coveredinsap said:
I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but....simply buying/using/owning a 'pro' saw doesn't make you a 'big boy', or any better than anyone else.
And no, they're not any 'lesser' or 'substandard' than a professional race car is to a ordinary 'homeowner' vehicle. Just different is all.
I agree.
I found this forum while conducting research for my first chain saw. There is a lot of good information but you've got to wade through the crap as well.
I needed a saw to trim and/or cut up a few trees a couple of times per year for my mom. Her home sits of two wooded acres.
I was considering the 353, the 359, and the 455 Rancher. I did not want a $150 El Cheapo budget saw and I did not NEED a "pro" saw. I went with the 455 with a 20" bar with the low kickback chain. I didn't want to make the front page of the local paper the day after I purchased my first saw.
The 359 ran a hundred bucks more than the 455. I know all the stuff about "You get what you pay for." I figured that the 455 was good enough for my needs and I didn't really need the pro saw for bragging rights.
Of course, the 455 is a LOT heavier than the 353 by 11.2 ounces. What the hell? It's not like you are comparing a saw the weighs 16 pounds to one that weighs 10. There is NOT a significant difference in weight between the two saws.
I dropped $1400 for summer dockage last month, my family and I spent a week out of town on vacation two weeks ago, and I've got to have the gimble rings and boots replaced on my boat (twin 350 IO's) That job is gonna cost a chunk of change. I "saved" a hundred bucks by going with the 455.
If I were going to quit my job to be a lumberjack or cut firewood for a living I would probably run out and buy a pro saw. Simply dropping another $100 on a saw was not going to make ME a pro.
It's amusing when you see posters slam each other for their choice of chainsaws. How many of these guys run a saw for a living? I don't think that Sven the lumberjack is sitting at his computer slamming Joe Homeowner for buying a non-pro saw.
It's like Ford vs. Chevy, 30.06 Remington vs. .270 Winchester, .45 vs. 9mm, etc.
My Dad had either a Homelite or a McCulough. It was hard to start and the chain came off every now and then. He's gone now and it's my responsibility to do the big yard work for my mom.
The 455 started without a hitch. You don't even have to push the little gizmo that makes it easier to yank the starter cord (unless you're tired from lugging around those extra 11.2 ounces). I chopped down and cut up (not pro lingo) an old 16 " diameter apple tree. I trimmed maple trees and chopped up an old choke cherry tree. The saw did the work, not me.
The 455 Rancher has some balls. Buy one and you'll be happy.
:notrolls2: 
