Craftsman S205

Husqvarna's answer to the Stihl MS 170 fight at the bottom of the gas market, now in its third generation: 38.2cc, a hair over 10 pounds, and a $219 price at Lowe's that gets a real Husqvarna badge into suburban garages. Owners like the X-Torq engine's fuel sipping and the light, neutral balance for limbing and storm cleanup, and the Mark III now carries bars up to 18 inches. The gripes are consistent and worth knowing: cold starts take more pulls than the ritual printed on the recoil housing suggests, the plastic construction reads budget next to the 400-series, and the tool-required chain tensioning annoys people coming from big-box battery saws. It's built in the same value tier as the Poulan hardware it shares DNA with — the badge buys you Husqvarna's dealer network and parts availability, which is exactly what the no-name saws at this price lack.

Echo's cheapest gas saw, and the one owners keep recommending over box-store Poulans because it pairs a real two-stroke with a 5-year consumer warranty for around $219 at Home Depot. At 8.8 lbs for the powerhead it's genuinely easy to run one-handed on a sawhorse, and the i-30 starter means most owners report two-to-three-pull starts once they learn the choke routine. The gripes in owner threads are consistent rather than dramatic: the chain stretches and loosens noticeably in the first few tanks, it can be cranky to start in cold weather, and like most clutch-driven-oiler saws it will seep bar oil if stored with a full tank. Reviewers also agree the 16-inch version overtaxes the 30.5cc engine — stick with the 14-inch bar and it stays in its happy zone. This is a limbing and storm-cleanup saw, not a firewood producer; owners who ask it to buck 16-inch hardwood all day come away disappointed. For occasional use, the long warranty and dealer network make it an easy keep.

The cheapest way to get a real Stihl in your garage, and the saw dealers hand to first-time buyers who need to clean up storm limbs a few weekends a year. At 8.6 pounds for the powerhead it's genuinely easy to run all afternoon, and the 4,400+ Ace Hardware reviews averaging 4.5 stars back up the 'thousands of happy owners' vibe you see in forum threads. But owners are blunt about the ceiling: this is a light pruning and limbing saw, not a firewood saw, and it gets slow and sluggish once logs pass about 10-12 inches. The cost-cutting shows up close — a basic carburetor, minimal anti-vibration, and a bar-swap chain tensioner instead of the side-access adjuster on pricier models. Stihl has also started rolling out the updated MS 172 alongside it, so the 170 is a proven but aging design. For under $230 with a 16-inch bar, most homeowners decide the limitations are a fair trade.