How to choose a chainsaw?

In a country plot, whether it is a house for year-round living or a cottage with a periodic visit, a chainsaw is simply necessary. This is a great helper when working in the garden, for preparing firewood for the bath, for any construction work with wooden materials. It is necessary to approach the choice of the tool responsibly, the unit is bought not for one year.

 

When choosing a gasoline tool, it is necessary to take into account not only its technical parameters, but also the type of the proposed main works, the time of work without stopping, even the user's complexion. Today there are a lot of companies and companies producing such demanded equipment. How not to get lost in the choice?

Choosing a saw to give out of the huge variety of proposals for the unfortunate user ends up with a wave of his hand in the direction of the country of origin, he acquires an aggregate from the middle price category, without getting into the descriptions of the characteristics. Here we will give you a complete picture of the best chainsaws for a country house and suburban areabased on the practicality of the unit and its economic performance, as well as price characteristics - how to choose, for what, and what capacity.

Chainsaw classes

Before choosing, you need to pre-determine for yourself what basic work you will perform with chainsaws. From this it will be necessary to make a start when selecting the power of the instrument and its ability to function continuously for a certain time. This is the class of chainsaws, all of which have come up with three so far:

Household

Such a tool is designed to work "from time to time," not every day and not on large volumes. Most often it is a technique with small power indicators, which is suitable, for example, for seasonal harvesting of firewood in small quantities. With minimal functionality and low power, such a chainsaw weighs very little and consumes a minimum of fuel. It is not able to cut thick logs, but it is easy to hold and carry, you can take it with you to the forest. Designed to work no more than 40-60 minutes a day, with a total output of up to 20-25 hours in one month.

Semi-professional

Can be used for more complex work, including for sawing logs both across and along. They are used in construction and repair work, and when cutting large enough trees. Average engine power, relatively low fuel consumption. It’s already hard to carry with you on logging. Can work up to 10 hours a day with short breaks. For the suburban area is the right choice, if you do not plan a long and intensive construction.

Professional

Chainsaw for a house with already solid power indicators, up to 2.5 kilowatts and more. They have an extended range of possibilities, they can already be brought to the cutting of plots, where the felling of trees is done 15-20 hours a day. An excellent choice for clearing a large area from the undergrowth. The saw can function without interruption for about 8 hours, after which it needs a break of at least half an hour. The material from which they are made is much better, more durable, respectively - more expensive. Resource making professional chainsaws - up to 2000 hours. Such a saw is not needed for a dacha or for home use, it will not justify the costs, having a high cost and high fuel consumption. For one-time work on felling trees, it is better to rent such saws.

Additional aspects of choice

Position of ICE

In addition to these types of tools, you should definitely pay attention (if you really want to take the machine that best suits your needs) on the location and shape of the engine.If it is wider in the horizontal direction and has an offset from the axis of symmetry, you will not be able to use the saw for a long time. The center of gravity will not be on the axis, the tool will be constantly diverted to the side. You have to constantly keep your hands tense, and during sawing up to adjust the position of the chain so that the cut does not go to the side. It is preferable to choose a unit having a longitudinal location of the engine, without displacement along the axis of symmetry.

Cutting speed

The speed of cutting material is directly dependent on the design and the state of the sawing part. In modern saws of different manufacturers, the chains mostly have the same tooth configuration; there is no particular difference here. It is only necessary to pay attention to the steel grade, which will show the experienced user how often in the process of continuous operation it is necessary to sharpen the cutting part.

Do not forget that the cutting speed will depend on your handling of the tool. The first component in this respect is an incorrect position of the saw during operation, its displacement relative to the plane of the cut, excessive pressure, warping and other aspects. The second is how you monitor the condition of the chain and how timely it is sharpening it. Sometimes, during an hour of work, it is necessary to sharpen the cutting edges several times, it depends not only on the intensity of work, but also on the hardness of the material being processed. But usually you have to edit the chain only at the end of the work shift, when the whole front is already complete for the day.

Anti-vibration system

During the operation of the unit, especially a powerful one, sufficiently strong vibrational vibrations are created, which are transmitted to the user's hands. This affects not only the cleanliness of the cut, but also fatigue, affects human performance. Almost all professional chainsaws provide for an anti-vibration system in their design, some semi-professional ones also have it, but the household ones do not have it at all. Since we have decided that the middle category will be the best choice of the dacha tool, we will pay attention to this important detail when choosing.

The simplest anti-vibration system of a chainsaw is a set of gaskets made of thick rubber located between the body of the unit and its handle. For more complex versions of such systems, there are special springs at the site that dampen vibration.

Let's talk about stamps

First, domestic producers today are clearly inferior in the quality of goods in this particular area. Tested not only by many users, but also by many experts who test equipment. Second: Of all the models, the “Shtil” and “Huskvarna” chainsaws have proven themselves best in the many years of operation. True, in terms of prices, they are also in the first place. But the cost is due to quality, so if you need a really good, trouble-free tool, first stop watching this row of saws.

First echelon

To perform very periodic work, you just need a “self-sawing hacksaw,” the simplest, but qualitative option performed by “Calm-18 (180)” or a similar model “Husqvarna”. It will cost no more than 5.5-6 thousand rubles for all the fun.

To work with a volume of up to 6 cubic meters of slab every seasonally for trimming the logs, such equipment is already rather weak, you need to take from the price range 8-9 thousand rubles, this is the brand "Calm-21 (210)".

For a house in the country, in which there is also a sauna with a wood-burning stove, and the construction of outhouse sheds is planned, it is better to take the “Calm-25 (250)” or a similar type of saw “Husqvarna”. It will cost 10.5-12 thousand.

Industrial scale, that is - the construction of a house, clearing landings, serious logging - it is better to carry out the saw "Calm-36 (360)", at worst - 262 models of the same manufacturer.

Felling saws are not so much, especially quality.You will not find the exact “feltness” of the woodman in modern Russian stores, it remains from this category “Huskvarna” with horns. It costs up to 34 thousand rubles, so for a house and a villa it’s just a waste of solid money.

Second tier

In this segment, you are waiting for the brand "Partner" and all its clones. For example, "Jonsered", with a different body color, but with absolutely the same parameters, dimensions, design, and so on. The power indicators of these units are lower, but this does not mean at all that you do not cut large logs with such a saw. Even a small chainsaw of these brands can also do serious work at the same time; the question will be only in time and effort.

Important! When choosing “Partner” saws and analogs, it’s better right away in the store to ask the seller to select the “Stilevskaya” chain for the unit. The company "Shtil" for such second-tier saws specifically produces chains, and they should be in any specialty store. They have larger teeth, but this is not the main thing. The main advantage is material, of course. But you still have to sharpen the cutting edges after each job.

Saws of this category favorably differ only in price, there are no more advantages. With the same power characteristics with “Stiel” or “Huskvarna”, “Partner” will weigh a little more, it will be harder to handle. Another disadvantages of second-tier chainsaws: the proximity of the muffler to the body of the unit, a weak spring at the handle attachment point, a smaller tool life and a smaller overall structure. Chips can be collected under the silencer, since the gap between it and the body is much smaller than the similar gap of the “Stiel”. The chip heats up, the body melts again.

That's the whole review of modern chainsaws on our market. More brands and models are discussed in our "Top rated popular chainsaws". The right choice of saw for home and cottage is yours!