I have only owned Stihl chainsaws. I once bought an inexpensive gas powered Brand for my Dad because he only wanted to cut the occasional Limb. After we got it and used it we found that cheap is cheap, and ease of use was just not there. In fact it was so bad it just sat around until after years it was thrown out.

Of course that was a long time ago, and some of the low end brands may have improved somewhat.

A chainsaw is fundamentally a dangerous tool, so buying one that you feel comfortable with is important. Because of this I usually buy the more expensive saws. When you pay more you get "Lighter weight" for size, and more importantly a "balanced saw".

If you buy an unwieldly saw operator fatique leads to sloppiness which leads to accidents. Poor saw design leads to improper saw setup, which leads to frustration and accidents.

Unfortuantely, chainsaw accidents are very unforgiving. So my too cents is to spend a little extra, you are not buying a weed wacker, this is a serious tool. I think the bottom end Stihl is around $200.

DennisCTB
TractorPoint.com

PS

I have a 16" Limb saw, and an 18" saw that weighs about 10 pounds. Both have the super tooth aggressive design that gives more kickback if you make a misstake. Both are balanced so that with one finger on the handle the saw is parallel to the ground in all directions, this is a good test you should try in the store. Even though both are balanced the 16" limb saw is vastly easier to use and I can cut much longer with it than the 18" saw. So if you have limited use I would definitely stay with the 16".

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