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WHICH CHAINSAW SHOULD I BUY??? 
Stop and think for a minute how many people you know that have a chainsaw. Maybe even an old saw that they don't use anymore. Probably about everyone that has even a small piece of land with some trees on it has a chainsaw to keep things trimmed up or maybe for more serious uses such as gathering firewood or even harvesting timber. The skills of the landowner are usually limited to the first 2 choices as few landowners are able to safely and accurately cut a large number of big diameter trees without damage to the wood. This really isn't recommended but if you insist, there are many saws out there that will do the job. 7 and 8 horsepower saws with bars up to 4-5 feet.
The first thing to decide is how big you need the saw to be. Did you ever ask someone how big their chainsaw is and they respond with something like 18 inches or 2 feet. What they are talking about is the length of the bar, not the size of the engine. The bar length has nothing to do with the power or size of the saw. You can buy a small saw and put a long bar on it and you still just have a small saw which is even smaller now that you put a long bar on it. It takes more engine power to turn a long bar and chain. You have to first decide which model of saw you want based on how big you need the engine to be. But before you do that, you have to decide what your going to use the saw for.
I'll keep this to 4 categories:
1. Trimming around the yard and an occasional stick or 2 of firewood
2. Firewood
3. Managing your own woodlot (including firewood and timber harvesting)
4. Professional Logging
Here are the major brands to consider although there might be more...........and a new line of saws could appear any time.
Stihl, Husqvarna, Jonsered, Echo, Solo, Homelite, Poulan, McCullough, Tanaka, Makita, and Craftsman. Stihl and Husqvarna are the most popular and there really isn't a lot of difference between them although some people will argue that there is. These 2 brands account for about 81% of all chainsaw sales. You can't go wrong with a Stihl or a Husqvarna but they can also be expensive depending on which model you want. You can easily buy a riding lawnmower for less than you would pay for a Stihl 066 chainsaw.
If you are only interested in a small saw for yardwork and trimming, really any of the brands will work for you. Just buy one of the smaller saws with about a 16" bar and you should be fine. You don't have to spend $400.00 for a saw in this case and you should be able to pick one up at your local hardware store. Walmart sells the Poulan Woodshark with a 14" bar for $110.00. Check out the Poulan site for all the specs. It has a 33cc engine. Its model #P3314WS. The Stihl MS181 has about the same size engine (31.8cc) and usually runs about $259.00. Stihl has a huge selection of small saws so you miught want to consider a smaller Stihl saw. Stihl and Husqvarna are going to be a more expensive saw but they are loaded with features and have the Stihl or Husqvarna name stamped on them which means you know your getting a high quality product. The Stihl website has a locator for dealers who have online pricing. In most cases, you can go to the dealer and talk them down a little bit from the advertised prices.
Now for the firewood cutter, your going to have about $300-$500 into a good firewood saw. If you gather your own firewood, or have it delivered for you to cut up, you need a good mid size saw. Stick with something in the 55cc range for engine size. Bar size should be around 18" give or take 2". A lot of midsize saws come with a 20" bar which is a good all around size for cutting firewood. The Stihl MS-310 is about $420.00 at most dealers. It has a 59cc engine with 4 horsepower. The Husqvarna Rancher is a 55cc saw that sells for about $360.00.
If you own some land and are serious about firewood, and you even cut some timber on your land, you might want to go with a small-medium pro saw. The Stihl 441 and 460 are 2 top choices. A 460 will cut any tree you want it to if the bar is long enough. Husqvarna has a few new saws out there that are real nice.......the 576xp and 372xp are 2 great saws for this type of work. Spend some time looking at the saw manufacturers websites so you can compare. Jonsered makes a large line of saws too and I feel is equally good as Stihl and husqvarna. Jonsered saws are very similar to Husqvarna.
If you are a professional logger, then you probably have already decided for yourself which saw brand is the best and which saw you like for whatever type of timber your cutting at the moment. If you could only buy 1 saw for all types of logging, the Husqvarna 385 or Stihl 460 are probably 2 of the best all around saws. If your just cutting down and not limbing too much, the Stihl 650 or 660 are great choices. The Husqvarna 390 is nice too. The 395 is too heavy for most work. If you feel you need a Stihl 088 or Husqvarna 3120 go for it. Retail price for the 3120 is over $1700.00.
Here are the links to the major brands of chainsaws. Just click on the link and it will take you right to their site.
STIHL
DOLMAR
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Which Chainsaw
