poulan pro 20"?

[bauman226]

I'm a college student looking to buy a chainsaw and the poulan pro 20" caught my eye. It seems reasonably priced, consumers report gave it a decent review, but most importantly it is still made in the USA. I was just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on it, or suggestions for a saw that is decently priced but will still perform well...I don't want to waste my money on something that is only going to pain to use/ maintain..I need money for books haha

 

[enjoys cutting]

not knowing what your going to use it for makes it hard to determine,but your probably better off to find a secondhand jonsered,husky,stilh for the same price.the made in usa saw isn't such a good thing anymore.

 

[sawinredneck]

not knowing what your going to use it for makes it hard to determine,but your probably better off to find a secondhand jonsered,husky,stilh for the same price.the made in usa saw isn't such a good thing anymore.

That, and what is the going price for the saw you are looking at? I know, I know, but I am still a firm believer in the Husky 350, if the price is comparable, there is no reason not to buy the 350 IMO!!!

 

[computeruser]

Welcome to the site.

As a general rule I would avoid Poulan (Homelite, McCulloch, Craftsman, etc.) outdoor power equipment at all costs. They are throwaway brands without any reasonable degree of dealer support for parts, service, etc. Consumers Reports does not really take into consideration the sorts of factors that truly make a difference - long-term reliability, ease of service, availability of dealers for parts and service. I appreciate what they have to say when it comes to the ability of a vacuum cleaner to suck crap out of my rugs, but they don't know a darned thing about most forms of outdoor power equipment.

When I was at about the same point in my life as you are in yours, I decided it was time to get a "real" saw. I had a little Homelite 200Classic and a Ford EagleII, but these saws were small saws for trimming, only. I did a bit of research, taking into consideration which brands were most readily available in the places that I would be running a saw, and settled on Stihl being the best brand to go with.

My next question was budget - I knew that I wanted a saw capable of running a 20" bar and knew that I couldn't justify $500+ for a saw that I'd only be using on occasion. I settled on an MS290, and I remember that I paid $373 for the saw, a couple extra loops of chain, a case, a gallon of bar mix, some 2-stroke oil, and sales tax. For a guy at my point in life, this was the perfect setup. I had a saw that was as reliable as gravity, powerful enough to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time, and easy to maintain. I ran it for a number of years before I finally got other saws and sold the MS290 to my father-in-law.

Figure on spending $400 for a good all-around saw, an extra chain or two, and some protective gear (don't skip the protective gear!!). If you are willing or able to find a good used saw, that would be by far your best bet - you can get a much better saw for the same price as a mediocre new one. Something in the 50cc class is a good place to start. Husqvarna 350 and 353 are good choices, as are Stihl MS250, MS270/280 and MS290, if you're looking at new machines. If you are looking for a lightly used machine or a rebuilt machine, Stihl 026/260, 028, 029/290, 034/036/360 are worth looking at, as are Husqvarna 51 and 55, to name just a few of the good choices out there.

My current 026Pro, a $200 used saw that has been a flawless performer:

 

[wysiwyg]

I'm in a low budget situation like you. I have a PP 4218 purchased in December and have been very pleased with it so far. I bought it reconditioned for $120 of ebay. It replaced a Mac 3216 (which I paid $100 for in 1998) that lasted must longer than I would have ever imagined (8 years, many trees, and alot of abuse). the PP is a dream to use compared to the last few years of the Mac. The regulars here will laugh, but like most other things in life, everything is relative.

It's probably a luck of the draw with these budget saws, but with less than $200 at risk, the downside isn't too bad. If you are just an occassional user, it will probably be fine.

 

[bauman226]

what i'm doing

well my budget is $200-300...but less is better, right now I am using my dad's stihl 020 av which for it's size has been and still is a great saw. Right now I have a hook up with a milling company and have an unlimited supply of free slab, which is pretty much all I am cutting right now, but I plan on doing other general cutting nothing crazy..I do know that I want an 18" or 20" bar because it is going to be used for other cutting as well

 

[Cam501]

well my budget is $200-300...but less is better, right now I am using my dad's stihl 020 av which for it's size has been and still is a great saw. Right now I have a hook up with a milling company and have an unlimited supply of free slab, which is pretty much all I am cutting right now, but I plan on doing other general cutting nothing crazy..I do know that I want an 18" or 20" bar because it is going to be used for other cutting as well

You should be able to get a lightly used husky 350 (maybe even a 353) in your price range with an 18" bar, or a used MS 290 if weight is not a factor. Any one of those should be pretty reliable, and have pretty good parts and service availability. One of the major problems with the Poulan's/Craftsman's/Homelites these days is lack of parts and service. You don't want to buy something that you can't readily fix or get fixed when you have a problem with it.

 

[Tom_Scheller]

I have a Poulan 295 Pro. It is very light! That is the only nice thing I have to say about it. It starts hard... cold and hot, and the cord wore out Quick. I was thinking of putting a 16" bar on to replace the 20" original and use it just for limbing. It revs up so slow that I wonder if that would even be worth it. My Stihls are WAY better saws.

TS

 

[TimberPig]

I have a Poulan 295 Pro. It is very light! That is the only nice thing I have to say about it. It starts hard... cold and hot, and the cord wore out Quick. I was thinking of putting a 16" bar on to replace the 20" original and use it just for limbing. It revs up so slow that I wonder if that would even be worth it. My Stihls are WAY better saws.

TS

Have you adjusted the carb? It sounds like it needs a carb tuning, if it behaves like that. Hard starting and poor revving are not signs of a properly running and tuned saw.

 

[DGG]

If you can get a Poulan Pro for under $100 with a 14-16" bar (I think 20" is a stretch unless Poulan has really juiced up the engine), and if you use it only occasionally, and if you maintain it and keep the chain sharp, I think you would be satisfied with it's performance.

I recently gave an old P Pro to my son. We have taken down several trees with it at his new house. It isn't the fastest saw I have ever used but it was perfectly fine for the felling, limbing and bucking we had to do. The trees were dead pines in the 10-20" diameter range and some smaller willows along the creek. I had used it for years on smaller stuff. Starting was only an issue when it had been sitting for several months. Of course for storage that long you want to drain out the gas and bar oil. Proper maintenance and chain sharpness are very important.

For $200 I think you can probably find a good used Husqvarna like the 55 Rancher or the Stihl comparable.

Good luck in your search. Don't study too hard!

 

[bauman226]

thanks

Ok well I guess I will start looking around for a used saw, hopefully I can find something good. Thanks for everyones opinion/ help