whats good value chainsaw

twincamman

im looking for a saw for cutting firewood probly wont be cutting very big trees ,so something handy,there is a garden ranger for 200euro ,20 inch bar ,50cc but are they any good,husgavarna and stihl saws are very expensive any suggestions

mp22

have a 30year old stihl still cutting like it was new buy the best you can afford it will out last the cheapies

Irish_polizei

twincamman wrote: »

im looking for a saw for cutting firewood probly wont be cutting very big trees ,so something handy,there is a garden ranger for 200euro ,20 inch bar ,50cc but are they any good,husgavarna and stihl saws are very expensive any suggestions

tell ye lad, the best job is to go to a plant hire and just ask them what they reckon is the most reliable.....if i was buying a chainsaw it would have to be a stihl, have stihl strimmer for 5/6 years and it never gave me 1 bit of trouble, in the long term a stihl pays off!!

old boy

a ball bark figure, 200 you are better off buying a 2nd hand one for that than giving it for a new one, that has been my philosophy all my life, and it is rarely wrong. it is like buying a 10g merc or buying a 10g punto,

CJhaughey

Look out for a good secondhand Shindaiwa they are probably the most reliable starting saw made, Japanese quality and build.
Oleomac can be bought reasonably as can older Huskies 254 etc
Stihl are OK but nothing better than any other quality saw on the market, plenty of heavy old 290/029's out there that are beat to death and are still expensive secondhand.

I have never heard of Garden ranger, probably a chinese saw and likely to be cheap new, worthless secondhand and impossible to get parts for after a year or two.

20" is too much for a 50cc saw , 16 or 18" would be better and stick with .325 chain, 3/8 will be too much for a 50cc.

What are you cutting? softwood,hardwoods? Forestry thinnings?

Mailman

You can achieve amazing things with a cheap saw which has got a good edge on the chain. A cheap plastic Partner/Poulan/McCulloch with an 15", 16" or 18" bar running 3/8 low pro chain and a good edge on the chain is adequate for hobby use.
Beware the Chinese stuff as it is generally rubbish which won't run properly when hot.
A cheap McCulloch isn't particularly durable but it's properly designed.
Husky and Johnsered make versions of same but they are usually 80 quid more expensive.
Old saws are expensive to repair, heavy and have no safety features.
New hobby saws are throw away items.
If you owned a good old saw then I'd say definitely keep it and spend the money on fixing it but I wouldn't put myself through the ordeal of finding an old saw in good condition and I know exactly what to look for.

You'll have next to no hope of finding a Shindawia as they were always too expensive to sell in quantity in Ireland.
OleoMacs were pretty rubbish. there were as many bad Stihls as good and you'll find in recent years some poor models amongst the good from Husqvarna, Johnsered and Partner

piddler

you should buy a stihl ms181 they're about 320 euro grand light saw forget about small huskys the big saw are great but the small ones are dirt!!

cosmic martin

Recomend a Husqvana 254. Used one for 5 years non stop with intensive forestry post hurrican effects in suffolk. Strong and reliable.

DAZOD

the brand you mentoned doesnt exist, its a rebranded chinese saw or something like it.
the pecking order for life expentancy on saws generally goes like this stihl, then husqvarna jonsered, then tanaka/makita, oleomac/efco (any of the brands where ive put a / tend to be the same thing.
you will easily buy a husqvarna 345 or 350 for the 200 euro mark second hand. depends where you are , if your in the midlands or east or west you'll have a good selection of mixed stores. if your in the south east theres bound to be an ise store near you and they will generally have everything in new and a mix of second hands,
the smallest saw worth considering new is probably a husqvarna 236 or jonsered 2234 both tend to be on sale offeres in the €230-260 price region depending on the dealer and the time he has the promotion on at. but your getting a small saw which is ideal for hobby use and will have warranty back up and spare parts available form a maini deale.r the only way to go about saws.

cosmic martin

Would still go for a used Husky 254 myself.In fact if anyone has one near west cork, i'm in the market for one. Like i said used the same saw for 5 years flat out, not a bother.

tinofapples

Husky 236 any good for occassional home use ? Can get one new for €180, good price ?

cosmic martin

Cheers mate. Got a Husky 51 from a local shop.

Kat1170

Still using the Stihl 024 that my dad bought in the early/mid 80's. Know plenty of lads that work in forestry and they all swear by Stihl/Husky.

reilig

tinofapples wrote: »

Husky 236 any good for occassional home use ? Can get one new for €180, good price ?

Possibly the best small saw on the market. I have mine for almost 12 months. It cost €180. It is hungry for timber - it eats through it. I have a bigger husqvarna 365 also. I much prefer to use the 236 because it is so much lighter, has loads of power, is easier on fuel and chains are cheap for it.
You won't regret it one bit!

cosmic martin

Yes. Worked with a team of tree surgeons in sufolk. They liked the small stihl. Remember a Johnsared 90 we had for large jobs with a 30" bar. But we used huskys for general work.

Kat1170

Jonsered and Husky basically the same saws just different colours and names. Parts are interchangeable.

cosmic martin

I see. interesting. Can't go wrong with a husky, apart from the immitation one's.

greenfingers89

OP there is defnetly no need for you to have a 20 inch bar on the saw for processing firewood, 16 inch would be loads and maybe even a too big at that....if you think you might have use in the future for a bigger bar then i recomend you buy one saw which you'll use mostly with the small bar but has just enough power to occassionally use with a 20 inch bar................using a twenty inch bar when its not needed will just tire you(and your saw) out

regards

celticmicky

DAZOD wrote: »

the brand you mentoned doesnt exist, its a rebranded chinese saw or something like it.
the pecking order for life expentancy on saws generally goes like this stihl, then husqvarna jonsered, then tanaka/makita, oleomac/efco (any of the brands where ive put a / tend to be the same thing.
you will easily buy a husqvarna 345 or 350 for the 200 euro mark second hand. depends where you are , if your in the midlands or east or west you'll have a good selection of mixed stores. if your in the south east theres bound to be an ise store near you and they will generally have everything in new and a mix of second hands,
the smallest saw worth considering new is probably a husqvarna 236 or jonsered 2234 both tend to be on sale offeres in the €230-260 price region depending on the dealer and the time he has the promotion on at. but your getting a small saw which is ideal for hobby use and will have warranty back up and spare parts available form a maini deale.r the only way to go about saws.

I wouldn't agree there with the poor Tanaka rating, in my experience their 3801 and 4501 models are second to none, especially in recent years with the Husqvarna and Stihl domestic saws reducing in quality. I know several gardeners who own Tanaka chainsaws and the only time we look at their saws is when they are in getting them sharpened up.