Consumer Reports Rates Chain Saws

Heavy-Duty Gas

Think it’s hard to decide between industry leaders Stihl and Husqvarna? Well, so does Consumer Reports magazine. But in the October 2013 issue, Stihl edged out Husqvarna on performance and price, garnering a “CR Best Buy”. The Stihl MS 180 C-BE (or the 181 C-BE) got CR’s top rating, and cost only $230.

These two top performers both weighed 11 pounds and had 16 inch chains. The Husqvarna 435 440E came in second at $270. Third and fourth place went to Echo, and a Poulan Pro came in 5^th at $180.

Light-Duty Gas

Among the light duty saws, the Craftsman 34190 (made by Poulan Pro) came in top, at $150 and the Homelite UTI0589A second at $160. The light duty saws were no lighter in weight, and sometimes were heavier than the heavy-duty saws. Their chain length was also the same, either 16 or 18 inch.

Corded Electric

The top ranked corded electric saws performed as well as the light-duty gas saws. The best, the Worx WG303.1 cost only $100 and weighs 11 pounds. It sawed as quickly as some light duty models and spared you the hassle of refueling, pull starting and tune-ups.

Consumer Reports did not provide any information on repair history. For the complete CR story you may have to be a CR subscriber: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/chain-saws.htm?loginMethod=auto

Now for advice from the Alliance for Green Heat: Even if your wood stove can take an 18 or even a 20 inch log, considering cutting lots into lengths of about 14 to 16 inches, especially if you're planning to burn it in the next few months (less than 6 months). Shorter, split pieces of wood will dry faster, and give you more usable BTUs from each log. And remember, you need to split the wood as soon as possible to really start the drying process. Un-split wood does not dry well and can double the time it takes to season the wood. The EPA's Burn Wise program's Best Burn Practices notes, "Wood burns best when the moisture content is less than 20 percent. You can purchase a wood moisture meter to test the moisture content of your wood before you burn it."

AGH Guest Blogs for CSIA

Updated: Feb. 2021 - Alliance for Green President John Ackerly wrote a guest blog post for the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), offering tips for consumers on selecting clean and energy efficient wood stoves: 

Keeping a chimney clean means a lot more than just using dry firewood.  If you use a wood stove to heat your home more than once a week, you should have an EPA certified stove.  EPA certified stoves also wear out.  If your stove is your primary heater, replacing your stove every 10 - 15 years is a good idea, just like most appliances.

When this blog was written in 2012, most EPA certified stoves emited an average of around three to four grams of particulates per hour, compared to 20-40 grams for the uncertified wood stoves made before 1988.  As of 2020, all stoves must emit no more than 2 or 2.5 grams an hour in the lab.  But the reason your chimney can still get dirty, is that in the home, a stove can still easily emit up to 10 grams if your wood is not fully seasoned and/you don't give your stove enough air.  

Also, the EPA tells us that certified stoves are “50% more energy efficient” than uncertified stoves. This means, for example, that instead of burning wood at 50% efficiency, you could be getting 75% efficiency from your wood.  Instead of sending smoke up your chimney, the most efficient stoves reburn the smoke before it goes up the pipe, either with secondary burn tubes or a catalytic converter.  Smoke, after all, gives off plenty of heat because it has lots of Btus.

One last piece of advice: when the chimney sweep comes, spend a little time looking over his or her              shoulder and ask them lots of questions.  They are a great resources and, for instance, can tell just by looking at your ashes how well you run your stove.  Ask them if your clearances are right and if the stove is showing any signs of deterioration. They can also check out your wood supply.  Make sure to keep their report in your files in case, god forbid, the insurance company ever asks for it.

Click here for the entire blog post