mid range saw - husky or jonsered?

JohnBoy · 13-09-2011 3:35pm

neither could I, but anyone who used it was amazed at the weight of it.

twas one of the earliest versions from lidl, not florabest, some other brand they had before that I think.

now that you mention it said husqvarna has had a 20 inch bar fitted which would lighten it, but only a little.

but yeah, twas one heavy little yoke.

reilig · 13-09-2011 3:57pm

Eleganza wrote: »

I don't believe that a 99 euro LIDL saw with a plastic body would weigh anywhere close to the weight of a 365 or 395. A 24 inch bar and chain alone would weight the same as a small plastic bodied 40cc saw.

Have you ever had one?

I have.

It lasted just over a year, and when I went to bring it back to Lidl, after the chain sprocket shattered into bits - luckily I was wearing protective gear, I had to pick little sharp pieces of metal out of my visor, Lidl refused to give me a refund for it, but instead would only replace it. I really didn't want another one, so they exchanged it for groceries.

I swore that i would never buy cheap junk after that. I bought a proper husky from a dealer based on the performance of the bigger husky 365 that i already owned.

The 365 with 21 inch bar is 6kg. The Lidl chainsaw is 5.8kg.

I have no idea of pricing for parts and service for the 236, but I have had my 365 serviced numerous times by an independent chainsaw repair specialist. He has also replaced a number of the wearing parts on it, and I have always found his prices to be very reasonable.

Just because something is made in the same factory as something else, doesn't mean that it has the same quality.

We have had Stihl and Husquvarna saws around the house for the last 40 years along with a few cheapo chainsaws that were bought with the hope that we might have got a bargain.

I can 100% guarantee anyone that if they buy a €100 Lidl chainsaw to saw up a few small branches in their garden a few times per year and burn no more than a gallon of petrol per year, it will give you many years of service.

However, if you are buying a chainsaw to saw wood on your farm or saw wood for to fuel your stove / cooker / gasifying boiler then a Lidl saw will last no more than one season. Choose a mid range saw from a recognised brand and you will enjoy the benefits of a reasonable price combined with many years of reliable sawing and safety!

Tora Bora · 13-09-2011 4:31pm

reilig wrote: »

Have you ever had one?

I have.

It lasted just over a year, and when I went to bring it back to Lidl, after the chain sprocket shattered into bits - luckily I was wearing protective gear, I had to pick little sharp pieces of metal out of my visor, Lidl refused to give me a refund for it, but instead would only replace it. I really didn't want another one, so they exchanged it for groceries.

I swore that i would never buy cheap junk after that. I bought a proper husky from a dealer based on the performance of the bigger husky 365 that i already owned.

The 365 with 21 inch bar is 6kg. The Lidl chainsaw is 5.8kg.

I have no idea of pricing for parts and service for the 236, but I have had my 365 serviced numerous times by an independent chainsaw repair specialist. He has also replaced a number of the wearing parts on it, and I have always found his prices to be very reasonable.

Just because something is made in the same factory as something else, doesn't mean that it has the same quality.

We have had Stihl and Husquvarna saws around the house for the last 40 years along with a few cheapo chainsaws that were bought with the hope that we might have got a bargain.

I can 100% guarantee anyone that if they buy a €100 Lidl chainsaw to saw up a few small branches in their garden a few times per year and burn no more than a gallon of petrol per year, it will give you many years of service.

However, if you are buying a chainsaw to saw wood on your farm or saw wood for to fuel your stove / cooker / gasifying boiler then a Lidl saw will last no more than one season. Choose a mid range saw from a recognised brand and you will enjoy the benefits of a reasonable price combined with many years of reliable sawing and safety!

I agree 100%. Lidl saw is for the back garden maintenance, no more.

I work in manufacturing management, for a large multinational company.
Like the cases Eleganza refers to, we have a range of products, built on a common chassis, but branded differently, and sold through different sales channels, at significantly varying price points.
You can rest assured, that there is always a good reason and logic behind the different branding and price point.
The lower price product may be made in the same manufacturing line as the higher price model, and it may share many of the same components, BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, key performance components are NOT the same.
How the end product performs at the end of the day, and how long it lasts, depends in most cases on a minority of components, but these components are always the most precisely engineered parts, manufactured to the tightest tolerances, with the highest cost.

These high end components in teh case of Husqvarna, go in Husqvarna branded products. In the Lidl version,...... well the equivalent parts are probably manufactured in China. Enough said.

heffo500 · 13-09-2011 4:51pm

Hi

I too had one of the Lidl chainsaw grand for a while then would barely start and started leaking oil.

So I went for it this year and got myself a Stihl MS311 chainsaw and I've never looked backed. It cost me just over €500.

I would recommend this Stihl it's powerful,fast and vibration free nearly. I've felled about 50 trees this summer and will be starting again now soon.

It has decompression valve which makes it easy to start too. It's a 59cc engine.

A word of advice if you buy the Stihl buy the safety gear,the proper Stihl Sharpening Kit (Only €20) and a spare chain (just in case your sawing on a sunday and damage your chain).

If you are really considering this saw I will put a youtube video of it cut up a few logs just so you can see what you think.

I have a 18" bar on it but it will take a 16" or 20".

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS311.html

vanderbadger · 13-09-2011 5:06pm

reilig wrote: »

Have you ever had one?

I have.

It lasted just over a year, and when I went to bring it back to Lidl, after the chain sprocket shattered into bits - luckily I was wearing protective gear, I had to pick little sharp pieces of metal out of my visor, Lidl refused to give me a refund for it, but instead would only replace it. I really didn't want another one, so they exchanged it for groceries.

I swore that i would never buy cheap junk after that. I bought a proper husky from a dealer based on the performance of the bigger husky 365 that i already owned.

The 365 with 21 inch bar is 6kg. The Lidl chainsaw is 5.8kg.

I have no idea of pricing for parts and service for the 236, but I have had my 365 serviced numerous times by an independent chainsaw repair specialist. He has also replaced a number of the wearing parts on it, and I have always found his prices to be very reasonable.

Just because something is made in the same factory as something else, doesn't mean that it has the same quality.

We have had Stihl and Husquvarna saws around the house for the last 40 years along with a few cheapo chainsaws that were bought with the hope that we might have got a bargain.

I can 100% guarantee anyone that if they buy a €100 Lidl chainsaw to saw up a few small branches in their garden a few times per year and burn no more than a gallon of petrol per year, it will give you many years of service.

However, if you are buying a chainsaw to saw wood on your farm or saw wood for to fuel your stove / cooker / gasifying boiler then a Lidl saw will last no more than one season. Choose a mid range saw from a recognised brand and you will enjoy the benefits of a reasonable price combined with many years of reliable sawing and safety!

id say the 365 is a serious saw is it? why bother with the smaller saw or is the 365 very big?

Bizzum · 13-09-2011 5:31pm

vanderbadger wrote: »

id say the 365 is a serious saw is it? why bother with the smaller saw or is the 365 very big?

The 365 is a Beast (Pronounced baste:D), I've done a lot of work with the 365 and the 350.
For felling or heavy cutting, ringing big trees etc the 365 is great, but it really pulls the heart out of you if you're limbing boughs or cutting light timber.
As I said earlier a good 45/50cc saw will cut with ease 95% of what the typical farmer wants cut.

Bizzum · 13-09-2011 5:36pm

heffo500 wrote: »

A word of advice if you buy the Stihl buy the safety gear,the proper Stihl Sharpening Kit (Only €20) and a spare chain (just in case your sawing on a sunday and damage your chain)

A better reason to always carry a spare chain is that many times you get the saw stuck in a tree, if you take off the engine and leave the bar, it will be stuck by the chain and the bar will come out, leaving only the chain. So stick on the spare chain and away with ya again!

Dupont · 13-09-2011 5:58pm

heffo500 wrote: »

Hi

I too had one of the Lidl chainsaw grand for a while then would barely start and started leaking oil.

So I went for it this year and got myself a Stihl MS311 chainsaw and I've never looked backed. It cost me just over €500.

I would recommend this Stihl it's powerful,fast and vibration free nearly. I've felled about 50 trees this summer and will be starting again now soon.

It has decompression valve which makes it easy to start too. It's a 59cc engine.

A word of advice if you buy the Stihl buy the safety gear,the proper Stihl Sharpening Kit (Only €20) and a spare chain (just in case your sawing on a sunday and damage your chain).

If you are really considering this saw I will put a youtube video of it cut up a few logs just so you can see what you think.

I have a 18" bar on it but it will take a 16" or 20".

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS311.html

i have a 311 aswell and the power out of it is great, with sharp chain and ringing trees that are the same size as 18 bar if just flys trough them,used it for a solid week thinning an ash plantation that trees were on average 6 inch thick and it was heavy, BUT you didnt have to reach as far to the ground when branching them

Eleganza · 13-09-2011 7:59pm

Tora Bora wrote: »

I agree 100%. Lidl saw is for the back garden maintenance, no more.

I work in manufacturing management, for a large multinational company.
Like the cases Eleganza refers to, we have a range of products, built on a common chassis, but branded differently, and sold through different sales channels, at significantly varying price points.
You can rest assured, that there is always a good reason and logic behind the different branding and price point.
The lower price product may be made in the same manufacturing line as the higher price model, and it may share many of the same components, BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, key performance components are NOT the same.
How the end product performs at the end of the day, and how long it lasts, depends in most cases on a minority of components, but these components are always the most precisely engineered parts, manufactured to the tightest tolerances, with the highest cost.

These high end components in the case of Husqvarna, go in Husqvarna branded products. In the Lidl version,...... well the equivalent parts are probably manufactured in China. Enough said.

I've used the lidl saw when badged as a Partner McCulloch. I've used the Husky 36 and Johnsered 2036 which were comprable saws using same parts in many places. I've had boxfresh Partners, Huskys and Jonsereds on the bench and taken off the covers and looked at the part numbers on various parts and noted how they matched.
Electrolux Motor have always used the same part numbers on identical parts across their various brands. when you needed to order a part you'd just order it from whichever distributor you were ordering a model specific part from that day.
I've gone through the parts list folders side by side and seen the same part numbers.
Talking about tolerences? the only high tolerence part in a chainsaw is the cranshaft and small end bearing and they are often shared part number for part number. Tolerances don't come in to it on cheap ABS plastic.
Carbs were usually tillotsin or Walbro.
Saws are just a collection of parts.
If you are willing to pay for a warm fuzzy feeling inside go and buy the more expensive brand.

Eleganza · 13-09-2011 8:06pm

reilig wrote: »

Have you ever had one?

What the **** is this? A pissing contest?
I remember trying to explain to idiot forestry workers that part for part the Johnsered 630 was better than or identical to the 61 and that the cheaper 670 was actually a higher performance saw than the 66 which was semi-pro spec but that the distributor for the Johnsered was not creaming as much off the top as the distributor for Husqvarna. The 61 was the match of the 625, not the 630 but it meant nothing to them. I still couldn't convince them. All the arguements trotted out here about inferior parts thrown at me even when I was showing them identical part numbers for items like crankshafts. Most of the seeds of doubt were planted by single franchise Husky dealers rather than multi-franchise dealers who held all the EM brands.
It was a case of argue with them and not make a sale or let them wallow in their ignorance and sell them the Husky that they wanted.
As far as I know Jonsered and Husky are imported by the same disty all the unpleasantness of one disty trying to undercut another has gone out the window and people are paying crazy prices for very simple internal combustion engines...But what would I know.

Eleganza · 13-09-2011 8:32pm

reilig wrote: »

Have you ever had one?

I have.

It lasted just over a year, and when I went to bring it back to Lidl, after the chain sprocket shattered into bits - luckily I was wearing protective gear, I had to pick little sharp pieces of metal out of my visor, Lidl refused to give me a refund for it, but instead would only replace it. I really didn't want another one, so they exchanged it for groceries.

I swore that i would never buy cheap junk after that. I bought a proper husky from a dealer based on the performance of the bigger husky 365 that i already owned.

The 365 with 21 inch bar is 6kg. The Lidl chainsaw is 5.8kg.

I have no idea of pricing for parts and service for the 236, but I have had my 365 serviced numerous times by an independent chainsaw repair specialist. He has also replaced a number of the wearing parts on it, and I have always found his prices to be very reasonable.

Just because something is made in the same factory as something else, doesn't mean that it has the same quality.

We have had Stihl and Husquvarna saws around the house for the last 40 years along with a few cheapo chainsaws that were bought with the hope that we might have got a bargain.

I can 100% guarantee anyone that if they buy a €100 Lidl chainsaw to saw up a few small branches in their garden a few times per year and burn no more than a gallon of petrol per year, it will give you many years of service.

However, if you are buying a chainsaw to saw wood on your farm or saw wood for to fuel your stove / cooker / gasifying boiler then a Lidl saw will last no more than one season. Choose a mid range saw from a recognised brand and you will enjoy the benefits of a reasonable price combined with many years of reliable sawing and safety!

Husky sales rep once told me that they had a forester try to take them to court because his Husky 36 which would be the equivalent of this Lidl saw broke after a few months. Husky at the time would have been selling 262XP for well over 500 quid while the Husky 36 was around the 200 pound mark. Of course the Husky 36 would break beyond economic repair as it was a consumer saw and wasn't meant to be run lean on oil with burnt oil for lubrication and rev'd at full revs for 8 hours a day every day.

I believe a lot of people in this thread appear to be prejudiced against this saw becuase LIDL previously sold a Chinese P.O.S. at the 99 euro mark in previous years.

Bitten & Hisses · 13-09-2011 10:18pm

My no.2 saw is an Active (approx 40cc), which is an Italian brand. In fact, it is a Japanese-built saw, made by a Husqvarna subsidiary, which was formerly owned by Komatsu. I paid approx €350 for it a year ago, after a small Jonsered packed up under warranty. I was sceptical, but it has turned out to be a great little saw and ideal for lighter jobs. The main saw is a Husky 365, bought in 2003 for around €700. This is by far the best saw I have ever used, but is a tad heavy for lighter jobs.

crackcrack30 · 13-09-2011 10:50pm

Guys,
Thanks guys for all replies , some good suggestions and points made, I am ruling out the 99 euro (cheap) saw as the last thing i want is to let the saw decide when I stop working, and I only want to buy once with no regrets.
Having handled a few saws of all makes in the last few days (good sales and deals around) I am leaning towards the Stihl MS 251, 45.6cc, 10.8 pounds, 3.0 hp 18"bar, due solely on......... 1. make.... 2. weight ......3 obvious build quality (in comp to others)......4 price range.........5 local dealer advice. Anyone have one?? not much info to hand on net .......:rolleyes:

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Nobbies · 13-09-2011 11:12pm

i have a oleo mac 956 saw since yr2000.bought new at over 400pound if i,m not mistaking.it did quite abit over the years and never refused to start,never had it serviced (terrible iknow)did sharpen the chain regular though.don,t think i even ever changed the spark plug.anyway took the noshin i,de get it serviced after all these years,left it into place i bought it and they tell me it needs apiston and cyclinder replacing.cost 200euro just for that.also said if udo that much with it u,de need too replace bearings and seals to make it agood job.total cost including service 340 euro.so i,ve went with that as the same saw new they tell me would be 700euro????strange thing is as previous posters said NEVER LEND IT TOO ANYONE,NOT EVEN UR BROTHER,well idid,nt.he just took it and was the last one too use it before i went with,as i thought it was working fine when i last used it.waiting on it back this week???

Nobbies · 13-09-2011 11:21pm

sum may say ishould have bought anew one sooner than spend 340euro on a old one,but that kinda money would,nt buy 56cc,s of power and think umight miss it when ur use too it and it never refused too start me,so it must have been agood saw.

LostCovey · 14-09-2011 1:34am

Eleganza wrote: »

What the **** is this? A pissing contest?

Apparently.

You win.

LC

JohnBoy · 14-09-2011 10:03am

Nobbies I'm not entirely sure what you're saying, but my dad had a similar experience with an efco, which is a rebadged oleo-mac. had to get a few new bits put into the engine after lending it to me!!!!!

however in my defence I used less than a gallon of fuel through it, and it was his fuel mix, his funnels, and his oil, not only that but he was there when I was using it and saw I didnt dog it, just my bad luck to be the one using it when it started to die, still it's done ten good years and is better than ever after the rebuild so he's happy.

JohnBoy · 14-09-2011 10:05am

Eleganza wrote: »

I believe a lot of people in this thread appear to be prejudiced against this saw becuase LIDL previously sold a Chinese P.O.S. at the 99 euro mark in previous years.

Until this line you were basically making sense.....

What saw are people prejudiced against apart from the lidl chinese saws?

Oh and upon mature reflection, mine was an aldi saw.

Eleganza · 14-09-2011 2:24pm

To the guy who had his bearings replaced, I think you were done.
If there is no play in the crankshaft there should be no problem.
When the saw is stripped down you should be able to feel the crankshaft turning over and if the bearings were on the way out you'd feel it.
As for the scoring on the cylinder and piston they should have been able to take the exhaust off in 2 minutes and shown you the scoring on the piston. even then the chances are that the cylinder could have been saved and just the piston replaced making it a less than 100 euro job.
There are only a handful of reputable saw repairers in the country and a lot of sharks out there who'll tell you more is wrong with your saw than is actually wrong.
Two strokes don't break their crankshafts as the piston seizes before damage is done to the bottom end but with consaws on the other hand you can be sure of nothing.

colrow · 14-09-2011 6:33pm

I'm staying on a farm in scotland, and I was talking to the farmer about chainsaws, he reckons the best chainsaw he ever had worked off the tractor hydraulics, he can't remember seeing any lately, I wondered if anyone here has used one or where to get one ?

red bull · 15-09-2011 12:48pm

I see the lidl saw on offer today is made in the USA, is that good ?

vanderbadger · 15-09-2011 1:45pm

i see in journal you can get a stihl 251 for the price of a 231..not familiar with either but a 251 should be a decent saw witha 16" bar? anyone know what kinda money the 231 is?

JohnBoy · 15-09-2011 2:17pm

Okayyyyy, now I'm seeing what elganza is saying.

The saw in lidl this week, does bear a very strong resemblance to this:
http://www.partner.biz/int/products/chainsaws/p740/

The fact that it's using the patented "ecoboost" implies that it's not some chinese knockoff.

This looks to be a potentially better product than the older ones. potentially.

Still seems to be a heavy mofo though.

JohnBoy · 15-09-2011 2:22pm

By the way kids dont forget to get your safety gear too.

I know that the lidl, or maybe aldi, chaps and helmet are husqvarna, the safety tags on the inside are branded.

blue5000 · 15-09-2011 3:00pm

Jeezez it'll be like refugees around a food aid helicopter drop in there now

JohnBoy · 15-09-2011 3:33pm

Had a quick flick through the ploughing supplement of the journal at lunch.

Husqvarna have the 236 with a powerharp bar and chain on offer for €290 and the 455 rancher for €550 for the ploughing days next week, available in your local dealer.

red bull · 15-09-2011 4:15pm

JohnBoy wrote: »

Okayyyyy, now I'm seeing what elganza is saying.

The saw in lidl this week, does bear a very strong resemblance to this:
http://www.partner.biz/int/products/chainsaws/p740/

The fact that it's using the patented "ecoboost" implies that it's not some chinese knockoff.

This looks to be a potentially better product than the older ones. potentially.

Yeah looks exactly the same except you get an oregon bar on the lidl one. Partner are part of the husqvarna group interesting:eek:

Eleganza · 15-09-2011 8:16pm

The saws are manufactured between Canada and US in the old Poulan factories. Some of the bigger saws were originally badged as Poulans and while they may be reasonably OK they are not as good as an equivalent Husky or Jonsered although the trick is to find out what the equivalent Husky or Jonsered is.
I would expect the weight of that saw to include bar and chain. With larger saws Husqvarna, Partner and Jonsered never included bar and chain weight as they would be shipped without bar and chain and the dealer would just take which ever bars and chains they wanted from the representative when calling around.

Tora Bora · 15-09-2011 10:16pm

JohnBoy wrote: »

Had a quick flick through the ploughing supplement of the journal at lunch.

Husqvarna have the 236 with a powerharp bar and chain on offer for €290 and the 455 rancher for €550 for the ploughing days next week, available in your local dealer.

Good value. I have a small Efco. Not really up to feeling biggish trees of which I have plenty, but great for the light work.
That rancher deal tempts me a bit.

O.A.P · 16-09-2011 12:28am

Tora Bora wrote: »

Good value. I have a small Efco. Not really up to feeling biggish trees of which I have plenty, but great for the light work.
That rancher deal tempts me a bit.

Last year for 600 euro they would sell you a 346xp with a 16" bar.( after a little bit of humming and hawing)
For 50 euro more than the rancher but the saws are worlds apart.

mid range saw - husky or jonsered?

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