Small chain saws - Advice

[Kalahari]

Huskie fan here. I have three. A 136 which I use most because it is light it works fine and fells quite sizeable stuff, a 55 which I bought in 1996 and I am having to replace the silencer bracket (things aren't made to last) and a beast 372 which I use for genuinely big stuff. Got it to clear a huge amount of windfall in trees about 2 feet across and for some jobs you need a big motor to pull a chain through a big tree. Less tiring funnily enough for that kind of job. A pal of mine has an expensive Stihl, rechargeable which is pretty good but the chain has small teeth and it chokes a bit in sappy wood.

David.

PS. All my petrol saws are cordless too!

 

[gixer1]

Another husqy fan here, I have several of their products and they are well build and the support is excellent...I was put off Stihl with the clamshell design (more difficult and expensive to fix) on some saws and the fact they stopped mail order parts which was madness!

I will say I use an old mcculloch for a shedding/small saw and it’s 20 odd years old and still going strong!
Regards,
Gixer

 

[WH308]

Another husqy fan here, I have several of their products and they are well build and the support is excellent...I was put off Stihl with the clamshell design (more difficult and expensive to fix) on some saws and the fact they stopped mail order parts which was madness!

I will say I use an old mcculloch for a shedding/small saw and it’s 20 odd years old and still going strong!
Regards,
Gixer

Is it one of the little all metal yellow ones? I was doing a job once and the homeowner gave me one of those, he said he was sick of it as no matter how much he sharpened the blade it wouldn’t cut. I said sure and put it in the van. A few weeks later I got round to looking at it, only to find the blade was on backwards.....

 

[Mossypaw]

CS-2511WES-C

Compact, light weight with the best power-to-weight ratio in its class. The new CS-2511WES-C rear handle chainsaw with carving bar from ECHO is ideal for trimming, pruning, wood carving, logging, small felling and off-ground work.

www.echo-tools.co.uk

Little beast !

 

[Sharpie]

To throw in another idea, I bought a little Chinese top-handle chainsaw some years ago for just one job. Clearing out stuff from a beautiful arboretum and the rest of the grounds, that had been untouched for at least five years. Some of it quite big. My GF's new property. Getting a contractor in was looking very pricey. Took me three days of solid work, and several trips to the garage to refill the petrol can.

First time I'd ever used a chainsaw. But I had watched a few videos first, mostly demonstrating how not to do it.

Still using the original chains it came with, with regular touch-ups with a file.

I think I paid £50 for it at the time including a helmet with ear defenders, and had no expectations that it would even finish that job. But it did, and is still as fit as ever. Just wish I had more to do with it now.

A quick ebay search and I found one that looks identical to mine, £80 now, posted.

26 cc Lightweight 3.5kg Top Handled Petrol Chainsaw 3 Chains & 10" Bar Included | eBay

BU-KO 26cc Lightweight 3.5KG - Top Handled Petrol Chainsaw | 3 Chains and 10" Bar Included| Cover Bag and Full Safet Gear. Power Source: Petrol. Type: Chainsaw. 【EASY TO OPERATE w/ LESS VIBRATION 】The ergonomic design makes this chainsaw balanced, manoeuvrable, and comfortable to operate.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[gixer1]

Is it one of the little all metal yellow ones? I was doing a job once and the homeowner gave me one of those, he said he was sick of it as no matter how much he sharpened the blade it wouldn’t cut. I said sure and put it in the van. A few weeks later I got round to looking at it, only to find the blade was on backwards.....

It’s a Mac 335...believe it or not, my brother threw it in the bin when he moved house and I fished it out, it had a split oiler tube, put a new one on and it’s been going strong ever since!

 

[Grannysmith]

Stihl every time kes
I have 2 and they never let me down

 

[Outback]

I have a old Husky 135 XT and a 372 XT does every thing I want .

 

[countrryboy]

Stay clear of top handled saws, usually more expensive and balance is all wrong with them.
Just an accident waiting to happen using them on the deck too easy to use 1 handed and even with 2 hands still very hard to stop kick back.
Even up a tree I often take a small rear handled more jut wot m used to as very rarely comb now.
By rights strictly speaking ur meant to have ur coming ticket to buy a top handled saw, but slight grey area as some say onl pro saws so can still buy the cheap 1s with no ticket.

Only thing I'd add is run a smal narrowl chain, either run a 3/8s Pico or 325 xcut/ Pico both run on 1.3mm instead of either 1.5 or 1.6mm guage.
If keep sharp cut very well and hold there edge fine.
Makes a big difference with ur smaller engine saws

For small firewood probably not an issue but I personally hate external clutches on saws, a bugger to get power head off if ur silly enough to get it nipped ( which does happen, I usual always carry a 2nd bar and chain to cut myself out but wate of time with a wee husky) and even a nuisance taking chain on/off compared to an internal clutch like most stihls have

Think I have 5 hukys in back of van the now and more in my shed not all running anymore.
Not a husky man anymore, I'd say very few die hard husky pro users left and the Stihl 500i will finally see husky off.
And I'm from a big husky area where back in 80s everyone had an orange saw couple of pubs the boys would pile them up at back door on thurs and Fri nights quite literally sawdust on floor from all the wid cutters in.
1 of the companies had 80 hand cutters working for him back in day, and many other squads about.
Huskys aren't in the same league as they used to be, and gong downhill quick whereas Stihl are gong in the opposite direction.
With pro grade saws the stihls pretty much have market leading saw at every size, dont thnk husky even still make a saw bigger than the 572, which is a beast but not if ur milling or doing big hard woods every day.

Just bought a new stihl a few weeks ago and can't see me buyng another husky and definately not a u 70cc for the external cltch issue

 

[Mossypaw]

Stay clear of top handled saws, usually more expensive and balance is all wrong with them.
Just an accident waiting to happen using them on the deck too easy to use 1 handed and even with 2 hands still very hard to stop kick back.
Even up a tree I often take a small rear handled more jut wot m used to as very rarely comb now.
By rights strictly speaking ur meant to have ur coming ticket to buy a top handled saw, but slight grey area as some say onl pro saws so can still buy the cheap 1s with no ticket.

Only thing I'd add is run a smal narrowl chain, either run a 3/8s Pico or 325 xcut/ Pico both run on 1.3mm instead of either 1.5 or 1.6mm guage.
If keep sharp cut very well and hold there edge fine.
Makes a big difference with ur smaller engine saws

For small firewood probably not an issue but I personally hate external clutches on saws, a bugger to get power head off if ur silly enough to get it nipped ( which does happen, I usual always carry a 2nd bar and chain to cut myself out but wate of time with a wee husky) and even a nuisance taking chain on/off compared to an internal clutch like most stihls have

Think I have 5 hukys in back of van the now and more in my shed not all running anymore.
Not a husky man anymore, I'd say very few die hard husky pro users left and the Stihl 500i will finally see husky off.
And I'm from a big husky area where back in 80s everyone had an orange saw couple of pubs the boys would pile them up at back door on thurs and Fri nights quite literally sawdust on floor from all the wid cutters in.
1 of the companies had 80 hand cutters working for him back in day, and many other squads about.
Huskys aren't in the same league as they used to be, and gong downhill quick whereas Stihl are gong in the opposite direction.
With pro grade saws the stihls pretty much have market leading saw at every size, dont thnk husky even still make a saw bigger than the 572, which is a beast but not if ur milling or doing big hard woods every day.

Just bought a new stihl a few weeks ago and can't see me buyng another husky and definately not a u 70cc for the external cltch issue

Got to agree with that. Mate just got a 500i, awesome saw and probably a gamechanger.

 

[eldon]

I have an ms261 running 16" plus a chinese 20" from family. A recently departed friend bequeathed me an ms 181 and using a 14" bar for light firewood duty it is hard to beat

 

[WH308]

Got to agree with that. Mate just got a 500i, awesome saw and probably a gamechanger.

Just had a look at that, power to weight ratio looks fantastic. But electronic injection on a saw! Try fixing that with a flat screwdriver in the middle of nowhere!

 

[shendy]

the battery saws are good saws
or look at a 201 back handle with 12inch bar, just a small amount of logging they will be fine

 

[Rubikviz]

Just had a look at that, power to weight ratio looks fantastic. But electronic injection on a saw! Try fixing that with a flat screwdriver in the middle of nowhere!

For comparison try fixing one of these!! ..thats the fire wood pile sorted ....

 

[countrryboy]

Just had a look at that, power to weight ratio looks fantastic. But electronic injection on a saw! Try fixing that with a flat screwdriver in the middle of nowhere!

Most pro saws are all controlled b bloody computers now, tell u how many times started, how hard run etc, amazing but completely unnecessary..

Althou 1 major drawback with stihls is those ****ing stupid fuel/oil caps!!!
! ****ing just a ****ing menace


While I'm ranting and rain p ING down outside
Another problem with modern 5 series huskies is they changed the new park plug size, so ur plug key no longer fits both Stihl and husky bar nuts.
Bloody pest remembering to swap plug keys spending on which saw ur using

 

[WH308]

For comparison try fixing one of these!! ..thats the fire wood pile sorted ....

Fixing that is much closer to my job than fixing a saw!

 

[Shabz]

I worked a saw for knocking on 20 years, always ran husky 357s but they were always sh1te! They never ran right. I went on to stihls after I dropped a 461 in a ravine, it tumbled down a banking and off an eight foot drop into a burn where it sat for 20 minutes while I got to it. I pulled the plug out, pulled it a few times and put a warm plug back in it and off it went.
When I swapped my saw for a desk, I bought a 261. It just sits in the shed and fires into life every time I ask it to. If I need to, I can fell a hell of a size tree with it.

 

[Puds]

I’ve had a Husky 435 for a few years. It works well, but can be a bit of a tricky one to get going at times. Nice & light to use though, and cheap.

 

[Rake Aboot]

The new auto tune (ecu controlled) saws are superb. Easier starting and better cutting.

Far better than older carburetted saws.

 

[Cyres]

I brought a Husky 136 16 years ago and still going strong and so reliable. Friend is looking at electric chainsaw and we narrowed it down to a Makita, single battery and a deal on 2x 5a batteries. They appear to be very good bits of kit esp if you have other Makita battery tools.

D