Best/Worst/Most Suprising Chainsaw You’ve Bought or Ran

[1.5hp]

having owned mostly Stihls, was pleasantly surprised with the 372. it's a real screamer. not kicking the 044 out of bed though.

 

[Cmarti]

Best: Poulan 3400 and 3700 after muffler mods they burp like an old dirt bikes, kept me in fire wood for decades. Not fast, but never bog......don't laugh
Worst: Ryobi 10519, 46cc air leak. It was worth what I paid for it....nothing
Most surprising: Ryobi 10532 Redmax clone, always runs...don't laugh

 

[Thumper88]

Best/most fun: MMWS MS880. I had run stock 3120 and 880 and 395’s. The day I bought it I sunk it in the log on the first test cut and it jerked me up on my toes. I never should have sold it, but I had other stuff I needed more.

Worst: The 288XP I bought “rebuilt” with oem
Parts in Kentucky. Before I was a member here and didn’t know what to look for. Started and ran good in the shop and for 2 test cuts. 10 minutes into the first tree the trigger kept slipping over the carb leg. Figured out it was missing a screw. Fixed that, 10 more minutes and the “new “ coil died. Fixed that and while it was down I figured out it had a chinesium P&C on it. Bastard would not start hot no matter how much I sweet talked it or cussed. I sold it at a big loss being honest about the problems and never looked back. *f-word that guy that sold me that piece of *s-word.

Most surprising: 24 year old MS250 that my old man gave me because I needed a small saw for my ground guy and for in the tree when the 194 won’t get it. I cleaned the carb so it would run, did a muffler mod, removed the limiters and set it on kill. I fully expected it to let go within a couple days. It’s still running strong 2-3 days a week after 4 months.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

Worst has to be my old mans 46cc craftsman wearing a 20” bar. Knowing what I know now, if it had a 16” bar it might have been ok. My first saw I bought was a stihl ms180c and I loved it. It’s the only thing with an engine I kept for over 10 years.

 

[Egg Shooter]

send them to @Stump Shot he loves them

They are gravy to work on. I have several.

Now my worst saw experience is a mcculloch power mac 310. Best, Stump Shot 3601 Makita.

 

[trapper55]

My worst saw was a little Chinese saw called Pinty aweful
the best saw is my Sthil MS380 Magnum clone AWESOME running saw

 

[CrystalRiver1]

Most disappointing saw: Sachs Dolmar 116si--Perhaps it was me but it stayed in the shop more than in wood & I just never got the hang of that saw.

Most surprising saw - MS 250 stock...was a surprisly great little saw and I cut some big wood with it, using an 18 in bar. Would've been better with a 16 bar though.

Most reliable saw: My rebuilt 044 which I hate I sold & my current MS 261c easily the most dependable saw.

Honorable mentions: An 034 & MS 390 with muff mod.

 

[Al Smith]

One that surprised me the most was one I built up from a wrecked saw .It was a wrung out badly abused Stihl 034 ,tree service saw .Rough as a cob, piston cylinder gone .A guy sent me an 036 cylinder and I bought a Meteor piston with Caber rings and found enough plastic to cover it up .Although I only used it for less than a day before passing it on it turned out great .So great on my to-do list I have an 034 super which essentially is an 036 and when I find the time build up another one .This one I might give it the treatment IE modify it .In the last several years I've restored a few from junkers but it's been some time since I've modified one .I'll bet I can still do though .

 

[Lee H]

Most disappointing saw: Sachs Dolmar 116si--Perhaps it was me but it stayed in the shop more than in wood & I just never got the hang of that saw.

Most surprising saw - MS 250 stock...was a surprisly great little saw and I cut some big wood with it, using an 18 in bar. Would've been better with a 16 bar though.

Most reliable saw: My rebuilt 044 which I hate I sold & my current MS 261c easily the most dependable saw.

Honorable mentions: An 034 & MS 390 with muff mod.

Wow, I'm really surprised the 166si was disappointing. There are usually a very
good saw. I have a couple as well as the 120si and they are my go to saws.

 

[CrystalRiver1]

Wow, I'm really surprised the 166si was disappointing. There are usually a very
good saw. I have a couple as well as the 120si and they are my go to saws.

You mean 116si?
It was mostly me...never got acclimated to it.
The guy I sold it to, fixed it 15 minutes and it ran like a scalded dog!, BUT I got his 044 on the cheap...we both were happy campers!

 

[Lee H]

Yes 116si, My bad

 

[Al Smith]

My only experience with the SD 166 is with two Kevin had and one was as old school Varney hottie .That thing had a carb you could drop a golf ball through .Talk about power ,wow .I ran it at Chardon Ohio against some who ran the Stihl timber sports .The times weren't bad, the operator was--me .
My only comment with regards to the big boy was it was as ungainly as a bowling ball on the end of a broomstick compared to a Stihl 084 . That I'd imagine is just perception of the operator .

 

[I Know Something]

Surprising? The Husky 357 xp I got for free a few months ago. Runs great for its CC. I'm a happy owner thus far.

 

[CJ Brown]

Best: @Canadian farm boy 's 462 hybrid - awesome saw!
Worst: 1977 plastic Remington Mighty Mite - just junk
Most surprising: 1983 154se with some mods - super fast little saw.

 

[Wood Doctor]

View attachment 264763
I have a 361 as well and have no complaints. Very nice, smooth running saw..

Last week I loaned my 361 to a tree service company with my fingers crossed. I also loaned them my Husky 257. The owner told me yesterday that the 361 blew away the 257 when it came to power. Both saws were using 20" bars and new chains. They were removing a big ash tree that required a 661 at the bottom of the trunk for felling.

I still use the 257 to extend the life of my 361. Not sure why.

 

[huskyboy]

The owner told me yesterday that the 361 blew away the 257 when it came to power.

Do a 262xp conversion to the 257, mod it and blow away the 361 while keeping the 257 sticker on it. Lol

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

Believe it or not out all the models I own the t525 husky has given me zero issues in the last two years. I just love it. It feels like it weighs 5 pounds. Throttle response is quite impressive, air filter is super easy to clean.
I put it in my cargo box on the truck, one handing larger branches for firewood seriously goes double fast compared to a two handle model.
Pulls a 12” full comp low pro no problem. Chain always stays super sharp because of the oiler on this thing. It really is hands down the most useful saw of the lot lol. I probably have 30 tanks through it so far.

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

The worst saw I have ever owned was probably the poulan 3314 strato or the poulan pro strato (yellow from 2016).
Never ever got them to tune right, throttle response was usually terrible with an idle that was bouncing all over the place.

 

[av8or3]

I was most surprised by a 50 year old Solo 70. With a chipper chain (404) it cut as well as any other 70 cc saw I’ve ever run. Just real heavy

 

[Egg Shooter]

Best: @Canadian farm boy 's 462 hybrid - awesome saw!
Worst: 1977 plastic Remington Mighty Mite - just junk
Most surprising: 1983 154se with some mods - super fast little saw.

Ive never seen or touched the 77 and newer Mighty Might saws. All mine are 1976 on back and magnesium saws. I had 7 or 8 at one time. Neat little saws. 76 was the last year of the original mag cased versions.