Cheaper Chainsaws

[JuanCarlosFandango]

Love my little Husqvarna 130 but it is out of it's depth on some bigger stuff I need to cut up. Much as I'd love to blow £1,000 on a nice big orange one I can't justify the cost. I've been looking at the 62cc Hyundai with a 20" bar. Only 3hp but that's nearly double what I've currently got. Anyone have experience of these? Or other cheaper chainsaws that can deal with tree trunks?

[Smokey Bear]

I’ve got a couple of decent saws but the new stihl saw I’ve bought seems to have oiling problems and eats chains, the smaller older husky which I picked up off the classifieds is a great saw. The algorithm brought up this Facebook page to me on my rabbit hole of trying to fix oiling issues.

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19XP4vKafP/?mibex...

I’ve been watching posts for a few weeks and the general consensus seems to be the generic copies of the huskies are great for a consumer saw but not quite pro.

Might be a good place to look if you’ve already got a decent saw and you need something with some ommph for one job.

[w1bbles]

Smokey Bear said:

I’ve got a couple of decent saws but the new stihl saw I’ve bought seems to have oiling problems and eats chains, the smaller older husky which I picked up off the classifieds is a great saw. The algorithm brought up this Facebook page to me on my rabbit hole of trying to fix oiling issues.

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19XP4vKafP/?mibex...

I’ve been watching posts for a few weeks and the general consensus seems to be the generic copies of the huskies are great for a consumer saw but not quite pro.

Might be a good place to look if you’ve already got a decent saw and you need something with some ommph for one job.

I haven’t opened the Facebook link because I reserve Facebook for work stuff and I’m on my personal iPad but if you want to resolve oiling issues, my steps (which I suspect you already know) are:

Remove the bar and chain
Run the saw and check if you’re getting oil pumped out through the hole
If you’re not, check the oil pump under the clutch
If you are, check the oil holes in the bar and get a pick in to unblock them
If it’s a new Stihl and you can’t see a blockage, take it back to the dealer

If it eats chains, is that because it’s not oiling properly? Are the chains being eaten at the point where they run in the bar? It’s worth cleaning the bar out with a small screwdriver blade in any case because that doesn’t sound right. I service chainsaws as an evening/weekend fun job so do let me know if you need any more help. They’re very simple but there are a few things things that can go wrong and which the end user can resolve. It’s worth checking how much horizontal play there is in the chain as it runs down the bar - if it’s too loose it can cause wear and uneven cutting.

[w1bbles]

JuanCarlosFandango said:

Love my little Husqvarna 130 but it is out of it's depth on some bigger stuff I need to cut up. Much as I'd love to blow £1,000 on a nice big orange one I can't justify the cost. I've been looking at the 62cc Hyundai with a 20" bar. Only 3hp but that's nearly double what I've currently got. Anyone have experience of these? Or other cheaper chainsaws that can deal with tree trunks?

I can’t really comment on the long term use of a cheap chainsaw but if it has adequate power and the chain is sharpened properly I suspect you’ll be fine. The more expensive chainsaws make more sense if you use them often and need spare parts to be easily available. If you’re not bothered about how long it will last then buy a cheap one and throw it away when it breaks as the repairs will probably not be worth it compared to the cost of a new replacement. Stihls make more sense if you want to keep it for a long time and spend money on servicing.

[Steve H]

JuanCarlosFandango said:

Love my little Husqvarna 130 but it is out of it's depth on some bigger stuff I need to cut up. Much as I'd love to blow £1,000 on a nice big orange one I can't justify the cost. I've been looking at the 62cc Hyundai with a 20" bar. Only 3hp but that's nearly double what I've currently got. Anyone have experience of these? Or other cheaper chainsaws that can deal with tree trunks?

I bought a Hyundai last year to help deal with a wopping tree that came down. My 54v Dewalt is great but the bar wasn’t long enough, this did some of the longer cuts nicely. It is the kind of thing I would suggest for occasional rather than regular use but I had no complaints.

[StoutBench]

Steve H said:

It is the kind of thing I would suggest for occasional rather than regular use

How come? Too heavy or something else?

[Steve H]

StoutBench said:

Steve H said:

It is the kind of thing I would suggest for occasional rather than regular use

How come? Too heavy or something else?

Probably just suspicious that it might not last TBH, no reason beyond that. There’s some really great value kit available now but if it was serious or pro usage I would be looking for serious rather than value kit.

[JuanCarlosFandango]

Well I've ordered one. At the price, if it cuts up my current sycamore it has paid for itself and anything else is a bonus. I'll report back next week when I've used it properly.

[Smokey Bear]

w1bbles said:

I haven’t opened the Facebook link because I reserve Facebook for work stuff and I’m on my personal iPad but if you want to resolve oiling issues, my steps (which I suspect you already know) are:

Remove the bar and chain
Run the saw and check if you’re getting oil pumped out through the hole
If you’re not, check the oil pump under the clutch
If you are, check the oil holes in the bar and get a pick in to unblock them
If it’s a new Stihl and you can’t see a blockage, take it back to the dealer

If it eats chains, is that because it’s not oiling properly? Are the chains being eaten at the point where they run in the bar? It’s worth cleaning the bar out with a small screwdriver blade in any case because that doesn’t sound right. I service chainsaws as an evening/weekend fun job so do let me know if you need any more help. They’re very simple but there are a few things things that can go wrong and which the end user can resolve. It’s worth checking how much horizontal play there is in the chain as it runs down the bar - if it’s too loose it can cause wear and uneven cutting.

After looking into it many people were having the same problem, newer stihl saws don’t come with and adjustable oiler. That’s just for the consumer saws, the pro range (which were all out of stock when I bought the MS271 with 20” bar) do come with an adjustable oiler.

I must strip the saw down again and see if I can modify it supply some more oil. I don’t use it that much so if it consumes oil an an awful rate I’d prefer that scenario.

[guitarcarfanatic]

I've got an Ego chainsaw (battery) which is amazing and I have chopped up some big old trees with it. But decided I wanted a cheap petrol chainsaw just to have a little flexibility. Most of the chinese saws are the same design (an old Echo copy) - I got a Titan branded one from Screwfix refurb for about £60. 18 inch bar and it's really good. Easy to start, plenty of power. Think it's 50cc?

Perfect for my use - starts really easy even after sitting.