Need light duty chainsaw

[gryd]

My Craftsman Chainsaw is dead. It was never very reliable anyway. I'm looking for a 14 inch light duty saw of reasonable quality. My local dealer has an Echo cs-310 and a Stihl ms-180. Both 14 inch and priced around 200. Echo has a 5 year warranty and reportedly starts real nice. Stihl has only a 1 year warranty but is known as the "King of Saws". Ease of use is very important to me. Any recommendations?
Greg

[rwaters]

Originally Posted by gryd

My Craftsman Chainsaw is dead. It was never very reliable anyway. I'm looking for a 14 inch light duty saw of reasonable quality. My local dealer has an Echo cs-310 and a Stihl ms-180. Both 14 inch and priced around 200. Echo has a 5 year warranty and reportedly starts real nice. Stihl has only a 1 year warranty but is known as the "King of Saws". Ease of use is very important to me. Any recommendations?
Greg

Husquvarna and Stihl make the top quality in saws but for a light duty I would not think it would make a difference between the echo and stihl. Your major issue will be fuel and mix as to the life of your saw with light use.

[Popeye77]

Echo with the warranty both are "occasional use saws" My dad has an Echo 310 that is a good saw but it's more expensive. I have a Sihl ms250 I don't like, always hard to start wish i had gone ahead and got the ms260 "pro" grade much better saw

[Capemay Eagle]

I had a Craftsman saw back in my other home when I had a wood stove and I replaced the saw with a Stihl and I could not believe the difference when I used the new Stihl for the first time. It was like a hot knife through butter. I would vote for the Stihl, but honestly I don't think you could go wrong with either. Echo, Stihl and Husky are all good names in the saw department, but I think Stihl has the edge! I have also heard that Dolmar is a good saw, but I have never seen any around here along with no dealers.

[Popeye77]

I would probably go with Stihl more dealers around easier to get parts.

[drumz2129]

Originally Posted by Popeye77

Echo with the warranty both are "occasional use saws" My dad has an Echo 310 that is a good saw but it's more expensive. I have a Sihl ms250 I don't like, always hard to start wish i had gone ahead and got the ms260 "pro" grade much better saw

I also have a MS250 that I have had for about 6 years. Check the hose that supplies fuel to the carburetor. It is the one with several ribs on it. Mine developed cracks after about 2 years and would make allow the fuel to evaporate and also make starting much harder. After changing the hose it now starts on the first or second pull.

I went with stihl mainly because the dealer support. Every town around here has a stihl dealer and most keep the normal wear and tear parts in stock. I also have a Stihl 038 magnum that is about 18 years old and runs great.

[IS500Z]

Originally Posted by gryd

My Craftsman Chainsaw is dead. It was never very reliable anyway. I'm looking for a 14 inch light duty saw of reasonable quality. My local dealer has an Echo cs-310 and a Stihl ms-180. Both 14 inch and priced around 200. Echo has a 5 year warranty and reportedly starts real nice. Stihl has only a 1 year warranty but is known as the "King of Saws". Ease of use is very important to me. Any recommendations?
Greg

What is your budget? Are you cutting hard or soft wood and how large of a diameter in general? Light duty might mean different things to different people. Echo's saws have never impressed me. Slow cutting and heavy for what you get imo. With their parent company now owning Shindaiwa I hope Echo incorporates some of Shindaiwas designs. I would look at Stihl, Husqvarna (their XP series) and, if you have a dealer near by, Dolmar. The last are well built saws which suffer only from a lack of marketing and distribution. I would look hard at Dolmar they provide excellent quality at a good price point and this is from someone who owns three Stihl saws.

Also remember to always use your PPE. Do not think that a smaller displacement saw is any less dangerous because it is labeled "home owner".

[GordonCBP]

http://www.tanaka-usa.com/Merchant2/...ode=TCS33Eb/16

7 yr Warranty!

[IS500Z]

Originally Posted by GordonCBP

http://www.tanaka-usa.com/Merchant2/...ode=TCS33Eb/16

7 yr Warranty!

Tanakas dealership distribution is probably smaller than Dolmars. One also wonders about a 16-inch bar on a 32-cc motor. You have better be cutting small soft wood. A 9-inch or even a 12-inch bar would be a much better match.

[GordonCBP]

Originally Posted by IS500Z

Tanakas dealership distribution is probably smaller than Dolmars. One also wonders about a 16-inch bar on a 32-cc motor. You have better be cutting small soft wood. A 9-inch or even a 12-inch bar would be a much better match.

You can also get those saws with a 12" or 14" bar. Of course if he has a Tanaka Dealer close by. The title is "need light duty chainsaw"... This is my recommendation, and tanaka makes great products. Check for a dealer close to you so you have access to parts and service; if you decide to settle on a Tanaka product.