firewood saw chains
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mainewoods
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've cut a lot of wood in my time with a Husky 50-51 and 55. They have put a lot of wood on the ground for me and have never failed me. Not one burnt piston,cylinder, bearings, or anything major. Nothing wrong with those saws - period. But I sure do miss my 346's!
I do "need" a newer saw but at this point I'm in the man phase where I just want to see how many cords I can crank out with my dad's old 65. A lot apparently.
Pro saw, mid-range saw, homeowner saw, WTF ever.
There was a time when things like chainsaws and other internal combustion engine powered equipment was gauged by something called power-to-weight-ratio. Typically, the better, more robust and durable equipment had a higher ratio... and people who understood power, also understood the ratio and what it meant. But things are different now-a-days; the safety police, the EPA, and consumer expectations of more and more gadgetry have destroyed what once was... people are wowed buy superficial owl squat.
Good or bad, I'm a Stihl guy... but I have no desire to own anything with the "MS" designation in the model number.
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There was a time when things like chainsaws and other internal combustion engine powered equipment was gauged by something called power-to-weight-ratio. Typically, the better, more robust and durable equipment had a higher ratio... and people who understood power, also understood the ratio and what it meant. But things are different now-a-days; the safety police, the EPA, and consumer expectations of more and more gadgetry have destroyed what once was... people are wowed buy superficial owl squat.
Good or bad, I'm a Stihl guy... but I have no desire to own anything with the "MS" designation in the model number.
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zogger
Tree Freak
Power to weight is still important and taken into consideration. This is why so many guys first buy a pro saw (best power to weight in whatever CC class), then have it ported (way more power, weight actually drops a smidgen from removed aluminum in the cylinder).
Anyway, I got to run a stihl 441 cm one afternoon, geez loweez, double dawg dare ya to run one and not have a big grin on your face. Smooth as silk, plenty of power, unreal easy reliable starting, light in the hands.
And I am mostly a husky guy! But I'll throw cred where it is deserved. 70 cc, handles like a 50 near about, and just like smooooooth in the cut, and in the hands, hardly a vibe.
I like a lot of stuff from ye olden days, but appreciate engineering advances when they work.
hseII
Addicted to ArboristSite
I did agree with you on that, but I think my MS660 and MS261 that RE brought to life would change your mind, as would my muffler modded MS200T.
Those 3 are very good saws; I just got the 261 back and it's getting stronger by the day.
Granted, I had to send my 660 to Randy for it to out pull my RL 066, but now it does
EPA rulings aren't the due to the saw or the saw manufacturers doing, it's our own government and the Hippies they are catering to; not you Jon
Husqavarna Guy
ArboristSite Operative
I had to get a 545 so my 555 has a little brother. The 545 is a awesome complement to the 555. Both are wicked and smooth.
benp
Addicted to ArboristSite
That is the next terrace to cartwheel over once you step on the slippery slope of chainsaws.
All I want is modded 90+ cc saws with a 32"+ bar. I am hooked.
If I had a stable of real healthy 394's/395's and a big barred member of the 3120 family for the real shifty stuff I would be content.
zogger
Tree Freak
benp
Addicted to ArboristSite
My 394 is the best balanced out of the bunch. It's heavy, but you don't really realize it when cutting until you grab another saw. It has been my go to saw.
Chris-PA
Where the Wild Things Are
There was a time I remember when people mostly bought the equipment they needed, and no more. Most everyone I knew had OPE from Sears, and rarely the top of the line either - pro equipment was for pros. But the marketing man has been successful in telling us we deserve the "best" (which naturally means he makes more money, but pay no attention to that), and the message has stuck.
Back in the days when people bought pickup trucks because they were cheap...times have changed.
My FIL has been a Harley owner for over 50 years. He gets fired up about the new breed of hog buyers who have to buy the biggest most expensive bike and all of the accessories as a status symbol.
Sears stuff used to be better.
Lots of brands have been 'diluted': Sunbeam, Homelite, Porter-Cable, to name a few. Sends people to 'pro' brands and models.
Even 'in the day' some people bought Snapper, Gravely, Ariens, etc. OPE.
Philbert
For S and G I just ordered a full chisel Oregon chain. Now I can compare FC, two brands of SC, and an old chipper chain in one sitting.
I would only partially agree with that Chris-PA.
There was a time when "homeowner" equipment from Sears far out-classed much of today's "pro" equipment... and that's the real rub. Just look at that little 1968 Custom 10XL I use as a utility tractor. Yeah, it's a bit beat-up and seen better days, but it's still at least twice the tractor of any "homeowner" one on the market... it'll out-pull and out-work my newer Husqvarna that has 2½ times the Hp. I'm bettin' it'll still be haulin'-the-mail long after that Husqvarna is scrap iron. Heck, dad buys John Deere, and the next step up from "homeowner" grade at that... he has to replace them every 5 years or so 'cause they're flat wore-out.
It ain't so much the "marketing man"... it's more the BS regulations and "throwaway world" we live in and the junk it spawns. I had a little push mower a couple years back with a molded plastic carburetor on it... really, plastic‼ No adjustment, no parts available, not even the complete carb (just try and convince me that ain't due to BS emissions regulations). But I can still get any part I need for the carburetors on that 1968 10XL, or the old garden tiller from the 60's (maybe early 70's) I own... and, like the 10XL, it's also a figgin' tank that keeps on tickin' like a Timex.
Yeah, "there was a time when people mostly bought the equipment they needed, and no more"... but at that time, when you bought something, you actually got something, likely more than you "needed" even if it came from one of the lower shelves. People are wowed buy superficial owl squat now-a-days. Gadgetry ain't quality, it's nothing but silly fluff... and that's where "the marketing man has been successful", convincing people of the electronic age that they have to have silly fluff. People even brag about their silly fluff, show it off, and pump their chests out over it. Me?? I yank or disable most all of it, toss it in the trash if I can... I'd bet I removed near 100 feet of wire, with corresponding "safety" switches, sensors and relays from my Husqvarna grass cutter.
Like I said...
Good or bad, I'm a Stihl guy... but I have no desire to own anything with the "MS" designation in the model number.
I'm less than impressed... way less.
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Getting back to cuttin' chains...
I use Stihl brand; in my view they out-class any other (I've tried)... and, unlike many, I have no problem sharpening them (quickly) with a file. Nothing else I've used, or tried, holds an edge like Stihl chain, and the small difference in price is well worth it. Sure, I like to save a penny when I can... but at the same time, I wanna' get the most for any penny spent. Time savings is worth something also... if I can spend more of my time cuttin', and less sharpening, it's a penny well spent.
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I use Stihl brand; in my view they out-class any other (I've tried)... and, unlike many, I have no problem sharpening them (quickly) with a file. Nothing else I've used, or tried, holds an edge like Stihl chain, and the small difference in price is well worth it. Sure, I like to save a penny when I can... but at the same time, I wanna' get the most for any penny spent. Time savings is worth something also... if I can spend more of my time cuttin', and less sharpening, it's a penny well spent.
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KenJax Tree
Terraphobic
Thats most likely true with the majority of the pro saws here. Inculding some started but never touching wood.
Yeah?? Well... I'm wonderin' what that says??
Is that because the "average" homeowner doesn't use it much?? (I know, that is the implication... but...)
Or is that because the "average" homeowner saw only lasts that long before replacement is necessary??
I mean... think about it... a statement such as that really doesn't tell us anything without the quantification... does it??
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flashhole
Addicted to ArboristSite
Whitespider, why no love for the MS saws. I own a Stihl MS460, best saw I've ever used, and would recommend one to anyone looking for a saw in its size class. They might be hard to find now that the newer models with more bells and whistles are on the shelves but the 460 is a no frills power house.
