Best Husqvarna Chainsaw for Homeowners?

[Phoenix1]

I'm in the market for a new chainsaw and am finding the Husqvarna brand appealing. I used to own one of these saws about 30 years ago and it was great. Mine had an 18" bar, which seemed to handle almost anything I threw at it. I somehow lost that saw, but since then, I have purchased a Stihl MS 250, which has been just about perfect for me. It's got a 16" bar and just about enough power to do what I'd like it to do. I cut down medium sized trees for firewood and it's kept up through the years. I do wish I had a bit more power and a longer bar at times though. I'll admit that.

With the coming firewood season this spring, I'm getting nervous about owning only one saw. There's a short window between the snow thawing and the bugs arriving that I need to do a lot of work. If my Stihl saw decides to stop working for some reason, I'm out of luck. That's why I'd like a backup. Actually, I'd like to make the Stihl the backup and use something larger most of the time. That's why I'm checking out Husky.

Yesterday, I was looking at the Husqvarna 440E and almost decided to buy it. It's got an 18" bar and since I know I like that size bar, it was a no-brainer. But then I got thinking about how nice a slightly longer bar would be. And more power. So now, I think I've decided on the Husqvarna 450E. This saw has a 20" bar and it's got about 50ccs in the motor. I think that would definitely be great.

About prices. Amazon.com is all over the place. I don't even use them anymore for things like this. Also, if I need to return the store because it's a lemon or something, I'd like it to be local. That's why I'm looking at Tractor Supply. They sell the 440E for $299 and the 450E for $399. I've seen the 450 at Northern Tool + Equipment for $329. They sell refurbished saws, but I honestly don't think the risk is worth saving only $60 after the shipping cost has been included. Reviews for the used saws have been good, but there are a few that talk about receiving saws with dull chains and incorrect bars. I'd really prefer a brand new one.

So my question is, do you have any experience with chainsaws? What's your favorite brand? How about Husqvarna? What's your favorite model? I'd love to buy the Husky 460 Rancher, but that would definitely be too heavy for my needs. I'd get exhausted carrying that thing around. All opinions welcome.

 

[Phoenix1]

I've been shopping around for prices on this saw and have concluded that $399 is the most common price, hands down. I almost found one for $379 on Ebay, but that saw came with an 18" bar. That would have been a great price though. The seller even offered free shipping. Amazon is absolutely crazy. They're charging over $500. I don't know what's going on there. But so far, these sellers have been offering it at $399: Aubuchon Hardware, Safford Equipment, and Tractor Supply. There are a few sellers who are offering the saw at $379, but again, it comes with an 18" bar: Ebay, Generator Factory Outlet, Max Tool, and Tyler Tool. There are also vendors who sell used models, but I'm not interested in them. I've seen people use chainsaws and it isn't pretty.

I'll need to make the purchase soon because spring is coming and that's when people begin taking care of their firewood needs. I don't want to get caught up in some sort of an inventory crunch of price rise.

 

[CampFireJack]

I used to own this brand of chainsaw too. I liked mine more than I liked my friend's Stihl 038. I don't think they make the 038 anymore, but at one time, it was very popular in the log cutting and tree care industry. It was a great ground saw that balanced power and weight. My friend had about five of them. My old Husky (bought it for $100 from an Army recruiter after I turned him down) was known as a "hot saw," meaning that it ran fast and cut even faster. I filed down the rakers on the chain so it would cut larger chips from the logs. It was great.

Do you know the difference between the Husqvarna 450, 450E, and 450 Rancher? I do like this size of saw, but it's just confusing with so many models and numbers. It's like they're all over the place.

 

[Phoenix1]

Yeah, it's confusing when trying to figure out what the different models mean and what they do. What's worse is that when shopping around, sellers often mistake one model for another. For instance, I see Husqvarna 450E Rancher chainsaws for sale all over the place. But when I get on the seller's page, the word "Rancher" mysteriously disappears. And the bar sizes change from 20" to 18" frequently as well. To be clear, there are three models in this category. They are: 450, 450E, and 450 Rancher.

The differences between all three models are minor. As for the engine, housing, and fuel and oil tanks, the three saws use the same everything. When you upgrade from the basic 450 to the 450E, you get yourself a tool-less chain adjustment. That costs an extra $10. So you go from around $360 to $370 for that. I believe the E model also comes with Smart Start, which makes the saw easier to start up, especially when cold. I'm thinking this is something like a compression release or the like. My old saw used to have one of these.

As for the Rancher, I think there's a different style of tool-less chain tensioner. I'm not actually sure how the two tensioners differ from one another, but this one boosts the price of the saw up by $40 to around $400. Also, this model doesn't come with Smart Start, if that matters.

Personally, after looking around and reading all this, I think I'm happy with the base model. I don't need a plastic tool-less chain tensioner or Smart Start. All I need is a good ol' fashioned chainsaw that kicks ass. I'll update this thread if I find anything new or if I need to correct what I've already written.

 

[Phoenix1]

Okay, apparently there's a big problem with Husqvarna chainsaws out there. What's clear is that the 450 and the 450E differ because of a self tensioning chain on the 450E, but nowhere can anyone explain the difference between the 450 and the 450 Rancher. There's some buzz about something called Smart Start, where the on/off switch automatically returns to the on position after someone turns the saw off, but that's about it. And I don't even know which model that comes on. They say the Rancher comes with a side mounted chain adjustment, but no where does it describe what that is. But they charge an extra $40 for it. It's so weird. Basically, what I think I'm going to do is buy the cheapest one I can get my hands on, no matter if it's a 450, 450E, or a Rancher. Also, I don't care whether it's got an 18" or a 20" bar. Ideally, I'd like a Rancher with a 20" bar, because I like cool sounding things with big bars.