No, it works great. I use it like 2 or 3 times a year. If I was a lumberjack, I would use whatever lumberjacks use. That would probably be something so heavy that I couldn't lift it.

 

Before I bought one I watched what the tree surgent guys were using and it seems that they all either use Poulan or Stilhs. I bought a Pouln because I found one of those at a decent price.

 

Just Picking MIKE W.

I couldn't resist, you left yourself wide open on that one.

I sold and worked on chain saws for many years. Been over 10 years ago though. Things change a lot in that amount of time. Poulan made some good models, and some so-so models. All brands do that. My thinking. If you're happy, thats all that counts.

 

I Usually use this one (I hate it when my chainsaw bogs down)!!
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/154/

 

I can't say anything about someones chain saw with a straight face. I own a Olympik 950 super. It's an obscure Italian made saw. Not a very expensive saw at all. I don't even know if they are still being made.

I sold and serviced Stihl, Husky, and later on added the Olympik. When I looked at what I would use a saw for, and quality vs. price, I bought myself the much cheaper Olympik. It's a good quality saw, but who in the world ever heard of it.

I guess when someone ask me what kind of saw is that, I can always say it is a fine Italian sports saw.

At least it's orange, so from a distance it might look like a name brand. In fact I just got through using it this evening to cut a tree that blew over and wedged in the top of another one. It did the job, thats all that matters. (he said, while he really wishes he has a new Husky and a new FX4 to haul it in)

 

Husqvarna here.

 

Don't get me started AGAIN! I am a STIHL man all the way. If you don't believe me look up the Jonsered thread in this forum.
Me and my STIHL at work: <img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_4_125.gif' border=0></a>

-Matt

 

Stihl is the way to go John Deere sucks

 

At work - stihl. At home - stihl. Great saws. Homelite/mccoulugh/poulan and the like seem to be as much trouble as they are good.

 

I just recently cut down four 55 foot trees in my backyard and my neighbor's. Because of proximity to buildings and other trees I didn't want to crush, I took them down branch by branch with the aid of a 45 foot Genie boom lift.

My chainsaw is an old Echo 302. It's only a 12" saw, but once I get it started (it has a tendency to boil the gas out of the carb when it is shut off) it cuts like a thing possessed. Mind you, I am fairly **** about keeping the chain sharp - I file the chain every time I refill the gas tank. It is nice and light due to its small size. This was the saw I used for all branches up to 12" diameter.

I borrowed another neighbor's Still Farm Boss (18" bar) for bigger cuts, but the chain was so dull it was unusable (beyond what I could tune up with a file). More on this saw later.

My neighbor (Brian) borrowed a friend's new-ish 16" Poulan and fitted it with a new chain. I used this saw for a couple of cuts to take down some large branches. The action of the starter rope was far from smooth (compression jerkiness) & the thing vibrated horribly when cutting. I didn't use this saw any more than I had to.

I took the Stihl in to have the chain professionally sharpened. I used it to cut up the larger branches. It was easy to start & I was really impressed with the cutting performance and smoothness of this saw. The spikes really helped muscle the saw into the cut without requiring too much muscle. The plastic motor housings and the top/side handle felt flimsy and loose, but I expect they would stand up to a lot of use anyway.

Brian borrowed the Poulan even though he owns a chainsaw himself. It is an old 24" Pioneer 260 (or 620 - I forget) dating from the 1950's or 1960's and he wasn't confident that it would run or even start. A fresh tank of fuel, some shrink tubing to patch up the mouse-chewed plug wire and a healthy dose of carb cleaner to de-gunk it, and it fired up and ran well. This was the saw I used to fall the two biggest trunks (26" & 30") and plane the stumps. It also needed a professional sharpening before it cut well. Now this thing was a heavy beast - no plastic parts, just metal. It was powerful, although I don't think the carb was adjusted properly. After about 10 cuts I was exhausted. Some spikes on this saw would have helped a lot.

On a relative weight scale with the Stihl as a 1, my little Echo weighs about 2/3, and the Pioneer clocked in at about 1.5

Having used these 4 saws in rapid succession, my rankings are:
#1 my Echo. Light, fast and easy to use. I am adding a primer bulb to it soon.
#2 the Stihl. Big points for the spikes and smoothness.
#3 the Pioneer. It was a bear to use, but a big tree needs a big saw.
#4 the Poulan. They are cheap saws. 'Nuff said.

My preference would be to keep both the Echo and the Pioneer. If I could have only one saw it would be the Stihl. If I didn't know any better the Poulan would be good enough. But I do, so it isn't. I'd rather rent a good saw than own a lousy one.

Just my opinions. Take them for what they are worth.

Cheers,
Eric

 

I had a couple Poulans. I bought them at the same time because I knew one would break while I was in the middle of cutting something. With very little use one lasted 2 years, the other about 4. Probably a total of 5 hours use

I bought a Husqvarna 350 and think I have used it more in the past 3 weeks than all my other saws combined.

 

I still like my Poulan.

 

Stihl all the way. Husky's seem more tempermental but are a close second.

 

[QUOTE=keith w]I had a couple Poulans. I bought them at the same time because I knew one would break while I was in the middle of cutting something. With very little use one lasted 2 years, the other about 4. Probably a total of 5 hours use
QUOTE]

There were two major falls I had to make where the tree was leaning significantly in the direction exactly opposite to where the tree had to land; i.e. the pullers (three ropes, six guys pulling) had to pull the tree up 'n' over. For these cuts I used the Poulan, but I had my Echo idling away as a standby in case the Poulan crapped out. Of course, I think I would have done the same regardless of which saw I used for those falls.

It was a very nerve-wracking day.

Cheers,
Eric

 

I wouldn't use anything but a Stihl. I have a 029 Farmboss, 18".