Husqy 435 chainsaw

[Dexter's Shed]

referring back to my other question ocp, was the blade english or inferior imported

[oldclaypaws]

Already answered that one Dexter, it was razor sharp Finnish carbon steel. Should have had a cheap Chinese one off Ebay, it would have broken in half or just bounced off.

[smojo]

OK so lets think outside the box again. So far we have only considered Stihl, Husky or cheapo Chinese. What other manufacturers might pass the quality criteria but possible a bit cheaper. I have heard Echo mentioned (a few times - get it?) Anyone have any knowledge of these or any other good makers. Just found this which is Efco (is that a rip off of Echo? Sounds like a reasonable deal but maybe it's Chinese too?

http://www.abbeygardensales.co.uk/chainsaws/efco-chainsaws/showitem-E2-MT3700.aspx

[Wendelspanswick]

Jonsered have been making chainsaws for a long time, never tried one or even seen one. Makita also make petrol chainsaws and Makita have a very good reputation, don't know about their saws though.

[Wendelspanswick]

Discussion on Efco here:
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/inde ... ic=49112.0
Seems to get good reviews.

[oldclaypaws]

I've always found Radmore and Tucker very frank in their opinions, even on stuff they sell. They stock Stihl, Husky, Echo and Efco. There's a 35cc Efco for £194. Don't think they'd sell them if they were total crud, they are probably a better budget brand that might suit. Why not give them a call? John Milton there is very knowledgeable and helpful.

Jonsered are in effect Husky clones, owned by Husky. I believe they are almost identical.

As a rule of thumb, I'd avoid anything sold by 'B & Q' or non-specialist stockists, like Tesco for example. The stuff they sell is designed to be cheap and used by gardeners for a season before falling apart, then they are supposed to buy another. They are 'consumables' with little or no after sales back-up. I like the green coloured unnamed 37cc petrol chainsaw on B & Q's site- "Automatic chain oiling lubricates the chain for improved cutting performance" Wow ! Cutting edge stuff ! - A bit like selling a car with " Rubber tyres ensure a smoother ride" or a house with "Tiled roof ensures residents will be dry".

If you want one for light use rather than top notch, fair enough- but go to a specialist outdoor machinery vendor and make sure they can service it or have spares, that seems to be the difference between decent stuff built to last versus throw away stuff; no spares available = not built for long term use. Also- just check how genuine the claimed spares service is; Einhell claim to have a UK spares service, but when my brushcutter decided to spontaneously disassemble itself, it transpired the 'spares' stocked were strimmer line and cutting heads, nout else! "Chuck it and get another" was the suggestion.

Crack on, those trees are getting bigger all the time.

[smojo]

Met some other woodlanders near mine and they have Husky 440E which is similar to the 435 but slightly higher spec. They seem pretty pleased with it. Some of the plus points is the anti-vibration aspect, the relatively low weight (both important to me as my elbow and shoulder joints aren't too good these days) I believe it has an inertia sensing operated brake too and small wheels in the end of the bar to reduce kick-back which have to be good. This might be the one I go for but still researching.

[Terry]

Yup, Jonsered is owned by Husky and have a lot of common parts with Husky machines.
Makita bought out Dolmar - a well known and respected chainsaw manufacturer - so good machines.
Echo seem to be getting a good reputation, but not heard much about the Efco's yet.

[oldclaypaws]

I think Echo are worth checking out. They are Japanese, and as you'll know the Japanese have a reputation for high quality control, excellent metal, and reliability. The rest of the world is increasingly turning to China, even Husky are having some parts of their production done in China, so maybe if you buy a Husky, it could be a cheap Chinky, not a Swedish bit of quality after all- shock horror.

A distributor of garden stuff moaned that Stihl and Husky were outsourcing components and taking the eye off quality control, whereas Echo are uncompromising on quality and give up to a 5 year warranty. He just happened to be an Echo agent, so might have been somewhat biased , but he may have had a point.

[Dexter's Shed]

even Husky are having some parts of their production done in China,.

we have proof