddy over (who has cut his whole life as his dad owned a saw mill). I’ve been pestering him for 2 months to teach me how to PROPERLY sharpen a chain.
“Gary- get your a$$ over here and tell me what i did wrong sharpening this chain. it won’t cut warm better!!!”

i was SOOO angry at him for not helping me…

He grabbed a file and took a look.

Then he said. I think you are sharpening it right, but you’ve got to put the chain on so the CHISEL FACES FORWARD. It won’t cut at all this way…

I really didn’t know what to say. I’d even sharpened it in that orientation. And i’ve wooded since ’74…

KISS…

Ha! Good, then I am not the only one.