Chainsaw recommendation

[ollie]

Hi everyone. I asked the missus to get me a chainsaw for my birthday and she bought me an electric one. I have no idea whether electric chainsaws are any good but I suspect they are not , does anyone have any experience of using an electric one?

 

I told her we'll probably bring the electric one back and get me a 2nd hand one off gumtree. I won't be using it loads, just to cut some firewood for the Winter. Can anyone recommend a decent, middle of the road, not too expensive chainsaw. Makes would be good so that I can search for them on gumtree and also advise what kinda price I would be paying for the particular make.

[JDog]

Of course there are certain disadvantages of electric chainsaws, especially when you are out in the woods! I have seen very good electric ones but they were only being used on fairly small timber.

 

You will find very little to beat Stihl petrol chain saws and they do now make small and handy ones.

[the pigeon man]

Stihl or husquvana

[byjovecarruthers]

Stihl or husquvana

I concur

[al4x]

If you are cutting at home an electric one isn't such a bad idea, my big issue with buying anything that runs on 2 stroke second hand is you never know if they have been run on a weak mix and scored the bores. I'd have a cheaper entry level husky before a larger second hand one

[ack-ack]

There are some good offers on Stihl 180 if you look about. A place down here was doing them for £150 !! Don't forget the PPE though, this can be pretty steep but if you value your wellbeing it's a must.

[lister1]

I use my electric saw all the time at home for logging up.

 

It's just as powerfull as a petrol one.

 

I have a petrol one for when out cutting trees down.

[p@cman]

I use my electric saw all the time at home for logging up.

 

 

 

Same here, electric chainsaw does the job just fine.

[stubby]

although I use an imported 20" bar chainsaw from evil bay (MJ TOOLS) which is a really good cheap chainsaw, I also use a 14" husky for cutting up logs for the wood burner, this is a great little chainsaw, without breaking the bank

 

http://www.steamandmoorland.com/acatalog/Husqvarna-135-Petrol-Chainsaw-with-14--bar-Husky135.html

[TGEvans]

Husky over a Stihl.Electric will be fine for light use and firewood purposes.Check out a log grenade from Screwfix.Excellent bit of kit!

[Zulu]

I use Husqvarna 321el ( electric ) at home for logging and Husqvarna 135 petrol when needed , the electric is quieter for home and does the job well .

Edited August 15, 2013 by Zulu

[mick miller]

MS181, does all the cutting I need, I even managed to get rid of some stumps in the front garden although the dirt and stones made short work of the chain.

Edited August 15, 2013 by mick miller

[byjovecarruthers]

My first chainsaw was a McCulloch. It was adequate for light use but the chain would need tightening every 10 minutes because they had used a stupid quick hand tightening method rather than and old fashioned nut and bolt. I frightened myself when the chain flew off and caught me across my inner thigh whilst I was alone in the woods. It didn't break the skin but gave me a nice welt which was hard to explain to the Memsahib and it was too damn close to major arteries for comfort. Flogged it on fleaBay to someone who just wanted to trim a hedge and bought a Stihl MS 171 for £150. It has been worth every penny and can handle most jobs with ease. Robust and uncomplicated. Look around and you'll find some good deals for quality chainsaws. If its just for odd jobs and firewood in the back yard then I've heard that the Aldi ones that pop up every now and again aren't bad.

Edited August 15, 2013 by byjovecarruthers

[Beretta28g]

Stihl, Stihl, and i say again Stihl

[Luckyshot]

Use a stihl Ms 260 for most of my wood but when feeling brave get the stihl 08's out, cant beat stihl as a general workhorse as if looked after they just run and run.

[la bala]

Number 1 rule, dont cut the cable.

[stroudwaterboy]

I have a good selection of chainsaws including an electric one for logging up. It doesn't shall we say feel like a "big boys toy" without all the noise and drama, but it does the job just as well as all the others. Stihl is without doubt the best. One tip make sure you keep the chain sharp! I see so many people look like they are using a bow saw, moving this way and that trying to get the chain to bite.

[njc110381]

Can you post us a link to the one you've got or tell us the make/model? I've used a good make electric saw before and it was very good - felled and ringed up a 15" round pear tree with ease so for general logging it would be fine. This was quite a high end Stihl though - not DIY shop rubbish!

 

If you have no need to take it away from the wood pile it could actually be a better bet. No worries with old fuel, carbs getting sticky after extended periods of rest etc. And they're a lot quieter!

[ollie]

Thanks for all the suggestions lads. There are quite a few makes if Stihl on Gumtree, all ranging from £180+, which to be honest is a bit out of my budget. I would be wanting to spend £100 or slightly over. Any suggestions of decent makes around this budget.

 

Can you post us a link to the one you've got or tell us the make/model? I've used a good make electric saw before and it was very good - felled and ringed up a 15" round pear tree with ease so for general logging it would be fine. This was quite a high end Stihl though - not DIY shop rubbish!

 

If you have no need to take it away from the wood pile it could actually be a better bet. No worries with old fuel, carbs getting sticky after extended periods of rest etc. And they're a lot quieter!

 

To be honest I think it is the basic Argos model, which is probably rubbish.

[johnphilip]

If you are just cutting at home then the electric may do the job with an electric you can use it in the shed. Most cheaper saws come with what is called a safety chain if you get a proper chain you will see the differance. Learn saftey boots and goggles or glasses and if ypu can get the right trousers learn to sharpen and with the right angle keep it sharp and correct tension on chain keep checking oil level. Had my electric for about 4 years also have a good petrol one names all ready said in other posts.

[Rimfireboy]

My husqvarner was manufactured in 1981 and its had loads of use. Just replaced the fuel pipe. Parts still available and it still works perfectly.

[Big Marty]

Stihl or husquvana

Really the only Saws worth buying. 👍👍

[ferguson_tom]

Stihl and Husquvana are the best on the market no questions about that but for a lot of people they are a bit on the pricey side.

 

I bought a Mcculloch 742 saw from homebase (on one of their extra 20% off days), as shown on the link and must say for the money it has been a great saw. It is nice and lightweight so can spend all day using it. I have had it for about 2 years now and it got used a lot for about the first 6-8 months of owning it as me and a friend got a job clearing a load of wood, to give you an idea of the amount we had two full IFOR williams 16ft trailers fully loaded every Saturday for 4 months come out of the place and the following couple of months was cutting into manageable sizes for wood burners. The saw had very little problems in that time, all i did was give it a good clean every couple of weeks. The only major issue i had so far was the chain oiler packed up but this was soon sorted when i stripped and cleaned it. Obviously this was not the only saw we used but my friend had the same one along with a couple of big stihls, 75% of the time we would be using the Mcculloch just because it was so light weight.

 

For the money it is a great little saw and coped with some pretty big logs well over 12" diameter, also i found even after sitting virtually the whole summer it started up without much hesitation when i got it out the shed.

 

http://reviews.homebase.co.uk/1494-en_gb/1673900/reviews.htm

 

I have no doubt it wont last the 20-30 years a Stihl or Husky would do but it still going strong after 2 years and a considerable amount of use.

[sandspider]

I was in a similar position to you - a bit of firewood chopping 5 or 10 times a year. In the end I got a Spear and Jackson saw off evilbay for about £80 delivered. Suits my needs fine. Not had any problems with it over the past three or so years (touch wood), though it is a bit of a ****** to start when hot. Sharpened the chain a few times and cleaned the air filter, tightened the chain once and not had to do anything else to it besides fill it up! (It's tackled some big logs too). I just run it till my chopping is done, let it idle away the last of the fuel then tuck it in the shed. If leaving for a long time I squirt a bit of 2-stroke oil into the cylinder and turn it over a few times to distribute it and it always fires up when I need it to. (Hope I've not jinxed it by saying that!)

 

As said above, it probably won't last 30 years, and might not be suitable for use 24/7 by a hardcore tree felling feller, but for my needs it's done well and for a lot cheaper than an equivalent Stihl or Husky. Spend the savings on PPE!

[moor man]

Stihl or husquvana

+1

I have 20 years experience with chainsaws......husky or stihl, spares readily available, good kit well built but like any small engine needs proper care and maintenance.

Clean fuel, correctly mixed, keep filter/plug clean, keep it sharp! dont cut ANYTHING other than wood and you should be OK.

Better to get one of these 2nd hnd than buy a cheap new cr*p model.

Dont know about electric but may be ok for you, depends on your needs.

Dont scrimp on safety gear, as a newb you are more at risk (no offence)

If you need to use a bigger saw then consider some training (not a bad idea anyway)

Edited August 17, 2013 by moor man