Looking for a new chainsaw
- Thread starter nathan.luthman
- Start date
Dad has both. He has issues with the oiler on his husky. No issues with the Stihl and it's 4 times older. I'm a stihl fan myself.
twireman
Senior Member
I have a Stihl 028wb that was made in 1983 i believe. Bought it off my papaw who bought it in '89. It has cut 6+ cords of firewood for me each of the last 5 years as I heat 100% wood. Pretty good for a 30+ year old saw. We have an awesome Stihl dealer down here. A good dealer/serviceability would be more of a concern to me than brand.
Certain years of the "Rancher" series had oiler issues. Easy fix that takes 5 minutes tops. Any dealer can fix it in no time.
Joel
Senior Member
Stihl. Get one from a local dealer that services them also. Can't beat the service if it's anything like what I get around here. Husqvarna saws are a little cheaper but some people love them.
I screwed up and bought "local" with the Husq. We have four Stihl dealers close and one is ran by a dick, the others are box stores (Bridgeport Tool, Ace Hardware, Rural King). A girl I went to school with, her dad owns an outdoor power equipment shop and he's as good a dude as you can find. I've been saying I'd buy something from him for years to support his business and that's why I bought the Husq as much as anything, although the 455 did have some good reviews here and elsewhere. However it's no Stihl in terms of reliability. To me, the saw is a little finicky and better suited for someone who like preventative maintenance. I am a bull in a China closet with my shit: Use it, abuse it and fix when broke. The Husq doesn't seem to like my methods...
Archertl
Senior Member
I have a german dolmar 6100 . Id take take a husqvarna pro over most sthils except the ms780 or 880 those are awesome saws.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
I was going to say something along that lines. I'm thinking of getting a much smaller chainsaw for clearing brush and perhaps hinging trees as my big Stihl will wear you out any time you cut above your waist.
I feel the same. Dolmars are great.
Don't forget saws do not work the same as saws of old because of the CARB compliance. Now you have to do an Indian dance everytime you wanna start it.
"Choke"
"Prime"
Compression release
Pull until it wants to start
Turn off choke
Pull until it starts
If it is cold and doesn't start it probably flooded somewhere inbetween. So then you must pull until it quits spitting gas out of the muffler.
Above is what happens with most new saws until you get used to the starting method. Thank you government...
Primary complaint with the Husq is how hard it is to start compared to my Stihl and dad's old Farm Boss.
Our Stihl (new) is worse than any of the Husqvarna. The old stuff is MUCH easier to start for a newb to the CARB complaint Autotune saws.
They are all easy (even though they all have too many steps because of CARB) now that I have enough time behind them.
They are all easy (even though they all have too many steps because of CARB) now that I have enough time behind them.
twireman
Senior Member
Spot on here. My dads newer ms291 was a dog compared to my old 028. Muffler was choked down due to EPA. We did a muffler mod and retuned carb to open it up. Made that saw come alive.
I have a Stihl ms261c pro saw and a Husqvarna. (Can't even remember the size because I never use it.) Love my Stihl, never had the first issue starting and being a smaller pro saw it's super light. I run a 20" bar on it and have never had a problem cutting anything. Highly recommend. Also the oiler plugged up on my husky. Haha
