I think I might be in analysis paralysis. ;-) (Poulan, Remington, Husqvarna, Stihl)
I've been wanting to buy a chainsaw for a little while. Couple reasons:
Convenience... Nice to have one when needed. I've sometimes used my saws-all with a long blade, since i haven't had one handy, since my wife's little electric one went out.
Preparedness... Between living in Pacific Northwest (where the Cascadia Suduction zone quake is expected... some day), and the craziness of the geo/political climate these days, I've been of the mindset to put a little more effort into disaster preparedness.
Moving more rural... In the next month or so, I'll be moving from the suburbs to a place with a little over 10 acres, which is mostly (80%+) wooded with a variety of types of trees. There are definitely trees I'll want to cut down to improve the view of the valley, a couple dead ones that need to come down, and then I'll want to fell/buck some for firewood* from time to time.
*(LOL, when I first typed this, I typed "firewall" instead of "firewood." Yeah, I'm a IT guy by trade, but also mechanically inclined. I've rebuilt single cylinder motorcycles, clutches, do my most of my own car maintenance, etc.)
So, here's my story so far... A few months ago, I saw a Poulan Wild Thing on sale for only $120, and it was the last one (at Bi-Mart), so I impulse bought it, figuring I could take it back if I didn't want it. I had it for a few days, then started my initial research for "Best chainsaw for under $200." After following that research path for a while, I had decided on a Remington RM5118r. I returned the Wild Thing, still in the box, and had the Remington on my mind as "the plan" for quite a while.
During the recent winter storm here in Oregon, we had a lot of snow (about 9" at my current place, which is WAY more than we normally ever get) and one of the trees in my year started slowly falling over; I heard a weird sound at about midnight that repeated ever minute or so, and it turned out the tree was leaning against the roof/side of the house, and it kept slipping another inch or two. I got up on the roof and used my saws-all to cut the top ~6' or so, stopping just as I heard the slightest crack, then let if fall very slowly as it kept cracking. I then cut off a few more 2' sections, until it seemed light enough to not have further problems for the rest of the night. In the morning, I was back to "Yeah, I REALLY should go buy a chainsaw to finish cutting down this tree, and because I've been wanting one for quite a while.
So, I start looking at prices on the Remington, then start wondering, "I wonder if I could maybe get a used Husqvarna or Still for around the same price...? Maybe I'd be better off with one of those, long term, including from the preparedness point of view, that it would be good to have a higher quality, longer lasting saw, in the event that I couldn't just go buy another or get parts (e.g. after a natural disaster) if it stopped working.
While doing further research, I ran across this site and have been doing TONS of reading on here (and some other sites, but this site seems to have the most useful info, though sometimes clouded with brand wars and pro vs non-pro wars, hehe).
Anyway, I'd really like to keep it inexpensive as possible (buying a new house, all the inspections, earnes money, appraisals, etc has kept spending money to a minimum lately), but don't mind paying a bit more for a better tool, if it's truly worth it from a quality/longevity point of view. After searching around, here's options I've found in the local area:
New:
-Poulan Pro PP5020AV: ~$150 (Rated great for a home saw at some sites, but not at all on others)
-Remington RM5118r: ~180 (Rated well for inexpensive home saw, but maybe lacking some features)
Used (all Husqvarna):
-Husky 440: $150 firm, "lightly used (one winder season to cut wood for fireplace), selling to cover medical bills"
-Husky 353 E-Tech: $200 (Listed at $275, but later in the text says "don't offer less than $200"), got in trade, ran it through the shop, 160psi compression, checked all functions and adjusted new chain and oiler; top notch condition, will take broken saws and power equipment in trade; an old retired technician trying to keep busy and avoid honey do list.
-Husky 455 Rancher: $250, "Like new barely used."
-Husky 455 Rancher: $300, "Barely used, country boy moved to city" (pics look a little nicer/cleaner then the $250 one) (I'd probably offer $250, as I'd like to stay under that for now, at least until I get moved, then maybe I'll have extra money and see how regularly I'll be using them)
Analysis so far: Looks like the 440 has notably more power (and maybe lighter) than either of the new ones, and is attractively priced; If I could have gotten by with either of the new ones, the 440 would probably be quite a bit nicer than either of them... The 353 and 455, have notably more power (nearly the same) than the 440, but do I need it? There are definitely some larger trees on the property I'm buying, and a 18"-20" bar is what I've been leaning toward. In some placed, the 353 is quoted as being more of a "pro level" saw (though I'm sure many people would say "it's not an XP series, so it's not pro level) than the 455, but I also don't see as many 353s around, and it's an e-Tech saw, so I've read that they're somewhat prone to overheating, if you don't get rid of the cat exhaust. Likewise, it seems maybe the 353 is an older gen saw than the 455s, but maybe also maybe lighter/easier to handle, and less vibration than the 455. I think I also read that the 353 is a split magnesium case saw, which seems to be a generally preferred option to clamshell designs. Feature-wise, the only differences I'm seeing is that MAYBE the 440 might have a visible fuel level (which doesn't seem like a big deal to me... if/when my weed-eater runs out of gas, it stop, and I fill it), and the 353 doesn't have felling marks (but don't see any reason to care about that), and finally, the 455 and 353 have side mount chain tensioning, but not sure about the 440 (might be tool less, but maybe that's just the e-series), and I don't think the 440 has an adjustable oil pump (useful or not big deal?).
As I've read many times on this site, you can always get a little better saw for a little more money, and that seems to be part of the issue I'm seeing here, but I'm just note where they best VALUE is here. At $150 for the 440, would I be better off buying one of the new saws? If I add another $50, is it worth the extra $50 for the 353? Is the little bit of extra HP, an X-Torq engine, and the ability to run 3/8 chain pitch instead of .325 (but also the cost of a little more weight) worth yet another $50-100 to move to the 455? Are any of these likely to last way longer then others?
Thoughts on these options? Thanks.
I've been wanting to buy a chainsaw for a little while. Couple reasons:
Convenience... Nice to have one when needed. I've sometimes used my saws-all with a long blade, since i haven't had one handy, since my wife's little electric one went out.
Preparedness... Between living in Pacific Northwest (where the Cascadia Suduction zone quake is expected... some day), and the craziness of the geo/political climate these days, I've been of the mindset to put a little more effort into disaster preparedness.
Moving more rural... In the next month or so, I'll be moving from the suburbs to a place with a little over 10 acres, which is mostly (80%+) wooded with a variety of types of trees. There are definitely trees I'll want to cut down to improve the view of the valley, a couple dead ones that need to come down, and then I'll want to fell/buck some for firewood* from time to time.
*(LOL, when I first typed this, I typed "firewall" instead of "firewood." Yeah, I'm a IT guy by trade, but also mechanically inclined. I've rebuilt single cylinder motorcycles, clutches, do my most of my own car maintenance, etc.)
So, here's my story so far... A few months ago, I saw a Poulan Wild Thing on sale for only $120, and it was the last one (at Bi-Mart), so I impulse bought it, figuring I could take it back if I didn't want it. I had it for a few days, then started my initial research for "Best chainsaw for under $200." After following that research path for a while, I had decided on a Remington RM5118r. I returned the Wild Thing, still in the box, and had the Remington on my mind as "the plan" for quite a while.
During the recent winter storm here in Oregon, we had a lot of snow (about 9" at my current place, which is WAY more than we normally ever get) and one of the trees in my year started slowly falling over; I heard a weird sound at about midnight that repeated ever minute or so, and it turned out the tree was leaning against the roof/side of the house, and it kept slipping another inch or two. I got up on the roof and used my saws-all to cut the top ~6' or so, stopping just as I heard the slightest crack, then let if fall very slowly as it kept cracking. I then cut off a few more 2' sections, until it seemed light enough to not have further problems for the rest of the night. In the morning, I was back to "Yeah, I REALLY should go buy a chainsaw to finish cutting down this tree, and because I've been wanting one for quite a while.
So, I start looking at prices on the Remington, then start wondering, "I wonder if I could maybe get a used Husqvarna or Still for around the same price...? Maybe I'd be better off with one of those, long term, including from the preparedness point of view, that it would be good to have a higher quality, longer lasting saw, in the event that I couldn't just go buy another or get parts (e.g. after a natural disaster) if it stopped working.
While doing further research, I ran across this site and have been doing TONS of reading on here (and some other sites, but this site seems to have the most useful info, though sometimes clouded with brand wars and pro vs non-pro wars, hehe).
Anyway, I'd really like to keep it inexpensive as possible (buying a new house, all the inspections, earnes money, appraisals, etc has kept spending money to a minimum lately), but don't mind paying a bit more for a better tool, if it's truly worth it from a quality/longevity point of view. After searching around, here's options I've found in the local area:
New:
-Poulan Pro PP5020AV: ~$150 (Rated great for a home saw at some sites, but not at all on others)
-Remington RM5118r: ~180 (Rated well for inexpensive home saw, but maybe lacking some features)
Used (all Husqvarna):
-Husky 440: $150 firm, "lightly used (one winder season to cut wood for fireplace), selling to cover medical bills"
-Husky 353 E-Tech: $200 (Listed at $275, but later in the text says "don't offer less than $200"), got in trade, ran it through the shop, 160psi compression, checked all functions and adjusted new chain and oiler; top notch condition, will take broken saws and power equipment in trade; an old retired technician trying to keep busy and avoid honey do list.
-Husky 455 Rancher: $250, "Like new barely used."
-Husky 455 Rancher: $300, "Barely used, country boy moved to city" (pics look a little nicer/cleaner then the $250 one) (I'd probably offer $250, as I'd like to stay under that for now, at least until I get moved, then maybe I'll have extra money and see how regularly I'll be using them)
Analysis so far: Looks like the 440 has notably more power (and maybe lighter) than either of the new ones, and is attractively priced; If I could have gotten by with either of the new ones, the 440 would probably be quite a bit nicer than either of them... The 353 and 455, have notably more power (nearly the same) than the 440, but do I need it? There are definitely some larger trees on the property I'm buying, and a 18"-20" bar is what I've been leaning toward. In some placed, the 353 is quoted as being more of a "pro level" saw (though I'm sure many people would say "it's not an XP series, so it's not pro level) than the 455, but I also don't see as many 353s around, and it's an e-Tech saw, so I've read that they're somewhat prone to overheating, if you don't get rid of the cat exhaust. Likewise, it seems maybe the 353 is an older gen saw than the 455s, but maybe also maybe lighter/easier to handle, and less vibration than the 455. I think I also read that the 353 is a split magnesium case saw, which seems to be a generally preferred option to clamshell designs. Feature-wise, the only differences I'm seeing is that MAYBE the 440 might have a visible fuel level (which doesn't seem like a big deal to me... if/when my weed-eater runs out of gas, it stop, and I fill it), and the 353 doesn't have felling marks (but don't see any reason to care about that), and finally, the 455 and 353 have side mount chain tensioning, but not sure about the 440 (might be tool less, but maybe that's just the e-series), and I don't think the 440 has an adjustable oil pump (useful or not big deal?).
As I've read many times on this site, you can always get a little better saw for a little more money, and that seems to be part of the issue I'm seeing here, but I'm just note where they best VALUE is here. At $150 for the 440, would I be better off buying one of the new saws? If I add another $50, is it worth the extra $50 for the 353? Is the little bit of extra HP, an X-Torq engine, and the ability to run 3/8 chain pitch instead of .325 (but also the cost of a little more weight) worth yet another $50-100 to move to the 455? Are any of these likely to last way longer then others?
Thoughts on these options? Thanks.
