"easy chain tensioner" systems

[Rokky Rakkoon]

 sorry if this has been covered. i may not have been using the correct terms when searching.

i was just gifted a new chainsaw ("poulan pro") with one of those
"easy chain tensioner" systems where you just have to turn the knob
rather than loosen side bolt(s) and turn the adjusting screw. what's the lowdown on
these "easy tensioner" systems? do they work well? keep the chain
properly adjusted without "slipping"? is the system reliable and not
apt to break leaving me with no way to adjust the chain?
 i ask because i have the option of returning the saw for one with the
regular system.

[Kevin]

I prefer the regular system.

[beenthere]

Johnny Yooper
For what this is worth, one of the "students" at the GOL (Game of Logging) course I took last winter, had a saw with that system. He had repeated trouble with it, while trying to cut his tree down. The instructor made the comment that he wasn't impressed with the system.
I don't recall which brand saw it was on, but I felt sorry for the guy having the trouble, while 15 other class members watched him struggle repeatedly with re-tightening the chain.
They must work some of the time, or they wouldn't offer them for sale. But this one didn't work while trying to fell the tree.

I'm with Kevin on this.

[sawguy21]

They seem to work o.k. on small saws designed for occasional use by the tool challenged consumer but the old system is just fine for me.

[Cut4fun]

I dont like the new systems made for homeowner saws. I didn't car for the E-z type built into the bars either. I always bought the side cover bolt adjuster and went to  the old way anyway, which is better and easier to use IMO.

[OneWithWood]

How old is the 'old way' Kevin and Cut4fun?
I like the new 'old style' where the adjusting bolt head is accessed from the side rather than the front.  I thought that was a long overdue improvement.

[Kevin]

One, it's the INTENZ® BARS and the like that are garbage.
The side adjustment on the better saws that you describe is great.

[Rokky Rakkoon]

    i dont know if i've seen this "new old system" you guys are mentioning. it sounds great, though.
   upon closer inspection of this "easy tension" system on my new saw, i noticed a couple of things i am wary of. (1) the knob that tightens against the bar to hold it firmly in place only puts pressure on the rear bolt. the front bolt serves as a brace only. right or wrong, using the old method, i always tightened both bolts down to hold the bar in place. (2) this whole new side knob "easy tensioner" is made of plastic.  ugh, when it shatters, there is no way to revert to using a screwdriver to adjust the screw. the whole knob dealie would need to be replaced .
   
   i have one more thing i'd like an opinion on.  i know about the big name saws; stihl, jonsered, husky. forgetting those for the moment, what would be a better choice for an 18 inch home use saw,  poulan or craftsman?

[beenthere]

  .................   i have one more thing i'd like an opinion on.  i know about the big name saws; stihl, jonsered, husky. forgetting those for the moment, what would be a better choice for an 18 inch home use saw,  poulan or craftsman?

Stihl   

[sawguy21]

   
   what would be a better choice for an 18 inch home use saw,  poulan or craftsman?

None of the above. Step up to the plate and go for a Husky, Jonsered, Dolmar or Stihl. Any of these brands will serve you well and parts/service are readily available.

[OneWithWood]

For many years Craftsman was Poulan, then it was Roper, it may be back to Poulan.
Seriously, for very close to the same dinero you could own a Stihl with an 18" bar, or you could go to a box store and buy a Husky.

[Furby]

Actually no, I've been looking as well and considering another Poulan.
The better saws in even a close size/weight are at least double in cost.
I don't plan to buy another Poulan unless I find a real good deal, but if I did find a deal, I wouldn't hesitate to buy.

[Cut4fun]

How old is the 'old way' Kevin and Cut4fun?
I like the new 'old style' where the adjusting bolt head is accessed from the side rather than the front.  I thought that was a long overdue improvement.

Being he is talking about a Poulan. I haven't seen one on the side, like that is on my stihls, husky, dolmar. Poulans I have had all were from the front of bar cover or front of case. I would take that over the gimmick quick tensioner systems they are doing with the poulan side cover and intenze bars.

[Sprucegum]

My Opinion :

 You got a Poulan - stick with Poulan - switch to the conventional tensioner

[Warbird]

Hi, this is my first post here.  I have a Stihl MS-270c with the "easy system" and I love it.  Stihl's have always been great saws and have never let me down.  The easy system is great when you need to work fast (like when you are forced to cut wood at -50 F in the middle of no where).

Stihls are expensive but you get what you pay for.  You take care of one and it'll take care of you for as long as you own it.  The 270c with a 20" bar is big enough to take down pretty large trees and it is a work horse for the home or small farm owner.  If you are looking for a more heavy duty saw, get one of the bigger Stihls.

Good luck!

[beenthere]

Warbird
Welcome to the forum (I tried to send you a message right after you posted, but the FF shut down just then, which is very rare).

Thanks for your take on the "easy system". Good to know someone has a postive slant on them, and experience.

Hope you can pull up a stump once in awhile and let us know how things are in Fairbanks. We like pics and interesting experiences, and expect you would have some of both. 

Are the days getting a bit shorter now, this past month.....maybe only 20 hours of daylight??   

[Rokky Rakkoon]

  yes, thanks to everyone whos replied. i'm getting some good info. you guys are really convincing me about Stihls. i'd love to try one/own one. my particular situation is since this was a gift and the store where it came from only has Poulan and Craftsman, that is basically my choice. i dont want to bug my neighbor for a cashout to their credit card, etc.
  another consideration is this will be my cabin saw which is boarded up for half the year. i've gotten in the habit of not keeping expensive tools, electronics there over the winter. my old kmart Mcculloch has served me very well for the last 10 yrs.
  but someday, when i spend most of the year there, i will move up to a Stihl.

fwiw, i was surprised to learn today that Husqvarna company owns Jonsered, Mcculloch, and Poulan as well.

[Warbird]

Thanks for the welcome, beenthere.  You guys have a nice place here.

As for the easy tensioner system on the Stihl... I like it.  But I'm not nearly as 'hard core' of a lumberjack as probably most of the folks around here.  That saw bucks up around 8 - 10 cord of wood per year, including taking the tree down (I only burn ~4 cord per winter but I help friends gather their firewood, too).  The tensioning system has never been a problem.

Pictures and stories?  Yeah...  I have plenty of both.    There has been a lot of hard living for me, all over this state.  I wouldn't trade any of the experiences, though.  Think "Jeremiah Johnson" with a Stihl chainsaw and a hard workin' old F250 pickup.  Sort of.   

Here are some pics of me and my rig, 'ol Bessy, from 2 winters ago.  We had a lot of snow that winter and I was out plowing for my friends & neighbors.  This is the same rig that hauls all of our firewood.  She doesn't look like much but she's a beast (460 big block and a C-6 transmission.  She likes to guzzle the gasoline!).

http://modzer0.gi.alaska.edu/~warbird/pictures/IceMan/

And no, that isn't the cheesy "IceMan" like in "Top Gun".  Some buddy's down in the lower 48 started calling me that.  Maybe someday I'll tell you stories about living in Barrow, polar bears wandering through town, wind chills colder than -100 F, no sun for 2+ months, and things like that.  Doesn't have much to do with chainsaws or firewood, though, since there aren't any trees north of the Arctic Circle.  But I've also got plenty of stories about chainsawing and splitting wood at -50 F in the Fairbanks area. 

JohnnyYooper: from what you are describing, my recommendation is to go with the Poulan.  Someday later, when the circumstances work out, get yourself a Stihl with an aggressive chain (not that crappy "anti-kickback chain" they like to sell them with).  Just be advised, once you've used a truly great saw for a while, you'll never want to go back.

When I first got the MS-270c, a friend had just purchased some off brand saw from Home Depot.  He had some semi-serious trees to take down (about 20 - 25" diameter and at least 70' tall).  I'd come over to haul off the wood and I remember watching him try to buck up this log...  it was painful to watch.  Granted, his chain was also very dull at the time but still.  I asked him to stop, got out the Stihl, and started cutting.  His comment, "That was impressive.  It was like a hot knife through soft butter."

Anyway...  there are lots of great saws out there.  I just really like Stihl.  Apologies for the rambling post.

[OneWithWood]

Warbird, great to have you aboard.  I have an elder F250 myself.  460 big block with Eddlbrock carb, heads and power pistons.  c-6 tranny too.  Loves the gas but has good pulling and hauling power.

Check out the Upload Photo? link just below the relpy message box.  We really like photos and the management really likes the photos to be in the gallery and part of this forum.  Keeps all the linkages intact.

I am a bit partial to Stihl stuff too. 

[beenthere]

Warbird
Any saw with a dull chain will just "not cut". 

I wonder how Alsayyed is doing in Qatar with his chain that won't cut. 

Enjoyed the pics, but agree with OWW and we'll push for getting some in your gallery. On this 90+ day, that snow looks very inviting to me. My one stop in Fairbanks a few year back in June, the temp was 98° F.   

When I looked into taking a job there in '79, the reports were dealing with the -50° F, so I decided to keep my family in Wisconsin (they just wouldn't go). 

[Warbird]

Warbird
Any saw with a dull chain will just "not cut". 

Well, that's true but when it's a dull chain on a crappy saw, it's really bad.  And really dangerous.

Enjoyed the pics, but agree with OWW and we'll push for getting some in your gallery. On this 90+ day, that snow looks very inviting to me. My one stop in Fairbanks a few year back in June, the temp was 98° F.   

I will get some pics moved into the gallery here.  I didn't have time to get them all resized properly.  Fairbanks has a very wide range of temperatures.  We can get into the upper 90's in the summers and the -60's in the winter.  Coldest I've personally seen, ambient (no wind chill), was -64 F.  Let me tell you, when it is -50 or colder, it feels soooooo good to enter a house that's around 80 inside, then go stand right in front of a nice hot wood stove.  Okay...  it feels nice even when it is only -30 outside, but it feels *awesome* when it is super cold. 

When I looked into taking a job there in '79, the reports were dealing with the -50° F, so I decided to keep my family in Wisconsin (they just wouldn't go). 

Can't say that I blame them.  I am starting to think about getting out of Fairbanks.  The cold is one thing but the extended periods of darkness, usually when the cold is most extreme, is what gets to a guy after a while.

[SawTroll]

I prefer the regular system.

So do I, and I believe most people that have used saw more than just occationally......

[SawTroll]

Hi, this is my first post here.  I have a Stihl MS-270c with the "easy system" and I love it.  .....

I actually hate it, but I have only tried it on a couple of 250cs - it doesn't work perfectly (inaccurate), and it discourages proper maintenanse, like flipping the bar, and proper cleaning - the saws I serviced and used a bit showed clear proof of that....
'
Into the bargain, it is a "chips collector".......

[dave7191]

 i won't have the new tightener had a polan with it on had it throw the chain cutting a stump off two different times it cut the brake handle in two the last time the saw is still around here some place but i change it over to the old style and it wore the case out so it sits on a shelf some where in the shed

[dakota_dj]

I have a Stihl MS-270C also with the Quick Chain Adjuster on it. I have had no problems with it. I like it a lot. 

[Warbird]

Mine has exhibited no problems either, dakota_dj.  Perhaps on the real big saws it doesn't work well?  Or perhaps the Stihl system just rocks?