poulan saws

[mshillbilly]

I have read a lot about poulan saws in many diffrent forums, not very much of it good. I currently own a husky 272, sthil 390, 017, little poulan 2075,306a. i use the little 2075 all the time I've had it for about 4 or 5 years. IT starts easy 3 to 4 pulls, good chain speed , Its worn out two bars. Now I do keep my chains sharp filters clean . Use good oil in all my stuff . I've talked to a lot of folks that own poulans an haven't really found anyone that  dipleased with them . They are home owner and farm saws not logger stuff. I haven't used any of there big saws. I don't think they even make one any more.

[logger]

Poulan still makes the poulan pro 330 even though it is not on their site.  They still make the 295 and the 245. 

[Firewood Farm]

...I've talked to a lot of folks that own poulans an haven't really found anyone that  dipleased with them . They are home owner and farm saws not logger stuff. I haven't used any of there big saws.

Perhaps that's because they have no point of reference. They pick up a cheap saw at the discount mart, home center, or ag store, run it till it dies, then buy another cheap saw. As long as it lasts a few years, they think nothing of it. Their only concern is that it starts and will cut a few chords of firewood a year. And let's face it, a lot of folks simply cannot think beyond the price tag.

When you rely on a chainsaw to make a living, the standards for performance, durability, and dealer service are much higher.

Just my 2 cents.

Joe

[mshillbilly]

Thanks Y'all, I don't make my living with a saw but one always ins up in my hands since i was about 10 . long time ago. same problem with horses. All I'm  saying is they ain't bad for the money. If I did depend on a saw it would be a stihl or husky. but its clearing land and fenceing that I do most of.

[rebocardo]

I bought my Poulan Wildthing for $139, then the next day went and cut down four trees for $160 for a neighbor and my ROI was done. It was all profit after that for the probably 200 hours I used it before the engine went. I still used it even having a Husly 365 with a 28" bar and I still enjoyed using the saw. 

My little Stihl MS180C I just bought cost 2x as much as the Wildthing. Sure, it feels better and all that, but, it cost 2x more! 2x more is always 2x more and I think anyone other then a professional type users woudl find that tough to swallow.

I think they are good values.

[Firewood Farm]

After reading the two previous posts, I did some checking. A Poulan FarmBoss 2900 (46cc) is $198 at Home Depot. A comparable new Stihl, the MS250 (45.4cc) is $260 from your local dealer.

As you can see, all Stihls are not 2x the price of Poulan.

While we could argue all day long which is the better value, I will gladly pay the extra $62 for a quality product with local dealer support and service.

[fishhuntcutwood]

Good points from Firewood Farm.  I'm not a pro, but I use Stihl because I only want to buy that saw once.  Use it for years, and then rebuild it, because it's worth putting a brand new jug and piston on a saw of that quality.  There's nothing wrong with disposable saws, but buy it three times after each fails, and you could have had one quality saw that is still running strong.  Then there's the dealer support you don't get from Wal Mart or Lowe's.  I think it's worth it if I need a new hand guard, fuel cap, or something like that.

Jeff

[mshillbilly]

The only saw i"ve run with a 20" are longer bars have been over 50cc Stihl or husky, now the poulan 306a witch don't count because it was built when poulan made logging saws. When I burry a bar in a tree and it don't come out the other side I won't all the power I can get no bogging . I'm just saying the little poulan suprise me. It ain't dead yet.

[mshillbilly]

That $62.00 could make the difference on how many groceres are bought that week.

[jjmk98k]

Jeff and Joe both brought up very good points in thier reply.

you get what you pay for and you get what you need...

some firewood cutters only need something to get by with, others who really get into some hard core cutting, are better off with a saw of better quality.


just my .02 as well

[Riles]

Bought a 16 inch Poulan from Sears close to 20 years ago. I'm not a professional, in fact I have almost no mechanical skills (probably shouldn't even be using a chainsaw, come to think of it...) It's made it through 3 hurricanes now and the one time I had to take it apart to replace the cracked fuel line, I had a local shop to supply parts and advice. Guess I'm still getting my money's worth.

[Cuz]

My first wife bought me a Poulan 3400 back in the early eighties when they first came out.  I've still got the saw.  And, I've cut a heap of firewood over the years with it.  Gone through a couple of 20" bars, carb kits, etc.  It's starting to get a little tired and I had a big job coming up on my place and some big logs to be bucked so I got a Husky 372 xp w/24" bar.  Thank goodness I did! But, it's not really fair to compare those two saws. 
My choice if possible is the little Poulan with the 14" bar!  I don't dream of sawing in my sleep.  That's work brother!

[DonE911]

I bought a "wildthing" shortly after they came out.. you know, just had to have them cool colors... I didn't know much about chainsaws back then, but I did remeber to mix the oil with the gas and even cleaned the filter from time to time.  It lasted a long time...  can't remember how long I had it exactly but it was 3-4 years and I used it alot ( more than the cord or two of firewood guy). 

I just gave it to my new neighbor since he has a couple that still run and needed a parts saw.

I don't own one any longer and probably never will again unless I get it for nothing or darn near, but if something was to happen financially and I couldn't afford anything else I'd be running a cheap wild thing with a smile

[johnjbc]

Chainsaws are like cars. Some people can’t get to work without a Mercedes  S class. Others get there in a Ford or Dodge or even a VW 

[Chris J]

Hey, Johnjbc, when was the last time you priced a new VW  ?

From what I've read the Poulans will do the job they're designed for, & will hold up fine when properly maintained.  I suspect that quality control at the factory hurts Poulan; they let too many saws out that should've been pulled & redone correctly.  Hence you hear stories of folks who buy a new Poulan, have immediate problems with it, return it, & then tell everyone about the POS Poulan they had.  I read a post where a fellow said he used a Poulan 3300?? for 10 nearly trouble free years, & he summed it up well with "the Poulan don't owe me nuttin'."  Of course this was a man who took care of his saws, including minor repairs.

Chris J.

[mshillbilly]

Is VW made by Stihl.

[Firewood Farm]

Hey folks, I don't think anyone ever said that Poulan never made decent saws. So the fact that many people owned saws from years ago and had good luck with them is no surprise. I owned one in the early 80' and don't recall any complaints or problems with it.

The question is what are they building today, and would you recommend one to a friend? Not me!

Joe

[johnjbc]

Mucha_Nada
I agree with you. I currently have a Wild Thing that I use most of the time. Have been using it for 4 years now and the only problem has been screws coming loose but for $119, with a spare chain and a case, I can tighten a loose screw now and then . Bought my first Poulan(Sears) in the early 70’s and still use it with a hedge trimmer attachment.

Mshillbilly
From the price you would think that Stihl was made by Mercedes


Every time I read post about how bad Poulan are I think about a friend I had that had an old Pontiac with 200k miles on it that he had bought new. Well he got married and his new wife wanted him to get a good car. So he went out a bought a new Audi. Cost about 3x what a new Pontiac would of cost. He drove(had) it for about 3 years but for every day he drove it to work it spent 3 day in the shop.  The topic of the day was how much Ken’s last repair bill was.
The moral is spending more doesn’t always get you the best.

Let the flames begin

[Firewood Farm]

...The moral is spending more doesn’t always get you the best. ...

And buying cheap doesn't always get you better value.

Bottom line: It's your money, do what you want with it.

[Chris J]

If something happned to my saws  , & I had a tight budget for a new homeowner saw (all I really need), I'd take a look at two saws via the net:  A reconditioned Poulan 295, & the Echo CS345.  To be honest, I'd lean toward the CS345.  Although I've read posts by experienced users who have good luck with 295, which isn't an 'early' Poulan.

Now a twist.  There is a full page color ad (very expensive in the Houston Chronicle) in yesterday's paper advertising Stihl power equipment.  Shows a MS170 w/ 14" bar for $159.99 (8 1/4 sales tax brings it to $173.20).  Since a CS345 on the net might be roughly the same price with shipping, I'd have to give the MS170 a good look.

Stihl wouldn't rule out a Poulan, though.  ,,,,,Chris J.