Stop Wasting Money On Chainsaws 

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At eighty I just bought probably the the last chainsaw I'll buy. I've owned three different brands through sixty plus years of cutting firewood. I should clarify three brands/ I've only had three saws in all the time. Still have the #3 which is a Husqvarna 61 and just add a little Echo cs130 for limbing out. This is the second Echo the first I loaned to a cousin and some how fell a tree on it; was told he'd get it repaired and never saw it again! And that was at least thirty years ago and I was so impressed with that Echo I had to try another one but I don't loan out my saws anymore! And as for how fast they cut doesn't concern me as to years of service! My first saw if i pulled out of storage and tuned it up would still cut wood today at sixty years old and not many can say that about their first saw.

Most serious cutters buy stihl or Husqvarna saws and take them to the shop for a tune. These saws are used 5 plus hours a day cutting timber. Little different than a home owners use. Cheap saw works great for a while, when it's don't you can't fix it, no parts...

I don't buy disposable products with no dealer or parts support and questionable material quality. For those on a budget you simply grab yourself an Echo Timberwolf and call it a day. Top notch quality and reliability, 5 year warranty, easy to obtain parts, available at Home Depot or online. If you're only going to need the saw once or twice just rent a pro saw...I loathe knockoffs/clones and other disposable junk from China. They vibrate badly, they need lots of adjustment, the ignition and switches fail after a year or so, the piston and cylinder quality is mediocre at best. There's no free lunch and you get what you pay for. I have four decades of experience with dozens of saws from around the world.

I chopped for a friend in the eighties another friend with saw shop convinced me to buy integrated ear muffs and face shield dropped large oak a dead standing hemlock that I couldn't see had a long branch from the oak wrapped around it hemlock came down from behind me gave me a glancing blow on side of helmet almost knocked me out still have scar tissue in neck but would have been dead without helmet in my opinion great video

If it's made in China, i don't want it. I'm not one of those guys that requires all my stuff to be made in USA, but I don't want stuff made in China if I can avoid it.

I have a 52 cc Chinese saw from Amazon that I paid $106 delivered to my door. So far, I have cut down seven trees and bulked them into firewood. The largest tree I cut down was 24 inches in diameter. I’ve had to replace the pull start assembly and the four screws that hold it on. That cost $12.00. I replaced the spark plug before I ever started up the saw. The spark plugs that came on my saw can damage the coil. I found that out by researching the saw, before I bought it. If you buy one of the 52 cc Chinese chainsaws like mine, put blue loctite on the four screws that hold the pull starter assembly on the saw. Check all screws and make sure they are tight. If not, the screws will vibrate out. My saw has performed faultlessly since replacing the pull start assembly. My son has purchased three of the cheap 52 cc saws so far. He has several Stihl saws, but they got too expensive to repair. Follow the break-in instructions to the letter. 20 to 1 mix for the first ten hours and 25 to 1 after that. For the casual user, the cheap Chinese saws are okay, if you have at least some mechanical ability. I have a 23 year-old Poulan saw that still runs. I’ve had to replace the fuel lines on it and gone through a couple of bars and multiple chains. I use it to cut stumps below ground. I buy 3 chains for $21 on Amazon. My son cuts trees for firewood. He burns wood to heat his home. The Chinese saws are working for him. I only process about one cord of firewood a year for a fireplace at our cabin. Before buying any cheap chainsaw, do a little research on RU-vid to see what users say about that particular saw. That’s how I learned to replace the original spark plug with a good quality spark plug, before using the saw. My son recently told me the 52 cc saws are now down to $89 on Amazon. One last note: the last two professional tree cutters I hired to take down trees charged $2500 +$2000 =$4500. I gave the last guy a $500 tip, on top of the $2000, because he did a great job. I can buy a lot of $100 saws for that kind of money. So far, the $120 I’ve spent on a cheap saw has saved me around $2000 for 7 trees. I’ll still call the professional for trees I don’t feel comfortable taking down myself.

I dont understand the people in the comments who say they only buy from sthil and nothing from China as if Sthil is an American brand. Its not it's German. Just because something is "assembled in America" doesn't make it a domestic brand. Most of the parts are globally sourced and just put together in America so they can slap an American flag on the box. Personally, I think we do need more products made solely in the US, but until I see an improvement in quality and price, I have no problems buying products made in China. And just to clarify, Im not slamming Sthil. I really like their products and I bought 2 chainsaws from them the other day because they are more reliable than other brands in my opinion but you definitely pay for it. If I can buy a comparable product from China for an 8th of the price I will.

Thanks for the video. I think you’ll find the cheap saw won’t handle long term abuse. I’ve got both pro saws and cheap saws, the pro product is more consistently reliable. If you cut a bit of firewood buying cheap is probably fine. If you rely on your saw to heat your home or feed your family you’re better off with a pro saw and keep the cheap one around for backup. Imo. Cheers.

Howdy Brock! That Proyama looks to be a heck of a bargain depending on how it holds up. Glad you are doing the 90 day evaluation, be interesting to hear the results. For guys like me that don't cut wood every day or even every week, this sounds like a great option. Well done and thanks for sharing 🤠

Dude, you look so much healthier than in December. Keep it up man!

I was in the tree trimming business, and used small saws for climbing. I started out with Homelites which in those days were pretty good saws, but then when the firewood craze came along in the late 70's, they went down hill fast as they were mass producing them and selling them in every hardware store. I switched to a Stihl pro model with top handle, a real trimming saw, which was a pain to take apart, but there was no question it far surpassed the Homelites in power, weight, and engineering. Now I'm in my 70's, still cutting firewood with this old tree trimming saw, it just won't die. You get what you pay for.

So my opinion is not going to be popular. We mow 150 yards a week. Stihl was all we used. It's pretty discouraging when half of your equipment is in the shop for repairs. Stihl is not the equipment it once was.

I have the same one, the first thing that failed was the bolts to secure the blade, the second was the oil pump.... after about 1 day use

Nice, fair comparison you did there, Brock. Thanks for that! The Proyama looks like it delivers a whole lot of value to a 'regular' homeowner/homesteader that just needs to cut a little firewood or clean up the occasional downed tree or limbs. Price-wise, it seems to be in the same ballpark as a Poulan Pro saw. Longevity will be the real test - but even at $260, you could buy a couple for the price of a single Stihl. Take care and God Bless.

Novice Lumberjack just released a video on the exact same chainsaw today. He measured the stoke & bore, and it's no more than 62 cc at the most. Overstating cubic centimeters is typical of all Chinese chainsaws. Despite the deception, its potential of being a good value is still there.

I bought a 029 farm boss Stihl in 1994, Stihl running.

Thank you for this review and insight, it's helpful for me to hear from others as money is a definite factor in purchasing, however, the right tool is the aim.

I got the 54v 50cm but the batteries 15ah are 250 pounds each I bought 2 and saw 1000 pounds love it

The big difference is which one will last 20yrs. And if they both last 20yrs which one is less work to make it last that long. I had a husky farm tough that lasted 20yrs without a single issue. Used it every fall to get firewood ready. And it always started. Ive had the stihl farm boss now for 5 yrs. And again every fall and not a single problem. Ive seen friends and others try the cheaper brands ( craftsmen etc) and have way more problems in the first yr or two. And they def dont last as long. Unless youre a professional who cares about which saw cuts faster. In not spending $1000+ to cut a log 10 seconds faster. The husky and the stihl were both around $400. And for the record when the stihl finally dies ill be getting another husky.

Ya gotta wonder though, will these new Chinese saw last anywhere near as long as a STIHL or Husky or Echo. And are the parts easy to get to repair them

I have a returned Ryobi chainsaw i bought used f o r $65.oo at home depot filled with gas and bar oil its never been a problem

Will definitely look to add this saw to our wood cutting line up. Enjoy your content.

Good review. Glad your channel is doing well.

I have a 20+ Year Old Stihl that's a beast and never been in the shop! How long will the cheap saw last? ( Plus I can get replacement parts if ever needed.)

Great video and very informative. I am new to chainsaws and looking for a larger saw to tackle my projects here in the Pacific Northwest but money is an issue. You’ve helped me immensely! I am very impressed with your Proyama

Dang, Brock! It's been a minute since I caught a video. Looking good dude! You look a mite bit younger, man! Good for you. Keep it up!

I run a ms362. It’s on the smaller end of the pro line and rips a 20 inch bar really good.

I enjoyed the video. Thanks for doing the comparison. Two quick questions: - Did you tune the carb on the Proyama prior to your comparison (I'm assuming you have previously tuned the 391)? - Any mods on the 391?

Hey Brock, the pro Yama chainsaw looks like it would be a very nice addition to woodcutting. Great video.!👍🏻

An Interesting informative initial review. For a non professional occasional tree cutter, this Proyama 24 inch might just be the ticket. Ultimately time and multiable expereinces will tell, subscribed!

Looking forward to review after the long term use. Let us be honest, i doubt any pro would even look at a 250D Chinese Zenoah Clone. Interesting to see the followup.👍

That looks like an awesome chainsaw..seems to cuts very well..sounds good to ,I like it great video Brock

Looks like it works well. Would be a good saw for a homeowner.

Brock that was a great comparisons and surprising. Thank ypu for putting that together

Very much a chainsaw novice, and being only a gardener, I've been using a Husqvarna 455 Rancher. It has proved to be an excellent all round saw! I believe it can take up to a 24inch bar, which is more than enough for me!

I really enjoy comparison videos. I do need a higher horsepower saw but not sure the cost of a name brand is worth it. Thank you.

I also love my 500i, it’s much more agressive than any other saw I own. I will be getting a 881 next week. I’m looking forward to trying it out.

No mention of chain condition in this video. New chains can be of different sharpness. Better to have sharpens both chains.

Nice video Brock, I went to a 391 to the 500i has well, little bit of a jump ha

I also skip the pipe also but I'm gonna start! I got a shard of met in my Eye a couple weeks ago from a self tapping screw. I didn't expect that.

That Proyama looks like its just what i need.

2 things I would like to see on that saw manual oiler & Dawgs

I bought myself a new sthil weed wacker, long ago. My neighbor said why would you pay so much? I asked him what he paid for his cheaper weed wacker, he told me, then I asked him how often does he buy one, he said about 2 to 3 yrs. I said so my Sthil is cheaper, as I've been using mine for 15yrs and it still runs great. You've bought 5 or 6 over the same yrs.

Have used sthil for 25 years.....only 1 ms200 saw was a lemon. Older 036 still running...think was an 80's saw...blew up a 361 and replaced with a 460...got a deal on it for 600 bucks. Biggest saw is a 660 with a 36in bar think i bought it in 02 or 04.... Want to try the ms500i but cant afford it now

I thought it started second pull every time but like the videos

Don't forget new saw needs a break in. I got holzforma g660 for planking. Planking is rough on a saw. Runs well.

interesting thank you john

Excellent video as always Brock. I'm still in the market for a homeowner saw, but I really need a pole pruner too.

Well that works better than my cheap electric 16 inch saw. I am tempted to buy the Proyama but haft to wait a while the chain prices add up

The next saw you should buy is a Farmertec. They have came a long way. They are Chinese and have some quirks but probably the best in the Chinese chainsaw market

Does the power head have an hour life rating? In my experience, inexpensive equipment like you have demonstrated have an engine hour life. Once that time is reached, it is junk and must be replaced.

What are the parts availability options for that saw

Of course you can get a cheaper saw/brand that cuts as fast as the pro saws/expensive brands but will it last as long ? Stihl in my experience are extremly durable when basic maintenance is applied.

That is really surprising to see a $250 saw perform like that. I'm sure it likely won't have the durability to work day in and day out like the Stihls, but not everyone needs that. Great video!

I was intrigued by a 100 dollar chain saw K-Mart had on sale. It lasted about 2-e hours of work then the engine seized. That was about 2007.

I have had incredible results with Sthil..... Have 261 and 400 now. Like the Mg piston on 400.. Would like a 500i one day.

I was a stihl guy never tried a proyama but i run husqvarna and climb with a echo 2511 mainly

We use stihl for that majority of our small equipment... nice to have an on the ball dealership with in a stones throw also ..... thanks pics motor clinic fonthill

I run two 42cc Poulan 18" saws, love them and am standardized on them ( I literally own ~ 35 chains (18"-62L I sharpen)...but bought a third 52cc 20", chinese saw for $102. cause the price was so enticing and i just had to know for myself (not what others thought); since I've cut thousands of trees with well-cared w/ these light duty 42cc saws...runnning them as industrial saw...for long hours. The 52cc chinese safety kick-back spring...was dragging right out of box had issues, and could not fix or adjust the dragging. I ran it as-is, dragging hoping it would heal iitself and wear-in. But the spring got so hot it melted it's plastic keepers and finally broke loose after two runs...I had to remove the safety spring guts altogether and have been running the saw w/o safety kickback chain-lock for three years now. Do I want to do that?...No.... but chainsaw is decent enough and cuts well...starts super easy. (i like that), a bit noisy, ear-plugs a must...I just think of it a pre-1970's chainsaw without the safety-bar-chain stop feature. I just have to be careful..no overhead cutting. From what i saw, I must have bought the early-first generation chinese saw...because what i saw that spring was dragging on the clutch housing....even after reset. Everyone must have had issues on those early ones. Difficult to remove and modify spring steel bends and clips reas after the fact....safety bar feature was definitely an after-thought that wasn't tested out....smoking metal to metal- red hot- when in cutting mode....dragging engine down too. safety-brake was 35% engaged out-of-the-box.

Looks like a bark box on your 500i. I run a 661 with an Egan straight shot. Love the sound and the saw can breathe. Your 391 needs one! The Proyama sounds much healthier, its stock muffler is definitely more open.

The Proyama has a nice price point for a larger displacement saw. Only time will tell as to the longevity of the China made saw. It will probably hold up for awhile for the average homeowner that uses it on occasion. For every day all day use, better stick with proven saws like Stihl & Husqvarna. This Proyama was pretty impressive in this short test and for what I do around the property may be a great saw to have on hand. Thanks for comparison video Brock!! Keep up the great work! I look forward to your videos daily 🤑

i got a 92cc 36 inch neotec china saw for 495.00 to my door its powerfull and fast. so far i cut 40 full coards of wood at 1/3 cost of a new stihl.

I like my smaller poulan wild thing. Cuts its cost g how long it lasts. Quiet too

By now, someone has probably mentioned that you should hold the bar up when adjusting the chain.

I have a craftsman runs strong starts up with ease even after sitting up for months love it $289.00 comes with a case and extra chain and oil mix.

I have a 200T,an 038 magnum 2 and an 066. They all run great and didn’t cost much to acquire or maintain. I’ve spent money on west coast saws mufflers for the 200 and the 066,that’s it😊

Interesting chain of events

All saws need to warm up if not the piston gets hot and gets bigger before the head and hits the walls

I grew up using the cheaper saws. If you keep the chains sharp and the bars straight and true they cut great and are a good value. My issues most often began with trying to restart a saw during hot weather. Outdoor temperatures in the 80’s, run a full tank of fuel through the saw, stop and refill- saw won’t start 😮. Since switching to Stihl 25 years ago, I’ve never had this problem again. Something like this scenario should be in your 90 day test protocol. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

Grear video Brock. Finally got around to watching it. Appreciate the support!

Sorry I'm late I was busy hooking up my trailer and farm stuff and I am driving now to go pick up some stuff that I want some farm auctions

My concern is parts availability. Stihl, Husq, and Echo all have good OEM and 3rd party part support. what do you hear from Proyama???

Good morning Brock. After watching yesterday's video I had a hard time coming up with a solution to your problem. There were a lot of good ideas in the comments but I was concentrating on how to get the rocks or whatever you used to shore up the island out to the island and I came up with this. Maybe it's a crazy idea but what about borrowing or renting a floating dock to place perpendicular to the island and using the mini skid steer or if that's too heavy a motorized wheel barrow to move the stone out there? It's just food for thought. And I'm just trying to help. But if it works, is it really a bad idea? 😁 God bless and have a wonderful day. 👍👍🙂

I've owned Husqvarna saws for fifty years. I have five saws. All start on one pull. The Proyama looks interesting. I might buy one just for the heck of it. Thanks for your review. BTW, I subscribed, because I think you are honest and a straight shooter. My kind of folks. 😊 Shalom/gw

Doesn’t look like it has rubber mounts on the handle. That could be an issue using it all day with the vibration from the saw.

Both of the size that you're comparing need exhaust modifications so that they do not bog down when they are put under power and cut

I would like to thank you for what you did at Doss farms. I’ve been watching him since Adler was in diapers. I absolutely am going to enjoy your channel. I know it. I mean, really, what red blooded male doesn’t like watching excavators, chainsaws, skid steers and such doing what they do!

I grabbed an Echo CS590 probably 5 years ago or so when I needed to take down a tree and do some storm cleanup. I use it maybe once a year and it always fires up easily. I just couldn't bring myself to pay stihl money for their "equivalent" saw with less metal and seemingly lower durability. Interesting to see even cheaper options, hopefully they continue to improve. Having a dealer network/easy access to parts though IMO is a good argument for the echo/husky saws. cheaper than Stihl but still well supported.

I have 2 poulon chainsaws a 16 in that is 30 yrs old and a 18 inch that's 15yrs old both still work and a lot of hard Texas heat hours. A lot of chains and bars and only 2 cluthes

I bought the 62cc 2 yrs ago and I loved it so much that I went ahead and bought the 68cc this spring. Bang for the buck is unbeatable. I swapped the original bars around and I use the 18" and 20" bars with the 62cc and run the 22" and 24" with the 68cc. They say it's a 68cc but I kinda remember the 391 (63 or 65cc IIRC) being more powerful than this, even with a 26" or 28" bar. 8 yrs ago I inherited my dad's saws (worked on his ground crew in college). Kept a few, sold most (all these saws were already 5-20+ years old back then) but IMHO, most of these "vintage" professional saws would outlast and outlive pretty much whatever you can buy today. PS: don't bother with the PPE gear included with the Proyama kit, it's toy-grade crap. Use it on Halloween night if you truly must!

Enjoy the videos Brock

The old Partner 5000s are like that. The chain stop I mean.🤔 I think you are suppose to run your saw with a rich mixture for the first tank for break-in. maybe 40:1 instead of 50:1

I like Farmertech . Yes they make old clone’s from Husky and Stihl

I have a 62cc chinese saw that looks to me like a clone of the German saws my father used back in the '80s by Dolmar. It isn't the level of quality or ruggedness of those old saws but man does it rip for a saw with a 20" bar on it that costs like $120. It handles a full plunge of the bar in oak no problem. The saw it replaced, a Poulan Pro, really had to be babied. I'm so glad I got rid of that thing and bought this one. So much nicer. Power-wise it holds up well to some older Stihl's I've used before.

Definatley weak power band saw but for theweeekend wrrior of farm use the short life of these saws is fine. I would rather spend a tad more and but a better clone saw from Neotec in the 70 cc range.

Great Video Brock! I am not at all surprised with the results. The Proyama for clarification is a Zenoah Clone which I believe became Redmax and Husqvarna now owns them. In Japan, you can buy the brand new Redmax based on the same platform and they are quite pricey. Parts are very plentiful due to the popularity of this saw around the world. There can be some variation in plastics and recoil starts but overall, not too bad to service of need be!

Husqvarna farm boss $400. Husqvarna 365e special $650 Eco 300 series top trigger climbing saw, $386 eco up lift saw $467 Wild thing, 16in for small limbs, $279

On the matter of outboard vs inboard clutches, there are a number of variables involved, but most of it boils down to a couple of things. Inboard clutches are easier get the chain in and off of. Outboard clutches allow for a smaller crankshaft bearings because the pressure from a tensioned chain is applied closer to the bearing. Inboard clutches allow for a more robust chain brake that is built into the power head. Outboard clutches require the brake assembly to be in the clutch cover which tends to have less structural integrity.

I checked on the link and was a smaller saw. I couldn"t find the the 24"- 20" version.

Chainsaws after holding one for a couple hours in the bush the weight of the saw becomes the issue how well you are able to sharpen the saw and the hp the motor will produce gives you the speed of the cut my saw was less than 200 bucks (timberpro) it has probably cut 50 plus white ash log 12 to 18in round a tank of fuel will make 25 to 30 cuts the only problem I have had is the handle cracked as I do push the saw through the cut going from a low power saw to high power is the difference but again the weight of the saw is a factor if it is an everyday job

Looks like the husqvarna 372XP clone. I have one, great saw.

Seems good enough.

The og Tanaka is my favorite

Cheap saws are awesome. All saws are awesome really

Are you putting a new chains on both saws so you have equal testing?

The original was the Zenoah Komatsu G500 AVS, the 50cc chainsaw from the late 90's I have learned tree felling with and after 25 years that thing has still more torque than most 50cc chainsaws I own. Cylinder, piston and cranks are of japanese top quality and far superior to the Mahle components that used to supply Stihl (not anymore). Blue prints of the 25cc G2500 (the best 25cc back then) were bought by Husqvarna, since they couldn't come up with something competitive, and became the T425. Zenoah Komatsu no longer makes the G500AVS unfortunately and I suspect the components in these clones are not of the same quality. I paid good money for it back then and it was worth every dollar

Stihl usually has a wider gauge than other saws. Big Stihls are usually 58 gauge or 63 gauge while other brand saws are mostly 50 gauge. You gave us the pitch on the saws; it was 3/8, but what is the gauge on the new saw? I looked it up. The chain on the Proyama saw is 3/8 pitch and 58 gauge, so the two saws are comparable.

Being a bit weird here. That proyama saw just sounds strange to me. Looking forward to how it holds up as you use it.

My dad gave me his old McCulloch pro mac 610. It's a few years older than me and wasn't run in decades. Put some fresh gas in it, added some starter fluid and it kicked right over. Added seafoam to the next tank and it's been running great. Its a little heavy but a great saw. Run it out of gas before you store it and it'll probably run forever. Can't beat free. Company folded years ago but still a lot of them out there.