Chainsaw Recommendations

Ebe_Scrooge

Can anyone recommend me a decent low-ish priced chainsaw please ? I've seen dozens online, ranging from about £70 to several hundreds. I want a petrol-powered one, can't justify spending hundreds for the occasional use it'll get, but prepared to pay a bit more than bargain basement for a decent machine that'll work well and last well.


What I need it for is cutting back a whole load of trees that are on land behind my garden, and beginning to encroach. They're not huge, I'd estimate the biggest has a trunk about 6" diameter or so. And yes, I have permission from the land-owner I just begrudge paying someone a shed-load to do it when I can manage it myself, and having the chainsaw will also mean I can give them a bit of a trim every couple of years going forward to keep on top of it.


So - a reasonably-priced machine that'll do the job and not fall to bits after the first few cuts. Any opinions ?

George_Michael

I've always been a fan of lawnmowers with Mountfield petrol engines due to their reliability and because of this, I bought one of these earlier this year:
http://goo.gl/YSCFS8
I've only used it a couple of times but it's more than man enough for small trees.
I would also recommend a pair of these (just in case)
http://goo.gl/IoLxdJ

cyclonebri1

Get a McCullough (sp)

16" bar, don't go any bigger or more powerful if as a amateur, you wish to retain all limbs.

The sub £150 stuff is low powered but with a sharp blade will still take down 400mm trees.

Go bigger and the saw will rule you rather than the other way round.

But, take a look at the safety advice, you need a good grip, you need either correct chainsaw clobber, (you won't as it's so expensive) or, you do as I do.

You wear 3 pairs of shagged out trousers and the same number of dodgy tops plus gloves and rigger boots.
That way you spend more time "pruning" the garden than you do waiting in casualty

phil24_7

Yup, as Bri says. Get a smaller one. I have a smallish Stihl and the kickback is catchable, I borrowed a larger Stihl (with all the correct safety gear) and the kickback would have but a rather large dent in my head had I not been wearing decent protection.

marc81

I know you said petrol, but for the money this Titan electric from Screwfix is fantastic... cut down a fair few trunks in my garden one being around 12"...

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb355chn-40-5cm-2000w-electric-chainsaw-230v/92771

Ebe_Scrooge

Thanks all, some good advice there, I'll be having a look at those. Particular thanks to Cyclonebri1 for the advice about the size, and also the safety gear - that's really helpful.


I'm under no illusion about how potentially dangerous a chainsaw is, and I'll not be doing anything daft. Even though I'm well used to dealing with power tools of all kinds, I know even the professionals can come unstuck with a chainsaw

glasgowdan

I'd stick with electric for a budget saw, or a second hand pro petrol one. Cheap petrol saws are horrible, dangerous, high vibes and underpowered.

shaun_from_Africa

glasgowdan wrote: »

I'd stick with electric for a budget saw, or a second hand pro petrol one. Cheap petrol saws are horrible, dangerous, high vibes and underpowered.

The only problems I can see with that are electric chainsaws are fine for jobs that are on land where a mains supply is easily accessible and as the OP stated that the trees are on land behind their garden, this may not be the case.

I wouldn't advise any novice to buy, hire or even attempt to use a professional grade chainsaw.
To use one of these, you really need to have had plenty of experience on lower powered ones first otherwise you take the risk of the chainsaw running out of control.
Touch the tip or top of the blade on to a tree by mistake and if it digs in and catches, the engine end of the chainsaw will fly upwards towards your head.
With a small unit weighing 4kg and with fairly low torque and short cutting length, this can be controlled fairly easily.

A pro unit with high torque and a long blade could easily prove too much for an inexperienced user.

Cheap petrol saws may not have the power of a larger unit but the OP only wants to cut trees about 6" in diameter and a small chainsaw will be more than capable of doing this.

glasgowdan

I feel safer with a proper saw over a rattly cheap one. Pro saw doesn't mean huge power. I'd stick a 12" bar on a husqvarna 346 or stihl ms260.

Any saw can rip your neck open!

ManAtHome

I have a Titan electric as well, but bought the pole version (8") to maximise the distance between the saw and my delicates. Won't get through a mighty oak, but surprisingly good for fairly heavy pruning.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb426gdo-20cm-750w-electric-pole-saw-pruner-230v/99641

cyclonebri1

Look this guy is going to buy a petrol chainsaw, it's by far the better option for anyone with anything but a postage stamp garden.

A 12" or 16" has the same power at amateur level, 16" doesn't make it more difficult or harder to use, but is more stable due to higher mass and due to more teeth, lasts longer before re-sharpening.