Chainsaws

[Joel B.]

Looking for a chainsaw for mostly homeowner use with occasional commercial use. Interested in Echo CS-346 and CS-440, any opinions on either?

Thanks,

Joel B.

[HoffmanLawnCare]

i used to have pos homelite from home depot and then went out and bought a 22 inch stihl. it works great, wouldn't use anything else.

[Lawn Masters]

Of those two, I'd buy the CS440, its a great saw for that purpose, and will make you quite happy for a reasonable price.

[lawnmaniac883]

Consider other brands aside from Echo. Stihl makes a great saw as does Husquvarna.

[topsites]

i used to have pos homelite from home depot and then went out and bought a 22 inch stihl. it works great, wouldn't use anything else.

Yeah I bought an 021 Stihl (I think it's today's 210 model) which is a smaller 16-inch saw and I use it maybe 6-8 times a year in a commercial way but not in a mayor way (I might cut a tree or two down but it's all smaller stuff).

Whatever you end up buying I found out the thing to watch out for is the POWER of the saw, you want to make sure when you have it at WOT cutting IF the chain catches and stops dead in its tracks that you can hold it in place without much further ado... From reading the warnings about kickback you might think there is nothing you can do about it when it happens but the simple fact is you need to be AS strong or stronger than the saw (stronger is recommended in my book) and then kickback is no real issue so long you're paying attention.

[Itsgottobegreen]

One name to know when it comes to chains saws. STIHL I will have some soon. MT200, MS260pro and MS460 about $2000 worth of saws. :cry:

[PLM-1]

Give a Shindy 488 a try. Smooth and reliable.

[Lawn Masters]

From reading the warnings about kickback you might think there is nothing you can do about it when it happens but the simple fact is you need to be AS strong or stronger than the saw (stronger is recommended in my book) and then kickback is no real issue so long you're paying attention.
This is simply NOT true, no matter how strong you are, the potential for kickback doesnt decrease.

When cutting, the kickback situation will probably take you by surprise, and you'll either be saved by the chainbrake, or you'll get hurt/killed by the saw.
Avoiding kickback is easy, never use the nose of the bar to cut with, unless doing a plunge cut, and when carrying the saw, activate the chainbrake, which should ALWAYS be in good repair. by simply folllowing this set of rules, you can avoid death and injury. BTW, a chainsaw has enough power to cut STEEL toe boots too, and amputate a toe while there.


Good protection from injury is a MUST. chainsaw chaps, a helmet with earmuffs and face shield, and leather gloves are all important for your safety.
When I do tell people this sort of thing I CANNOT stress the safety gear enough. its very important.

[bill w]

When cutting, the kickback situation will probably take you by surprise, and you'll either be saved by the chainbrake, or you'll get hurt/killed by the saw.


The operator should never place him/herself in a position where he/she has to depend on the chain brake to save him/herself from a kickback situation, literally or figuratively.

[all ferris]

As far as kickback is concerned, it can and does happen (I've seen it many times as well as had it happen to me). ALWAYS be aware of your body position in relation to the saw so that kickback is less likely to do harm. I do logging in the off season for a guy I know and I have run saws for many days, sun up to sun down(mostly bucking and topping). The vibration can really start to get to you after running a saw for awhile. We have found the Husqvarna saws to be the least fatiguing and they seem to run faster than other saws. Keep in mind that I'm talking about large saws (570,575,385,395 husqvarna saws)

[Bernhard]

I´m not sure, if you have seen the pics of my stuff...all my smaller equipment like trimmers,hedgecutters and even the saws are made by Stihl. the are more expensive then the shindaiwas or Echos...not sure...but for me the only comparable brand to Stihl is Husqvarna and Jonsereds, maybe, but only maybe Solo and Dolmar. when I started my biz I bought a small Solo 125 trimmer, never had any probs with it and I sold it for the same price I gave for it. It was replaced by a Sthil FS 400 and I own a Sthil FS 55 also.
If you want went over to www.forestryforum.com and ask Your question there.

[bill w]

Bernhard,

The question came up on another forum and I thought you might know:
If MS for chainsaws stands for Motor Sagen (Spelling?), What does FS stand for for trimmers?

Bill

[Farmall Teen]

I would say only go with a Stihl saw. They are very dependable and usefull. But there are a lot of other good brands out there.