Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
what is higher quality nowadays?
mcculloch vs poulan pro
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RandyMac
Stiff Member
The poor excuse for a McCulloch is asian crap, get a Poulan.
Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
Just curious...both under husqvarna. Seems to me that Poulan pro, mcculloch, craftsman are all 1 series huskys with different colored plastics. With Redmax being equivelent to the midrange and red plastic. Finally Jonsered is a red replica of each kind minus the big 395s and 3120xp. So really you only have Stihl, Dolmar, Husky, and Echo (which is over the kickass Shindaiwa) left as their own companys who make their own 2 cycle engines? But I guess you have Hitachi...not sure if it is its own...and makita which is under tanaka. I'm sure each brand is known for something positive and negative. I think it'd be cool if their was somebody that tried every brand and had an unbiased imput on each brands good points and bad points.
Poulan Pro/Craftsman- Ive used both, and they seem the same...Poulan Pro for price of course. For under 200 dollars, I wouldn't trade my Poulan pro for a non Pro Stihl...the 290 farm boss seems too heavy and drinks way to much gas for its performance. So from my experience between Mid Range Stihl and Poulan Pro...the Poulan Pro is more practical.
Stihl- (only Stihl I consider true Stihl are the german made...rest is junk used as low cost sales to boost advertisement about how they are the #1 selling brand) The only pro Stihl saw I have used is my fathers 041 with a 20 inch bar. It likes its gas, but as for performance and build quality I'd rate it as one of the top saws for being practical heavy use-professional use. That saw is over 20 years old and it will still run but its been used and abused quite a bit.
Husqvarna- (same as Stihl, in my opinion if I were gonna go with a big brand Husky, I'd get an XP, otherwise you might as well save the money and get a different brand.) I haven't had a lot of experience with Husky...but I hear the 372xp is one hell of a 70cc range saw...probably gonna be my replacement for the 041...just because it weighs less the the 441 now, and I really want to give Husqvarna a fair chance of my opinion.
Echo- If you took Stihl and Husqvarna, and averaged the quality of every saw make...Echo would come out on top...they don't make the cheap quality homeowner equipment YET... Echo makes good small saws in my opinion...and Shindaiwa is now under them...their cs500p is a shindaiwa design and weighs 10.6 pounds, that will be my next 50 cc chainsaw.
Redmax- is one of those brands Id like some imput on.
Mcculloch- is another brand I have no experience with...I know their old saws Look KICKASS though.
Homelite- their old saws were kickass looking too
Jonsered- I assume will be just the same as husky with a different handle and color...but im up for input.
Hitachi- never used one, up for imput...looks like an overpriced poulan.
Remington- again never used...scared of things that say MTD...but if youve used one I'd like to know how it works for you.
Dolmar- almost forgot this one because Ive never used it before and actually hadn't heard of it till I started researching Chainsaws
Solo- again hadn't heard of it.
Tanaka/Makita...again never used.
If I forgot a brand I apologize...but if you have used multiple brands Id like to hear how they compare...and please no Stihl is awesome and everything else sucks...if youre that ignorant, then you probably don't even have a German saw.
Poulan Pro/Craftsman- Ive used both, and they seem the same...Poulan Pro for price of course. For under 200 dollars, I wouldn't trade my Poulan pro for a non Pro Stihl...the 290 farm boss seems too heavy and drinks way to much gas for its performance. So from my experience between Mid Range Stihl and Poulan Pro...the Poulan Pro is more practical.
Stihl- (only Stihl I consider true Stihl are the german made...rest is junk used as low cost sales to boost advertisement about how they are the #1 selling brand) The only pro Stihl saw I have used is my fathers 041 with a 20 inch bar. It likes its gas, but as for performance and build quality I'd rate it as one of the top saws for being practical heavy use-professional use. That saw is over 20 years old and it will still run but its been used and abused quite a bit.
Husqvarna- (same as Stihl, in my opinion if I were gonna go with a big brand Husky, I'd get an XP, otherwise you might as well save the money and get a different brand.) I haven't had a lot of experience with Husky...but I hear the 372xp is one hell of a 70cc range saw...probably gonna be my replacement for the 041...just because it weighs less the the 441 now, and I really want to give Husqvarna a fair chance of my opinion.
Echo- If you took Stihl and Husqvarna, and averaged the quality of every saw make...Echo would come out on top...they don't make the cheap quality homeowner equipment YET... Echo makes good small saws in my opinion...and Shindaiwa is now under them...their cs500p is a shindaiwa design and weighs 10.6 pounds, that will be my next 50 cc chainsaw.
Redmax- is one of those brands Id like some imput on.
Mcculloch- is another brand I have no experience with...I know their old saws Look KICKASS though.
Homelite- their old saws were kickass looking too
Jonsered- I assume will be just the same as husky with a different handle and color...but im up for input.
Hitachi- never used one, up for imput...looks like an overpriced poulan.
Remington- again never used...scared of things that say MTD...but if youve used one I'd like to know how it works for you.
Dolmar- almost forgot this one because Ive never used it before and actually hadn't heard of it till I started researching Chainsaws
Solo- again hadn't heard of it.
Tanaka/Makita...again never used.
If I forgot a brand I apologize...but if you have used multiple brands Id like to hear how they compare...and please no Stihl is awesome and everything else sucks...if youre that ignorant, then you probably don't even have a German saw.
RandyMac
Stiff Member
If you want a real chainsaw, find a North American chainsaw made before 1980, the earlier ones were better.
Morgan in AR
ArboristSite Operative
you forgot efco.
Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
efco looks like another red husky
Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
if I had the money Id buy every model and make...each cc class would have the same bar and chain and I would youtube all of them. Their would be no more valid arguements if somebody with a good chunk of money would just do it and make it unbiased
As if....
But that chain was dull...
That bar had a burrrrr...
the saw wasnt broken in...
There will always be arguments....:msp_wink:
Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
They would be but they wouldn't be valid. There is alway the Chevy guy that just cant admit his car company is going to ####. 
Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
Just kiddin now, im not a blue oval fan either
Morgan in AR
ArboristSite Operative
Okay, I'll bite. I'll give you the opinion I've formed after my limited experience. Most of my saws are homeowner with the best being just mid sized and mid grade and they are all pretty old so this is going to be worth what you're paying for it. My stihl 026 is by far the best I own. It is light, big enough to do most any thing I need, but not too big for the small jobs. It is high revving and high torque compared to my other saws.
My Olympic 251 super is just about as good as the stihl, plenty of torque, almost as fast. It is heavy however. I understand these were quite popular in the late seventies, and on par with the other imports. They are called efco now, and I think they make john deere saws.
My poulan 2150 has it's place. I love it for cleaning out fence rows and letting my brother or father in law borrow. I have one apart on the bench right now and the only real cheapness I can see is the one piston ring. The rest of it is okay.
I have a homelite super ez auto that I like the heck out of. It is kind of slow, but it has lots of torque. It sounds great also. I've also got a mcculloch power mac 310 that is about the same, lots of torque for a 34cc saw. I don't really know why these horizontal saws have so much torque for their size, but they do.That power mac is a booger to work on though. I bet I've had it apart a dozen times. Seems like to fix anything, you have to take it all apart.
Homeowner saws have their place, and can last if taken care of. My 93 year old grandfather uses a newer 33cc homelite (I think is made by ryobi). He loves how easy it is to start. It seems very lack on power, but suits him fine. I'm sure somebody with more experience can be more helpful-Morgan
My Olympic 251 super is just about as good as the stihl, plenty of torque, almost as fast. It is heavy however. I understand these were quite popular in the late seventies, and on par with the other imports. They are called efco now, and I think they make john deere saws.
My poulan 2150 has it's place. I love it for cleaning out fence rows and letting my brother or father in law borrow. I have one apart on the bench right now and the only real cheapness I can see is the one piston ring. The rest of it is okay.
I have a homelite super ez auto that I like the heck out of. It is kind of slow, but it has lots of torque. It sounds great also. I've also got a mcculloch power mac 310 that is about the same, lots of torque for a 34cc saw. I don't really know why these horizontal saws have so much torque for their size, but they do.That power mac is a booger to work on though. I bet I've had it apart a dozen times. Seems like to fix anything, you have to take it all apart.
Homeowner saws have their place, and can last if taken care of. My 93 year old grandfather uses a newer 33cc homelite (I think is made by ryobi). He loves how easy it is to start. It seems very lack on power, but suits him fine. I'm sure somebody with more experience can be more helpful-Morgan
RandyMac
Stiff Member
watch your mouth sonny
Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
That was pretty helpful Morgan...no biased branding...yeah I dont have a problem with midrange saws...I just dont like stihls prices on theirs for what they are. You tune any of your saws?
Morgan in AR
ArboristSite Operative
I can adjust the carb.
Nowadays like in today, 2-11-2012?
I believe the aswer is they are the same.
When McCulloch first went out of business the Mac name lived on in the US and maybe all of north America as asian crap, no doubt about it.
Husqvarna/Elux owned the Mac name in europe and who knows what they were made from, but I think alot of those were rebadged Poulans as were alot of Partners.
I guess not long ago the Mac name for North America was sold again with Husqvarna ending up with that name here. I have not really paid attention but it seems the Macs here are now all rebadged Poulans.
Edit, just done a search on the Mac US website and they are for sure Poulans but only list 2 gas models right now.
http://www.mccullochpower.com/node7869.aspx?nid=211656
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Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
thats what I thought they look like poulans
Jeff1988
ArboristSite Lurker
So anybody have much experience with Redmax
Guido Salvage
Supreme Saw Whoreder
I do not think you can use the term quality to describe the current models offered by Poulan and Mcculloch.
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