So I'm up to about twenty tanks of gas now and it is still running well. The engine is not as high compression as my Stihl so is easier to pull the starter cord. One failing (partly my fault) the oil pump failed. This turned out to be due to a clogged channel in the bar which in turn happened because i was using the saw for a lot of ripping with the grain and did not notice no oil until it was smoking.. Turned out the oil pump gear arm had become bent and was no longer catching on the clutch drum. Bent it back and it seems to be working fine, and I'm watching the oil channel on the bar to ensure it stays free of wood dust.
I did eventually repair my Stihl saw but not till after I had ordered this Chinese saw.. Update on the Chinese saw. After cutting up a trees. Worth of ash the saw is still pulling well. However it has become obvious that the chain does not hold it's sharpness for long as I have to sharpen at every fill up or even more frequently. In comparison to the Stihl chain which will last through four or more tanks of gas before needing attention.. So be aware that if you get Chinese chainsaw chain it will require a lot of sharpening.
The chain that came with the saw is not great. Replace with Oregon chain. The folk who bash Chinese saws expect to be able to abuse the saw and still have it work. I take care of my stuff and that serves me well. If you drop a tree on your saw it won't make any difference if it's a Stihl or a Husky. Also a lot of resellers selling parts are selling made in China parts, they just don't always tell you.
Hello John, all Zomax chainsaws can be sold with Oregon bar and chain, depending on customer choice. We have close cooperation with Oregon and is among their major customers in China.
Well several trees later. This saw has done well though I do have to clear out the chips more often than the Stihl. It is NOT a commercial grade saw. But as a hobby wood collector /occasional user it has done well. So far I have not had to get parts. There is one part that I think I will have to get soon and that is the oil pump actuator which is flimsy and when the oil outlet hose was blocked by wood chips and the pump could not deliver oil this actuator bent and failed. This stopped the oil flow of course. I had to dis-assemble to find the problem. But because the actuator is flimsy it was easy to bend it back and get it running again. I notice a lot of Chinese made chain saws on the North American market, but dealers often want a hefty markup so they are not all that cheap retail.
So it is evident that this saw needs a bit more maintenance than my two Stihls. Basically that means keeping an eye on the oil flow and cleaning sawdust build up regularly from the bar oil hole. But compared to a Stihl this saw wins hands down in the easy start category. The compression ratio is low on the Zomax making for an easy pull start. I have even run this saw with a 36 inch bar and it handles that quite well in soft wood.
How's the saw running as of 3/14/17? I just ordered a 58cc Chinese job yesterday and would like to know of any preventive maintenance I can do prior to putting it into service. Better plug, fuel line, chain, etc... Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.
i hope you get many years of service out of your saw. The only problem i can see is the same for all chinese products, parts are hard to find and no dealer network happt cutting
Others have probably already told you, but you have other options: Dolmar, Echo, Husqvarna among others make quality saws that make stihl's pricing look like a rip-off. There are dealers who'll give you a substantial further discount. Then for homeowner/farmer saws there are online sites like VMInnovations-dot-com who'll give you great buys on factory refurbs. Haven't yet found a stihl saw that's price-competitive for the value. And, I don't waste much time on nonameo saws- lotsa luck with the parts you'll need.
And ... what you call "resawing" is widely called "noodling" because of the wood "noodles" generated. A few tips if I may: 1) don't let the accumulated noodles block the flow out of the clutch cover, 2) dont'waste time & wood noodling all the way through- learn how to split wood or noodle in through knots/forks a few inches and use wedge/maul poll. Swinging a maul is great exercise. Good Luck.
As far as the parts go With a little research it is pretty easy to find parts since there are a lot of chinese chainsaw manufacturers that copy each other You wouldnt believe me but the parts are rather cheap
My 034 Stihl is running well now. But compared to the Zomax it is hard to start for an old guy like me. My apologies for the poor footwear in the video. In more challenging conditions I do wear boots.
