I had to run tanaka saws for a spell once and I thought they were terrible saws, never want to touch another one. They were light, that is the one good thing I can say about a tanaka saw.
The husky saws you will get at lowes are junk. If youre gona buy a husky, go to a dealer, they sell better saws.
Stihl is my brand, not that theyre better than a husky but they are easier for me to work on. If you use a chainsaw much, you will be working on it so that matters.
For homeowner use, a stihl 250 is hard to beat. If youre cutting firewood to heat with all winter, you might move up to a 311. If youre making a living with it, a 441 is hard to beat. I use a 660 to saw big wood and it has become my preferred saw. I climb with a 170 and it is quite impressive for its size( for cutting up to 10inch limbs)
The saw for you really depends on how youre going to be using it. Like someone else said, buy a little bigger than you think youll need.

Few years ago my neighbors had some cut, the logger used a hydro ax. They wouldn't get in the roughs and wouldn't use a saw . They left some of the best, high dollar timber standing because they wouldn't get out of the cab and use a saw. Machine can be used up here , but not everywhere, if you're gonna get it all and usually some of the best, ya gotta go old school.

For the little bit of cutting we do (maybe 3 - 4 cords per year) I prefer a smaller saw. We seldomly have to cut a really big tree. I like the smaller lighter saw because all of the limbing work and cutting the small branches wears me out more the have to spend a little more time on the truck section.

Most of the logging crews don't have a man that knows how to fell timber with a chainsaw, there is a lot more to it than just cranking the saw and sticking the bar in there. A lot of crews will be a loader operator, a feller buncher operator and a skidder driver, 3 men plus the truck drivers and they will get 60 + loads of wood a week, they have to make production to make payments. Cutting with a saw is very slow compared to a buncher.

Your LA and Fla loggers don't need a saw man in flat , pine woods. In hardwood mountainous logging it's common to run up on a area of high grade large timber in a place too rough for the machine. That's why those trees are there if it were easy they would have been cut previously . Many trees may be worth 1K apiece or more , time to get out of the cab and crank the saw. Apples to oranges.

Stihl or Husky either one will serve you well.

My son with many years experience, refers Husky.

I say buy from whatever brand dealer is convenient to you.
For me that's Stihl.

I wouldn't want to tote one all day either. But they do come in handy sometimes. When a storm drops a few big oaks and gum trees.
However, if you'd like to see what "Real Loggers" use, go up to Oregon or Washington and meet some real loggers who run a 50# saw with a 42" bar all day everyday.

They cut big trees that call for big saws. Any saw in capable hands will cut down a tree over 2X the bar length.

I've had some pines in the yard that were in the neighborhood of 35" at the bole, cutting them down and then piecing them up is mostly what the big saw is used for. It and the Stihl both have yellow dot chains, The Shindaiwa has an almost 8ci engine...it's heavy, as in REAL heavy, after a few cuts, but it cuts so aggressively, that most trees don't have to be cut down with it...you can threaten them with it and they'll just fall over!

The Stihl and the Husky are both 16" saws...they see the most use, especially the Stihl. Again, that yellow dot chain is an aggressive cutter.

The Tanaka is a 12" climbing saw...never fails to start and run, cuts very well, and is light enough that you don't feel dragged down when climbing with it. It also cost 1/3 of what the same saw in Stihl cost, although the prices on them have gone up, recently.

Love my Stihl just hard to start but once running hard to stop!

The yellow dot chains that you mention, is that the ones without the drag links? If so those are some sho nuff cutting chains but are way more prone to kickbacks so be cautious with them.

For those little climbing saws a Stihl 200T is an excellent Choice but will run $600.+. So the Tanaka is around $200.? I know nothing about them, but if they can be compared to the 200T or a 190T without being outclassed then that's a great bargain.

That's correct on the chains. I bought the Tanaka about a year and half or two years ago, it was $199, then. It's probably outclassed by the Stihl climbing saws, but you'd have to compare them side by side to tell it. It's never failed to do what I asked it to do, and I've been told many times "you never abuse anything you own, but you sure expect a helluva lot out of it!" I moved and stacked 26 pine logs 22-25" x 80' with a 23hp tractor...had to go about it differently than I would have with a bigger tractor, but got it done!

Stihl

Husqvarna - service done by Jimmy Bynum in Fayette ...

Professional Loggers even in rough terrain use big saws because they don't have to make two cuts or fight with felling the tree. All that gets dangerous on a steep hill, think about it. Around here most crews are going to fell, top and limb for cut/skid operations with a 20" saw.

The further you go West the larger the saws get. They are typically 24's in the Rockies and 30+ on the West Coast.

That is not to say that a 24" or larger bar is not useful. I like a 28" because you can do about anything around here with 1 cut..zip, done.... and while limbing or topping you are NOT stooping over all day. It is just dangerous because you have that much more blade to cut your leg off with.

And nearly every crew has one over 20" with them.... you just have to size the saw to the wood and what is most efficient for production crews around our neck of the woods is just a standard 20".


Here is the difference....they are running that 20" bar on a 460 or a 372xp or similar saw and it will zip right through the piece..... unlike some homeowner grade POS which is what we are discussing that is going to bog down and struggle to pull that 20" safety chain through pine.

I have a Stihl 028, 18 inch bar that was my dads, and it still cuts as well as the day we bought it. I also bought a small Husky with a small bar to work on a hill side cutting small brush and trees. I also have been a great saw. So I dont think you could go wrong with one or the other.

I have a Husky Rancher 465 and its been great. Only thing I have ever had to do was replace the plastic primer bulb last year.

I love Chainsaws....BIG Vintage Saws from the 70's!!!! I've got a Homelite Super Wiz 70....95 CC/7.7 Horse engine...Gear Drive pulling a 1/2" pitch Chain. A McCullough G-70 72 CC Engine....gear drive pulling a 1/2" pitch chain. And a Pioneer P51 77 CC direct drive pulling a .404 pitch chain. All are running bow bars....Homie has a 30" Bar as well. They will still eat some wood UP!!!! Old saws I picked up and repaired from some Old Pulpwood Dudes....

Yeah. My POS Poulan gave out today. Went to crank it and the primer bulb was rotted. Chain came off the bar twice. I'm done with that one. Thanks for the feedback and the texts. I'm gonna do some looking and will buy this week. I'm not going back to camp next weekend without a good saw. I shoulda jumped on a "show special" at the Husky booth at Buckmasters. My BIL is good friends with the guy and prob could've knocked a few more bucks off.

Dr. B

I was just about to ask if anybody remembers the McCullouch saws.
I haven't seen one in years but they were pretty good saws back in the day.