Chainsaws

[Startiger]

Well, after some research, I'm finding that an inverter that is large enough to power a electric saw is going to cost me close to $200, so the add in the cost of a saw and a good extension cord, I'm gonna be looking at something like $350 minimum for an electric setup, minimum.

Considering I can get one nice Husky for that price, I think that answers that part of the questions.

So now it's down to what gas model to get.

2dogs+2, Why do you say not to get a Husky it from Lowes?

I can get a Poulan Pro 16" for about $140 or a 18" for $165 with case. Craftsman are about $170 for a 16". Huskys are about $275 for a 16". I would ahve to do some research to find a Skhil or Echo dealer in my area.

So what should I look for in a saw?

[rockhopjohn]

Originally posted by Startiger
2dogs+2, Why do you say not to get a Husky it from Lowes?

I don't have any experience with Husky, but I did work at Home Depot for 5 years, and I can tell you that when you see a name brand piece of equipment at a store like Lowes or Home Depot, you are probably looking at a watered down version of what ever it is.

So a Husky chain saw, or a John Deer Lawn mower you buy a big box store are not the same quality (typically) as the ones that you get from independent dealers, they are usually watered down consumer grade models.

[Sir Sawgrass]

Originally posted by Startiger
Well, after some research, I'm finding that an inverter that is large enough to power a electric saw is going to cost me close to $200, so the add in the cost of a saw and a good extension cord, I'm gonna be looking at something like $350 minimum for an electric setup, minimum.

Considering I can get one nice Husky for that price, I think that answers that part of the questions.

So now it's down to what gas model to get.

2dogs+2, Why do you say not to get a Husky it from Lowes?

I can get a Poulan Pro 16" for about $140 or a 18" for $165 with case. Craftsman are about $170 for a 16". Huskys are about $275 for a 16". I would ahve to do some research to find a Skhil or Echo dealer in my area.

So what should I look for in a saw?

This is just me and my opinion, but what I want in a saw is one that will give you day after day of work with little trouble.
I would stick with a big name brand like a Husqvarna or a Stihl and I would stay with a 16 inch blade.
Bigger bar more power you need, also cost more to replace the chain, heavier.
I myself would not own a Craftsman chain saw or an Echo, or even a Poulan;
seen too many come in for repair. Do not know anything about a Husky.

This would also depend on what dealers you have in your area.

[Startiger]

Originally posted by Sir Sawgrass

Do not know anything about a Husky.

Sorry. When I say Husky, I use that as a short form of Husqvarna. I guess not everyone uses that term. It's common in my area, but not everywhere I guess.

[ETC]

Definitely go gas, I'm not sure what inverter you're talking about but, unless you're running three deep cycles in parallel ... you're not going to get much run time pulling 10 amps minimum and, you'll probably smoke your car battery which isn't made for discharging like that.

I defer to the experts on what gas saw to get.

[The_Lizard]

Originally posted by Sir Sawgrass


This is just me and my opinion, but what I want in a saw is one that will give you day after day of work with little trouble.
I would stick with a big name brand like a Husqvarna or a Stihl and I would stay with a 16 inch blade.
Bigger bar more power you need, also cost more to replace the chain, heavier.
I myself would not own a Craftsman chain saw or an Echo, or even a Poulan;
seen too many come in for repair. Do not know anything about a Husky.

This would also depend on what dealers you have in your area.

Slightly off topic, when I workd in landscaping I used various brands of weed eaters and brush cutters. They were constantly breaking down, and I liked to say that if I could actually run one for as many minutes as I spent fixing it, I'd be batting .500

I got my own Ryobi 2-stroke with string and blade, and the powerhead ran very well for about 12 years. No one around here services Ryobi. The cutting head now rides on a Troy-Built 4-stroke powerhead, which does not make my clothing smell like oily exhaust.

The chainsaw attachment is a little more than a year old, but I haven't cut a lot with it, and I don't intend to. I want to baby it and use it just for overhead cutting, and not wear it out cutting wood that I could cut with a bow saw. So far, it works perfectly, but the oiler slowly leaks in storage :/

Oh BTW the short version of the pole saw is also sweet for honeysuckle removal, you can stand in one place and reach a lot of stems, without having to maneuver the saw _and_ yourself for each cut.

[Startiger]

Appologies for nectoing this old thing.

I got a small, 6" chain saw for Christmas. It's a Black & Decker Alligator Lopper. One of these:

Black & Decker Tools | Alligator Lopper LP1000

For big jobs, I still borrowing my dad's 18" in Husky (Husqvarna), but this should work well for branch work and small trees that constantly fall in my neighborhood.

I would like to take this with me camping and to clean fallen trees in my neighborhood. So I am thinking about getting an inverter setup for the OB. B&D claims that this thing pulls 4.5 Amps @ 120V. That's only 540W.

How big of an inverter should I look at to power this thing?

What inverters have you worked with and that you recommend?