Thirty years ago, I use to run a little 16 inch Echo along with a 60 cc 20 inch Poulan (Sears labei) and cut about 35 cord of Ponderasa, Lodgepole, or Doug fir each summer. I also ran Homelite, Mac, and a Jonsered when helping various family gather wood. Now, granted this a bit dated.
The best of the bunch was that little 60cc Swede. That was before Husquavarna and Jonsered merged. The old Macs were big, slow and clunky, they would cut a little wood but made a better boat anchor. Homelite was a bit better, but not much. I remember right after St Helens blew, Jonsered came out with a special model for working in the volcanic ash. It was equipped with carbide teeth in the chain and a four inch diameter automotive style paper air filter sitting up in front of the handle. The local saw shop always kept one on display through those years.
That little Echo was pretty handy for limbing, or clearing brush so you could get in and fall a tree. And I used it well beyond its design, but when I needed a new saw, I went with a brand used by nearly half the professionals. Stihl. And I am glad I did. It has been bullet proof.
I let a couple other people use it over the years. One of them let the chain hit the dirt while working up an old dead 30 inch maple tree. Then kept right on pushing the saw through the cuts and fried the bar. I have consumed about eight chains in almost twenty years, so I don't work it like I used to run the old Poulan. But this 59 cc Stihl will cut twice the wood the 60 cc Poulan would. There is just no comparison. And the Poulan used to vapor lock every time you shut it off. You could take the fuel cap off and see the gas boiling in the tank. If you refueled it, sharpened the chain, ate a sandwich, got a big drink of water, and flirted with the girls a bit, it might have cooled off enough to restart.
The Stihl just starts......every time.
Like I said, my information is far from current. My last saw was purchased almost twenty years ago. The string trimmer is an Echo, and only about seven years old, but I have not been able to get it started the last three summers.
As far as I am concerned there are only three chainsaw brands built today. Jonsered/Husquavarna and Stihl.
