Poulan ES350 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw
by Poulan
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List Price: Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Poulan ES350 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw
Customer Review: Good saw, within limits
Summary: 4 Stars
Because of shoulder problems, I find starting gasoline-powered saws difficult, so I bought the Poulan electric. I have been impressed with its power and cutting speed and have given it moderately heavy use, connected to the power line and to a generator. I have cut up some fairly large trees, but mostly I have used it on brush and limbs. As with any chain saw, the user should let the saw do the cutting and resist the temptation to force the saw through the wood. If you need to force it, the chain needs sharpening. This is particularly important with an electric.
My saw quit working suddenly while cutting up a large tree. I disassembled the saw to check the motor (The saw must be COMPLETELY disassembled to get at the motor). The commutator was burned, no doubt from letting the saw lug while connected to a too long and wimpy extension cord. I buffed the commutator with XF sandpaper and reassembled the saw. The usual tools are required, plus a pair of small forceps to reattach the oil line. The saw was obviously not designed to be serviced. It worked fine for about a year, until I loaned it to a friend who is not known to be tool-friendly. It is now awaiting another rebuild.
In summation, buy this saw, but DON'T OVERLOAD THE MOTOR.
Customer Review: Great saw for occasional use!
Summary: 5 Stars
Got this saw a while back cause I knew I'd need it eventually. Hurricane Ike knocked the top off of a 17" diameter tree. Used this saw to finish falling the tree and for getting it into manageable pieces. If you don't use a saw very often gas models tend to get gummed up and/or hard to start. This beauty of an electric sat and waited until it was needed and then preformed admirably. It chops up 10-12" logs like butter. Larger diameters are possible but slower. The product description claims up to 32" logs can be cut. Do not buy this saw if you have lumber that big to cut! I'm sure it is possible but this is not the saw for jobs that big.
I've owned a few saws including an old 6" or 8" Sears electric (nice but it had a manual oiler and it was just too small), an electric Remington (Cheap Junk, noisy), a gas powered Homelite (hard to start, noisy, smoky, vibrates ), and this Poulan 16 inch electric (best saw I've ever owned, fairly quiet, powerful, large enough for some serious work, automatic oiler, etc.).
BTW order direct from Amazon for a good price and free "super saver" shipping. Sometimes other retailers come up that may not offer as good of a deal. Shop around.
Customer Review: Works quite well, excellent price!
Summary: 4 Stars
Moved into a house with overgrown trees in back. Had to do a lot of cutting. Was using a reciprocating saw which worked well but time consuming. Cutting a 10 inch branch took a lot of effort and most often than not bent the saw blade. Was constantly changing blades and the cost was rapidly adding up!
So I decided to see what I could get for around $125.00 and was surprised to see that I could get a pretty powerful saw for around $100 bucks! I had a cheapie electric chain saw a long time ago that someone left at the old house we lived in. Having a pretty good experience using it, I decided to go for this saw.
Suffice to say, I AM NOT DISSAPOINTED. This works very well and I can cut things down in record time! My only contention is that it uses a lot of oil, but if it saves the saw blade .. so be it! The other is that it's a bit heavy to lug up a tree for a person under 145 lbs. It's hard to handle one handed (sawing a large branch while trying to hold on with the other hand) and that could be an adventure. But it works and works well!
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to others. Great saw for the price!
Customer Review: Excellent chainsaw -- fit for purpose
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this 16-inch Poulan (3.5 hp, automatic oiler) after reading the reviews, and I am happy with the purchase. The chainsaw arrived 3 days after I ordered it (I am in metro-DC suburb). The instruction booklet had useful, detailed information. After inspection and adding the chainsaw oil, this Poulan was at work on a 25-foot apple tree in the backyard. The 3.5hp Poulan (with brand-new blades) smoothly cut thru the 9-inch diameter trunk and with trimming of branches. I am happy with the Poulan. [A complaint: the original box was crushed. While a box does not affect chainsaw performance, I want a good-shape box for storage.] // [I have a 4-year old 16-in Remington electric : a 3hp manual-oiler. The Remington motor remains good but its blades would jump off its guide every 20 minutes, interrupting work and posing a safety issue. The Remington also leaks oil badly.]
*** SAFETY HINT: Always take a few minutes to review tree-cutting and safety procedures. I forgot to factor in a tree's lean and the apple tree almost crashed into a fence.
Customer Review: WOW!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used several different brands of gas powered chainsaws over the years and find this electric to be ABSOLUTELY as good as any of them. The fact of having to fight an extension cord is balanced by the fact of NOT having to fight the gas/oil mixing and the all-too-often hard starting. The ONLY disadvantage is when the electricity is out or not available like in the deep woods. For those times, I have my Stihl. I have used this Poulan electric after two disasters - Hurricane Gustav and the great snow of 2008. Both events brought medium-sized trees and really big limbs down and this thing went through everything like they were warm butter. The auto-oiler works perfectly and does NOT over-oil. The chain life has surprised me with how loooong it lasted. I would highly recommend this $67 (Amazon)chainsaw to anyone. It's not designed for the really big stuff or the long days of hard use like the big heavy duty Stihl but it is waaaaay adequate for use around our home. 5 stars!!!