For those of you who read about what happened to my saw my son is about to buy me a new saw(it's actually the second time because the one he just bought had a cracked case). But here is my question: Since so many of you dislike the Stihl MS180 should I just buy another saw for less? Like a poulan or troy-bilt? I can get a larger cc engine and longer bar for the same price? I am trying to stay around the 250 mark since that is what I paid for the original saw. Lots of big box stores sell cheap 40+ cc saws for under 300
I read your original thread, that's honorable of your son to take responsibility, something that you should be proud of.
Members typically have run a lot of saws for loads of hours; eventually people tend to work their way up to more reliable, easier to use, lighter, faster cutting saws...which are often more expensive than entry level saws because of what goes into them. If someone could make "a great saw for less money" they would and we'd all own one. Therefore instead of you spending money on a saw you'll have to replace down the road members suggest something that will last and make your investment in the saw/bar/chains worthwhile.
STIHL, even for a homeowner saw, is a great brand. Reliable, long-lived (as in 25 years or more), powerful, easy to run.
Husqvarna owners love them, they cost less, they're lighter and faster, but they don't have the diehard reputation STIHL has.
Some of the very inexpensive saws from the big-box stores like you mentioned above are pretty finicky and and burn themselves out quickly if everything isn't "perfect," and they won't have the power, speed, or light weight of Husqvarna or STIHL. With chainsaws you typically get what you pay for.
The downside is STIHL requires a dealer to service your saw and/or provide parts, so if you have a crappy dealer you're pretty much screwed. Husqvarna's parts are ungodly expensive, and as of recent hard to get since they shut down a plant causing some things to be back-ordered 2 to 6 months.
ECHO is a Japanese owned company, though the saws are made in Japan, China, and the US, depending. The opinion I've gathered is they have more plastic than STIHL and are slightly less reliable than Husqvarna, however are still very reliable and parts are "dirt cheap" compared to either Husqvarna or STIHL. The technology seems to be about 30 years old with some updates, but that simplicity makes them easy to work on. Comparing saws, they're not as light as Husqvarna or STIHL, but again price and reliability is very good, and replacement parts can be bought online. Unlike Husqvarna or STIHL, ECHO supplies parts lists freely on their website, right on the saw's model page, which is a huge benifit.
Personally, I'm a STIHL guy. I inherited my dad's STIHL 015 homeowner's saw from around 40 years ago which he ran hard without servicing it other than one spark plug. The bar, sprocket, and chain are beat to death, but the thing still runs great and I have an awesome local dealer. He cut a lot of heating wood with the 14" bar, which is generally considered tiny on these forums, but we heated our home all winter for 20 or so years with the wood we cut and split. Without that history I'd probably own ECHO because IF something goes wrong I can look up what parts I need and order them online, or take it to an ECHO dealer.
Of course you need a saw that fits your needs in weight, power, and price. Your time and happyness is worth money, so spend a bit more than you think you should (add to whatever your son would spend if needed) and get a saw that will make you smile while using it.
There's a STIHL saw comparison chart attached to this post (because I have it handy), though buy what fits you best.
