A good trimming saw for $100?? Ryobi 10532 Review

[Cliff R]

"new demand from this thread will probably destroy that dream."

Thanks to Brad you'll be lucky if you can even get by now!

Update, ran another tank through mine this evening, went out to one of the woodpiles and did some cross cutting and cut up some HUGE Beech chunks.

I'm starting to get impressed. Made it thru an entire tank of fuel without a grumble, and even let it idle for quite a while a few times while I moved some chucks of wood around to get at them.

The power this little saw makes is pretty impressive. As Brad menitioned earlier in the thread, it requires load to set the carburetor correctly. I slotted the screws on mine before I ever ran it, but removed them and put springs on them first. They were WAY too easy to turn for my liking without the springs.

Anyhow, the saw really wants to rpm, but as you go leaner with it, it starts to give up some mid-range power, same as my Husqvarna 435 did when I tuned it. You basically have to go rich with it, till it misses and looses some power, then lean it up just a tiny bit at a time, make a cut, and continue to do this until best power is found. There is a very fine line between it "4 stroking" and going on the rev limiter. The ideal setting for mine was about 1/8th turn past (clockwise) the highest rpm I could get it to 4-stroke w/o the rev limiter.

I hope to have some timed cut results posted by the weekend between the Ryobi and the 435.....Cliff

 

[huskystihl]

Great here come the greatest thing since the 361! No offense Brad. I give it 6 months and every other member will have one of these.

 

[HimWill]

In between rainstorms today,I wiped off this little guy for a photo.It's wearing a 12" bar and 3/8 LP Woodland Pro.I would have liked to have the 14" setup but the 12" combo was too good to pass up.Here's why:

https://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=BCC+12+EP50&catID=708

The ice damage around here was limbs up to about 10" to 12" max.This setup was about ideal to handle this.I had ordered 4 of these combos,for my S25 Poulan,but three of them ended up on Ryobis.I ordered a couple more last week,they're that good.It makes the saw look a little "snubnosed",but looks aren't everything.

 

[woodyman]

How do these Ryobi's cut compared to lets say a Wildthing,they are 40cc's and a throw away saw too for $119.00 new.There is a guy at work that has a Wildthing and he can't say enough about it's cutting speed and reliability.

 

[Cliff R]

I ordered 4 of them earlier today, but they have not confirmed the order yet. They may be out of stock on them?.....Cliff

 

[HimWill]

When I ordered the combos,I wasn't aware that they even fit the Ryobis.After using the stock setup on the Ryobis,I stumbled upon the fact that they would work.Some of the guys using the 18" setup had little or no chainsaw experience and keeping safe with that much bar on a majority of 3" to 6" limbs was making me nervous.Too much bar to keep track of in the tangled mess.Went to the short bars,everything really smoothed out for the operators.I hope that Bailey's has enough to go around for those of you that ordered the saws.A really handy setup for limbing.

Cliff,what do you think about opening up the carb box somewhat to improve the airflow?

 

[Cliff R]

I was wondering if there was enough area leading into the airbox as to not be a bit restrictive?

I'll look at it some more after the saw gets a few more tanks ran through it, to see just exactly where all the intake air is coming from, and if there is any room for improvement?

I modified the exhaust before the saw was even started. That mod was pretty easy, well, inless your bit grabs and drills clear thru the back of the muffler!....Cliff

 

[HimWill]

When you really take the time to look it over,it makes you wonder how they run at all.The carb box is really well sealed.The carb intake is about 3/4" or so and the extra air intakes for the strato are 1/2" each.At wide open throttle,that's a lot of air that has to find its way into the box.The only opening to the outside air is through the carb adjustment holes,not much area there.I think that the muffler mod,to move out the exhaust more efficiently,is taken as a given to boost performance on most engines.The other end of the equation,enhanced air intake,is seldom even considered.On these saws,with their design,I think additional gains are possible with an air box mod.Nothing radical,just a hole or two should do it nicely.Yes,but where to put the holes?

 

[blsnelling]

So anyone ready to pick up my 3800 so that I can order a GZ4500 tomorrow?

 

[HimWill]

Go ahead and order the GZ4500.I think when you "showcase" the 3800 at the upcoming GTG you'll find it a new owner.

 

[howellhandmade]

How do these Ryobi's cut compared to lets say a Wildthing,they are 40cc's and a throw away saw too for $119.00 new.There is a guy at work that has a Wildthing and he can't say enough about it's cutting speed and reliability.

Lots of folks want whatever they have to be the best, whatever it is. I think if you're one of these folks and your WildThing doesn't break and you don't have anything to compare it to, it's the best saw in the world. I've got an 8- or 9-year-old 2150, shares lots of parts with a WildThing and is basically the same saw with 33cc instead of 40, and it's been reliable too. It gets used a lot, gets the worst jobs and the oldest mix, and if it's got a sharp chain you might think it had enough power for a 16" bar.

The Ryobi is a better saw. Its vertically split magnesium case should be enough. The Poulan's is plastic, and feels it. I've looked up the manual for the WildThing on the Poulan website. It does appear to have a chain brake (which my 2150 does not). The Ryobi has a side chain adjuster, the Poulan's is in front by the bar. Both are on the cover, but the Poulan's is a noted weak point and there are lots of gripes about it. Both have spur sprocket/clutches, but the Ryobi's looks better, more substantial drum, more cleanly made clutch parts, three springs and arms rather than two. The Ryobi has a removable filter cover and a fine screen filter; on the Poulan (from the manual, the WT seems to be the same as my 2150) is it evidently intended that you never clean your filter, since you have to remove four screws that are sunk into plastic and take off the one-piece cylinder cover to get to it. You do that enough and the plastic that the screws go into gets buggered. You don't do it at all and the engine gets buggered. It's a telling point about which saw seems intended to be used and maintained.

Switch gear is pretty much a wash. Both triggers are kind of gritchy and flimsy-feeling, choke knobs are both skinny, both kill switches seem like they might not last but my Poulan's has done fine so I should probably give the Ryobi's the benefit of the doubt. Overall feel goes to the Poulan, I think. It feels more balanced between the hands, more level in attitude. The Ryobi's handle placement puts more weight on the left hand and the nose down. Both wearing 16s, the Ryobi feels nose-heavy, which is odd for a saw that weighs so little.

I don't know what the Ryobi costs brand new, not reconditioned, but the Wild Thing is $159 from Northern Tool, so I suspect $119 is a reconditioned price also. Google says you can get a recon WT for $99. If you want one, that is. The question was how the Ryobi cuts compared to a WildThing. I'd expect not any worse. It seems really, really strange to talk about quality when comparing $100 saws, but the WildThing would have to give the Ryobi a really comprehensive beating in the wood to make it a better purchase.

Jack

 

[HimWill]

HH,I know what you mean about not wanting to like these saws.When I got them it was a cheap ($99 delivered) way to deal with a terrible mess.The ice storm I was referring to knocked out Western Kentucky and Northwest Tennessee.Some power outages lasted nearly three weeks.Not a new saw to be found,no electricity to run a cash register or even open the automatic doors to the store.People were driving 125 miles round-trip to buy kerosene and milk down here.Wigglesworth and Fish can add to this if they want.
Bought 6 of the Ryobis,worked them over quickly(muffler and fuel lines) and loaned them out to neighbors and friends.No failures,no real saw problems but several tune ups as they broke in,replaced two sparkplugs.The plugs are kind of an odd-ball around here,but Calvin stocks them.
The little guys just seem to grow on you,and one day you decide they are a real saw after all.If you know beforehand what their quirks are and take care of them,they are a pleasant surprise.

 

[04ultra]

Brad you need to start pimping the Poulan Wildthingy .........Husqvarna needs help with sales..............










.

 

[howellhandmade]

HH,I know what you mean about not wanting to like these saws.
SNIP
The little guys just seem to grow on you,and one day you decide they are a real saw after all.If you know beforehand what their quirks are and take care of them,they are a pleasant surprise.

A surprise, yes. I'm often surprised at what you get for $100 from China. I needed a quick change toolpost for a lathe but didn't have $500 for an Aloris. I bought a $100 knockoff and can't find a single darned thing to complain about it other than a relative slight lack of beauty. It concerns me that it is impossible to pay a little more for a functional product and support our own manufacturing base. As you did with the storm cleanup, I had a specific need and no viable alternative.

Brad's photos and the experience of several of us indicate that the Ryobi is a real saw. It's not a piece of junk; it's got good castings, real internals, and respectable power.

Sigh.

Jack

 

[HimWill]

The only positive thing about it is the fact that it wasn't designed by the Chinese.So far their manufacturing is "monkey see monkey do", copy a successful product.Even the owners manual was coherent, now that is disturbing.The manuals are usually good for a few laughs.

 

[wigglesworth]

The ice storm I was referring to knocked out Western Kentucky and Northwest Tennessee.Some power outages lasted nearly three weeks.Not a new saw to be found,no electricity to run a cash register or even open the automatic doors to the store.People were driving 125 miles round-trip to buy kerosene and milk down here.Wigglesworth and Fish can add to this if they want.

That was the crappiest few weeks of my life. A 20 min drive from work took 3 hours due to trees down over the roads. I had a saw, but the first time I got out of the truck to cut one out of the way, a big old oak fell about 20 foot in front of me. Needless to say, I got back in the truck and looked for an alternate route. But, one good thing was, I heat with wood!! The house stayed warm. But back on subjuct, I do want one of those Ryobi's. You cant get another mag case saw for that money.

 

[HimWill]

Some of you have mentioned the small oil fill hole on these saws.I posted a solution to "hitting that little hole" a couple of months back.It's an on/off cap actually made for antifreeze jugs,just so happens it fits gallon bar oil jugs too.Advance Auto was closing them out at $0.99,probably still some out there.They are also at Tractor Supply for around $2.It's worth the effort to hunt one(or more) up.You'll never make a "big" mess again.
(These aren't the only saws with "dinky" oil holes,Poulan S25 comes to mind.)Here's a picture of the cap:

Its full name is in my sig,thought some inquiring minds would look into it and discover it and what it's good for,maybe someone did.

And the best part is..............Made in U.S.A................................Don't see that much anymore.

 

[striperswaper]

yeah being the geek that I am, I confess I looked it up and said WTF?
didn't make the connection cuz my saws have big holes, good idea though will keep an eye out for one

 

[Taxmantoo]

I ordered a couple more last week,they're that good.It makes the saw look a little "snubnosed",but looks aren't everything.

I did the same thing in January. Ordered a few of those B&C combos (price went down after I bought mine) for my little saws. They fit all low profile small Husky mount, and that's a lot of saws. On the Ryobi, you get 10 1/4" or so past the little dawgs with a brand new unstretched chain.

 

[HimWill]

In the interest of fairness,they come in other colors too.(I've heard that some people have an aversion to anything orange.)