What's Your Favorite Saw You Own?

Motomix we have here. Its Stihl brand and should be same everywere if I understand correct.
Aspen we have as its made here and used by 90% of the users today. It was Husqvarna brand, but now they have their own.
Pump gas is proberbly the worst in the world...

There are differances in Motomix, Aspen, Husqvarna fuel and other Alkylate fuels.
 
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  • #179
Canned fuel is good, but expensive as shit. It isn't unreasonable to make the economic decision of running crappy gas, and throwing the saw out when it dies. Don't even fix it. Drop in the trash, and buy another one.
 
It’s all a matter of perspective ... If a guy buys a $199 Home Depot special and runs “crappy fuel” , replaces it when the saw shits the bed, and the saw pays for itself + some $$$ in his pocket and he’s happy with that then go for it ... Others may buy a STIHL or Husqvarna Pro Saw for $600-$1200 leave it stock or add a muffler mod and run the piss out of it and sell it for 1/2 price at the end of the season on flea bay or Craigslist and buy a brand new one the next year ... Still others may purchase a new pro saw and then build it to their preference or send it off to be modded - This guy is going to want to run the best mix he can , not only for longevity but for performance! The 3rd guy is going to make the most $ in the least amount of time given the same amount of work. In fact “throwaway Joe” with the $199 special pullin pro 42cc 20” b/c is going to be wishing he bought a real
Saw when he’s gotta buck those 60ft trunks of 20”+ hardwood rounds 😂- The second guy is going to do much better with the pro saw , Guy 3 is going to whip up on all of em ... Once a guy has run a properly “hotwoods-ported saw” I guaran-f-n-tee he will never want to go back to running a stocker ... If you are doing a $1000 fell and convert to firewood on the spot for a customer and burn a total of 1 gal of fuel (felling and bucking) then the price of the canned fuel vs pump gas/favorite mix oil is a really a non-issue ... IF a guy owned a landscaping company and was burning 50 gals a week running on a razor-thin margin then canned fuel may prove cost prohibitive for his operation vs pump gas / mix ... I can say from experience that the ported saw (while initially more expensive upfront) will pay for itself faster and also allow you to make a better hr/rate ! Smile on face when running it - priceless !
 
Here the fuel in gas stations is not an option for those running saws daily. Its too much repairs and costs IMO.

When you have a look around it isn't any problem to see what is most cost efficient, most people figure it out pretty fast.
There is those that think premixed is too pricey, not many though and they pay me more than the others, so I should not complain....
 
I’ve not had any issues with carb or fuel related issues since running motomix whereas early in my cutting career I experienced several using pump gas / mix ... It’s nice feeling to pull saw off the shelf after sitting for months and know it’s going to work trouble free !
 
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  • #183
Frankie said:
If you are doing a $1000 fell and convert to firewood on the spot for a customer and burn a total of 1 gal of fuel (felling and bucking) then the price of the canned fuel vs pump gas/favorite mix oil is a really a non-issue
Click to expand...
Cost is always an issue. In the end, it breaks down to $/day operating cost. At a certain point saw longevity is meaningless if you can buy a brand new saw with new everything for the amount of money you spent on exotic fuel. You mentioned reliability which is a factor, and could make exotic fuel worth the expense, especially if your livelihood depends on the saw operating when it's supposed to.

Our pump gas around here is pretty good; even the corn gas. There's no way a professional would make out financially buying canned fuel. A hobbyist like me? Maybe, but I still go through a fair amount of fuel. Corn free midgrade+oil costs me ~$4/G. The cheapest can fuel I've gotten was $13.50/100oz, so over $10/G more expensive. I use ~10G/year in my small equipment, so that's over $100/year left on the table. Motomix would be 3x that. After a year, it would be like getting a free cs400. In two years I could get a free ms261, and in 3 years I could get a free ms462, and some chain. Someone like stig probably uses 10g a week when things are really rolling. That a lot of "free" saws coming in unless the local fuel is absolute trash.

edit:
as another example, on another forum, I was talking to a retired pro logger, and mentioned I use canola bar oil in the winter due to improved flow. He didn't like that idea. Thought it might increase b&c wear. Maybe it does, but at $4/G it's half as much as TractorSupply oil which is the cheapest I know of. It doesn't take that many gallons to say "screw it", and just buy another bar if it wears out a little quicker, which isn't even certain at this point. I'd test it myself if I cut enough to wear out bars in a timely manner.
 
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Like I stated previously It’s all a matter of perspective and what equipment you run / how much that equipment makes for you on a per hr/basis ... IF I have modded saws that perform such that 2 men can do the work of 3 running stock saw in the same amount of time well it doesn’t take a genius to see that I’m coming out WAY AHEAD even if I’m paying more for superior fuel ! Longevity IS meaningful to folk that build there own saws or send them out to be modded by a builder. No one in their right mind is going to go thru the time or expense of buying a $1000 pro saw , building / having one built (Some are charging $400-700 for port job that nets at best 20% gain) only to run the “$4gal gas/ mix oil” and prematurely burn up the saw then throw the saw away and buy a new one (and rinse and repeat) from the supposed “savings” obtained from running the inferior fuel vs canned fuel! Heck even a guy that runs a pro stock saw with a muffler mod is going to come out ahead in the long run $ for $ ... It’s not 1980 anymore bro and these new strato-saws require the best fuel to get the best life ! Why do you think the STIHL dealer will give you an extra 1 or 2 year warranty at the time of purchase if you buy motomix ? Marketing gimmick ? Nah ... A guy can try and rationalize it anyway he wants ... Ive been there , done that , and choose to use what I use ...
 
I mean , if you REALLY want to go the “cheapest possibile way” get yourself a good sharp axe and a crosscut saw or a misery whip and do it the “old school way”. Then you do not have to worry about fuel price , and buying chainsaws ! The axe and whip will have as much hp as you can give ! 5CD77202-BF35-408F-BF81-F3F45BF11AC6.jpeg :D
 
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  • #186
I used handtools for years. Usually a bow saw, but I have a crosscut in the garage. Machetes, axes... I'm intimately familiar with taking wood apart by hand. "Cheapest possible way" is a strawman. There's a huge space in the middle for "good enough" and "not pissing money away". In the end, everything is made to be "good enough". There's always room for improvement if time and money aren't a concern. There's no such thing as a perfect measurement, and the best work in the world will show flaws when measured with an instrument sufficiently precise.
 
Good argument John, honestly it is, especially for a homeowner. But you are missing the money lost when the saw is down for carb related problems (the reason i finally switched after a bad batch of fuel), fighting a poor running saw from time to time, or the opportunity cost to have multiple back up saws that you need to have so you don't get caught in the middle of a job and can't buy the saw you need because homeowner stuff isn't gonna do what you need. When you are doing it for money, priorities are different sometimes.
 
When it comes to chainsaws good enough for one guy might be inadequate for another ... If a guy is farting around in his yard then a $199/homeowner saw may be all he needs ! If a guy is cutting huge maples then he needs a 70-90cc class saw capable of running 24”-32” bars with the balls to pull it ... I started with a home light HD $199 special 42cc saw years ago and thought I’d found the rainbows end ! Now , you couldn’t PAY ME to run that ! Imho , IF working for profit , buy the absolute BEST you can afford ... “The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”
 
I am convinced people just like to spend more money than they have to.

We literally do everything you can possibly do wrong.


Todays gasoline is so good......the cheapest shit you can buy.......it is so good its not even funny.


With pump gas as good as it is.....I find it outrageous to buy canned gas.
 
I'm talking about canned gas for a chainsaws, not anything else. High revving, hard running, low consumption equipment, used intermittently as a part timer, so carb issues are a constant source of aggravation. I would often laugh to myself how much money i could make on a single tank of fuel in a little 35 cc top handle, spending 4 times the cost for fuel honestly is negligible. After i had a job drag on and on due to saw problems (i don't have backup saws just ready to go) caused by a bad batch of fuel, i got pissed and bought some canned gas. No mo problems.
 
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  • #192
*I don't think I've ever had a fuel issue. Everything runs well, and filters are clean after years.

*Disclaimer. I lost a chainsaw and garden tractor running corn free gas after years of corn gas only. Maybe it was coincidence, but the timing was unusual. Otherwise, the worst I can say is they were sometimes balky to get going after sitting for months with corn gas in the system, but would straighten out after running a very short time.

I run corn free gas now, and have to drive ~30 miles to get it, so my math above should be adjusted a little to account for vehicle expense, but it's still exponentially cheaper than canned gas. I keep canned gas on hand for emergency purposes since I don't want to run corn in my good saws, and I consider that minor expense tolerable.

I'm not sure what I'd do if I lost my single source of corn free gas. My two options are run corn gas with a canned gas flush for the last couple fills, or run low lead aviation fuel. Neither option's appealing, and I hope I don't have to make the choice.
 
I honestly think that people have an unrealistic expectation as to what "reliability" means.


I have heard people complain about 100,000 mile spark plug changes. Too frequent they say.


Gas today is an order of magnitude better than what it was 25 years ago.



No wonder they sell so much bottled water.
 
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  • #195
Yea, leaded exhaust blowing in my face isn't attractive.

Both pieces of equipment ceased to work after a few fills of corn free gas. I can't explain the mechanism through which it would happen, but the timing was suspicious. The saw was a PoulanPro, and the tractor was a Deere from the 80s. The saw had served it's purpose, and fixing it would have cost more than it was worth, and the tractor was time to just let it go. It was full of hillbilly repairs that would still be there after getting the fuel system straight, and it wasn't worth the time/expense to rebuild it properly.
 
There is NO way that fuel (gasoline) produced today is of higher quality or an order of magnitude better than fuel produced decades ago especially considering fuel mixed with ethanol ... it is “cleaner” but not superior ! Baloney
 
Not in my locale it isn’t : ymmv ... It may be EPA-friendly “cleaner burning” but it’s just another scam imho- now if you farm and grow/sell corn and sell for $$$ to make ethanol why its the best thing since sliced bread ! Again , matter of perspective :)
 
We live in an almost maintenence free society......aint it sure as hell isn't because the fuel is low quality.

100,000 maintenence schedule? Jeebus.....you would kit a carburetor every other year back in the day!

I am the youngest person here....and I remember the bad old days.

You are nuts if you wish for the old gasoline to come back.
 
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