Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First a little background... I am a newb when it comes to owning and using a chainsaw, but am no stranger to power equipment and small engines. I bought this saw after we had a rare high-powered storm come through Maryland this past June with sustained gale+ force winds that brought down a lot of timber. I have a moderate understanding of gas-powered 2-cycle equipment and have learned more since owning this saw. After about an hour of research (mainly from here on Amazon) I decided on this model, but bought it semi-locally (1hr drive) for expedience-sake [out of stock on Amazon]. Why I went with the PP5020AV: 1. $200 + 50cc engine + 20" bar... the guy who helped clear our driveway used a Stihl MS290 Farm Boss (56.5cc) with a 20" bar, I'd seen bigger saws used, but about that size seemed right for my usage. I looked at Stihl and then Husqvarna and felt somewhat crestfallen about the prices (remember, I'm not getting into the tree-felling biz here). 2. It was claimed to be made by Husqvarna... If you are carefully combing though reviews on this saw, you'll see people saying that it's made by Husqvarna. This really caught my eye since I knew a Husqy was a true pro saw, and if Husqvarna was anything like, say, a car company... I figured I was probably buying a Kia instead of a Hyundai (actually, I wasn't too far off). If this was a Husqy, I figured I was getting the Husqvarna 450's ugly step brother with a longer bar and heavier gauge chain. ...and? The reality is that it is indeed made by Husqvarna (the inside of the clutch/sprocket cover has the Husqvarna "H" logo on it, plus I have the original shipping label with Husqvarna's namesake on the return address to prove it). Also, if you prefer black over yellow, you can get the same saw with a Craftsman sticker at your local Sears ( model # 35098 ). The questionable: - After reading more about chainsaws, I question whether it was smart for Poulan/Husqvarna to put a 20" bar with a 3/8" pitch chain on this saw. The Husqy 450 and comparable Stihl MS 271 I think both come stock with an 18" bar and have the -option- to go up to 20" but both use .325" pitch chains. One of the ways you can get more chain speed is to lower the chain pitch. All this makes me think that the PP5020AV may have a bar+chain+sprocket combo that's a bit bigger than it should have, but then again this appears to be debatable with a 50cc saw on the aboristsite forums. Additionally, while you -can- get a 28" bar for the PP5020AV, just because you can, doesn't mean you should... and... stop trying to compensate. Apparently, 20" is really the upper realistic bar length for a 50cc saw according to various arborists, many seem to recommend going down to 18" or even a 16" bar for a 50cc. Others say 20" should be fine if you keep your chain nice and sharp and let the saw feed itself when cutting. Regardless, I think if I put a 28" bar or maybe even a 24" bar on this saw I'd burn it up. - A bit on the heavy side, but if you were using it every day... well... you'd probably want to buy a Stihl, Husqvarna, or other pro saw anyway for other reasons. Also, man up. The Bad: -You can't get the more efficient, more interchangeable, rim style sprockets, or even upgraded spur sprockets for this saw, and Oregon doesn't plan to support it either. You're apparently stuck with the OEM spur sprocket. There is one more unsupported combination I'm going to try though with Oregon parts. If they work I'll update this post. -The stock guide bar on this saw takes 70 drive link, 3/8" pitch, .050 gauge chain. Chain with 70 drive links can be more difficult to find if you stray from the OEM brand, low-kickback chain. -You will eventually need a special carburetor adjustment tool (part # 530035560) that is becoming more difficult to obtain as they don't want you adjusting your own saw carb. Instead, they want you to take it to an authorized service center for adjustment. - The included scrench sucks. It allowed too much play when attempting to remove the spark plug, and started to round the corners of the spark plug. The scrench shaft also bent when trying to remove the very tight and stubborn spark plug. I had to use a deep socket 19mm ratchet to loosen the bugger. The Good: - Made by Husqvarna. - 50cc engine. Unit is about on par with a Husqvarna 450 in terms of Engine size - It seems to cut just fine even with the 3/8" pitch 20" combo... I have so far used it on Oak, and Tulip Poplar - You can get 20" Oregon bars that take 72 drive link chain instead of the stock 70 drive link. This is significant because most of the chain for 20" bars you'll find locally (at least that I've found... unless you stick with Poulan/Craftsman OEM chain) is going to be 72 drive link because that's what the ~56cc Husqvarnas and Stihls use. You can order 70 drive link Oregon chain though, it's just harder to find. But if you break a chain or try to carve a rock and don't have a spare, it's nice to be able to drive down to the closest mom & pop or Ace hardware store, small engine repair shop, or Stihl dealer and get a replacement chain. - I like this saw just fine, It does what I need it to do around the property for a price I can stomach. Other Comments: - Many say that this saw's (and Husqvarna's) anti-vibration is very good. I have nothing to compare it to, but I'll take their word for it. My hands still felt a bit numbed even with gloves on after using it for a while, just sayin'. - The one person who mentioned the green, yellow, and red dot chain/sprocket combos... I've never heard of red dot, but from what I understand, the sprocket has nothing to do with it. It's the chain and bar nose/bar nose sprocket tooth count that can be green or yellow dot/symbol. Basically, green safety (low kickback) "dot" is what the saw comes with, both bar and chain. You can easily get yellow "dot" chains and bars for this (most easily from Oregon chain), just not from Poulan. Example: Oregon Power Match 20" Bar - 200RNDK095 + correct size LGX standard sequence chisel chain - 72LGX072G. The equivalent 70 drive link for the OEM bar would be 72LGX070G. - I have had no notable issues starting the saw. Follow the directions to start the first time, pull briskly, and for cold starts you'll start it. For hot starts... well... this isn't a push button start 4-cycle lawn tractor... It's a 2-cycle. Sometimes 2-cycles can be a little touchy to start once hot. This seems to just be the nature of a 2-cycle engine. If you stall it once it's hot and after a few pulls can't start it, try half-choke and pull some more, if that fails... try full choke and/or bulb prime a couple of times (try not to flood it), then one of the two other options. Pay attention to what works when and you'll get the hang of it. It won't be a totally random sequence, it should be repeatable. - Tip: Use FRESH 92+ octane gas as your 2-cycle base fuel, and add Sta-Bil Marine grade (blue) stabilizer to keep it fresh for a while. Your saw may even start more easily. - Tip: If you've been cutting for a while and the saw starts to lose power, stop the engine and check the fuel tank. If it's low, the saw will be easier to re-start if you fill the tank at this point than if you let it run out completely. - Tip: Only use smokeless/ashless 2-cycle oil for the mix. That's what comes with the saw. Use it and your saw will live longer. I ordered Tanaka Perfect Mix 2-cycle from here on Amazon based on reviews. You may also want to look at Royal Purple 2-stroke oil (make sure you get the mix ratio right!). - Tip: If you order the carb adjustment tool with your saw, I've read that you shouldn't adjust it until your 4th tank of fuel, it intentionally comes running a tad rich from the factory in order to safely break the engine in. Even so, properly adjusting the carb takes either a good ear or a decent tachometer. There are discussions on both methods on the Intarwebs.