I am after new Chainsaw, preferably a Petrol one, Any good suggestions!

sujsuj

I had two RIOBI electric chainsaw RYOBI - RCS2340B, both worked well for couple of days, then started causing fuse issues or causing switch to trip!. So worried to buy another electric one as RIOBI was very good brand on paper. If that can break not sure about other brands

Dustyevsky

Ryobi isn't the cheapest, nor is it a top brand, but any piece of electrical equipment can have issues. It usually shows up quickly if it's an electrical problem. Did you take the saws back to the retailer? Did they test it on their circuit and did you get a refund? Screwfix changed my dodgy Titan without question. If the second one had failed, I'd have had my money back and bought something else.

Mechanical issues can also plague certain models. When I bought the Makita I use now, I paid a bit more, because the model below it is known to have a chain tensioning design fault. This shows up clearly in reviews. There's no guarantee a petrol powered saw won't have a particular issue either, so always check what people say about it.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Dustyevsky said:

A 2 stroke chainsaw is fine if people like faffing about with mixing fuel and trying to get gummed-up carbs working again after an 8-month lay-off, but unless you're going full lumberjack, a mains electric is much more convenient. 

I know you say your electric Ryobi saws failed, but how long did they work for? It may be Ryobi aren't good at chainsaws, or it may be bad luck. My first £50 Titan from Screwfix packed up almost immediately, but its replacement went on for 5 years before it stripped its gears. That's great value, considering the work it did!

Now, for chopping logs in the yard, I've a Makita which has done 5 years without problems.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-UC3551A-240-Electric-Chainsaw/dp/B00LZU8R22/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 It's obviously built better than the Titan and nicer to use, but no chainsaw is fun after the first hour, especially if it has a 2 stroke engine! I paid about £150 for the Makita and picked up one of these to speed things along:

https://www.hughiewillett.co.uk/products/portek-logmaster-saw-horse

I've never needed more than a 14" bar for the sort of tree trunks that come my way.

Good recommendation on the Makita, £50 cheaper here  

https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-uc3541a2-240v-chainsaw?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuNuzu4n6gQMVgtLtCh3h4wt5EAQYBCABEgK8j_D_BwE

I have the 40cm bar version and the volume of work it's done is excessive, it'll go through anything the bar is big enough for, I did struggle with some oversized ash as turning the log whilst cutting resulted in the cuts not meeting up but that's probably my skill, or lack off, rather than the saw.  

It is a pain to drag out the extension lead for doing small bits, I think the next one will be a battery version, should the current one ever fail. 

Tools are certainly an area where you get what you pay for and I think it's worth spending a bit more for a decent tool. 

If petrol is a must I'd look at a second-hand Sthil, if looked after it should outlast it's owner. 

Dustyevsky

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Dustyevsky said:

A 2 stroke chainsaw is fine if people like faffing about with mixing fuel and trying to get gummed-up carbs working again after an 8-month lay-off, but unless you're going full lumberjack, a mains electric is much more convenient. 

I know you say your electric Ryobi saws failed, but how long did they work for? It may be Ryobi aren't good at chainsaws, or it may be bad luck. My first £50 Titan from Screwfix packed up almost immediately, but its replacement went on for 5 years before it stripped its gears. That's great value, considering the work it did!

Now, for chopping logs in the yard, I've a Makita which has done 5 years without problems.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-UC3551A-240-Electric-Chainsaw/dp/B00LZU8R22/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 It's obviously built better than the Titan and nicer to use, but no chainsaw is fun after the first hour, especially if it has a 2 stroke engine! I paid about £150 for the Makita and picked up one of these to speed things along:

https://www.hughiewillett.co.uk/products/portek-logmaster-saw-horse

I've never needed more than a 14" bar for the sort of tree trunks that come my way.

Good recommendation on the Makita, £50 cheaper here  

https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-uc3541a2-240v-chainsaw?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuNuzu4n6gQMVgtLtCh3h4wt5EAQYBCABEgK8j_D_BwE

If petrol is a must I'd look at a second-hand Sthil, if looked after it should outlast it's owner. 

That's the cheaper model. It may be the one I avoided, and it may also be the design fault on the plastic tensioner has been fixed by now.

I do have a battery-powered Stihl, but I didn't mention it because it was very pricey and I don't use it in the yard for making logs. It was purchased because I needed to fell and lay trees along a quiet road and hearing approaching traffic was a must. My farmer friend laughed at it to begin with, but he changed his mind later on when he saw what I'd done with it! To be blunt, if a 14" bar is too short, it's probably not a job for an amateur anyway. I wouldn't be able to lift trunks thicker than that, and any tree above about 25- 30' is scary to take down without assistance.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Dustyevsky said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Dustyevsky said:

A 2 stroke chainsaw is fine if people like faffing about with mixing fuel and trying to get gummed-up carbs working again after an 8-month lay-off, but unless you're going full lumberjack, a mains electric is much more convenient. 

I know you say your electric Ryobi saws failed, but how long did they work for? It may be Ryobi aren't good at chainsaws, or it may be bad luck. My first £50 Titan from Screwfix packed up almost immediately, but its replacement went on for 5 years before it stripped its gears. That's great value, considering the work it did!

Now, for chopping logs in the yard, I've a Makita which has done 5 years without problems.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-UC3551A-240-Electric-Chainsaw/dp/B00LZU8R22/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 It's obviously built better than the Titan and nicer to use, but no chainsaw is fun after the first hour, especially if it has a 2 stroke engine! I paid about £150 for the Makita and picked up one of these to speed things along:

https://www.hughiewillett.co.uk/products/portek-logmaster-saw-horse

I've never needed more than a 14" bar for the sort of tree trunks that come my way.

Good recommendation on the Makita, £50 cheaper here  

https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-uc3541a2-240v-chainsaw?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuNuzu4n6gQMVgtLtCh3h4wt5EAQYBCABEgK8j_D_BwE

If petrol is a must I'd look at a second-hand Sthil, if looked after it should outlast it's owner. 

That's the cheaper model. It may be the one I avoided, and it may also be the design fault on the plastic tensioner has been fixed by now.

Thanks, Google isn't very good at showing the right model numbers on the shopping results. 

It's the UC4041A/2 I've got (was £100 at the time),

https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-uc4041a2-240v-chainsaw?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7JbW1Zv6gQMVgtLtCh3h4wt5EAQYASABEgIwC_D_BwE

I guess that's the cheaper model as well, the plastic tensioner is a bit of a let down, feels they could have spent very little to improve the materials but, touch wood, the tensioner on mine has been good so far. 

chris_n

Dustyevsky said:

Ryobi isn't the cheapest, nor is it a top brand, but any piece of electrical equipment can have issues. It usually shows up quickly if it's an electrical problem. Did you take the saws back to the retailer? Did they test it on their circuit and did you get a refund? Screwfix changed my dodgy Titan without question. If the second one had failed, I'd have had my money back and bought something else.

Mechanical issues can also plague certain models. When I bought the Makita I use now, I paid a bit more, because the model below it is known to have a chain tensioning design fault. This shows up clearly in reviews. There's no guarantee a petrol powered saw won't have a particular issue either, so always check what people say about it.

These saws were being used at the end of undersized extensions so causing significant voltage drop and subsequently higher current on start up.