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SW “Ohia” | Asking a man his favorite brand of saw is like asking which brand of pickup truck they prefer. Ask five and you will get six answers. I work on small engine/outdoor power equipment on the side, so these are just my personal observations.
Stihl is a good saw. 'Nuff said. They are consistent, reliable, and easy to get parts for. Consumer saws work for consumers, professional saws work for professionals. The German's make good stuff, but many cheaper Stihl saws are made in the USA.
Husqvarna is a odd situation. Old Husky saws are very high quality. New Husky is also very high quality, but requires some due diligence. Husky purchased the Poulan company a few years back, and now all the cheaper-line Husky's are just Poulan saws with different colored plastic. Those saws are no better than a hardware store Poulan, so be sure to check their country of origin. Husqvarna saws made in Sweden are the professional line, which will rival any other forestry saw in production today. The saws made in USA or China are cheaper and built for consumer use.
Jonsered is just Husqvarna with red plastic. Tractor Supply Jonsered's are just like the rebadged Poulan Husqvarna's. Higher-line Jonsereds sold by independent dealers are excellent saws, and my personal favorite.
Dolmar makes excellent saws. Makita chainsaws are Dolmar's with blue plastic. Both are very good saws, but you need to have a good local dealer to get parts. If I was logging more than I do now, I would run Dolmar saws.
Echo saws are decent. They make a wide range of consumer/professional saws, but parts can be hard to get through independent suppliers. Home Depot is the main Echo saw dealer in the United States. I will give the "big" Echo saws credit, they are very powerful and built well. Popular as stumping saws.
Poulan saws are consumer grade, parts aren't too difficult to get. Saws aren't bad, but aren't spectacular. Hard to start more often than not. Also have the wonderful strato-charged carburetor. Craftsman saws are "usually" rebadged Poulans.
New McCulloch saws are consumer grade made in China, hard to get parts. Generic Harbor Freight/Imported "Earthquake" saws are cheap and hard to get parts for. (These saws are sold under several different names.) New Homelite saws are Chinese-made consumer saws. These grade saws should be avoided at all costs. Not even worth fixing if they ever have a problem. Hard to tune right, cheap seals and fuel lines, etc. Can't even cross the spark-plug number.
I collect vintage saws as a hobby, and my general rule is that the older a saw is, the higher quality it is. Big David Bradley gear-drive saws are fun, most have Tecumseh motors. Pioneer saws were the definitive logging saw in the Pacific Northwest, and rivaled McCulloch throughout the 20th century. Partner saws were high quality European saws that were eventually bought out by Husqvarna. Homelite made damn good saws until the 1980's. The XL-12 was the first lightweight "farm" chainsaw, and I still have my Grandpa's that was bought new in 1974. Runs great.
Any saw can be made to last forever with proper care. Use low/no-ethanol content gasoline, keep them clean, have them professionally tuned yearly, store them with the chain brake off, etc. Proper care and feeding will have your saw ready at a moments notice. | |
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Chainsaw Brand?
