Blue Max 03265 18-Inch 45cc 2-Cycle Gas-Powered Chain Saw

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 16.8 pounds
• ASIN: B0018QFGTA
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,295 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blue Max Test & Eval, October 4, 2008

By 

B. Smith (New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Max 03265 18-Inch 45cc 2-Cycle Gas-Powered Chain Saw

I received the saw yesterday. I was not too impressed with the overall cosmetics of the machine. The outer case is made of the typical Chinese plastic used in Homier and Harbor Freight tools. I am sure it will do the job but it does not provide the look of quality. The cheap informational stickers plastered on the case also does not help the appearance. That said, I did not buy the saw as a house decoration. I bought it to cut wood, and cut wood it does. It uses the same 72 link .325 pitch, .058 gauge chain with 18-inch bar that is used on a Husqvarna. As you probably know, these are a little more heavy duty than those used on the Craftsman, Poulan and Homelite saws. A previous reviewer mentioned that they thought that the saw was a little heavier than expected. This is probably because of the heavier bar and chain.

As another reviewer stated, this saw does not have a primer bulb. Despite the lack of that feature, the saw started without any problems as long as you followed the starting procedure specified in the user manual. In addition to the pull choke lever, this saw also has a throttle position button that absolutely must be set in order to easily start the saw. Ignore that button and try to start it like you would your Craftsman or Poulan saw, and you can pull all day and the saw will not start. I started the Blue Max several times both hot and cold without difficulty. Also remember that the amount of choke needed to start a saw is dependent upon ambient temperature. On a warm day little to no choke may be required.

After doing the starting tests, it was time to put the saw through its paces. I had a 14 inch birch in the woods in mind for this test. Well the saw ripped through that with out any problems. I did not experience the unwanted chain brake activation mentioned by a previous reviewer. The chain ripped through the wood like butter and the heavy duty bar provided good directional control with no unwanted flexing and no kickback.

Next came the disassembly and cleanup. The saw has an adjustable bar-oiler controlled by a screw on the bottom of the machine. It appeared that the saw may have been putting out excessive oil so I readjusted the control so reduce oil flow. During reassembly, it was noted that the chain brake assembly did not connect to the saw body smoothly. Some flexing of the plastic was needed to make the proper alignment to have it seat properly. This was an annoying yet minor inconvenience. Chain adjustment is done by a screw controlled mechanism positioned in the chain brake assembly. You must make sure that this mechanism is aligned properly with the hole in the bar during reassembly which is another little inconvenience.

Soooo, based upon my hands-on experience would I buy this saw again? Sure. It may not have the cosmetics of a more expensive saw, but it does the job at a very attractive price.
Most homeowners do not need a Stihl, Husqvana, or Efco saw. A Craftsman, Poulan or Homelite will suffice for those half dozen or so times per year a chainsaw is needed around the house. This saw costs less than any of the others and the cutting end of it is Chinese copy of a Husqvarna. Is its power plant equal to the Husqvarna? Certainly not, but I suspect it is probably no worse than what you get with the Craftsman, Poulan or Homelite. It will take some time to establish that for sure.

If you want a pretty saw, pay the extra 50-bucks and get a Craftsman, Poulan or Homelite. If you want to really impress your friends and neighbors, get a Stihl, Husqvarna or Efco. If you are practical and thrifty as I tend to be and don't care about cosmetics and don't want a refurbished machine, give this saw a try. Just remember to follow the startup procedure specified in the manual.

That's my 2-cents, Good Luck!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars blue max chainsaw, August 30, 2008

By 

A Hampton "T" (oley,pa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Max 03265 18-Inch 45cc 2-Cycle Gas-Powered Chain Saw

chainsaw works nicely. plenty of power. came with a mixing container that is exactly 1 tank full, so no mixture sitting around. adjustable automatic chain oiler is a nice feature.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this saw, October 2, 2008

By 

DharmasDad "DharmasDad" (way upstate NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Max 03265 18-Inch 45cc 2-Cycle Gas-Powered Chain Saw

I'd give it 0 stars if possible.

The last reviewer was smart enough to figure out the starting problem. I always used full choke at first. No priming bulb. After having a few local experts laugh at me for buying it in the first place, 2 out of 4 got it running with starter fluid. I got maybe 1.5 tanks of gas before the chain brake started kicking in for no reason.

Thank to endless phone calls and emails to Amazon CSRs I was able to get a refund, since the OEM had no record of Amazon LLC selling it to me.

note: I will not buy any gas powered equipment from Amazon due to their return policy, but will continue to use them for most purchases.