Chainsaw

[HDoc]

Stihl or Echo?
Don't even try to suggest Homelite, I'm not into throw aways.
I can get a very good price on an Echo at Home Depot with my 10% off and they look decent, but Stihl is list price everywhere but makes an outstandingly good product that lasts and lasts. Never owned an Echo product.
I'm at loggerheads... UR suggestions please.
( 16 inch bar, light to moderate use, no trees greater than 12" mostly limbs and the occasional zombie)

[jocko]

STIHL , they don't sell to mass mdsers either. Other good brands out there but STIHL has to be one of the best. for me I would try to buy local and buy a good brand and most local dealers that deal in chanisaws, STIHL if they are any dealer at all will in their line. Servie has to be something to look at when buying.

[jeepster09]

I agree, Stihl makes good stuff, I have had a Stihl weed whip for over 15 years and it still works great!

[Alfonse]

Stihl or Husqvarna. Husqvarna makes great stuff also, the commercial models are the best. Can't go wrong with either.

[MW surveyor]

Stihl........although Echo makes some good stuff too.

[Bawanna]

I've ran a Echo about the size your describing for many many years. Never a lick of trouble and it cut right along side the big saws too.

Also have an Echo weed cutter and it's still going strong too.

I'm sure like everything else the new ones aren't as good as the older ones, I know when I bought my saw it was a last years model, and the new model wasn't as good.

This would apply to all of them though, Stihl, Husqavarna, all of them.

Still with one of the name brands, take care of it and it'll run a long time.

The killer of chainsaws is bad gas and dull chains. I dump my gas and run it out everytime (or I did back when I was running it).
I touched the chain up the minute it started to not throw big chips.

[jeepster09]

This one for sure....

[jeepster09]

Or......

[kahrnut1]

stihl ms192 is the best if you are going to be trimming because you can one hand it. i love mine. probaly not best if you are going to be falling trees

[Polygon]

I like Stihl or Husqvarna.

[CJB]

From a guy who works with the men who use the equipment every day, there are two brands that dominate down here in S. Florida. Those are Echo and Stihl.

I'm in the market for a new chain saw after my very old (and still well made) Poulon got stolen from a friends garage two years back. I'll be doing a mid sized Echo.

Look at the specs on the Echo's and you'll see some of the mid-sized are as light as, or even a little lighter than the smaller ones. I'll go with weight, and just use a small arm and chain for most of my cutting, saving the bigger arm for "as needed" work.

The mechanics I talk to say that Stihl holds up better for them - these guys are mechanics on golf courses, where crews use (and abuse) equipment daily). They also tell me the Echo is easier to work on, and parts are better to come by - just a phone call away to Echo, whereas Stihl is a bit more of a chase to get parts.

I can't think of any reason an Echo would be more than what I need for home and emergency use.

Also... Home Depot is not a full line point of sale on Echo - you pretty much have to go to a specialty outlet, but a lot of them offer "to the trade" discounts, and also consumer sales from time to time... just gotta shop 'em.

[Longitude Zero]

I have had great service from Stihl.

[HDoc]

Also... Home Depot is not a full line point of sale on Echo - you pretty much have to go to a specialty outlet, but a lot of them offer "to the trade" discounts, and also consumer sales from time to time... just gotta shop 'em.

Does that mean not all models available or cheaper versions of their stuff?

[steve666]

http://www.salem-news.com/stimg/march012010/sthil_timber.jpg

[muggsy]

I wouldn't have a problem with purchasing any of the big three. Find the one that best suits your needs at a good price. Lets be careful out there.

[getsome]

Have had 3 Echo chain saws and all worked great with never a problem...Have had 2 different Stihl weed whackers and both were also good machines with no issues...With either one you won't go wrong for a homeowner saw...Now if you are a pro tree service and cut trees all day long you would need either a commercial (high dollar) Stihl or Jonsered saw which is what you see loggers using...

I looked at the Husqvarna saws at Lowes as they get good reviews but they didn't feel right in my hand and the Echo felt much more comfortable to me so I went with the Echo...Like guns I want a chain saw to feel right in my hand...

What bawanna said about always using new clean fuel mixture not leaving old fuel that has broken down is the ticket to problem free operation along with using a good brand of 2 cycle oil at the correct mixture...It is also important to use something like the STA-BIL ethanol treatment in the gas which is the main reason lawn equipment fails...The summer blend of gasoline contains even more ethanol/alcohol than winter blends and since ethanol will collect and absorb water using old fuel or fuel without the treatment will destroy small engines in a hurry...

If you have a 2 cycle outboard engine boat or water craft it imperative to use the marine fuel additive and to fuel up before you get to the lake and not buy fuel at the marina which is usually old and of unknown quality...If you have ever had to have an outboard engine worked on you know how much of a bank breaker that is but with fresh good fuel/oil with the additive in it and normal maintenance it will last and operate much longer with fewer repairs needed....

[TheTman]

Mine is a Stihl. Love it. Came with 2 chains and 2 bars. Around here there are many more places that will service a Stihl, than an Echo or Husky.

[paperpuncher]

http://img.tapatalk.com/63a1be11-e0c6-83a7.jpg

I'm kind of partial to Dolmar saws......um, and Guiness I guess.

[getsome]

Since Stihl hasn't sold out to Home Depot or Lowes yet (Some say that if they ever do it will trigger the end of the world) it might be a better idea to buy from a real Stihl dealer than another brand from a home store if there was ever a warranty issue...Stihl had some problems a few years back with carburetors going bad due to the ethanol in gas but fixed the problems under warranty...My neighbor had a Stihl saw that had to be fixed and the Stihl dealer told him to start using an ethanol fuel additive to prevent the problem, thats how I found out about how bad ethanol gas is on small engines especially 2 cycles....

Sometimes a dealer even if more expensive can be the better choice...I bought a higher end John Deere garden tractor from Home Depot and had a problem with one of the mower deck pulleys going out the first month I had it and took the mower to a John Deere tractor dealer for service and they told me they didn't work on what he called "Box Store Deere's" and didn't warranty them either...Ended up ordering the part from a lawn mower repair place and having to fix it myself...:mad:

[HDoc]

Since Stihl hasn't sold out to Home Depot or Lowes yet (Some say that if they ever do it will trigger the end of the world) it might be a better idea to buy from a real Stihl dealer than another brand from a home store if there was ever a warranty issue..
Sometimes a dealer even if more expensive can be the better choice...I bought a higher end John Deere garden tractor from Home Depot and had a problem with one of the mower deck pulleys going out the first month I had it and took the mower to a John Deere tractor dealer for service and they told me they didn't work on what he called "Box Store Deere's" and didn't warranty them either...Ended up ordering the part from a lawn mower repair place and having to fix it myself...:mad:

As far as I know WEBER, John Deere,Stanley and several other manufacturer's sell cheaper versions of products with similar stock numbers to the big box stores. Learned with a Weber grill that had cast iron instead of porcelain grill bars. Bought my JD tractor from a local farm store because of that. U really need to research big ticket items U buy at those places. Sometimes I call the manufacturer directly, ask to speak to a product specialist and as them point blank. Did that with a sump pump
I was going to buy and they said the cheapest pump sold @ HD only had plastic rather than metal impellers but that all of their other products were the same.
Cheap is sometimes NOT the way to go. (Wolf ammo comes to mind.)