Chainsaw

[getsome]

Have had 3 Echo chain saws and all worked great with never a problem...Have had 2 different Stihl weed whackers and both were also good machines with no issues...With either one you won't go wrong for a homeowner saw...Now if you are a pro tree service and cut trees all day long you would need either a commercial (high dollar) Stihl or Jonsered saw which is what you see loggers using...

I looked at the Husqvarna saws at Lowes as they get good reviews but they didn't feel right in my hand and the Echo felt much more comfortable to me so I went with the Echo...Like guns I want a chain saw to feel right in my hand...

What bawanna said about always using new clean fuel mixture not leaving old fuel that has broken down is the ticket to problem free operation along with using a good brand of 2 cycle oil at the correct mixture...It is also important to use something like the STA-BIL ethanol treatment in the gas which is the main reason lawn equipment fails...The summer blend of gasoline contains even more ethanol/alcohol than winter blends and since ethanol will collect and absorb water using old fuel or fuel without the treatment will destroy small engines in a hurry...

If you have a 2 cycle outboard engine boat or water craft it imperative to use the marine fuel additive and to fuel up before you get to the lake and not buy fuel at the marina which is usually old and of unknown quality...If you have ever had to have an outboard engine worked on you know how much of a bank breaker that is but with fresh good fuel/oil with the additive in it and normal maintenance it will last and operate much longer with fewer repairs needed....

[TheTman]

Mine is a Stihl. Love it. Came with 2 chains and 2 bars. Around here there are many more places that will service a Stihl, than an Echo or Husky.

[paperpuncher]

I'm kind of partial to Dolmar saws......um, and Guiness I guess.

[getsome]

Since Stihl hasn't sold out to Home Depot or Lowes yet (Some say that if they ever do it will trigger the end of the world) it might be a better idea to buy from a real Stihl dealer than another brand from a home store if there was ever a warranty issue...Stihl had some problems a few years back with carburetors going bad due to the ethanol in gas but fixed the problems under warranty...My neighbor had a Stihl saw that had to be fixed and the Stihl dealer told him to start using an ethanol fuel additive to prevent the problem, thats how I found out about how bad ethanol gas is on small engines especially 2 cycles....

Sometimes a dealer even if more expensive can be the better choice...I bought a higher end John Deere garden tractor from Home Depot and had a problem with one of the mower deck pulleys going out the first month I had it and took the mower to a John Deere tractor dealer for service and they told me they didn't work on what he called "Box Store Deere's" and didn't warranty them either...Ended up ordering the part from a lawn mower repair place and having to fix it myself...

[HDoc]

Since Stihl hasn't sold out to Home Depot or Lowes yet (Some say that if they ever do it will trigger the end of the world) it might be a better idea to buy from a real Stihl dealer than another brand from a home store if there was ever a warranty issue..
Sometimes a dealer even if more expensive can be the better choice...I bought a higher end John Deere garden tractor from Home Depot and had a problem with one of the mower deck pulleys going out the first month I had it and took the mower to a John Deere tractor dealer for service and they told me they didn't work on what he called "Box Store Deere's" and didn't warranty them either...Ended up ordering the part from a lawn mower repair place and having to fix it myself...

As far as I know WEBER, John Deere,Stanley and several other manufacturer's sell cheaper versions of products with similar stock numbers to the big box stores. Learned with a Weber grill that had cast iron instead of porcelain grill bars. Bought my JD tractor from a local farm store because of that. U really need to research big ticket items U buy at those places. Sometimes I call the manufacturer directly, ask to speak to a product specialist and as them point blank. Did that with a sump pump
I was going to buy and they said the cheapest pump sold @ HD only had plastic rather than metal impellers but that all of their other products were the same.
Cheap is sometimes NOT the way to go. (Wolf ammo comes to mind.)