16" vs. 18" chainsaw

im going to be picking up a new chainsaw in the next few days, now im trying to decide on the length. or just get a spare bar an have both. main use will be as a firewood cutter, with occasional use camping. or...

 

ive got an 18" for around the house. never have needed anything bigger than that. theres some pretty decent trees that we have taken down. take a look at the stihl line. they make great saws. never had any problems with mine. my dad has had his for almost 15 years id say and hasnt had any problems. other than sharpening the chain.

 

I have a Stihl 029 Farm Boss with a 20" bar. This saw is nearly unstoppable.

I've had it for about 10 years or more, no issues with it at all.

Marc M

 

We've got a 18" Husqvarna and have had it for probably 6 or 7 years and I use it all winter long cutting firewood and selling it. Had no problems at all and with a sharp chain that thing will blow through some wood its unreal.
But you cant go wrong with a husqvarna or a stihl.

Good Luck!

 

i had a stihl MS390 with a 20" bar and it was a great saw. I sold it to a buddy and bought an MS361 with a 25" bar and love it. I dont have to bend over as far to limb trees and it has plenty of power not to mention a little lighter. I think for the 390 i paid 480 and the 361 came out to 620. If you are just doing little things around the house the 290 farm boss would be good.

hope it helps

I only buy stihl too. pay a little more now and take care of it and youll have it around for a long time!

brett

 

well im going to the stihl store after work, going to walk away with a ms290, probably go with the 18". seems like a damn fine all around saw. one things for sure- itll be a hell of a lot easier than the 36" hand saw ive been using.

 

Unless you are 5' tall and 120lbs soaking wet I'd go with an 18" or 20". I found that unless you are cutting rails, a 16" is too small. You can't go wrong with either a Stihl or Husqvarna, and you can never have too much power. Nothing is worse that going miles into the bush and having to leave good firewood behind because your saw is too small.

 

X2. You stole the words right out of my mouth. Go big or go home. A 16" saw is can be useless when you get into larger diameter trees. Get a saw with some good HP behind it too. Like kbp said, Stihl and Husqvarna both make excellent saws.

 

Go with a Stihl or a Husky. Either one would be a good choice. And if that is not big enough I have a saw at work that has a 7' bar and is powered by a 20 horsepower Honda V-twin. The guys at the power shop hate it everytime I bring in a chain to get sharpened.

 

i wouldnt recommend getting an 880 or 660 unless you plan on running a 5' bar. in my opinion there is to much power. also unless you need the hp, the larger saw will weigh more and wear you out faster. the bigger saws are more dangerous to operate if inexperienced

brett

 

Stihl all the way.. There is a reason they don't sell them in a box at Home Depot... So that customer service becomes part of ownership. Bar size all depends on what you are cutting. I have never needed more than an 18" for occasional wood gathering and camping

 

Well, from my personal use and experience I wouldnt get a saw with less than a 20" bar, so if 18's big enough then I'd get that. The larger bar will also probably have a larger gauge chain that will allow the saw to cut faster as well. A Stihl 250 would be a good saw, or probably a 350 or 345 Husqvarna. I have a Husqvarna 359 pro saw w/ 24" bar and have thought about getting a larger saw and then a smaller 20" bar for that saw so it has better power to weight. Even if you are just an occasional user, make sure you get a good saw and dont get one too small or you'll be pissed down the road.

 

Husqvarna 459 one wicked ass saw it is 20" and will blow thru wood like a hot knife through butter. when i looked at saws i tried to decide b/w a Husqvarna and a stihl.
the main reason i went with husky is that you can get parts for them way more places than you can stihl. they are both great saws. just break bad and get a 20" with alot of power.

 

got an 18 inch husky for valentine's day a couple years ago, and I love it. It has not let me down and all I have replaced on it, thus far is the chain....love it so.

 

Have a husq with a 20 inch bar for about 2 years. Cuts great. Get the 20 inch bar so you get done quicker.
Walmart is best place to buy bulk in the gallon size 2 cycle oil and bar and chain.
However if you have a tractor supply store near by their bar and chain is only $6 per gallon

 

brett[/quote]
more horseppower will get the job done faster - the weight difference is minimal but would make a difference if you were working the saw full time for a living. If he's like me he may gather the winters wood in the fall over a few weekends and not touch it again for 10 months. If you are inexperienced a small saw can do just as much damage as a large saw. BE CAREFUL NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE USING. (You can kill yourself just as easy with a .22 as you can with a 12guage)

 

lol I have a $90 Poulan knock off (Patriot maybe?) I got from Wal-Mart about 9 years ago. It's only a 14 I think, but it does what I need, was cheap, and after 9 years I got my money out of it even if it died tomorrow. Sucker starts right up each time too. Hell, I'd take that over the 2 saws my grandfather had a few years back when I was helping clean up trees just because it WOULD start and run without having to blip the throttle constantly to keep it running. Never messed with the fuel adjustment screws either. Just mix up the 40 or 50 to 1 (can't remember now) two cycle, fuel up, add oil and go.

 

i rock the MS 460 with the 25" on there. I can't remember the last time I used it but it there to get stuff done when called upon