Chainsaw Reviews | The Chainsaw Zone

January 7, 2023January 7, 2023

What Husqvarna Gas Chainsaws Are For Sale?

If you are like me you get overwhelmed with all the chainsaw options these days, both Stihl and Husqvarna seem to have way too many chainsaw products available. All those numbers and letters.

More than once I have wished I could look at a chainsaw number and know exactly what it is. Is the saw from their PRO series or their Residential series? And what exactly are some of the differences in the models and features? Is it an old obsolete chainsaw (like my Husqvarna 257) or is it currently on the market?

Well if you’ve ever wondered this you’ve come to the right place. This information can be found elsewhere on the web but not in one place in spreadsheet form with links (coming soon) like this, (at least that I have found). So without further adieu. Here is a 2023 Gasoline Powered Husqvarna chainsaw product list, (with the specs that I care about in a table format).

The Chainsaw Specs That I Care About

The chainsaw’s NAME, its WEIGHT, the chainsaws HORSEPOWER, the chainsaw’s engine volume / CYLINDER DISPLACEMENT, the chainsaw’s ideal BAR LENGTH, the chainsaw’s SOUND LEVEL (over 85dB, hearing protection is recommended). The chainsaw’s VIBRATION and Husqvarna’s SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE (MSRP). The MSRP will help us to know what kind of deal we have found either on amazon or at another store.

Husqvarna Buying Table Gas Powered Chainsaws for 2023

Enjoy and good luck chosing a great saw! We plan to also share a table like this the Stihl chainsaw and perhaps with the other suppliers. There are many more chainsaws available today from Husqvarna and other suppliers, both gas and battery-powered. But you cannot go far wrong with almost any of the Husqvarna chainsaws.

Please comment below what you purchased and why.

October 2, 2022October 4, 2022

Poulan Pro SM4218AVX Chainsaw Review

Recently an uncle gifted me an Poulan Pro chainsaw. This chainsaw had been given to him by a neighbor who moved away and no longer needed it.

This chainsaw seemed to be well cared for and used lightly.

This saw had decent strength and the chain was sharp, well tensioned and oiled and started up with minimal problems. It had not been run for several years and it took a while to burn through the old gasoline within it.

But it filled in well for my Husqvarna 257 which was down, while splitting 12 ash trees worth of firewood in September of 2022.

Specs:

Engine size: 42cc
Engine tpye: 2 stroke engine
Gasoline type: mixed gas to oil ratio of 40:1
Choke is a pull out tab that was intutive and I was able to figure out how to run it quite easily.
Bubble push button six times to prime the gasoline.
Bar length is 18″
It’s weight was I’d say medium, and lower than my Husqvarna 257. But not as light as a battery powered saw.

This saw is not a professional grade saw in ruggedness and durability. I feel like I could break the saw if I tried to do too much with it. It is defineinyl ideal for smaller scale felling and firewood. I checked the price on a present day comparable Poulan Pro and it was near the $300 price point, that alone is telling.

Retail price for a quality pro series Husqvarna or Stihl these days is $800 minimum.

However, this saw is adequate for what it is intended, light duty intermittent branch cutting, small tree felling, and firewood cutting. If you are thinking of buying one I’d not pay more that $300.

September 10, 2022September 3, 2023

History of the Chainsaw-The Tree Felling Machine

I find the history of the Chainsaw quite interesting. It has had a major impact on the world and it gets little credit. Think of the increase in lower cost and higher supply of wood for building that the chainsaw has provided. Without a doubt the chainsaw for cutting lumber is an invention of Europe, and mostly by Swedish inventors. Sweden is heavily forrested and this explains their desire for a more automated way to harvest wood.

There was also a medical chainsaw used in the 19th century for childbirth. 😳 It was used to cut cartlidge to separate the pelvis in women while giving birth. Yes it sounds horribly barbaric, and is no longer used. Cutting wood with chains sounds like a much better idea.

In 1926 Andreas Stihl, who is known as the Father of the Modern Chainsaw, patented two-man chainsaws. The gas powered saw came in 1929, it was called a tree felling machine and it weighed 101 pounds. Which at least partially explains why it was a two-man saw. The second man held the tip of the bar with a handle while a chain rotated under the handle. This saw was called the “Tree Felling Machine”. Andreas Stihl’s company was founded in 1926 and is still making saws to this day in Germany and in the US (in Virginia Beach and Oregon). Given what I know about chainsaw cutting and seeing photos of this monstrosity, I would imagine that the bar twisted often and the chain frequently became stuck while cutting.

In 1950 Stihl’s company manufactured the first one-man gasoline-powered chainsaw. The saw weighed 35lbs. There are photos of this chainsaw and it is enormous. I bet only large lumberjacks could use these machines, in the 1950’s. Little guys need not apply.

orange and black snow blower — Photo by Fabian Köhler on Pexels.com

I plan to buy a Stihl pro series as my next saw in honor of Andreas.

November 24, 2021January 20, 2022

Are The EGO Battery Chainsaws Any Good?

EGO CS1400 review, 56V battery powered

In summer 2021 I purcahsea a CS1400 EGO 56 Volt battery powered chainsaw. I immediately used it to cut up several small trees and branches that needed clearing in my yard. This chainsaw is surpisingly powerful for its small size and the fact that it is battery powered.

Features:

Bar oil reservoir
Chain tensioner with finger grips, (no need for screwdrivers).
Bar/ chain removal with hand tightening, (After years of changing chains and bars with bolts and wrenches, several times per use, this feature was my favorite feature, by far).
No need for the hassle and mess of mixed gasoline.
I got about an hour of continual use per charge.
Rapid battery charge took less than 45 minutes.
Power indicator on the battery itself.

However, one limitation to make note of is that I was not able to successfully cut logs that were larger than 6″ diameter. They seemed to be a bit more than the chain could cut from a power perspective. However if I cut slow enough and was careful to not allow pinching I was able to get through them.

I would highly recommend this chainsaw for the homeowner for general brush clearing, and branch cutting. It’sclean, its powerful enough and it seemed as safe as one can get with a chainsaw.

I purchased this at Lowes but here is a Link to this same saw on Amazon

Also, for more chainsaw reviews I have written click here;

August 14, 2020August 17, 2020

Best Wood Carving Tools for Beginners

Wood carving is much easier with the right tools. Heavy gas-powered chainsaws which most prospective carves own are not ideal for the beginner wood carver. Also sharp pocket knives are not ideal for the beginner wood carver for making anything more than whittling a spear at the end of a stick.

With chainsaw carving fatigue can be a major factor. My Husqvarna 257 is very heavy for me and after less than an hour of use fatigue sets in. If I were making a large detailed carve then I’d need to use a Stihl Msa200.

There have been great advances made in smaller chainsaws, even chainsaws powered with battery are available. These lightweight chainsaws are great options for the beginner and even seasoned chainsaw carver.

The weight of the electric battery powerd Stihl MSA20 is 10.2 lbs. The weight of my Husqvana 257 which is typical 20″ gas powered chainaw is over 30 lbs.

Thirty pounds may not seem like much but when wielding it for hours as is the case when carving matters…a lot. The only negative to a battery powered saw is the battery charge. According to the website with the recommended battery AP 300, the saw will run for 45 minutes. Just enough time to carve for a while then take a break. However with the AR 3000 battery this saw can run for 200 minutes.

If weight is not a major factor for you then a well running smaller chainsaw is fine for the beginner carver. As you might expect smaller bars/ chains might be more practical.

Tools for Beginning Whittler

I am not a professional whittler, I can carve basic things with knives and do own sharpened wood carving knives. However, I have spoke with some pros about this and they insist that the best tools to get started carving is a shortened carving knife. Stiff, short and sharp along with a 90 degree wedge blade. Shaped like a V. These two knives can get the whittler 99% of the cuts and shaping that we need. The versatility of what can be done with these two knives is very good.

There are many fancy options for carving knives and buying just these two knives is diffu=icult on amazon. This kit on amazon however contains these two blades, along with many others. Another option might be to go to a craft store and just buy individual knives.

For the beginner carver it is also advisable to use a pencil to sketch on the wood before you start carving. Also if possible, find someone that can help you get started with the basic cuts. I purchased a coursed on Udemy to help me get started carving with wood, and it was well worth the fee. My instructor was a woman who had been carving since the 1980s and she had developed extreme skill and enjoyed teaching.

So there you have it, the highly rated Stihl MSA 200 battery powered chainsaw and a $37 dollar knife kit. Are the best tools for the beginner wood carver. Once you get your beginner tools, keep them sharp and just get carving. I would recommend you start chainsaw carving chairs, then move to bears. And with knife carving start with little figurines then move to wooden ducks. You may be surprized at what you are capable of carving.

August 9, 2020January 1, 2023

Husqvarna 365 Special Review

Earlier this week I had the chance to run this Husqvarna 365 Special chainsaw. I used it to remove several small trees and trim some branches from another tree.

The 365 special reminded me of my 257, it has the same toggle on/ off switch and the same blue decompression valve button. The gas and bar oil ports are in the same position. It has a 65cc (cubic centimeter) engine volume.

It ran well with a 20 inch bar and had good power at an advertised 4.6 horsepower. It did feel a bit more powerful than my 3.6 hp Husqvarna 257.

The choke is the pull-out type of the opposite side as the on/ off switch. I like this less than where my 257 choke is located. For this reason I put this saw slightly below my Husqvarna 257. But it is almost a tie.

The word Special in its name means it has side (lateral) chain tensioning but the original 365 does not. Those who’ve used both claim the Special is more powerful.

The Husqvarna 257 Chainsaw – A Comprehensive Review

This post is long overdue. About 23 years ago I bought my first chainsaw and I am still using it weekly. It is an air injected Husqvarna 257. It is mixed-gas (50:1) powered high compression motor with a volume of 57cc’s. I am not a professional tree contractor or lumber jack but I do love this saw as a homeowner and recommend it if you have a chance to buy one. I use it with a 20″ bar. It has a 3.7 horsepower motor which has always been enough for me, as long as my chain is sharp. It weighs over 16lbs with the bar and chain which can cause fatique when used for longer than an hour.

I have used it so much the safety chain brake has broken off. I plan to replace this as I’ve found replacement components online. I’ve rarely had to change components. This saw was pricey at the time but it turned out to be a good investment. Although I am not a professional chainsaw user I have used it for a good deal of firewood and tree removal at my properties through the years.

The 257’s were made between 1994 and 2001, before the more restrictive laws about emissions in 2011 and 2012. As with all gas powered equipment, as emissions restrictions are imposed, power and efficiency per volume of fuel used is usually sacrificed.

Husqvarna 257 Features

Some features include a red kill switch, a choke right above the kill switch. It has lower and upper vibration isolation mounts. The bar oil and mixed gas are loaded on the chainsaws side. Falling spike and quiet-tone muffler. It has a chain break (mine is broken off). It has two nuts for loosening the bar. There is a chain tensioner with flat head screw. There is a blue decompression valve that you push in every time you start the saw.

One complaint I have about this saw is that it is heavy, causing fatigue after about and hour of cutting. But perhaps I am just getting weak. I’ve only replaced the spark plug once, the bar I’ve replaced several times but that was due to problems with my cutting technique.

When I purchased this saw around 1997, Husqvarna was not as widespread in the US, as it is now. It is a Swedish manufacturer of outdoor equipment. There were a few Husqvarna dealers around but these saws were not in the big stores like Lowe’s, like they are now. There are now many Husqvarna saws for the weekend warrior on the market.

Each chainsaw product needs its own review. This Husqvarna 257 chainsaw from the mid-90’s is worth its weight in gold to me. The only limits I would put on this saw would involve the limitations of the user.

Now check out my review of the similar saw Jonsered 625.

If you want an equivalent Husqvarna to this 25 year old 257 based on the spec, I’d recommend the Husqvarna 550 XP, click the link below to order your own.

I just found this site that I like and if you need help with other power tool questions I think it can help you check it out by CLICKING HERE. POWERTOOLMENTOR.com