What do you guys recommend?

Occasional, general homeowner use.

Stihl, you'll pay a bit more but worth it in the long run.

Stihl

Stihl

Stihl

Stihl on any outdoor equipment. The battery Stihl is also excellent. Pretty good battery life.

Honestly, for "occasional homeowner use" you'll be fine with anything from Lowe's or Home Depot.

I had a Poulan Pro for a decade and ran the piss out of it and it was like $219 new.

Having said that, a Stihl is a much better piece of equipment. It runs better, lasts longer, and is as much of a joy to use as a chainsaw can be.

It's also three times the price.

Stihl for sure if you want to go gas. In addition to just being a super all-round saw, they seem to handle longer term storage better. You still need to prep them for storage but I think they handle less-than-perfect prep better. Another option if it is realy going to be a maybe once a year or prep for some light storm cleanup, is get the cheapest gas chainsaw you can find. Kind of the Harbor Freight disposable tool theory. I always keep an eye out for a super cheap deal, buy it with an extra blade or 2, and stick it on the shelf (dont even start it as it is theoretically already prepped for storage). This option is NOT what I would stake my life on in a major emergency but has always worked for me straight out of the box even several years down the road. Also is something I can give to neighbors/friends if they are in a bind....

Occasional, general homeowner use you should realy look at the cordless battery options - I think Milwaukee is the best out there. If you are doing anything short of felling multiple big mature trees cordless will handle it without any of the gas engine hassles & maintenance.

STIHL.

You guys kind of confirmed my suspicion.

I know the MS 250 is sort of the bell cow for general saws from Stihl. Do you guys suggest biting the bullet and getting it over the MS 170 or 180 size saws?

Thanks for your help

I have a cheap Remington Rebel I bought off Amazon a few years ago that's fine for small trees and limbs. It came with a 16" bar, I put a 14" Oregon on it and it performs much better.

I have a 16" Husqvarna 550XP I use on tougher work, it's a great saw and we have a local dealer with excellent support. It's a professional model, expensive but worth it if you find yourself using it a lot.

96ags said:

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You guys kind of confirmed my suspicion.

I know the MS 250 is sort of the bell cow for general saws from Stihl. Do you guys suggest biting the bullet and getting it over the MS 170 or 180 size saws?

Thanks for your help

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Depends on what you are using it for I guess. For occasional use I think the 180 is fine. I have a 180 and cut down 5 slash pines with it just last Saturday. It's been good to me.

Stihl... Do yourself a favor and use ethanol free gas. Get it from Buccees and make your own mix.

I'll be the odd man out: I run an ECHO CS590 with 20" bar. It came with a 5 year warranty for non-commercial use and has made quick work of anything that I've thrown at it.

Whatever you choose, spend the money on the ethanol free gas. You can get it with the oil already mixed in.

Stihl is the answer.

Use their Motomix fuel and nothing else running it.

I have two commercial saws that I use here on the farm and the combination of the saws and fuel has been great.

I recently purchased a 20v DeWalt 12" saw and have been pleasantly surprised with that. Bought the DeWalt cause I have lots of their tools so my batteries interchange.

AgTech88 said:

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Occasional, general homeowner use you should realy look at the cordless battery options - I think Milwaukee is the best out there. If you are doing anything short of felling multiple big mature trees cordless will handle it without any of the gas engine hassles & maintenance.

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This,

I had an "occasional, general home use" gas saw and it was PITA every time I went to start it, which was maybe 1x per year. Regardless of how I stored it, starting it was a pain. Last time I tried to use it I had to completely rebuild the fuel system (it had been stored for 2-years) and got it running, Then half way thru my little clean up project it died and I could not get it to start for the life of me (I've rebuilt race engines, car engines, and done tons of mech stuff so I'm not some rookie trying to get it to work). Never did get it to start. Went and got a small electric and my project was done in less time than I spent jacking with the gas saw that would not start.

If you don't like the battery options then look at plug in electric. Yes the cord is a hassle at times, but it runs EVERY TIME you need it too, don't have to worry about long term storage of 2-cycle gas/oil, etc.

Or buy a Stihl and it will start every time.

marleyrox said:

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Stihl... Do yourself a favor and use ethanol free gas. Get it from Buccees and make your own mix.

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This. We can get pure gasoline at almost every gas station here in Tennessee. They also sell 100 octane racing fuel at some gas stations. It's glorious!

I own a Stihl chainsaw and it is a beast but for a homeowner with only occasional use I think an Echo would be just fine. I have a couple of Echo chainsaws at my home with one of them being only a 16 inch bar. I pick that one up a lot more than the others.

Stihl MS250. Well with the money .

I have always used the Husky Rancher 455 from Lowe's for occasional use. I have become a believer in Echo. My stepdad, who passed in June of 2011, had an Echo CS-530. It set unused for several years until my mother asked me to see if I could get it running. Changed out the gas and within a few pulls it was running. Been using it fairly often now for the last year.

Am a Stihl fan. Will own one of their chainsaws down the road.

However, my current environs don't require much of a workhorse. Have an Echo, and it has been reliable, started every time, and runs like a top. I have no qualms recommending Echo.

I'll throw a bone towards Echo as well. For use around the house...it'll get the job done. https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-18-in-40-2-cc-Gas-2-Stroke-Cycle-Chainsaw-CS-400-18/100675470

I've been cutting a great deal since because of hurricane Laura and Delta. Been cutting with an Echo 400, Stihl 462, Stihl 170 and 180. I'm not a big fan on the easy start of the 170 and 180. For the record I've only running premixed gas that is non ethanol. The 170 and 180 (both easy start) were great at first but have actually started to give us a great deal of trouble starting them and staying running. Talked to a shop and he said the vast majority of the one that he had to work on/in inventory to work on are the "easy start." Now I do realize that that could be that he is selling more of them. I will say that it's enough of an issuse that my friend would rather carry around his 462 (~16lbs) all day then fight the 170 or 180. I haven't had any issues with my Echo 400 . Fires right up without issue and just runs. Don't know how it will hold up long term but I'm very pleased with how it has been so far.

Got a stihl 391 a few weeks ago for tree clearing after the storm. Needed something a little bigger than my stihl 290. Very pleased.
Have owned and used many brands going back to mccullochs and would recommend Stihl. Also like the Rs3 chain.

my company only runs stihl

Whatever you buy buy more than you think you need. More will cut less but less will not cut more. I've a got an Echo 310 for the less stuff and an Echo 670 for the more. 30.5cc vs 67 cc..... the 670 will not choke down ....the 310 will.

I have a Stihl 251c. It's the easy start and I think it works great. However, I have some acreage I keep cleared. If it's just occasional residential, I really would consider a battery powered one. I may even just do a battery powered pole saw.

I've got a Stihl MS 270 (8 years old) and have had no issues or problems.
I bought my wife a Stihl MS 170 five years ago. That too is a great chainsaw.

I let you guess which one I prefer...

CenterHillAg said:

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I have a cheap Remington Rebel I bought off Amazon a few years ago that's fine for small trees and limbs. It came with a 16" bar, I put a 14" Oregon on it and it performs much better.

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I'll stick my neck out in this sea of Stihl guys (must be Big Money Ags) and second what CenterHill said about the Remington Rebel.

I picked up their 42 cc 18" model when Amazon ran a sale on them for $112 plus tax, and I've been more than pleased with it, given the cost.

The newer models have some features you don't normally see on the cheaper saws, like an adjustable auto-oiler and steel bucking spikes, and provided you don't get in a hurry with it, has plenty of power. They even threw in a hard case.

Don't get me wrong -- Stihl makes a great saw, and I'm sure it's what my wife would buy if I sent her to get one. She never met a high price tag she didn't like.

Wow, so many recommending Stihl. I must have bought the only ****ty Stihl ever built, lol. I had always used Husqvarna chain saws and bought a Stihl this last time. Very hard to start from the very first time I used it. I wouldn't chance buying another one.

For occasional use I'd go Echo or battery. I cut about 1/2-3/4 cord of wood a year for camping and have used the Milwaukee battery saw the last two years. For occasional use, gas just isn't worth the hassle anymore.

Don't get me wrong all the Stihls (from homeowners ton460's) I've ran have been great, but unless you cut a decent amount I'm not convinced they're worth the premium over an Echo from HD.

Has anyone recommended a Stihl yet?