Sthil electric chainsaws are a favorite among ice carvers for their durability, not their price.

*updated 12/13/11



One choice I had to make when I started carving was what kind of electric chainsaw to get. I started with a Shindaiwa 110 for $130 because that’s what Victor Rede, the chef who got me started, carved with. Shindaiwas are good saws, but I only got one more before I switched away from the brand.

The reason I switched was that I took a couple of courses from Mark Daukas. He advocated using Craftsman saws and modifying them. Once they wore out, the idea was that you could get Sears to replace them. I don’t remember if I got any replaced, but I bought a lot of them, because they were pretty cheap and came already set up, right out of the box. When I went to a competition, if I could only bring one saw on the plane, I would stop by Sears and buy a saw in case my main saw didn’t make it through the competition. If I didn’t need to use the new saw, then I would take it to get my money back before I left town. The Craftsmans, which were actually black Poulan saws (instead of green) worked well but would wear out quickly.

One time, when my Craftsman wore out at a bad time, I decided to try a little orange and white saw that I’d won at a local competition. I’ve pretty much stayed with that brand ever since: Stihl. When I had first used the saw, for some reason I was put off by the way it cut, or the automatic oiling feature, or something. I’d thought it was a 70 or 80 dollar saw, like the Craftsman. Later, I found out that it cost a little more. I remember the exact price, because it surprised me so much: $312. It was an E14. Later, that saw was stolen, but I quickly replaced it with another Stihl.

Stihl has since changed its electric saw design, but it’s still an excellent saw. The best part is that they’re hard to wear out. They don’t run as fast as other saws, but they don’t bog like others either. I have several E14s, a couple of E20s, and one of the new version of the E14, a 140. Some are partly disassembled because a switch or something has failed, but I really appreciate how well made they are, even though they cost so much more.

Another quality chainsaw is the Makita. Many carvers use Makita die grinders also, so the brand is well represented among ice carvers. I have a 5012B, an older saw, and I’ve fitted it with a “dime bar” and custom sprocket for detail carving. The saw runs faster, but it also runs well. It seems to get a little hotter than other saws, as I once saw one catch fire! I haven’t had that experience, however, and I’ve found it to be a very good saw. I’ve also used one of the Makitas that have an inline engine layout (either the UC3500 or the UC4000, I’m not sure which), and found that to be a good saw as well, although I don’t know how durable they are since I’ve used them so little.

I know some people love Husqvarnas, and there are some other quality brands out there, but most carvers will tell you that Stihls and Makitas will work the best if you’re doing more than just a carving every once in a while.



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Earlier comments

The following comment was on the original blog entry. After some technical difficulties etc., the blog was reconstructed, and this was the only way to keep the original comments. Unfortunately, the hyperlinks from the original comments are gone in some cases. You can add your own new comments at the bottom.

darren.best

I started with a remmington since it was free then went to craftsmen for the same reason daukas did an sears never replaced one of mine but I felt $75 for a saw that lasted a little over a year was ok Im currently trying to decide over stihl vs makita . maybe try both . but some info for any other readers out there at the nationals this year I counted saws an stihl was clearly the leader from my observations
Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 07:37 PM

Tags: chainsaw, Stihl, Makita, Craftsman, Mark Daukas, Victor Rede, Shindaiwa