Ryobi 10532 in the field

I finally got to the woods yesterday, as it decided to quit raining here. Had a few trees to take down, one 22" Ash, a shag bark Hickory nearly that big, two maples and one small Cherry tree.

It was a perfect opportunity to cut loose with the Ryobi. Not being very impressed with it on the last outing, I installed a 16" bar and LP chain set-up from one of my Echo saws. It looked even less impressive than the 18" skip tooth set-up they show up with, but the saw seems better balanced with the smaller bar/chain.

After taking care of the larger wood with the 268XP, out comes the Ryobi. I wasn't exactly sure how the little LP chain was going to do? To my surprise it cuts very fast, and the saw has PLENTY of power to run it. I made sure to top off the tank before starting, and made it thru the big Hickory tree and two good sized Maples before having to fuel up. Much better than the first time out, as I didn't get very far with the skip tooth set-up before needing fuel.

Overall, a very impressive little saw, and very well suited to the 16 bar and LP chain. It sounds and runs like a Pro saw, with a very wide power band and strong top end power. The rev limiter is annoying at times in really small material, but you get used to it. The oiler works perfectly, and it's lasts fine on a tank of fuel without going dry.

Next time out we'll do some timed cuts with the Husqvarna 435. The improved chain set-up will have it running very close if not a tad faster than the 435. It wouldn't have had a chance with the skip tooth deal, as it was "rough" and seemed to transfer a lot of vibration to the operator combined with having to force it some in the cut.......Cliff

I think Ryobi is far and away the best low-end tools made. Major 'bang for the buck' stuff.

Cliff
I'm glad you like the ryobi as I like their cordless and power tools very much and I had a chance to run a 435 and had to say I was impressed with it and actually put it just a half step behind a 211 but a very good value nonetheless. Heres my negative speech and not towards you just in general. I see post like this and ask myself if joe blow with 5 post would have said that the ryobi was the greatest thing since the 361 for it's price he would have been laughed off the site. I have also gotten to know the manager of the local home depot through a mutual friend and got to talking as to why they aren't carrying that saw anymore yet carry all things ryobi? Of course he didn't have an answer at the time but sent me an e-mail after talking with the ryobi rep and some other stores and the answer was they just weren't dependable and the inconveniences out weighed the profit of carrying it. Actually as much as poulan and homelite have went to crap that they were in fact dependable for homeowner use. I don't doubt that they are a decent little saw I just have a hardtime beleiving that they didn't skip a major corner or 2 for the price curve vs supposed semi pro quality . This is not a knock on your decision to own or purchase one, but am blown away by how easy people will fall for the punch bowl of kool aid. I can't wait till I get 10'000 post to see if I can start a cult following of the trusted eager beaver. THAT IS ALL!

One thing we NEVER know with any of these new models, from any manufacturer, is how well they are made and how well/how long they will last?

The Husqvarna 435 is not as well constructed as the Ryobi in terms of the engine. The Husqvarna uses the strato-charged design/set-up, but has a clam-shell engine in lieu of the split mag case and bolt on cylinder of the Ryobi.

Both saws are mostly plastic everywhere else, and Brad pointed out the other good features of the Ryobi in the thread he ran with the mods/test results, etc.

Although my saw was new, it was labeled a "refurb" and had two problems with it that were NOT going to allow it to run without repairs. No doubt why it never saw any cutting time, and the "refurb" process wouldn't have found either problem unless they took the saw out to cut with it.

In any case, $109 delivered to your door gets you a new or pretty close to new saw. It needs a better chain, should really get a bar and chain, and a special carb adjustment tool. The total investment is going to be closer to $130-160, so you are approaching the lower end Stihl and Husqvarna offerings.

Is the Ryobi really a good deal? The only way we are going to find out is to carry it to the wood and run the crap out of it (which is EXACTLY what I'm going to do), then throw the information up here as it developes, positive or negative. If it runs with a Husqvarna 435, or smaller Stihl homeowner grade saw, and doesn't have any BIG problem areas, it may be a decent choice for a back-up or limbing saw, and no doubt a bargain at the prices we can currently get them for......Cliff

huskystihl said:

Cliff
SNIP
I have also gotten to know the manager of the local home depot through a mutual friend and got to talking as to why they aren't carrying that saw anymore yet carry all things ryobi? Of course he didn't have an answer at the time but sent me an e-mail after talking with the ryobi rep and some other stores and the answer was they just weren't dependable and the inconveniences out weighed the profit of carrying it. Actually as much as poulan and homelite have went to crap that they were in fact dependable for homeowner use. I don't doubt that they are a decent little saw I just have a hardtime beleiving that they didn't skip a major corner or 2 for the price curve vs supposed semi pro quality . SNIP

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Perhaps that explains all the recons. I wouldn't be surprised for the first wave of a new product coming from a Chinese manufacturer to have a lot of "for want of a nail" problems, where a fairly simple misunderstanding rendered the product inoperable. A homeowner won't know the difference between undependable and too long a fuel line or a piece of flash clogging a vent, nor will a HD manager. Those things generally get dialed in (bad news for other makers), but we'll see. I think the saws being run here will yield some valuable information -- our attention has been attracted, rightly, by construction and features unusual for a saw of this price. If the mag cases and Zenoah guts are a sham, we will find out.

Jack

Glad you got to put in some time with the Ryobi,did you happen to get the 12" combo from Bailey's yet?
These little saws are a screaming bargain right now,best "Bang for the Buck" out there.The reasons they are "not reliable" have long since been identified and suitable fixes for these faults have been posted.
There is a whole lot to like about them,they got a whole lot right when they designed them.They have a common bar mount for instance,they run 3/8 chain and the airfilter is a rigid nylon-like mesh unit designed for easy cleaning.No paper or foam to worry with or replace periodically.Not many consumables on these saws,just the sprocket/sprocket bearing and sparkplug.
I'm not selling these things,nor is Cliff,the idea here is to let others know that these saws have a place and fill a need that most here have at one time or another.
Most on here need another saw like a hole in the head,but this model is one of the "must haves",too good to pass up and the price to value ratio for these is out in the ozone somewhere.
Its not a Husky,its not a Stihl,but it is a great little saw.Take this design and dress it up in Husky or Stihl clothes and they would fly out the door.

Yes, got 4 bars in yesterday, but just minutes before I left for the woods, and I'd already set the saw up with the Echo 16" bar. I wanted to run the 16" bar anyhow, as it's the same length as the bar on the 435. For the timed cuts I'll leave the 16" bar in place.

I put one of the 12" bars on my CS-360T, going to cut with it some today.....Cliff

Cliff,just for fun, pop the cover off the airbox and take the screw button out of the cover.Then screw the button on to hold the filter in place.Crank it up and listen to see if it's still in tune.These things really have a nice sound without the cover,sounds kinda like a Quadra-jet kicking in.I know you can relate to that..............

I'll give it a try.

I ran the saw quite a bit over the weekend, it's got a whole new character with the shorter 16" bar and LP chain set-up. Very impressive and it never gave any troubles. I'm up to about 8 tanks of fuel through it, still way short of enough running time to see how well it's going to hold up.

The fuel capacity is acceptable, and now that's it's well broken in and finely tuned. It's good for 20 minutes or so limbing and working your way down the trunk of a decent size tree......Cliff

10 tanks or so through mine so far. So far, biggest point in favor is ease of starting. Using it here and there, sitting a little while between cuts, it takes one halfhearted pull to start. Starts 3 pulls from cold. Biggest gripe is the placement of the chain brake. Not enough room between brake lever and handle, so pushing forward, like for a plunge cut, trips the brake. Power is ok -- I'm not going to mod anything, I just don't care to and where I live there's no point in making anything louder. We'll see. For the time it's taken over the spot of the saw that I grab for all the little jobs, so if it has a problem being used I'll find out.

Jack

The chainbrake handle is much too close for my hands too.That's about the only thing that bothers me.
I used it Saturday rebuilding some flower/vegetable beds.I was cutting landscape timbers,my 10 yr.old grandson had to try his hand with it.(He's 5'7 and 135 lbs.,looks about 15.)Sorry,you can't do this.
After quite a bit of nagging,I let him cut up some apple wood that I have set by for grilling.Apple wood "cookies" work fine in the smoker and everyone was happy.If I had planned ahead,I could have put vegetable oil in the oiler and saved the sawdust,oh well.
Now it's "his saw",but I can borrow it sometime,maybe when he's not around.

They do start easily,he had no trouble starting and stopping over and over and over.

I now have aprox 15 tanks through my ryobie. I immediately set it up with 16 inch bc and fixed the fuel line modded the muffler slightly the thing runs flawless I love liming with this thing it is powerful for its weight I previously used a echo cs346 this thing cuts circles around the echo I even let my brother and my son use this saw. I listened as my brother ran this saw and I could tell the chain was getting dull just from listening to the engine roar as he was cutting he didn't know the difference I thought well he needs the exercise and he also knows everything and I wanted to see if it would hold up to a home owner in action the thing ran great. It is now my liming saw and I really like it. Thanks to this site I would have never even considered that saw so thanks to the guys that took a chance and reported on this saw.

Mine ran flawlessly for several tanks today, then developed a problem right when I was ready to quit. The rev limiter, annoying as it is, started coming in WAY too soon, about half the rpm's it has been. The saw simply would NOT rev. I shut it off for a few minutes, and it corrected itself, then right before I quit for good, started doing it again.

Is there a replacment coil without the rev-limiting feature available for these saws? SOS and part number?....thanks....Cliff

Check your PM's,about $23 if I remember correctly.

Page 2 on the list part# 308538001

$23.98

I still think this model is 'unreliable' because it dies every time you turn it over to make a felling cut.
If there were any brains in that outfit, the 'refurb center' would be replacing fuel lines before shipping the saws.

Thanks, I saw the parts list, was just wondering if they had a non rev-limiting unit available?.....Cliff

I don't have any idea if there is a non-limited coil option.I would guess if there was one it would be something for the non-US markets.

The 3800 is not rev limited. I do not know if the coils will swap though.

Do you guys remember what state your 10532 shipped from? How long did it take for them to ship once you placed the order?

What was the weight of this saw again?

Motodeficient said:

Do you guys remember what state your 10532 shipped from? How long did it take for them to ship once you placed the order?

What was the weight of this saw again?

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They ship from Georgia and take 2 business days to arrive. (They had to ship twice to me because the first one was a disaster)

I think they are 9 1/2 pounds without the chain etc. but have not weighed it. great saw btw.