Electric or Gas Chainsaws

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Whats your preference,,electric chainsaws or gas powered.

Me, gas powered, but was looking at electrics chainsaws, for ease of usage, yes I do have a generator....
 
I have an electric that I use for trimming and cutting small trees/logs. For larger stuff I have a 16" Husqvarna. Both work well for their intended jobs.

Whimsey
 
Depends on the job. I have a 16" Stihl that will do most any job I need it for. That said, I'm probably going to pick up the HF electric for doing small trim jobs around the house. I've heard that it works quite well for small jobs.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I'm thinking of going with electric. I can't keep the carbs in my gas ones working.


Premix gas.

The McCulloch Pro Mac 610 from around 1980 is still running fine.

Now there is premix and E0 gas to use to mix.

They both have their uses. I have a cordless if I need to do something small. And two gas ones (20").
 
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Let me echo the recommendation to avoid pump gas and use premix.

I have a 6 year old Husqvarna that runs flawlessly. It's been through a few chains, just replaced one last week. Plug looks good, bar is about worn out. Never had one issue with starting it, or performance, even though it sits for months at a time.

I have only used premixed, pure gasoline in the Husky.

Ethanol kills OPE carbs and fuel systems when it's allowed to sit...gummed up a Stihl trimmer badly after it sat over a winter. Stihl service guys said they see it all the time. Switched the Stihl over to premixed, pure gasoline and never had another issue, even when it sits all winter.
 
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Originally Posted By: BHopkins
Depends on the job. I have a 16" Stihl that will do most any job I need it for. That said, I'm probably going to pick up the HF electric for doing small trim jobs around the house. I've heard that it works quite well for small jobs.


^^ This

I have an HF electric I use for small jobs within extention cord reach of the house or garage.
For everything else, I have a couple of two stroke chainsaws.
 
I have a Husqvarna gas model that is mostly just on standby for emergencies these days. I keep it full of TruFuel 40:1 unless I'm going to be using it a lot. I'll mix up a gallon or two of 91 Octane E0 with Stihl's oil and stabilizer if I'm going to be going through lot of fuel. I refill everything with TruFuel and run it a bit before storage.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I'm thinking of going with electric. I can't keep the carbs in my gas ones working.


Premix gas.

that's all I use. They still gum up every year.
 
I like having a little electric for small work and have a Jonsrud gas that has never given a bit of trouble since bought in the late 70's. I run the same gas as the cars=10% ethanol these days and 75-1 oil mix with the Optimol synthetic
 
It seems that it is really a matter or the nature and regularity of use.

If you use one a lot, the convenience of gas, and the power from a gas device is likely much superior. If you use it seldomly, while Im not one to ascribe to the ethanol boogey man, the electric unit is likely better for boxing up, putting on a shelf for a while until you need it again.

I cut down small trees with an electric saw with my Grandfather when I was young. He rarely used it, so it was all he needed. My parents and I each have a gas saw for home use and for use at the mountain house, and while they dont get "regular" use, the flexibility and duration we use them for justifies it.

It truly is a case by case basis. I prefer gas OPE, but wouldnt turn down an electric unit if it made sense practically.
 
THe electric is nice if your cord can reach. No maintenance and the one I have has a 14" bar so it can cut a plenty big tree if necessary, but they are nice and light so sometimes even one handed you can cut small branches., etc.

As long as the chain is sharp it will cut anything you can lean it against.

They are cheap, too, I think mine was 40 dollars. I have run thru three of them now. One of them turned out the cooling fan on the motor was freewheeling and the motor burnt up when I was pushing it cleaning up after a storm. Still that one lasted over 5 years.

You will probably find a way to get your money's worth out of one even if you have a gas saw too.
 
I use 5 different 2 cycle implements, 2 Stihl chainsaws, 2 Echo weed trimmers, and a JD blower. Some fairly new, two rather old. After 5+ years, I've yet to have a carb problem. I do nothing special. Just buy either regular or plus fuel at the gas station (Stihl specs 89) and add the 2 cycle mix. The chainsaws typically see one or two uses during the winter. The rest are untouched from December to April.
 
The only issue I have with the Craftsman electric I inherited from Dad, is that my left handed son finds the dead man button hard to use. The saw's lightness and quiet out weighs the disadvantages of the cord needed. Not a piece of junk by any means
 
Gas for me, but I heat with wood. If I had a small lot, I could see an electric working just fine most of the time and just rent a gas saw when needed.
I've read that electric saws can be more dangerous than you would think since they have lots of torque to chew through your chaps and don't stall out like a gas saw will.
If you want an easy to use saw, stihl sells their small arborist saw with a normal back handle, as a top handle saw isn't something for occasional homeowner use.
 
I've got a little 12" electric that can be removed from it's telescoping pole-saw. I use it for anything within extension cord range that's maybe 6" in diameter or less. It hogs right through spitting out nice big chips. It's got an "Oregon" bar and chain on it, but I get that Oregon ain't what it used to be.
 
I've always used gas saws and have had an older Husqvarna 246 for a long time. To be truthful, though I think a electric saw would be better for most homeowner type tasks where you are close to a power supply. Less maintenance and less problems for light tasks. Even those li-ion battery saws would be great for a lot of people... But neither will replace a gas saw for medium or large jobs.
 
I have the little green ryobi 18V saw that runs $99 at the big box stores. it is lightweight, quiet, and easy to use. I only have to trim things a couple of times per year; it is perfect for that.
 
Since I posted the question, I got my old Poulan running by using the youtube videos. But, I got my saw alls out and have been using it on small limbs and such and it does ok. I do have 2 batteries to lessen the down time. It does ok, not for major stuff, but hey, the wife has got to do something, lol..
 
Also I have a Silky Zubat arborist hand saw that makes small trimming jobs a breeze. Once a year I go for a walk down our woods trails and zip off any branches that have grown in too far. I also keep it on the tractor so I can cut off branches that get into the roll bar.
 
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