Chainsaw recommendations - Stihl vs. Husqvarna

BMF

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I have a sh*tty Poulan chainsaw and it keeps giving me fits. I had a tune up on it, cost $90 (the damn saw only costs $170 or so brandnew). Anyhow, I finally got fed up w/ it this weekend working on some trees at my cabin. So I'm going to dive in and get a "real" chainsaw (something I should have done from the get go - BIG lesson learned).

Anyhow, I've worked w/ both brands: Stihl & Husqvarna. We had Stihl saws exclusively on the fire department. But I like Husqvarna's also. Any experience or comments on which one I should go with? I'm probably going to get an 18" 'farm' grade (not a professional, but higher grade than a 'home' use saw). I use it to take down probably 10 or so trees a year, log the trees (for fire wood). I sometimes use it for pruning. It's something that when I'm using it I beat the hell out of it, but it only gets used once or twice a month - sometimes it will sit for a couple of months without being used.
 

bradgator2

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Echo is the only company with a 5 year warranty. Stihl is only 2. Husqvarna is 3.

My Echo chainsaw has been awesome.

Regardless of what you choose, with that little use, ONLY put in Trufuel. 92 octane, zero ethanol, premixed oil.
 

Detroitgator

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Echo is the only company with a 5 year warranty. Stihl is only 2. Husqvarna is 3.

My Echo chainsaw has been awesome.

Regardless of what you choose, with that little use, ONLY put in Trufuel. 92 octane, zero ethanol, premixed oil.
Yeah, i buy the premixed, no ethanol higher octane, cans too. No ethanol on squirrel ranch! "Marine" unleaded only! ;)
 

BMF

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Echo is the only company with a 5 year warranty. Stihl is only 2. Husqvarna is 3.

My Echo chainsaw has been awesome.

Regardless of what you choose, with that little use, ONLY put in Trufuel. 92 octane, zero ethanol, premixed oil.

Thanks Brad. I'll check out the Echo's.
 

Swamp Donkey

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Professionals use Stihl. I do too now. They have a professional and homeowner grade. I don't know about the homeowner stuff. I would buy the lowest end of the professional stuff that'll do what you want to do.

I wouldn't mail my pile of Husqvarna junk that rarely starts to my worst enemy. I sent most of it to a friend who junks stuff.

I don't know anything about Echo. has I said I got my information from guys who use the hell out of their chainsaws in Michigan. But I will say the fact that one thing has a longer or he doesn't mean **** to me. Hyundai and Kia has a long warranty.

Edit: Echo is made in China. That's really all I need to know.

Husqvarna and Stihl should never be used in the same sentence.
 
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bradgator2

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There is probably no debate most pros and tree crew guys are using Stihl. They aint cheap though.

I take decent care of my lawn equipment and really good care of the chainsaw. My Echo lawn stuff is now going on 9 years old and is running perfect. I did have to replace the (one dollar) priming bulb on the blower. Chainsaw is going on 4 years old. I will take that completely apart and thoroughly clean it after every use.
 

Gator By Marriage

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Professionals use Stihl. I do too now. They have a professional and homeowner grade. I don't know about the homeowner stuff. I would buy the lowest end of the professional stuff that'll do what you want to do.

I wouldn't mail my pile of Husqvarna junk that rarely starts to my worst enemy. I sent most of it to a friend who junks stuff.

I don't know anything about Echo. has I said I got my information from guys who use the hell out of their chainsaws in Michigan. But I will say the fact that one thing has a longer or he doesn't mean **** to me. Hyundai and Kia has a long warranty.

Edit: Echo is made in China. That's really all I need to know.

Husqvarna and Stihl should never be used in the same sentence.
I don't own one, but if I did it would be a Stihl. But.......from the Stihl website:

"Built with Pride

When you buy STIHL for your outdoor jobs, you’re not just buying quality, dependable tools — you’re buying American-built1 tools. Our state-of-the-art facility in Virginia Beach manufactures millions of finished products every year and exports them to more than 90 countries around the world.

1 A majority of STIHL gasoline-powered units sold in the United States are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. "

Wanna take a wild guess where a minority are made?
 

Swamp Donkey

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I don't own one, but if I did it would be a Stihl. But.......from the Stihl website:

"Built with Pride

When you buy STIHL for your outdoor jobs, you’re not just buying quality, dependable tools — you’re buying American-built1 tools. Our state-of-the-art facility in Virginia Beach manufactures millions of finished products every year and exports them to more than 90 countries around the world.

1 A majority of STIHL gasoline-powered units sold in the United States are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. "

Wanna take a wild guess where a minority are made?
Sweden.

:)


I've checked every one I've ever seen because I saw that too. everyone has said made in the USA. I wonder if they don't have some small things like chainsaw sharpeners and things like that that are Chinese. or maybe their cheapest weed eater or something. the place I go to buy these don't even have that have those on the shelf. twice I get the entry-level professional product. pay once, cry once.

I probably could have purchased Stihl's entire line with the money that I wasted buying Husqvarna and Ryobi garbage through the years.
 

BMF

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Professionals use Stihl. I do too now. They have a professional and homeowner grade. I don't know about the homeowner stuff. I would buy the lowest end of the professional stuff that'll do what you want to do.

I wouldn't mail my pile of Husqvarna junk that rarely starts to my worst enemy. I sent most of it to a friend who junks stuff.

I don't know anything about Echo. has I said I got my information from guys who use the hell out of their chainsaws in Michigan. But I will say the fact that one thing has a longer or he doesn't mean **** to me. Hyundai and Kia has a long warranty.

Edit: Echo is made in China. That's really all I need to know.

Husqvarna and Stihl should never be used in the same sentence.

Stihl has one called a Farm Boss. Sort of a middle level saw (in between professional and homeowners). I'm going to check this one out this weekend - in the $400-$500 range.

That POS Poulan has me so frustrated. Definitely a lesson learned. I should have bought a Stihl as soon as I finished building the cabin (almost 6 years ago). The Poulan has lasted almost 6 years, but not without frustration. I'm looking forward to getting a "real" saw. And like Brad mentioned, I'm going to keep this one in great working condition and clean.
 

Swamp Donkey

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I have a Farm Boss but I had them put the longer blade on it. It is very nice.

I've never had a problem with. it ALWAYS starts.

My Husqvarna needed service at least once a year and it still was a bttch to start.

my brother had a Poulan. he came to my house one time and used it, immediately bought one.

if you wait around a little bit you can catch it on sale. during a hurricane is not the time to try to buy it on discount though.

I didn't pay much for the Husqvarna and by the time I had to have it serviced about 12 fuchsing times I could have bought the Stihl the begin with. I gave that hunk of shtt Husqvarna away, just to get it out of my sight. it makes me pissed just to think about it.
 
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AlexDaGator

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I have a Farm Boss but I had them put the longer blade on it. It is very nice.

I've never had a problem with. it ALWAYS starts.

My Husqvarna needed service at least once a year and it still was a bttch to start.

my brother had a Poulan. he came to my house one time and used it, immediately bought one.

if you wait around a little bit you can catch it on sale. during a hurricane is not the time to try to buy it on discount though.

I didn't pay much for the Husqvarna and by the time I had to have it serviced about 12 fuchsing times I could have bought the Stihl the begin with. I gave that hunk of shtt Husqvarna away, just to get it out of my sight. it makes me pissed just to think about it.

This post would be so much better if Stihl and Husqvarna were chicks’ names instead of tools.

Alex.
 

BMF

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I have a Farm Boss but I had them put the longer blade on it. It is very nice.

I've never had a problem with. it ALWAYS starts.

My Husqvarna needed service at least once a year and it still was a bttch to start.

my brother had a Poulan. he came to my house one time and used it, immediately bought one.

if you wait around a little bit you can catch it on sale. during a hurricane is not the time to try to buy it on discount though.

I didn't pay much for the Husqvarna and by the time I had to have it serviced about 12 fuchsing times I could have bought the Stihl the begin with. I gave that hunk of shtt Husqvarna away, just to get it out of my sight. it makes me pissed just to think about it.

I'm in the same boat w/ the Poulan - I paid about $170, then got a tune up and new carburetor which cost another $90+. I could have paid another hundy and gotten a Stihl.

I've used Husqvarna's a few times, but never owned one. Glad to get your inputs. When I was on the fire department we only used Stihl (chainsaws and K12's) and they were always reliable.

The Farm Boss's I've seen have the option of an 18'' and a 20" blade. I was going to go w/ 18, but now that you mention the longer blade I may go that route (I don't think there's a price difference as the saw can use a 16, 18, or 20" bar - I believe).

I just bought a new bar for the Poulan which was another $35. I figure I'll keep it as a back up saw.
 

AuggieDosta

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I love my small Husk (e-series 345). I can throw it around a fallen tree and clear limbs easily and with precision. It gets treated like ****, I don't care what fuel goes in it and she starts every time, within 3 pulls. I've had it easily over 5 yrs, maybe closer to 10 and have only replaced the fuel bulb and fuel line 1 time. I also swapped out the 16" blade for an 18" and liked it even more.

Stihl are nice too.
 

Albert

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Owned just about every kind, used them quite a bit around the farm through the years. Here’s my take: Poulan and Echo are garbage for anything that might get used more than twice a year. The chains that come on them suck and don’t hold an edge. Basically an urban toy.
If you want it to crank easily and run for a while, Stihl is good, the chains that come on them are decent and will hold up. The price point on the farm boss is good, and if you can’t fix whatever breaks on it yourself their support is decent.
Husqvarna makes a great saw, once it gets rolling it’s a beast and is better imo if you are gonna be working in really dusty, rough conditions for long periods of time. Stihls are fine but you will have to clean the air system a lot sooner than Husqvarna. The chains that come standard on Husqvarna set them apart. You can buy all different kinds of chain for every brand, but the ones I’ve seen stock from Husqvarna can cut long after the others need to be sharpened. I like the 572xp with a 24” bar, 3/8” full chisel non skip chain for my personal use but to each his own.
 

flg8rfan

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Owned just about every kind, used them quite a bit around the farm through the years. Here’s my take: Poulan and Echo are garbage for anything that might get used more than twice a year. The chains that come on them suck and don’t hold an edge. Basically an urban toy.
If you want it to crank easily and run for a while, Stihl is good, the chains that come on them are decent and will hold up. The price point on the farm boss is good, and if you can’t fix whatever breaks on it yourself their support is decent.
Husqvarna makes a great saw, once it gets rolling it’s a beast and is better imo if you are gonna be working in really dusty, rough conditions for long periods of time. Stihls are fine but you will have to clean the air system a lot sooner than Husqvarna. The chains that come standard on Husqvarna set them apart. You can buy all different kinds of chain for every brand, but the ones I’ve seen stock from Husqvarna can cut long after the others need to be sharpened. I like the 572xp with a 24” bar, 3/8” full chisel non skip chain for my personal use but to each his own.

I’ve got the 24” Husqvarna and it is indeed a beast. My other saw is an 18” craftsman, it works but it’s picky. Once it warms up you’re good to go but that can present it’s own challenges
 

Nalt

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I have two Stihl saws. One is an 029 Farm Boss with a 20" bar. Back in 2011 we had bad storms roll through North Alabama and I was off work for most of a week doing disaster recovery work with it. I cut one tree in particular that measured 54" across. Yes, you read that right. I cut a 54" diameter tree with a 20" bar.

My other saw is a 391 and that saw doesn't back away from anything. It is great as long as the chain is sharp.

I have used a Husqvarna saw and thought highly of it. It was about the same size as my Stihl 029 and I couldn't tell much difference in performance.

The main thing I would recommend is no matter what, use chainsaw chaps and a safety helmet with ear and eye protection. I learned the hard way after using chainsaws for nearly 30 years that you NEVER pull a rope on a chainsaw without wearing chaps. This happened to me while cutting a Privet bush that was < 2" in diameter. It happened while I was paying attention to what I was doing but I was still unable to prevent the running chain from hitting my leg.

20191102_124252.jpg
 

Gator By Marriage

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The main thing I would recommend is no matter what, use chainsaw chaps and a safety helmet with ear and eye protection. I learned the hard way after using chainsaws for nearly 30 years that you NEVER pull a rope on a chainsaw without wearing chaps. This happened to me while cutting a Privet bush that was < 2" in diameter. It happened while I was paying attention to what I was doing but I was still unable to prevent the running chain from hitting my leg.

24184
Ouch!

Since this thread started, I've been looking more closely at the landscape trucks and trailers I often see on my daily commute. While the saws are all tucked away, in their cases no doubt, the weed whackers, due to their length obviously, are all just hanging on racks. I have noticed that they are overwhelmingly Stihl; like 90+%.
 

Nalt

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Ouch!

Since this thread started, I've been looking more closely at the landscape trucks and trailers I often see on my daily commute. While the saws are all tucked away, in their cases no doubt, the weed whackers, due to their length obviously, are all just hanging on racks. I have noticed that they are overwhelmingly Stihl; like 90+%.
As I said, I have two Stihl chainsaws. I also have two Stihl string trimmers and a leaf blower. I've had all good experiences with them with long life. I just purchased one of the trimmers about 2 weeks ago because the other one is getting old, maybe 10 y/o (?) and it is starting to show it's age by needing a bit of work on it. Will definitely buy other Stihl equipment as needed.
 

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