Chainsaws

Best bet would be to go talk to a reputable Stihl dealer (or any mower shop really) if you ask me...

Be careful if you buy a Sthil, make sure it is a german one not a south american one as they are crap.
I prefer the Dolmar myself.
Regards
Tour Boy

I support the genuine Stihl too. Have had quite a few brands over the years and worked them quite hard. I have found the Stihl to be good starters, parts available and reliable. Their ergonomics are not perfect but pretty good. I only buy Stihl now but find that I am not needing to buy a new one nearly as often as they seem to last well.

alastair

While Dolmar isnt as well known as the bigger brands, they have been around as long as Stihl,they are a good all round saw, they have a good back up service and are priced well.
And yes we do sell them and we dont sell anything I wouldnt use myself.

Buy a reputable established brand. The cheap chinese stuff is just that. I brought one and it was totally unreliable.

Have always had Stihl myself but have two mates that run Husqvarna - their saws are quieter and easier to start, just as powerful but lighter and they maintain their tune better (longer). We cut our own firewood in Tassie. My Stihl has lasted so well that I don't have to contemplate changing yet but I would buy either of these brands for their reliability and parts/service backup. You don't want a saw to let you down when you need it most and as with everything else - "you get what you pay for ! "
Cheers John

Stihl, Husky or Jurgensen if you want it to last, imo.

Always preferred 18in bar size with minium 38cc engine here Wayne.

I wouldn't get one for general use with less than 16 in bar.

Many have optional size bars, for example 16/18/20in bar on same base engine.
Good rule of thumb is to buy unit with its smallest specified bar and you tend to
have plenty of power , as opposed to buying smaller engine with bigger bar.

With green wood being so much easier to cut you don't often notice lack of
power until you get to long dead tree across your path.

Use Homelite here, not for any particular reason, and brought a second one
of same model new 12 years after first one - mainly for parts backup but
while they have withstood all the abuse I throw at them I could not reccomend them as chain tension adjustment needs to be done frequently.

I'm pretty hard on them, like other week cut down about a dozen
trees at groung level with chain bar cutting into dirt often, and ease of adjustment
of chain slack is an important requirement.

Friend has chain saw shop in Mansfield and, while they sell several brands he would agree with some here that Huskies should be given serious consideration.

Robin Miller

Howdy,
I was thinking of one myself but has anyone heard anything about needing a permit to operate one?
I think it's to do with using one in a national park...or something.

Hi
I run a Stihl 026 with a 16 inch bar, i use this for my work. Powerfull + light weight.
This is a professional saw so it's not cheap, but if looked after you will only have to buy 1 in your lifetime.

Stihl and Husqvarna are probably the pick of the bunch here in Oz. Stihl probably have slightly better spare parts and backup service but Husqvarna are continually improving in this area.

The Husky's can be a little harder to start but once running the will go all day without any problems.

It may cost extra but consider a model with an inertia brake system which is an improvement over the normal chain brake system. The inertia brake system will operate in kickback situations where the standard chainbrake won't.

Things to look out for:

Inertia brake system.

Noise rating (dB) lower the number the quiter the machine = better for chainsaw operator.

Ease of removing the air cleaner for maintenance.

Smaller bars are generally safer than larger bars for kick back (less leverage).

Thankyou guys youve been very helpful..Will go hunt a stihl @ 16 bar



Cheers..

A Stihl or a Stihl or a Stihl
:-)
OK so I did work at a Stihl dealership for a few years (no affiliation anymore). We did repairs on all brands but Stihl guarantee that parts will be available for a least 10 years after they stop making a particular model. We had saws that were ancient coming in and amazingly parts were still available! Husqvarna were pretty reliable too. Lots of the other brands just dont have the parts backup.

May not be the answer you want - but i bought one of those cheap nasties that another forum member suggested you stay clear of - i got it off ebay for $135.00 it has a 52 cc engine - 18 inch bar . I have now been using this saw for about 1.5 years ( used and abuse ) and its still running strong without any hick ups at all.

MANY years ago i was working for Mc culloch power tools when i first left school as there maintenance guy which involved full repairs of brushcutters and chain saws - both in Mc culloch and Sach dohlmar brands - was with them for 3 years before they went into recievership , my point being i am not un-informed

MOST chainsaw all use the walbro carbys - In general - sometimes brand names are just extra $$ your paying for.... and the unreliability usually stems from dirty carbys

"BUT it will break down when you need it most" --- will be what people are thinking - ANY saw will do this not just cheap crap - but for me if it does - i will throw it away and buy another for $135.00 and get maybe 2 years out of it rather than spend $600 on a brand name - spend about $100+ on general servicing through the year ( as per there recomendations )

something to consider

Boc

Happy with our Jonsered 2145. Cost about $650. Reliable, good quality product, made in Sweden.

Dealer I bought from sold several brands but recommended the Jonsered as quality and value for money. He said many people make the mistake in buying their first saw of getting one that is not powerful enough for cutting hard timber; recommended 45cc motor at least.