In chronological order;
The first saw I remember working on was an old blue Homelite XL. Big, heavy, manual oiler. I was probably 15. The service manager (head mechanic), told me to go through and give it a 2 cycle tune up. It didn't rev as high as the other ones, i had to run a different mix in it, i was told to keep it rich. It weighed a ton, made a lot of smoke, had a lot of compression, and i wasn't alowed to cut anything with it. Older fellow owned it as his main saw.
First chainsaw I used in any meaningful amount was a Poulan Pro 38cc or 42cc with antivibe. Don't remember if it had a chain brake, but i remember the antivibe being great while cutting up a windfall that landed in a horse pasture compared with some craftsman saws that lacked the antivibe.
My service manager always thought Poulan Pro was the best cheap saw. I later realized it was because they were made by Husqvarna.
First saw I bought was a Husqvarna 450 I flipped for extra money. Did the same with a 455 Rancher shortly thereafter. Decided I didn't really like an outboard clutch, too.
First saw i bought for personal use was an early Stihl MS170 i got in "untested condition, not running" for just under $80. Turned out to be a like new saw with perfect compression and almost no use that I only had to add gas to get running. Felled my first tree with it, 12" dead from vines. Still have it today.
