What is the all time best chainsaw

[bwalker]

So is price

Huskys can be had for less money usually. But chainsaws all things considered are pretty cheap and a few hundred either way shouldn't break a guy.

 

[bwalker]

There is a new one for sale near me and I want it soo bad...but I don't need it, right now, anyway.

400c is a bad *** saw for certain. I love mine.

 

[Mad Professor]

400c is a bad *** saw for certain. I love mine.

I have no new/current saws.

How are these new saws, 400/500, to work on? Do you need dealer support?

 

[timberslayer]

Another hall of fame saw IMO is the 395 Husqvarna. Super powerful even in stock trim, great air filtration, easy to work on, good oiler. The only big saw that comes close is an 066, but I'd still take the 395 any day over an 066/660

 

[lone wolf]

There is a new one for sale near me and I want it soo bad...but I don't need it, right now, anyway.

Sell the 362 and buy the 400.

 

[lone wolf]

I have no new/current saws.

How are these new saws, 400/500, to work on? Do you need dealer support?

I'm hearing the 500 is hard to troubleshoot!

 

[bwalker]

I have no new/current saws.

How are these new saws, 400/500, to work on? Do you need dealer support?

The 400 isn't anymore complicated than a traditional two stroke.

 

[LuDookie]

I believe the intent of the OP was to discern that, if you could only buy one saw, with budget as a concern, with the need to cover a wide range of tasks, felling, bucking, limbing, etc, what saw would you own. In other words, what would be a good “single saw” model to help him get into the business. I also think the OP has now made a purchase but is having issues with it.

In that case, coming from someone running a fleet of Husqys, I’d say the Echo cs680. Toughest saw I own. Will pull a 32 inch bar at 67cc all day, never get hot or complain. Loves a 24. Cost me a bit over $600 nearly a decade ago, and cuts hundreds of trees a year. Not fast, not light, but darn tough, the right displacement. The best saw? Nope. But my most dependable, that can handle just about any job. Yep. Would I rather run a 372 on a 24 and a 3120 on a stump? Sure, but those saws were double the cost or more. That’s just another quick answer though. There’s many saws I love. Some were Stihls, like the 044, 440, 361, and the 461.

 

[LuDookie]

Another hall of fame saw IMO is the 395 Husqvarna. Super powerful even in stock trim, great air filtration, easy to work on, good oiler. The only big saw that comes close is an 066, but I'd still take the 395 any day over an 066/660

Yepper. Couldn’t live without mine but would be miserable as an only saw.

 

[timberslayer]

Yepper. Couldn’t live without mine but would be miserable as an only saw.

I wouldn't want my one saw to be a 395, that's more 372 territory if I only wanted 1 do-it-all saw, but I've never ran a 372 so I can't speak too much about them. Nothing beats the 395 for a big saw outside of an 088 or 3120, but those are honestly too heavy to really run for extended periods of time IMO. I've ran a 395 and an 066 all day, but I don't feel good at the end of the day with those saws.

 

[LuDookie]

I wouldn't want my one saw to be a 395, that's more 372 territory if I only wanted 1 do-it-all saw, but I've never ran a 372 so I can't speak too much about them. Nothing beats the 395 for a big saw outside of an 088 or 3120, but those are honestly too heavy to really run for extended periods of time IMO. I've ran a 395 and an 066 all day, but I don't feel good at the end of the day with those saws.

I run a 372, and yes, it’s my pick for favorite saw. But a 395 can pull a 4 foot bar and hardly ever stall against the clutch. It definitely fills a role, as an impressive big saw, not to big to fell with… sometimes.

 

[diver64]

Huskys can be had for less money usually. But chainsaws all things considered are pretty cheap and a few hundred either way shouldn't break a guy.

All things considered I agree but when you are starting a business pennies count. Considering what I've read here, many great great comments, I'll chime in on the one saw to get the business up and running. I have cut pulp, softwood logs and firewood for money as well as done a couple of clearing contracts on National Forests out west but I am not a professional sawyer just a guy that has run them for 50yrs or so. Take this into consideration.
1) What are you doing? Are you clearing small tracts? Mostly limbing or clearing residential fence lines? Will you refer jobs to others with the right equipment if you can't get it done? Please say yes to this as small jobs bigger companies pass up might end up your bread and butter.
2) What are you cutting? Softwood, hardwood, mix of both? Be realistic on what you are going to cut
3) How big is the wood your cutting and is it hardwood or softwood? You don't need a 395 to cut 20 inch fir. That's silly and wasted gas. On the other hand if you're in an area that had 60 dbh oak and your going after it, a 50cc is not going to do the job.
4) How much experience do you have? Ever run a 36 - 40 inch bar? On a paying job where your name is on the truck door is not the place to learn.
5) Your running a business. What dealers are near you and I don't mean box stores. Up north where I'm from both Stihl dealers within 75 miles closed as did the Dolmar guy so unless you want to go into Canada it's Husqvarna. If you need your saw fixed or parts going to Home Depot isn't a good move. If you need your saw fixed, waiting 2 or 3 weeks isn't a thing if you need to generate money which leads me to my next to last point.

6) Evaluate what you are going to cut, how big that stuff is then spend your money on the best you can buy at a dealer. For what I cut here in the south and up north, a 60cc -70cc saw will get almost everything done for you. Run into a job that requires something bigger then refer it to someone who has the 90cc or bigger you can't afford yet.

7) My recommendation would be something like a 562xp or 372xp. If you can't afford one then mow lawns or walk dogs until you can. Start with quality right of the bat that will run when you need it to. Save your pennies off the first summer for a clone 90cc you will use every 3 months for a day because you are wasting capital otherwise better used for other equipment. When you get going, get a 50cc limbing and cutting saw like my CS2152 Jonsered or even a 40-45cc as you find out what is going on. Your arms and shoulders will thank you for limbing with a lighter saw. Unless your into a whole bunch of job offers involving giant oak, maple or whatever stay away from those 90-100cc professional saws. You are wasting money when you start out on them.
I cut pulp, logs and firewood for several years with a 272xp and never needed more. IMHO the 60-70cc with my leaning towards the 70cc , is the sweet spot for an all around although I now use the 2152 with an 18 inch bar for most everything and fool around with my 372 and 395 clones for fun. If I really want to cut something like the 18-20 inch oak branch Debbie deposited on my porch roof and I don't want to mess around out comes the Jonsered.

 

[LuDookie]

All things considered I agree but when you are starting a business pennies count. Considering what I've read here, many great great comments, I'll chime in on the one saw to get the business up and running. I have cut pulp, softwood logs and firewood for money as well as done a couple of clearing contracts on National Forests out west but I am not a professional sawyer just a guy that has run them for 50yrs or so. Take this into consideration.
1) What are you doing? Are you clearing small tracts? Mostly limbing or clearing residential fence lines? Will you refer jobs to others with the right equipment if you can't get it done? Please say yes to this as small jobs bigger companies pass up might end up your bread and butter.
2) What are you cutting? Softwood, hardwood, mix of both? Be realistic on what you are going to cut
3) How big is the wood your cutting and is it hardwood or softwood? You don't need a 395 to cut 20 inch fir. That's silly and wasted gas. On the other hand if you're in an area that had 60 dbh oak and your going after it, a 50cc is not going to do the job.
4) How much experience do you have? Ever run a 36 - 40 inch bar? On a paying job where your name is on the truck door is not the place to learn.
5) Your running a business. What dealers are near you and I don't mean box stores. Up north where I'm from both Stihl dealers within 75 miles closed as did the Dolmar guy so unless you want to go into Canada it's Husqvarna. If you need your saw fixed or parts going to Home Depot isn't a good move. If you need your saw fixed, waiting 2 or 3 weeks isn't a thing if you need to generate money which leads me to my next to last point.

6) Evaluate what you are going to cut, how big that stuff is then spend your money on the best you can buy at a dealer. For what I cut here in the south and up north, a 60cc -70cc saw will get almost everything done for you. Run into a job that requires something bigger then refer it to someone who has the 90cc or bigger you can't afford yet.

7) My recommendation would be something like a 562xp or 372xp. If you can't afford one then mow lawns or walk dogs until you can. Start with quality right of the bat that will run when you need it to. Save your pennies off the first summer for a clone 90cc you will use every 3 months for a day because you are wasting capital otherwise better used for other equipment. When you get going, get a 50cc limbing and cutting saw like my CS2152 Jonsered or even a 40-45cc as you find out what is going on. Your arms and shoulders will thank you for limbing with a lighter saw. Unless your into a whole bunch of job offers involving giant oak, maple or whatever stay away from those 90-100cc professional saws. You are wasting money when you start out on them.
I cut pulp, logs and firewood for several years with a 272xp and never needed more. IMHO the 60-70cc is the sweet spot for an all around although I now use the 2152 for most everything.

Lots of companies starting off these days are overnight arborists. One of the biggest outfits where I’m at had me doing their tree work 3 years ago, didn’t know which end of a chainsaw to hold onto. Like you said, name on their truck, steady learning. Hurricanes got businesses booming. In my opinion, takes lots of years and mistakes to be a real arborist.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Don't let me tell you your business, I run the saws I don't (usually) fix them. But was the bar length really the issue or did he just Rev it super high before it warmed up? One of our other climbers blew up a couple 500s (lol) holding them wide open before they did their little auto adjust thing.
Or maybe running it too hard before it was broken in. I knew an OLD saw guy who always told me to break in brand new saws by running them light duty until you got a few tanks of gas through them.

Don't know. Doesn't matter other than curiosity. The next owner has had no problem with it.
A lot of these guys are hard on saws because time is money. Beat all to hell more than engine issues.

Just a caution, a 36 inch bar can cook a MS500I. Extenuating circumstances are speculation.

We replaced it with a MS462 cause that is what he wanted. Just policy.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I'm hearing the 500 is hard to troubleshoot!

Agreed. Without special equipment it's not even easy to check for a spark. The M-Tronic saw world is a horse of a different color.

 

[Lionsfan]

Id like to see a saw made by Toyota.


You mean you want an underpowered, overrated saw made in Japan? Can't you just get an Echo???

 

[sean donato]

I have no new/current saws.

How are these new saws, 400/500, to work on? Do you need dealer support?

Dead simple and no dealer required.

 

[sean donato]

Knew this was gonna turn into a Chevy vs ford pissin match. Id like to see a saw made by Toyota.

If they are built like the new trucks, I don't want anything to do with them.

 

[sean donato]

In that case, coming from someone running a fleet of Husqys, I’d say the Echo cs680. Toughest saw I own. Will pull a 32 inch bar at 67cc all day, never get hot or complain. Loves a 24. Cost me a bit over $600 nearly a decade ago, and cuts hundreds of trees a year. Not fast, not light, but darn tough, the right displacement. The best saw? Nope. But my most dependable, that can handle just about any job. Yep. Would I rather run a 372 on a 24 and a 3120 on a stump? Sure, but those saws were double the cost or more. That’s just another quick answer though. There’s many saws I love. Some were Stihls, like the 044, 440, 361, and the 461.

A cs680 Better run a whole lot better then a cs670, fricken turd of turds and heavy as hell, would put a 24" bar on one if it was the last saw on planet earth.

 

[Mad Professor]

The 400 isn't anymore complicated than a traditional two stroke.

So easy as say a 038? No autotune/electronics BS? Just a Hi/Lo on the carb.