I don't pust brands and have several brands from low end to mid range saws. Basiclly IMO the mid range to upper range saws require less work and maintenance IMO cause they are made with better stronger materials.

I had these two brands mid range saws. Stihl and Husv. they have heavy duty and home owners saws. Basiclly the quality entry levels start out about $450. Husky are comparable to Stihl. Again better saws start around $450 and up. Echo also another highly rated brand. But, I have no experience with them. Boils down to what you want, how it feels, and how much you want to spend on saw.

One thing is common in all saws. you have to do routine maintenance; Keep the bar chain and clutch areas clean, keep the chain tension tight (as recommeded by the manufacture) teeth sharpe, don't dip the bar in the dirt when cutting through limbs or logs on the ground. Don't let it set too long without proper storage or running it enough to cycle the gas out of the carb. If you don't do the minimum requirements eventually any brand of saw will be junk after neglectful use.

Hi,

Most of the pro's use Husqvarna (aka Husky) or Sthil. Note both brands sell lower cost saws for occasional use, and higher priced Pro saws.

Some people mention that Husky saws run at higher revs, but Sthil while slower has more torque.

Best, Mike.

I run Stihl chain saws. I was asking about the actual chain itself. Which is harder and stays sharper longer?

I find Oregon the best for the buck and it is available almost anywhere .

You might take a look at the professional section of Oregon Chains website. There are a lot of more agressive chains available that are more suitable for dirty wood and other circumstances, but they're not low-kickback like you find most folks using.

"the new WORX JawSaw"...Overpriced plastic Chinese junk.

Oregon was best chain for chainsaws in my 36 years with 25 logging crews. Our operation was big and used all kind chain brands Oregon was harder stay sharper any other brands. We ran saw 5 hours cutting before sharpening if keep cool lube out dirt and don't hit anything wood after 5 hours still Sharpe.

Here's the deal... If you are a Homeowner - you will find that the saw chains they sell in the box stores are pretty much trash.

I ran through nearly this exact situation with my Electric 18" poulan chainsaw.... The "Factory" chain was about as hard as a tin can... It made it through 2 cuts through green Pear wood - and by the end of the 2nd cut - the chain was laboring and overheating.... The teeth were rounded off by the end of that 2nd cut!

Went to the local Pro Chainsaw shop... and after they got done laughing at my "Tonka Saw" and "Hey, is that your Kid's Saw" and such - they sorted it out for me....

The bar was out of square and the chain was trash. They were able to square up the bar, and then put a new Bona-fide Professional cutting chain on it.... It was like NIGHT and DAY!

It's a beast now... I took out about 20 trees out of the yard... Last summer - I cut up a blow down 24" diameter twin trunk Red Oak tree... Went through 3 bottles of bar oil and got to know my chain file pretty well - but it's still kicking after 5 more Oaks and Hickory trees this spring...

The guys at the chain saw shop explained that it's pretty common with "Box store" chain saws - that there is already a giant amount of liability with a chain saw... and the factory has to assume every buyer is a drooling idiot... so they put on a soft, mushy chain that bends and rolls over when it hits concrete or steel rather than breaking and chipping... so they are extra soft... Of course, the Box Store will sell you an exact replacement.. but they are made to the same mushy specs because of Liability.... Of course - the Chain Saw shop guys sell mostly to Loggers and such... and they don't fool around with trash chains - so they keep real life Cutting chains in stock... and they do cut like they are supposed to.

So.. If you put on a "Non-spec" chain on your saw... against the stern recommendations of the Manufacturer - you basically give up your recourse if you try to cut a railroad track or cement blocks and the saw chain breaks on you... But.. if you actually want to use your "Homeowner" chainsaw - you really have no other choice...

Don't laugh - it starts up every time!

Oh.. and it was an Oregon cutting chain... but I have no doubt that a proper Husky or Stihl cutting chain sold by a proper Chainsaw shop would do the deed....

Thanks

I cut wood for our sole source of heat. I have all the major manufacturers of saws and chain. STIHL wins out in both areas. The cutters hold an edge better than any other. They are very comparable in price, so I highly recommend the STIHL chain. There is also many different types of chain cutter styles that can be selected depending upon your usage and your ability.

I have my own forest and several brands of chain saws I would go threw so many chains that would wear out our break! I even got a carbon tooth chain cost $100. but the main reason the chain goes dull is heat not wear! I'm running a chain from the store right now that has cut 15 trees down and 16" length I just don't push the saw let it cut on it's own speed and let it cool don't over work it. I'm still on the same chain still very sharp great if you can have a liquid cooling pail of oil to cool chain if in hurry.The best chain saw is the one you can afford.