So who do you trust?  Well, deciphering any sense from any chainsaw review, whether it be for Husqvarna, Stihl, Echo, Poulan or any other make of chainsaw, a review needs to be well balanced with reasons for and against.

If you come across a review pumping a saw to “high heaven” then this should set ff a red flag. A review which lists the pros and cons of a chainsaw is more natural because let’s face it, not all machines are perfect. For example, one saw may be the ants pants for one user but may have a peculiarity associated with it which may influence another user’s decision to buy.

3 Tips For Prospective Chainsaw Buyers

Here’s a few suggestions you could adopt before making a decision to buy your chainsaw:

- Obviously look for written reviews online. As mentioned above, the review needs to be well balanced and should not simply be benefit, benefit, benefit. This sounds too much like a sales pitch.

- Visit online forums. There are several good forums you could visit for either advice or confirmation on any brand or size of chainsaw. Do a search for chainsaw, woodcutters or power tool forums.

- One of the best chainsaw reviews you could get is one you conduct yourself. In other words, head to a dealer and test out a machine before you buy. Most dealers would be only too happy to let you test a machine if you were really serious about buying. This way, you’d get a feel for a machine and could also get some expert advice about the size of chainsaw best suited for you needs.

The short answer is yes and there are several reasons why. One of the main reasons is for service ability. When you buy from a Stihl dealer you get the advantage of having your chainsaw serviced from the place of purchase. Stihl places a lot of emphasis on it’s follow up service.

We’re not suggesting you completely dismiss buying from some of the big hardware stores particularly if you can get a better deal but if there is a Stihl dealer in your area, then at least give them the chance to talk to you.

If something goes wrong with your chainsaw what sort of guarantee do you have it will be repaired. Sure it will come with a warranty but taking it back to a place other than a Stihl dealer means the saw may need to be shipped somewhere before being returned.

With the dealer, you can simply drop the machine off and have a Stihl-trained technician perform the required maintenance and have Stihl parts at their disposal. From a convenience point-of-view, it could provide less frustration.

Product Demonstration

Another advantage of purchasing from a Stihl dealer is you have the option of seeing a product demonstration. You even get to test the saw out for yourself. In other words, the chainsaw you buy won’t come in a box untested.

It’s a little like purchasing a motor car; you get to take it for a spin to get a feel for the car. The same principle applies with the chainsaw. Buying it in a box and then trying to figure out what it does and is capable of when you get it home, can be a little frustrating, especially for an inexperienced operator.

Safety is a major issue with chainsaws and apart from getting a demonstration, you’ll also be pointed to it’s safety features and what you should and should not do. This is invaluable stuff for an occasional user.

Too many times homeowners, with little use for a chainsaw other than to cut some firewood or to perform some pruning maintenance around the home go over the top, normally following bad advice, and over-capitalize to the hilt.

In many cases, an electric chainsaw would be perfect yet many get carried away and buy high-powered gas saws without giving consideration to a couple of major factors.

1. The machine they purchase will do the job they want okay, but it’s simply to big and too expensive for the minor jobs it’s been asked to do. In many cases, a purchaser could have saved themselves hundreds of dollars.

2. A gas-powered saw can make a lot of noise and this is not a good fit for a suburban area. There’s every chance you’ll get under your neighbor’s skin.

Lack of use will be a major issue and you could find your high-powered saw could become a tool shed decoration!

Electric chainsaws are a little more restrictive and that’s understandable when you’re dragging a chord attached to the chainsaw around. However, ask yourself how many times you are likely to use it and then weigh up the pros and cons of whether outlaying several hundred dollars makes any sense.

For less than a hundred bucks, you can pick yourself up any number of handy little chainsaws which can do the minor jobs around a home. For example, McCulloch’s MCC 3516 electric chainsaw is excellent value and while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles it’s easy to start and is lightweight design.

Shop around before making a decision and talk to the experts and get a good cross-section of opinions. In fact, join in on some of the forums online dedicated to chainsaw users and handy persons and simply describe your situation and ask for an opinion.

Most expensive doesn’t always indicate the best; in most cases it’s simply because of the size of a chainsaw that makes it more expensive.

Size does matter when choosing a chainsaw. A part time user won’t be wanting a unit which is designed to cut down forests. This, believe it or not is a costly mistake which can happen all too often.

Many prospective chainsaw users are often confused with what saw to buy when they first start shopping around. Obviously, the best chainsaw brands are open to plenty of debate as respective users have their favorites and their opinions are very hard to sway.

So how do you choose the best chainsaw brand? Well, Stihl and Husqvarna immediately spring to mind but if you’re really serious about finding the best saw for your situation then you need to conduct your own research before jumping in on one recommendation.

What type of research are we referring to? Here are some questions you should ask when shopping for a chainsaw:

1. How often will you use the saw?

2. How much are you willing to spend?

3. Do you prefer a gas-powered chainsaw or an electric machine?

Sourcing Information On The Best Brands

Finding the best chainsaw brand means you need some open discussion and the best place to get this is from an online forum dedicated to chainsaw users. Forums dedicated to chainsaw users are a great place to get your questions answered.

Asking what are the best chainsaws on the market will get you plenty of response and may confuse you because many woodcutters have their personal favorites and can be biased in their opinion.

As a first time chainsaw user a better question would revolve around your inexperience, size of your property and the amount of times you’re expecting to use your machine.

If you’re considering limited use then shopping the major stores should be beneficial. In many cases, you won’t be expected to part with a lot of money with many saws available for $100 or less. While you won’t be making a huge outlay, the truth is, despite their budget tag there are some real gems amongst them in both the electric and gas-powered range.

Sure the bigger, more powerful Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo and Poulan machines are tempting to take home but let me predict what will happen. A buyer shopping for his/her first chainsaw will be impressed by what a saw can do without actually comparing the power of a machine to it’s actual need for use.

Before too long, they’ll realize they’ve over-capitalized and what they really needed was a chainsaw to simply perform some light cutting work around the home.

Electric Chainsaws

There are some excellent electric models on the market today. Better still, they are available for what seem crazy prices. Yes there are drawbacks to electric chainsaws namely wet conditions and they’re not as flexible as gas-powered machines. The more expensive electric models when assessing chainsaw prices will usually be under the name brand banners of  Stihl and Husqvarna.

These machines are loaded with many more features than the low priced items but once you start getting into this price category, then it might pay to inspect the gas-powered models.

Gas Powered Chainsaws

Extra power and portability are the main attractions of gas-powered saws however, they are noisier and less suited to suburban conditions.

Poulan have some very suitable lightweight saws while brands such as Homelite, Remington and Echo are worth exploring.

If you’re looking at spending less than a hundred dollars then we can’t guarantee what you’ll pick up in the gas-powered range however, when comparing chainsaw prices, by looking at the $100-$200 range, then you are well in the ball park and open to many great options.

There a number of pitfalls to avoid and one of those is over-capitalizing. By that, we mean purchasing a chainsaw that’s out of your league. In other words, if you’re a home user and don’t have too much in the way of work to done then there’s no point in purchasing the biggest and meanest saw on the market.

There are a great selection of saws for home users out there and Stihl has several you could consider. For example, Stihl’s new MS 192 C-E model is ideal for the work-at-homer. Comparing Stihl chainsaw prices - at around $300, the MS 192 is ideally priced for someone not really hell bent on making a living with a chainsaw.

Compare $300 to over $1500 for the top of the line models and you can quickly get a gauge on the difference between between the lightweight and heavyweight models.

Stihl Electric Chainsaws

One of the best pieces of advice a newcomer can get is to compare the electric chainsaws against the noisier, more expensive gas-powered models. One of the reasons is again, buy what you really need.

Yes, electric saws may handicap you a bit in movement because of the chord but they have a few advantages as well – one of them is they are neighbor-friendly…noise wise.

Don’t worry though, while these electric models may be priced low, they have the necessary capability to perform well on minor jobs around the house. If you’re comparing Stihl chainsaw prices, then buying a Stihl electric chainsaw is stepping up a level again.

What you need to decide is if it could be more cost effective to purchase a good gas-powered model for the price you would outlay to buy the top electric model on the market. In many cases it is.

Economy Plus

The economy of using an electric chainsaw is one of reasons many homeowners will opt for a machine attached to the end of a chord. If you intend to do a lot of work, in particular, heavy duty work then gas will be your best option. On the other hand, if pruning and trimming small branches and trees is all you need to take care of then the powered option is the best and safest way to go.

One of the problems facing homeowners is reading about the many benefits associated with gas-powered machines but not relating their use in accordance with the demands they’re likely to place on it. Spending several hundred dollars on a saw which is going to spend 90% of it’s time tucked away in a tool shed somewhere seems like an awful waste of money.

Consider purchasing an electric chainsaw if you are a part time or casual “logger.” The benefits for casual users include:
The Electric Chainsaw And It’s Benefits

- spending less money in purchasing a machine
- electric chainsaws are much lighter and easier to handle
- cost less to maintain and operate
- are ideal for the small jobs around the home such as pruning small trees and bushes
- quieter to operate than gas which is ideal in a suburban environment
- less polution because of the clean nature of electricity while gas tends to produce unavoidable exhaust fumes

There Are Drawbacks With Electric Saws

Some of the drawbacks include the power chord. If conditions have been wet the last thing you need to be doing is dragging an electrical chord around no matter how well insulated it is. Gas chainsaws will give you a lot more freedom to move around without the danger of being electrocuted.

Another disadvantage with an electric chainsaw is you will be generating less power which will mean spending extra time on a job. Also, the less power generated means the saw won’t be as strong on a job as it’s gas cousin.

You will be restricted to lighter jobs. If you attempt to use it on a fully grown tree then you’re asking for trouble and compromising your safety.

The bottom line is, from an economy and convenience viewpoint, then the electric chainsaw is definitely good value.

Chainsaw Prices For Smaller Saws

For upwards of $200, a homeowner can purchase a good quality saw which will perform most of the tough jobs around the house. For example, the Husqvarna 137 is an ideal saw for part time users. It is extremely easy to start with enhanced safety features such as a double acting chain brake.

For a couple of hundred bucks, this is the type of machine a part time user should consider. Husqvarna chainsaw prices are pretty hard to compete with but it will pay to scan some of the forestry forums and ask whether there are cheaper priced options available.

The Electric Chainsaw Alternative

These are a great alternative to the gas-powered models because of their lightweight and low noise factor. You’ll obviously be restricted by freedom of movement because of the power chord attached to the machine but for jobs such as pruning and trimming, these make more economical sense.

Best Of Both Worlds

Alternatively, if you live on a large block of land, either suburban or country, why not consider having the best of both worlds. Many chainsaw owners have both gas and electric machines which gives them plenty of options. For example, if wet weather is hampering the use of your electric chainsaw, then the gas-powered model can be used.

Price consideration becomes a factor here because Husqvarna chainsaw prices can be a little pricey in the electric range. The main drawback with the cheaper models when comparing them to brands such as Husqvarna is you’ll be missing some of the components associated with the gas versions however, by following good safety protocol, this shouldn’t be a reason for not buying.

While Echo may not be in the same league as Stihl or Husqvarna  as far as their status in the industry is concerned, there is no doubt that they can deliver a pretty good chainsaw product to consumers.

For over thirty years Echo has been maintaining a high standard in their range of power tools and continually comes up with innovative performance measures. They back up their engine powered products with an unmatched warranty…

Echo Chainsaws - The CS-306 Workhorse…

Badly maintained parts can compromise a person’s safety.

Major manufacturers like Stihl and Husqvarna do their best to promote maintenance of chainsaw parts to their customers as it not only saves them unnecessary expense but also plays a big part in keeping the user from getting into trouble from a safety angle.

The Chain

The chain is obviously one of the most worked parts of a chainsaw. Sharpening the chain is an important part of good chain maintenance. Chain sharpening requires the sharpening the cutting teeth as well as the depth guages between them.

When placing the new chain on the saw, you’ll need to set the right tension because a loose fitting chain can easily slide of while a tight fitting chain can have ramifications on the bar.

Other Chainsaw Parts

While a good working chain is paramount to any saw delivering top performance other parts of the chainsaw such as the clutch, brake, air filter, bar and flywheels all need regular checking.

Lubrication is another issue. Again this concerns the chain and a non-lubricated chain can have a serious domino effect on the well being of other chainsaw parts which in turn will lead to safety issues.