Poulan Pro 400E 18-Inch 4 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 Pro 400E 18-Inch 4 HP Electric Chain Saw
Customer Review: Great saw, but heavy use will strip gears. Can be fixed.
Summary: 4 Stars
I do a LOT of wood cutting and I mainly use two of these electric saws. I only pull out the gas saws if I have to go far away. I've downed 4 foot diameter trees with these saws. Here are some tips:
-use heavy duty 12 gauge extention cords for 100 feet or more. I regularly use 2 of them connected together for 200' reach.
-keep it more than 1/3 full of oil and fill it up before you cut through sappy wood like pine. A stuck chain will strip the ring gear.
-the aftermarket Oregon chains work a little better than the Poulan chain.
-watch out for pinched chains. It will stip the ring gear.
-keep the chain sharp! I sharpen about every 2-3 oil fills. I use a diamond rotory file on my dremel. Works awesome. Be sure to lower the ramp in front of the cutting tooth as you sharpen it down so you have goood "bite".
The good thing about electric saws is that you have incredible torque. I mean you can just lean on your saw and cut through wood like butter. The bad thing is that if you bind the chain, it will likely strip the ring gear since it's made of plastic. There is no clutch like on a gas saw. Go easy when cutting sticky wood or really hard wood. Use a plastic wedge to hold open long cuts that might bind.
If you do strip the ring gear, you can replace it, but it isn't easy to get the saw back together again properly. They are only $13 from Poulan. There are a lot of screws and some of them are hidden. Watch out for the washer under the ring gear. You have to be sure to put the oil line back into the slot so it doesn't rub on the ring gear. Took me awhile to figure out why oil was pouring out from my saw after I put it back together. The oil line is easily damaged by the ring gear if it touches it. Get a new $2 drive sprocket before you use the Oregon chains and replace them every once in awile. Getting the torsion spring on the hand guard isn't easy. Set the chain brake "on" before you take the saw apart.
I've cut probably 20 cords of wood with these saws and gone through 6 chains and 8 ring gears. Good luck!
Customer Review: Great product, and great service
Summary: 3 Stars
This saw really slices through the wood. Works just as well as any gas powered chainsaw I've ever used. They shipped the saw in the original packaging, so It's not really packed well for shipping, but I got mine the day after I ordered and the box was in pretty good shape.(I'm not sure how well the box would hold up on a cross country shipement) The chain tension mechanism was defective on the saw I received, but here's where the great service comes in. I logged on to Amazon, and they pretty muched immediatley shipped me out a replacement, no questions asked, and they've sent UPS to pick up the defective saw. I ordered the saw Wednesday afternoon, it was sitting on my porch when I got home from work the next day. I used it Saturday, and then it broke. They shipped me a replacement on Sunday, and it's now Monday, so we'll see how long it takes to come in. Minus the defect on the saw, everything else worked great. What blows my mind, is I selected FREE super saver shipping, and I got the saw the day after I ordered it.
Update June 16, 2010: I've only used the saw for a couple of jobs, and it's now broke and out of warranty. This thing works great when new, but you really have to baby it, and be careful not to bind the blade EVER,(and I mean ever) I had the blade get caught twice, out of the few times I used the saw. The second time the nylon gear inside the saw stripped/broke some of it's teeth off. Now the saw is incredibly loud when ran, and it slips when the blade comes in contact with any resistance. All the oil drains out of the saw when stored also, so you have to make sure and drain the reservoir before storage. It does have alot of power, but it's not made to last. Would be fine if you were really careful and baby'd the saw. The power is there, but the internal construction can't seem to handle all that power for extended use. I'd say it's a pretty disposable saw for one time heavy jobs. May last awhile if lightly used, and well taken care of......maybe. Contacted the company to see if they'll do anything. I'll update the review to reflect their customer service.
Customer Review: Shipped me an open box and defective unit
Summary: 2 Stars
After reading all the positive reviews on this saw and the positive experience I have with the Craftsman 3.5 HP electric chain saw (34116), I decide to buy this electric chainsaw instead of an 18" gas powered model. The Craftsman has been used to fell pines and poplars as large as 12" in diameter with no problem and I have had it for over three years and it has cut a lot of trees.
Well, I have to send this one back to Amazon today. To Amazon's credit, it allowed me to return but this one should never been shipped out.
The box on this saw was opened already because the box staples were all missing. Plus, there was the word "oilll" on the box. Apparently Amazon decided to ship me an opened (maybe defective) unit. This might be due to the fact that they only had a few in stock.
I immediately contacted Amazon. The service was excellent. A replacement one was ordered for me and I was asked to send back this one. However, the replacement was not ready to ship because of "change of suppliers". I cancelled the replacement order, figuring I would give this one a try. If it works, then I will keep it. If not, I will return.
So I put oil in the saw and tried a few cuts. Not to my surprise, the automatic oiler on the saw did not pump any oil. The chain and bar stayed very dry. I then ran it in high speed for about another minute and it was still dry. The saw, however, sound very powerful. It is a bit heavier than my Craftsman 34116.
I really have mixed feeling on this order after many many orders from Amazon. I am also looking to buy an air compressor/nailer kit. In reading some of the feedbacks, there were users complaining Amazon shipping opened units. As I said Amazon should have never shipped this one out as it was apparently defective. However, its service in dealing with the issue was excellent. So overall, I will give this a two star rating because of the excellent after problem service.
Customer Review: Defective and Poor Design
Summary: 1 Stars
I read many of the positive reviews about this saw and made my purchase on that basis. First, I was very dissapointed in the two delivery delays, but I wasn't in a big hurry. So, I waited as several others did. I don't think Amazon should list a product as "available" if it isn't. When I received the saw, I used it to cut a couple of small, 8"-10" trees and buck them with no problems. I was pleased with the power and convenience.
I do wish Poulan and other electric device manufacturers would be more realistic with their horse power ratings. Four continuous horse power out of a 120 volt motor is nearly impossible. This much power only occurs at or near stalling speed. Based on the amperage rating of the motor (I think it was around 11-12 amps) its able to deliver about 1 1/2 HP continuously. That's more useful information. Why don't they use it?
More to the point, after about 2 hours of use, the chain stopped running even though the motor was running. I contacted both Amazon and the manufacturer. I was given the option of returning the saw for a refund or having it repaired under warranty. I took it to a repair shop to see what was wrong and they determined that the big plastic reduction gear that drives the chain sproket was spinning on its metal shaft and would have to be replaced. I decided that a replacement would probably be no better than the original and returned the saw, at no charge, for a full refund. I was pleased with Amazons service except for the original delivery delays and, as with other reviewers, they tried to charge me a re-stocking fee. After complaining that I didn't return the saw for my convenience and that they weren't going to restock a defective saw, they backed off and refunded everything. As with some others, I spent a substantial amount more and purchased the Makita 16" electric and, while I haven't used it a lot yet, It seems a lot better.
Customer Review: Very poor packaging
Summary: 3 Stars
To be honest, I haven't tried the saw yet, and I have high hopes for it. However, I have just unpacked it and read the instructions. In this area, I am afraid that Poulan gets an "F." There is no carrying case for the saw. They provide a thin, worthless vinyl cover for the blade. This means there is no reasonable way to store or protect the saw. There is no place to keep the critical chain oil handy. There is no place to put the paper manual -- which for a beginning user of a chain saw is CRITICAL information. There is no place to put the screwdriver to adjust blade tension, which has to be done EVERY 15 MINUTES of saw operation, so it REALLY needs to be handy and not lost. There in no labeling on the saw, which means that only an experienced user OF THIS SAW would know how to operate and test the chain brake. The company provides a sticky-back label that visually shows how to operate the chain brake, but the sticker was torn on arrival and there is no place on the saw to place it and NOT A SINGLE REFERENCE in the manual to the sticker. The quality of manual is terrible. Yes, the critical information is in there. But it is very poorly organized, poorly written, and poorly illustrated. The pictures are not even the same for the different languages. The manual emphasizes the importance of the chain brake, but the outside of the cardboard box doesn't even mention this as a feature. The manual shows the critical use of two tools to maintain the saw, but these trivial tools are not included. There is no chain oil included, and no power cord. The company does not appear to offer a "starter kit," which should ideally include a carrying case, oil, tools, a place for the manual, and an introductory CD.
I hope to come back after using the saw and update this review. In the meantime I REALLY hope the company hires somebody with a clue about presentation and packaging.