I need to get a chainsaw for the lease and the two oaks I have at the house. I'll probably use it only a few times a year at best and don't want to fork out a ton of cash. Any suggestions?

I've even thought about the ones on the extension poles so I don't have to bend or climb much with my bad back. Anyone have any experience with these? They make one that fits on my weed eater, but I can't see it having enough power.

I have an Echo pole chainsaw which works good for light to medium pruning. My workhorse is a John Deere. Starts everytime and is a bruiser. Bought both at Home Depot on sale years ago.

My dad bought me a poulan a few years back, and it runs great. Starts every time and I have cut lots of trees with it. I was surprised at how well it runs and cuts. We used the hell out of it for all the hurricanes when I live in south Louisiana.

i have a poulan. there fairly cheap. mine is sevan years old and still going. i only use mine at the lease.

stihl makes the best there is

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stihl makes the best there is

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Stihl is a good one. I have an 18" Husqvarna. Not cheap but a fine saw too. It cuts so fast it almost feels like I'm in one of those chainsaw competetions.

I burned up three poulans last year at the lease. Went and got an echo and my buddy got a stihl, best decission I've ever made.

The shop I bought the Echo from told me if it ever took more then three pulls to start it bring it back and he will fix it. You can get a great echo or stihl for about $260-300, and a poulan will cost you a 100, but for a 160 more you can get a more powerful, easier starting, lighter, and more dependable saw. Just my 2 cents because i learned the hard way.

My poulan always starts on the 2nd or 3rd pull. If I remember to turn it to the on position. I would not have bought a poulan, but it was given to me, now I would not hesitate to buy another one.

I've been using them, off and on, for 25+ years. Stihl and Echo won't let you down. Most of the rest will.

No doubt that stihl makes a much better saw, but for the price of one stihl you can buy 2 to 3 poulans. If they each last 5-7 years, which mine is already about 4 years old and is still perfect than you are looking at between 10-21 years of saws for the price of one stihl. If I used it for my work I would buy a stihl, but for occasional use my poulan is just fine.

I bought my echo for $265 and have seen stihl of the same size close to that price also. A 34 cc Pouplan is $134, a echo 30 cc is $199, and 36.3 cc $269. If you cut a lot of hard wood like mesquite or oak you are much better off paying $65 dollars more for the Echo. I went thought three poulans in the last year on 5-6 cords of mesquite. Not to mention the warrenty on a Echo and Stihl are alot better and easier to find some one to service them.

We gave my Dad an Echo, and had problems from it from day one, but he refused to trade it in and just had it repaired. I knew about Stihl and bought one myself, the Farm Boss, and just wish Dad was around to have used it! Dependable, easy starting within 2-3 pulls and cuts through trees like a hot knife through butter! My pride and job for sure when it comes to wood cutting.

+1 on the 18" Husqvarna

I went here to make my choice

http://www.arboristsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9

There may be better and more expensive saws out there but my 18" Poulan runs great and starts easy. I use it at the ranch a few times a year for cutting trees, etc. and it has never let me down. For the price I don't think you can beat a Poulan!!

Decisions, Decisions? Thanks for the advice. It looks like I will get a hand held because I need something tougher for the heavy stuff. Money will be the key issue, however, I will buy what I can afford. Again, this will sit on the shelf more than it will be used.

Thanks for the advice and keep it coming.

No matter what type you buy, make sure you are always using fresh gas. I know a repair guy. When he takes in a saw, his first step is to dump the gas and replace it with good stuff. He says that fixes more than half of the hard to start problems. He also says to never use cheaper gas. Always use mid grade from major stations. For a non pro like me, it doesn't really cost that much more.

Lots of guys use motor oil for the bar. However, the pros always use Duratac or other special oil. They tell me that it works better and is less expensive.

One thing to consider is your need and goals. For rare occasional use, one of the cheaper ones should be OK. However, some of us are old enough to remember pulling on boat motor ropes and not getting to fish. When it comes to tools, I want something to work with and not work on.

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make sure you are always using fresh gas

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I always add that fuel stabilizer to my chainsaw gas. So far, I've never had a problem.

add votes for both Stihl and Stabile...

And use Stihl Oils too, not the waxy cheap stuff

I own a landscaping company and have gone thru many saws. I recommend going with Stihl, Shindaiwa or Husqvarna with my favorite being the Shindaiwa because we never need to maintenance them as far as engine goes. Stihl is a good saw as well and so is the Husqvarna.

I will never buy any Echo product again. I have burned up 3 Echo chainsaws in the last 2 years and despise them with a passion. Now they are better than a poulan or a cheapie from HD or Lowe's, but are a step down from the true commercial type operation of power equipment.

If your only gonna run a saw a few times a year, buy a $110. poulan from walmart. also, run it out of gas before you put it back on the shelf.

Go with a Stihl Model 250. Excellent power to weight ratio. I've cut down many trees and cut a lot of firewood. It's a great saw. I would choose it over the Farm Boss because the Farm Boss is significantly heavier with only slightly more power. Power to weight ratio is not so good on it. And if you're going to have times when you use the saw for hours at a time in various situations, weight makes a BIG difference.

Find an independent repair shop that you feel will give you honest answers. Ask how many hours of actual running time does the manufacture build and design into his saw. Ask about several brands, he may not know about all saws but he will know about the brands he sells. If he doesn't, you need to go else where for answers. Some are going to SHOCK you, some are built & designed to run less than 1 HOUR, of course most will exceed the time expressed. Look at the brand that real loggers and men that use chain saws in their daily work and have to depend on them. A lot of independent repair shops will have some used top quality saws that they have repaired but never were picked up. Many times these can be purchased at a huge discount, they want their parts and labor dollars back. Unless you are taking down big trees, a 14"-16" blade will do anything that you want done. I have a 16" that has taken down and cut up 24" oaks, It will walk thru oak like butter. It is a Stihl 180

My family has a stihl dealership here in Kansas, and by far the best saws for the $$ the best saw that stihl is the MS290 (stihl changed there #systems so this is equivilant to a 029) the MS290 has the horsepower that the bigger saws has (ms310 and ms360) but has the weight of the smaller saws. and is by far the best bang for your buck $350 i beleive and they take a big jump from there, and it comes with either an 18 or 16 inch bar your choice. Also stihl offers 2 types of chain for there saws one is a reduce kickback chain and the other is the regular chain, stay away from the RKB they are junk. Hope this helps.