Craftsman 18" electric chainsaw

[sbwertz]

I'm looking at buying a larger saw to handle all this mulberry. I discovered that almost every large chainsaw west of the mississippi has gone to the east coast!

I finally found ONE at Sears here in Phoenix. It is the Craftsman 18" electric chainsaw, (relabeled Poulon 400e)

Don't have much choice, but anyone know anything about it? ( Has to be electric, can't pull a recoil starter on a gas one.)

 

[its_virgil]

I have a craftsman 18" model #172.34120. Tghe plastic case is red and has no other mfg markings except sears and craftsman. I use it regularly both in my shop and elsewhere to do exactly what you are doing. I recently cut up a 20 inch cottonwood log about 6 ft long into bowl blanks. It works fine and seems to have all of the power I have needed. Sure beats pulling on a starter rope.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I'm looking at buying a larger saw to handle all this mulberry. I discovered that almost every large chainsaw west of the mississippi has gone to the east coast!

I finally found ONE at Sears here in Phoenix. It is the Craftsman 18" electric chainsaw, (relabeled Poulon 400e)

Don't have much choice, but anyone know anything about it? ( Has to be electric, can't pull a recoil starter on a gas one.)

 

[Wildman]

I bought one last year, read instructions, filled with oil, plugged in and nothing happened. After fiddling with it for half hour took back for a refund.

Read a review on line that said best deal around on sale.

I am still looking! Hope you have better luck then I did.

 

[KenV]

Sharon

Wood Turning Design came yesterday with an article on electric chainsaws. Bill Blasic liked the Stil then the Makita. That left the Craftsman in the bottom 2.

I use a cheap electric, and suspect any of them will stand a turners occasional use. The quiet is a good reason to use electric.

Get and use the safety gear even with an electric!

 

[sbwertz]

Tools of the Trade OnLine had a review of the following chainsaws.
*****

The electric chainsaws in the test were the Craftsman 34107 (McCulloch MS1630NT–with slightly smaller motor; Troy-Bilt TBE3516NT), Craftsman 34118 (Poulan 400E–with case), Husqvarna 316 (Jonsered CS2116EL), Makita 5012B, Makita UC 4000 (Dolmar ES171–with coast-down brake), Milwaukee 6215, Remington LD3516AWB, and Stihl MSE 180 C-BQ and MSE 220.
The saws featured 16-inch bars, except for the Makita 5012B (12-inch bar) and Craftsman 34118 (18-inch bar).


The Stihl and Husky were the top rated, but next were these:


Two more I really liked were the Makita 5012B and the Craftsman 34118. The Makita 5012B is an older design, but it has stood the test of time. Light, super-compact, smooth, and versatile, its maneuverability and blazing-fast chain speed cut and detail like no other. The Craftsman 34118 was a surprise standout among much pricier saws. It felt very well balanced, had plenty of power, has quality features, and has the only 18-inch bar in the bunch. This saw received the special designation of Value Choice among its competition.


*******



It was also a Consumer Reports best buy.


Most important, however, is that it was AVAILABLE. The storms have taken almost all the big saws to the east coast. I couldn't find an 18" at all on Amazon, except for the Remington.



The 34118 has been replaced by the 34120, but is basically the same saw, a relabeled Poulon 400E. This was the last one Sears had. I'll let you know how it works.

Sharon

Wood Turning Design came yesterday with an article on electric chainsaws. Bill Blasic liked the Stil then the Makita. That left the Craftsman in the bottom 2.

I use a cheap electric, and suspect any of them will stand a turners occasional use. The quiet is a good reason to use electric.

Get and use the safety gear even with an electric!

 

[eupher58]

I used to sell these things at the local Sears. They'll offer you a 2 year extended warranty for about 15 bucks. I was never a fan of those plans, except on electric stuff. There is no repair if it burns up. Wont cover the chain, probably not the bar, but it will cover the electric motor, switch etc.... Most of those ext warranties are garbage, but on electric stuff not a bad deal.....

 

[ossaguy]

I'm sure it costs more,but the Stihl is really nice.Somone special ordered one the other day at work,and I was impressed with the heavy-dutiness of it,of what I saw.

Probably the last one you would ever have to buy,and you will easily be able to get parts & service for it for years down the road.It's not a disposable one.

They now have a nice cordless one too,but it's real pricey since the battery,charger & saw all are sold separately.Just as heavy-duty.

Steve

 

[sbwertz]

I'm sure it costs more,but the Stihl is really nice.Somone special ordered one the other day at work,and I was impressed with the heavy-dutiness of it,of what I saw.

Probably the last one you would ever have to buy,and you will easily be able to get parts & service for it for years down the road.It's not a disposable one.

They now have a nice cordless one too,but it's real pricey since the battery,charger & saw all are sold separately.Just as heavy-duty.

Steve

I couldn't find one here in Phx. Or a Husky. Not over 16 inches, anyway. Gas, yes, but neither my husband nor I can pull a recoil starter any more.

I liked the Worx, but they are sold out at the factory. (Sandy strikes again).

My tree trimmer has a 48" and a 36" gas Stihl, and it they are awesome. But WAY more saw than we can handle.

My old 14" McCulloch is a great little saw...about 35 years old, but still a workhorse. It is just too small to handle some of these big mulberry crowns. Even the 18" is too small for many of them. Fortunately my trimmer is going to come over with his big Stihl and cut some of them up into smaller pieces my saws can handle.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Sharon

Funny story about the McCulloch. The switch failed on it and I took it to my Dad in OK to fix. On the Airplane. IN my checked luggage.

For some reason, my bag was opened and searched. Can't imagine why LOL!

 

[dogcatcher]

I have a small electric 30 year old Craftsman, I rarely need a larger one, but when I finally did I bought a cheap one, the cheapest I could find, doubting if I would ever use it again. Well I did, I have used it a lot and it keeps on cutting, I have sharpened the blade and filled the oiler is all that has been needed. Found it on Amazon, had it in 2 days.

 

[mikespenturningz]

I see several on Amazon that say they are in stock!

Amazon.com: Sun Joe SWJ701E 18-Inch 15 Amp Electric Chain Saw: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com: 18" Electric Chain Saw: Patio, Lawn & Garden

And there are a few others. This worx looks pretty good actually.

 

[sbwertz]

I saw the Sun Joe, but never heard of it and there were no reviews.

The Worx is a new listing. But I still probably would have gone with the Craftsman because of the shipping time on this one...It isn't an Amazon Prime with two day shipping, and I really wanted to get some of this stuff cut up this week.

I am really liking the Craftsman. It is going through these crowns like a hot knife through butter. The Worx has automatic chain tensioning, which I really like, though. It's a little heavy for me, but my husband handles it OK. He cuts it up in big slabs, then I cut it into smaller, bandsaw-sized slabs with either the 14" McCulloch or the 10" Remington. (We now are a three chainsaw operation!)

I just slabbed a bunch of it on the bandsaw this morning. I'll post some pics later. Some really nice color in the bigger crowns.

I have to go make like a computer consultant this afternoon, so I probably won't get any more cutting done.

 

[sbwertz]

I just got an email from Worx. The 18" has been discontinued. I'm glad now that I didn't buy it because it means parts will be hard to find down the road.

 

[Rob73]

I've had two electric craftsmen chainsaws. 16" if I recall. I've had no luck with them though. They worked well...when they worked. The first one broke with in an hour. A metal stud inside broke off and that was that. Sears replaced it and with in the week the second one was down. In my younger days I loved craftsmen products.. these days I avoid them.

 

[Dave Turner]

I bought the Craftsman 34118 model back in 2008 and really like it. I only use it occasionally, but it's always worked well for me and I had no trouble with 20 inch diameter logs. This is my first and only chain saw so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'd buy it again without hesitation. It's really easy to adjust the chain and clear out the sawdust on this one. I especially enjoy the low maintenance of an electric chain saw. I always worry about safety, especially mine, so I bought the Husqvarna safety chaps and boots with steel metatarsal protectors that I always use when chain sawing. I still treat the chainsaw with lots of respect, since I know it's out to get me if I'm not careful.

 

[sbwertz]

I used to sell these things at the local Sears. They'll offer you a 2 year extended warranty for about 15 bucks. I was never a fan of those plans, except on electric stuff. There is no repair if it burns up. Wont cover the chain, probably not the bar, but it will cover the electric motor, switch etc.... Most of those ext warranties are garbage, but on electric stuff not a bad deal.....

They had a 3 year full replacement warranty for $13. I took it, since I plan to give the saw quite a workout.

Cutting up these crowns is sort of like trying to slice up a porcupine! They are covered with hundreds of branch stubs.