Any advice on new chainsaw?
 

With the wood cutting season among us, my main workhorse (a Stihl 026 pro from around 1993) was not running right and seemed to be down on power. Long story short, the cylinder and piston are scuffed up and needed replacement. I am looking at getting a new main saw and keep the 026 until I can track down the repair parts. I got a few older saws but none that are easy to use for extended periods.

My question is what saws do you guys have that you like? Anything to steer clear of? My dealer showed me a new Stihl ms261 pro, the equivalent of my old saw but I read the reviews and some say it's kind of cheap quality. I did read some good things about the ECHO CS 490 and 590, a guy at work said he has one that has treated him well.

Any information is greatly appreciated.

I highly recommend the Stihl 362. It's a light saber disguised as a chain saw. I'm running a 20 inch bar and have dropped and cut every kind of wood that grows in New England, and the saw hasn't bogged down once. Even Rock Maple doesn't slow that baby down.

I have a 450 Husquvarna Rancher I'm pretty proud of. It's close to ten years old. I've never done anything to it except throw away the anti-kick back chain it came with and replace with a full chisel.

I've never touched the motor. Just add gas and oil. Very high rpm engine. Cuts wood like it's butter. It has always started on the 2-3 pull regardless of how long it has been idle. 20 inch bar.

Also have a 16" Stihl that's 4-5 years old. It's a good saw but no compression release and no primer bulb makes it a little cranky to start sometimes.

Be kind to yourself and stay away from the economy brands.

I run a Husky Rancher same as Mike and have been pretty pleased with it.
Also to agree with Mike, don't put your staying warm this season on the
back of a cheap saw.

My favorite saw however is a Homelite 330 I bought in 1980.
Have certainly put it to the test over the years and it still goes, with
a few repairs now and then of course.

Ken

I've got a Stihl ms271 Farm Boss with an 18" bar, had it about 4 years. It's been a good saw but I'm only using it for yard maintenance and some light firewood cutting.

Usually in the fall Stihl runs the MS250 w/18" for $299...I'd have gone that route when I was buying but missed the sale by a few days. Given this years corona situation I'm unsure if they'll run that sale this fall or not.

I like Stihl's. That 026 is worth fixing for sure. But don't just slap a piston and rings at it, it failed for a reason, I'm betting air leak, either on the impluse line, carb boot or crank seals. Replace rubber stuff with OEM only. Caber has good rings and Meteor makes a nice piston.

Here are what I use, 044, ported 026, 192T and HT101.
Attachment 105902

Attachment 105903

We have a Stihl Farm Boss and a Husqvarna Rancher, both are great. The Stihl is about 15 years old and has had a lot of hard use over the years, never any trouble. The Husqvarna is about 8 years old, hasn’t had as much use, but so far so good. My dad got a really good deal on it from one of his friends, brand new.

I'm all Stihl in my shed and happy as a clam. Chose your model from the Farm/Ranch or professional line and avoid the homeowner. I also hear the Husqvarna is real good stuff.

Probably no help whatsoever, but I just picked up a Stihl 025 recently for a good price, it needed a new bar and chain, so I put an 18" forester bar and chain on it and it is a hungry saw. I like it a lot. The only thing I have to compare it to is a Poulan 3416, which has been nothing but a pain on anything other than limbs.

As soon as I put the bar on it I went and dropped a 20" or so wide dead ash tree in my front yard with no trouble at all.

Thank you everyone for the information I just went and looked at the Stihl dealer today and he suggested the Ms 362, but I also looked over the Ms 261. Both are in the professional line. I'm going sometime over the weekend to the Husqvarna dealer to look around. I am definitely planning on keeping the 026 and having it gone through and keep it as a backup.

I just saw this article. Lot's of tips on what features to look for. These saws are 50 CC saws, same size as your Stihl.

I have no idea why the Stihl saw didn't make this list. Some of these, I've never heard of.

https://sawingpros.com/best-50cc-chainsaws/

My guess Stihl is not mentioned is because Stihl is not a paying advertiser to the publisher.

I don't know but that Garwinner comes with a free tool kit & shipping, + it's only $137 :ROTF1:

Riley if I could go back I would have picked the 261 instead of the 271 I ended up getting, but at the time I didn't know the differences and the selling dealer didn't really know much.

For beginners 50cc chainsaw is the perfect chainsaw because it gives you a balance between power and precision.

Today my brother and his father in law cut down some large evergreens in his backyard. Brother has a Husqvarna and FIL has a Stihl. It was 45 degrees out. Husky was cutting circles around the Stihl. What I observed was the Stihl didn't want to start and didn't have any low end torque. I don't have model numbers or age of said saws, but if I'm buying a saw now, I'm not buying a Stihl.

love my ms 390 now a 391 best bang for the buck

Since this discussion was about "new" chainsaws, some may not be aware that for the last so many years, chainsaws bought OTC have come factory equipped with a low kick back chain. These chains don't cut very well at all even when brand new and as sharp as can be.

I have a Stihl and a Husky, both with full chisel chains and they both run through wood like a bandit. Neither would cut very well with the factory supplied "low kickback" chains.

Couldn't agree more on the low kick back "safety chain"
Also a Stihl is a good saw, one cannot judge a saw not operating well, as represented of other like saws.:bigthink:

I would pick up the CS-501P before a 261. My dealership sells both...we also sell the CS-490, which if you could only have one chainsaw and aren't using it daily is the one I'd recommend.

For the OP....https://cnj.craigslist.org/tls/d/lin...230952348.html

Well I figured I would let everyone know I did get a new saw,( actually 1 new and another older backup). I sound up going with the ECHO cs 590, but at the dealer he also had a Stihl 044 for a price I couldn't pass up so I made a deal on both. I like to mess around with old saws and I knew 044s were good so I figured it was a win win situation.

That was over a month ago and so far the echo has been a pleasant surprise. I've ran about 2 gallons of fuel through it, cutting green hickory, green ash, and an oak that was blowed over a year or so ago but still pretty solid. The echo is not shy on power, but is probably heavier than this 044. Also you feel a bit more vibration with the echo. Overall I'm happy with the results.

Dang it new phone I can't rotate the pics:bash2::bash2::bash2:

I will have a bunch of trees fall over in the next couple of years. I don't think my Efco 3700 is up to the task. (A great little saw IMHO).
I will most likely buy a Stihl MS261. I like the features and the price is not outrageous. Plus I think it will have the highest resale value in two or three years. The 261 comes in two versions. The standard 261, uses a standard carb. The other version, 261 C-M, uses their M-Tronic system. I have read some complaints that the M-Tronic version is difficult to start when warmed up.
I am looking for opinions on which version will be worth more in three years? Also does anyone have any experience with saws that have these electronic systems?

10 or 12mm 044? Slant fin cylinder?

261 is a great saw. I have a few 026’s.
Depending on the color of the solenoid and software, the hard hot start is fixed. Can’t remember if the white or black solenoid is better than the other, but either one with newest software (3.0?) should be fine.

I will post a close up pic sometime this week I'm not sure how to identify it:bigthink:

Hopefully these help. They did make a 10 and 12mm slant fin. The case will tell you what it is. If is a straight fin, its is 12mm. Slant cylinders have better stock timing numbers, and wake up even more with simple muffler mod and shaving a touch off the flywheel key. 12mm are rumored to have a bit more torque, but either of them flat run.

My 044 is a 10mm case, that had a straight 12mm cylinder, I rummaged through my junk and found a good slant to put on it. It's my go to for bigger stuff. Pulls a 24" no problem.

I look forward to your findings.

Well considering that I rarely need a saw I sold my Sthil stuff and bought a battery powered Greenworks 16" saw. Got tired of dealing with mixing gas and oil for the 15 mins or so of use per year. I also have a weed whacker, a pole saw and a hedge trimmer that all use the same battery. I hate to admit it but the battery powered stuff is pretty good these days. I have no delusions that it will never do what the gas powered saws will do for serious work. So far I'm happy. :beerchug:

That's all that matters partner...!!

I took on a massive tree trimming project around the fields about 10 years ago. I bought a Remington pole saw--electric. Tossed the generator in the back of the mule and away we went. Didn't want another engine to deal with. I just bought a battery powered pole saw so for the occasional limb and using when the ground is wet. Rechargeable batteries have come a long way. If I was going to use one every month or so, it would be gas.

Update - Sthil MS 261CM. I ended up buying the 261CM. Used it for the first time yesterday. So far so good. It starts easily, both hot and cold. I follow the procedure that Sthil recommends. Always put it into the start position no matter what. I wonder how many people have trouble starting the 261 because they think they know better and try to hot start it in the run position?
The power to weight ratio is really something and one of the primary reasons I bought it.
I bought a set of log tongs and a Fiskars Hookaroon. I should have got these years ago. They really save stress on my bad back. They also allow me to handle larger sections, so it takes less cutting to clean up the mess.