Need opinion

[Tom Sawyer]

Are Sears Craftsman chainsaws junk or are they worth it for the weekend warrior?

 

[Treeman14]

You know what they say about opinions, They're worth about as much as you pay for them. That being said, here's mine. Junk.

 

[treeclimber165]

Depends on what you mean by 'weekend warrior'. If you are the homeowner type who will run a saw 3x till it gets dull from sticking it in the dirt, then park the saw because 'it won't cut', go ahead and buy the craftsman. If you are the type who understands how mechanical things work, and know or are willing to learn HOW to maintain a decent saw, then I would recommend getting a higher quality saw.

 

[homelite360]

most craftsmans are made by poulan and then they are made even cheeper than that. so does that tell you anything? like was said earlier you get what you pay for. so buyer be ware.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Get a Husqvarna. Even if you use it once a year it will bring a big smile to your face every time if you maintain it.

 

[Mike Acres]

The Sears Craftsman chain saw manufactured by Poulan is a good value for the dollar. The average week end chain saw user is not going to wear the saw out in ten years of use. It might interest you to know that Poulan builds both the Husqvarna and Jonsered chain saws that say "made in USA" on the name tags. The only difference in them is the plating on the cylinder. For the number of hours that the Craftsman is going to be run the un-plated cylinder is quite satisfactory. The carburetors are the same, the ignitions are the same, the clutch is the same, the starter is the same, the bar, chain and sprocket are the same so where is the saw "cheapened". Not so. The fact that the saw is made cheaper is an old wives tale.

 

[Darin]

Mike is correct but where they cheapen it is the design. The craftsman doesnt have air injection like the Husky or Turbo like the Jonsered. This really is a great feature. I think you would like how it "kicks out" the sawdust from the air filter. Weekend warriors are generally not good on maintenence. This will help you. It depends on the craftsman that you are comparing it too. Craftsmen do not have any of the saws we have been talking about. You could never tell me any craftsmen are as good as a Husky 55. You could never convience anyone.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Also Mike the only models made in the USA are the 136, 141 and I believe that horrible electric saw. Husky has a lifetime warranty on their ignitions, which I dont think Poulan has. Also as Darin said only the Poulan Pros have the air injection system. The production tolerances on bearings, cranks, rings, etc, are not even close to the Swedish built engines. THAT is what you are paying for. Trust me once you use one of these rockets you never want to go back. I have a Poulan wood shark and there is nothing wrong with it, I like it for the light weight. But there is no comparison.

 

[Mike Acres]

Gentlemen:
I think the discussion is missing the original question which was whether or not a Poulan built Crafstman chain saw was a good value for the week end wood cutter.
Dollar for dollar there is not any feature or option that will give any better service life if you consider the cost of the saw. I do not work for Sears but I find people bad mouthing the chain saw when there is really nothing wrong with them. A Husky 55 might be "too much" saw for Tom Sawyer. I have been working on chain saws since 1954 and find that every manufacturer in the industry have one or two really good models in their line up that will out-do everyone else for specific applications so it is not wise to knock the other guy with a blanket statement.

 

[BIG D]

I think the main feature would be service. If you asked a sears tech for a chain over the phone, no telling what you would get in the mail. I dont think these guys were trying to blast you Mike. Just explaining you arent getting a grey poulan exactly. Yes its a poulan saw but not all the features. Cheap. It would probably work for him. I would be embarrassed to use a craftsman though. I just am anti box store. If the "too much" saw thing is because of kick back maybe get one with anti kick chain. Otherwise this is a smooth operator (55).

 

[confused]

I am new and my opinions about the saws themselves arent founded on facts or on some type of experience with them. However, Say for instance you purchase the Craftsman to save $ and it runs for say 5 yrs with minimal maintainence costs. Now you have to replace it again for the same costs or because of inflation pay a little more. Now play the others side of the coin. You purchase a quality saw(stihl, husky, etc...) it lasts 10-15 yrs and has minimal maintainence along the way. You have spent more initially to buy the quality saw but in the long run you might(more than likely will) save $ because the quality saw will last a lifetime and in my case could be pased down to your children.

Father gave me a McCulloch 610 Pro that was rode hard and put away wet and NEVER cleaned, but to this day runs great and costs me nothing.

 

[Deere John]

I was taught two things that (finally) sunk into my woody head.

1) You never regret buying quality.

2) Buy all the quality you can afford.

I govern most purchases by these two rules. Seems to work.

 

[jokers]

I don`t know which model it is, but there is a Craftsman chainsaw with a source code, the # before the model #, of 360 that is made by Solo for Sears. Ie; 360.xxxxxx. This saw is reputed to be spec for spec identical to the Solo branded saw with the exception of the color. You will have to look at the ID sticker on the saw to find out which one it is. I`ve also heard that they are selling them at blowout prices because they are dropping them from the line. Probably worth a look for anyone looking for a good deal on a saw.

 

[Treebeard]

looking at this another way....why buy? If your'e only using the saw occasionally, don't want to sharpen the chain, learn how to adjust things, etc.....rent & let the rental place buy saws & do maintenance.

 

[sonny]

confused !!! I agree with what you say , but that 1 part confuses me ( stihl, husky , etc. ) that confuses me.

 

[confused]

Well sonny,

There are many different manufacturers. You and I both know and reguard that Stihl is the Best of the bunch but we just cant forget about the rest. Because to be the best means you acknowledge the others but you make a better product and let the satisfied customers do your advertising. And brother i advertise "STIHL"

 

[Deere John]

Now I'm just guessing here, but me thinks you are reasonably satisfied with your new Stihl?

 

[hogluvr]

I'll throw in my two cents on this one... For the average homeowner who needs to do a little cleanup work or minimal firewood cutting, the sears saw would probably be adequate. Anything more that that would benefit from the purchase of a reputable name brand.

Good luck & be safe,

Larry

 

[mmiller]

crafstman 20"

okay, i bought a craftsman. i thought i had a good reason at the time: "customer service."

if it breaks down, take it to sears home central, they'll fix it. that was my reasoning.

in retrospect, my experience with the craftsman saw (model 358-350200) has been, uh, less than satisfactory.

so today i took the last one back, exchanged it for a new one (same model) thinking i got a lemon last time, this time would be different.

imagine my surprise: no difference. the chain/bar is getting no bar oil. i mean, the thing is dry as a bone.

the weather isn't particularly cold (45-ish) and my neighbor's poulan is spitting oil quite admirably.

which finally begs the question: what's wrong with this saw, and how can i get it running properly? (caveat: i'm in north carolina, we've just had a severe ice storm. we have trees down all over the place, and saws are in short supply. i'd like to make do with this one for the time being, if it's salvageable).

help!

 

[earache]

Tom, my buddy went through the same thing you are. He wanted a small saw to clear his own lot. Felling maple, oak, and birch. He did his homework and read consumer reports on chain saws. They listed a Sears chainsaw(don't know the model) as the best buy for the dollar in its class. He asked me what I thought, and I recommended a Stihl, Husqvarna, or Jonsered. He bought the Sears. Brought it home, cut with it for two hours. Oiler wasn't working properly, was running rough, and things were loose on it. He took it back the next day, exchanged it, and bought a Husky 345. Needless to say he was flabergasted with the difference in cutting speed, smoothness, and power. Don't know if this helps. Good luck.