i run a piped 372xp husky & it rips thru 10ish cord of hard wood a year, its 12 years old, & has never needed to go back to a dealer/shop, i run maxim 2 stroke racing oil only, never had a drop of ethanol in it either. i have other saws for back up. how old a fella are you? im almost 53 & i would never part with my 372, but after a couple tanks of gas, buckin, i hang it up or ill pay dearly the next day with back pain. i feel good while warmed up & working. if i ever buy another it'll be a 50-55cc saw, like the husky 550xp. lighter but still plenty of pepper. i have also heard good things about the new echo's.
stay away from the home owner grade saws, no matter the brand. pay a little more for a professional grade tool that will last a lot longer.

What are your common high wear items?

I'm 33 years old i cut say 5 6 cord a year ..I apperceive all the advice an comments trying to take a little bit from everyone here seems like the majority say husky or sthil...an make sure it's a pro series check

Scuba 1 that's funny I got a kick out of that I can imagine the guys facial expressions through that haha

Chain, Sprocket , bar ( mainly the tip ) clutch assembly and maybe an air filter depending on filter style.




Saving up a little longer till you can afford a good saw will pay off in the long run for sure.

Shock mounts, spark plugs, bolts, rounded out fuel caps and in my case, front handlebars to add to the list.

I have a husky 572xp and a 460 rancher both have treated me well. At work we have stihl saws and they seem nice too but there’s two things I don’t like about the stihls.

1- the caps for the gas and bar oil on the stihl saws bother me. The 1/4 turn design is a nice thought but I always think I get it locked and I take off and bar oil pours all over my leg. Maybe I’m the only dummy that does this.

2- this is a little picky but I like the chain tensioner on the clutch cover like the husky’s have. The stihls have the screw head for the chain tension between the bar nuts and it just isn’t as handy.

I also agree with everyone that says go with the pro saw either stihl or husky. They are made well and they just rip! Also another thing I have come to like is a long bar even if it’s only a 50cc saw I like at least a 24” bar because you don’t bend over every time to cut something close to the ground. It’s definitely makes a difference at the end of the day. Yes a long bar will bog a small saw down in big wood but just ease up on er a little.

high wear , chains , bars

flip your bar on occasion some people say every time you change chains , but I sharpen on saw so I do it when I clean the saw.

good to have a spare bar nut or 2 around , they get lost some times.

use bar oil , not waste motor oil

use good 2 stroke oil

if you learn to file chains you will make a chain last a lot longer

keep you bar out of the dirt/ground , people do not realize why their chains keep going dull

you can cut 4-5 tanks of gas on a chain easy if you keep it clean but 0.010 seconds in the dirt and your sharpening

I like a long br of the lighter kind as well so I can stand up while limbing and bucking. My 661 balances with a 36" tsumura light bar the same as with a normal 20 inch bar. So I run the 36 90% of the time.

Extra nut or two is a good idea. Chain slipped off the bar this past summer, took off nut, bounced off the ground and right down a chipmunk hole. Yet another reason to hate those chipmunks.

I agree to an extent on longer bar for some operations

it is nice to not bend over as much , BUT you have to have enough saw to run that bar

a 40cc saw with a 20 inch bar is just not going to maintain RPM Especially when some one puts it in a 30 inch in diameter log

if you are cutting wood as big in diameter as your bar or bigger you need the 3:1 rule 3cc of engine to every inch of bar length.

a good 50cc saw will pull a 20 and that is great for limbing but when you start bucking 24 inch rounds put the 16 inch bar on and you have a real ripper no slowing down.

cutting speed = chain speed if you loose rpm you cut slower no matter how big your bar is bigger bars may get you in larger wood but they don't make you cut any faster and long chains cost more and are more cutters to sharpen.

I have a 211 still and its all I need. Sounds like it would work for you. Get a NAME brand with a local shop to fix it. Quality doesn't cost much more

I run a dolmar/makita 6100p and it has been an excellent saw. Nothing stops it with a 20" bar and it pulls a 24" just fine when needed. Unfortunately this past spring they stopped making gas powered saws but I think parts will be available for 5-10 years. Hopefully someone will start making aftermarket parts for them. It's a shame, dolmar has been around forever.

That being said, if I was to buy another saw tomorrow it would be a husky xp.

Five to Six cords of wood per year?

Significant, but, not too much to expect from a used pro saw. Personally, I think I would be looking for a used pro saw in the 60 cc range. I just saw a MS 360 on Facebook Marketplace for $245. If I didn't already have over a half dozen, I'd probably be all over it.

Don’t buy from a box store, especially husky. I run a 562xp with a 455 rancher as the dependable “b!tch” saw. I use a Sthil 026 at work and it is great, light and enough bar and power for clearing/felling the odd tree on or near a power line…..LIGHT! You don’t wanna be lugging around a big power house saw

Over the years I have had 5 Stihl chain saws seems like when they needed to be worked on the parts were no longer available. Over 8 years ago I got an Echo 450 saw best saw I ever had it would start on the second or third pull after 8 years had to have it tuned up the parts I needed were still available getting ready to cut some firewood in a few minutes if it blows up I still would get another Echo.

Pete said
you will pay exactly what the MSRP says it is which is higher than it should be.
they don't calculate their cost and their cut ,
just always what the book says. you should get your part in a week.

then Cook said
Over the years I have had 5 Stihl chain saws seems like when they needed to be worked on the parts were no longer available.

I say
Couple that with no stihl parts sold online makes these difficult.
That is where a GOOD TRUSTED dealer nearby comes in play.
To get an air filter for 034 I was told to bring it in, pay in advance,
then they will call me if it comes in and I can drive there again, no drop ship.
That is three counties away. The closer dealers have no parts for these,
but they will take the saw on trade,, LOL.

Stihl is #1 though.

Rant over. OP, good luck with new saw fever.