bryannewton
ArboristSite Operative
What is yalls options on the new craftsman saw i got my wife a 42cc with a 16 in bar it seams ok but haven't cut much with it
Craftsman saws
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Knowing the model would help.
bryannewton
ArboristSite Operative
Its a S160
Funny you should bring this up, I was getting ready to. I have a small tree down in the yard and needed cutting up, I gathered up several of my older, small saws, gassed them up and tested them against each other. Stihl 017, Homelite XL (small) and Craftsman 2.0. The winner was the Craftsman. All three saws in similar shape but the Craftsman had a safety chain and the others didn't, didn't seem to matter, the safety chain cut just fine and the engine ran and idled smoother than the others. I have a few others but I didn't want to gas them all up...The Craftsman was a tad heavier however...
Did yours look like my Craftsman 4218? Just curious.
I seldom run it, but I've also never sold it.
bryannewton
ArboristSite Operative
So all in all they are decent saws
Mine seems to be. I have seen several that have been beaten to a pulp. Many owners treat them like expensive toys that they can live without.
bryannewton
ArboristSite Operative
I can say this my wife's saw ( the craftsman) bail in out of trouble when I got my 450 rancher hung up cutting an old old dead tree down and my father in-law ms250 stihls would not start
Mine looks a bit like that one except mine's black and doesn't come with a chain brake. Mine says 2.0 on the starter assy. sticker. Yours also looks to have an anti-vibe system on it whereas mine is fairly solid. I've always liked those little saws but it seems every time I get one someone wants to buy it from me. I'll probably hide this one...
bryannewton
ArboristSite Operative
I was wrong its a s165
The best thing I like about my little Craftsman was the price, it was free...
So was mine as shown above in post #5. Owner deserted it, left it in a basement several years ago, and moved out. New homeowner gave it to me after he could not get it to run. I got it to run with my repairs and it still does.
bryannewton
ArboristSite Operative
I was impressed with it today I was cutting some 18 in logs up its only got a 16 in bar on it and it handled it fine as long as chain was sharp
As I stated before, the thing that got me was the chain. I was gonna replace that half-worn safety chain but after using it for a while I'm pretty sure I'll keep it until it's completely worn out..
Looks good! I recall now that my "major" repair was to tighten a loose spark plug and then tune the carb. After that the saw ran fine.
I think by a certain point in time the Craftsman saws were just a re-badged Poulan?
I have a Poulan 4218 that's on the bench for a carb rebuild (got it for free, sat with ethanol gas). It would run good, then after it sits a little while it just bogs above 1/4 throttle. I think high speed circuit is blocked, fuel pump / metering diaphragm is stiff, or some combination.
But, when it's running good it does a fine job for a cheap saw.
I have a Poulan 4218 that's on the bench for a carb rebuild (got it for free, sat with ethanol gas). It would run good, then after it sits a little while it just bogs above 1/4 throttle. I think high speed circuit is blocked, fuel pump / metering diaphragm is stiff, or some combination.
But, when it's running good it does a fine job for a cheap saw.
Campin' Cutter
ArboristSite Member
I worked at Sears for 8 years all through high school and college selling tools and lawn and garden equipment. Now, this is just my experience, but we got A LOT of chainsaw returns. However, about half of those were from guys who let ethanol gas sit in the saws, probably another third were guys who were trying to use a 42cc craftsman like it was a pro forestry saw and were obviously disappointed, and then we got a much smaller number back from customers who actually had problems with them (usually carb related like hard starts or leaking fuel). When I worked there the craftsman saws were made by poulan. I don't know if they still are. For an occasional use homeowner saw they aren't bad saws.
Campin' Cutter
ArboristSite Member
See my post below you. I worked at Sears for 8 years selling tools and power equipment all through high school and college. The craftsman saws at the time were just rebranded poulans, you are right about that.
It's not hard to tell when they look virtually identical except for colors and decals. Haha.
Your post reminds me why so many small power tools are going to battery power, because the average homeowner is too stupid to maintain gas equipment.
