Customer Reviews

Husqvarna 235E 16-Inch 34.4cc 2-Stroke Gas-Powered Chain Saw

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I had heard a lot of good things about Huskvarna's reputation, and now I can see why. This product is spectacular!

My biggest gripe about most consumer chainsaws is that they are often difficult to start, either initially or when they are warm, so that by the time it starts, your arms are already sore from pulling the cord over and over again and you're exhausted.

This saw comes with a laminated instruction card. Attach it to the case handle and always refer to it to refresh your memory. If you follow the startup instructions, it starts on the second or third pull, every time. And when warm, up to 30 mins of being off, you can usually just leave the choke off and it will start on the first or second pull. So sweet! Why they don't all do this, I don't know.

Reliable startup is the main reason I bought this saw, after being frustrated with my previous Stihl and Craftsman saws that would often refuse to start or constantly needed to be taken apart.

And in case you forgot to stabilize the fuel and left gas in it for several months, the 345 doesn't mind. It still starts up right away. Wow.

The saw also cuts awesome. It's built to reduce vibration, and it cuts hard woods like a breeze.

Maintenance is very easy. Remove the chain guard and clean the guard in the kitchen sink. Then use a little air spray can to clear off the gunk around the chain drive. Clean the saw after each use and I'm sure it will last for years.

I don't know what these other reviewers problem is with the chain brake. I haven't needed to remove the chain brake cover nor fuss with the spring. And I've never had the chain jump off, and that's even when it got pinched.

There's only one negative -- make sure you remove any extra chain oil from the saw after each use, because it will tend to keep lubricating the chain, and 6 months later you'll find an oily mess in the case. But just make that part of your post-sawing maintenance, unless you know for sure you're going to be using it again very soon. (I didn't have any problem leaving the lubricated oil in the saw when the saw sat on the shelf for a copule of months... but after it sat unused for 6 months, I found this to be an issue. But I'm chalking that up to common sense maintenance.)

I've had mine for about a year-1/2 now, and I LOVE it. I almost look forward to trees falling down in storms now! LOL, but it's true. This saw is an absolute joy. Worth every extra dollar.

I bought this saw for hurricane Ike cleanup and it runs well. Starts easily and handles nicely. However, like another reviewer, the chain jumped the bar.When I took it apart the brake was locked and I could not budge it. I took it further apart, and to loosen the brake, I had to take out the spring. This proved impossible to replace and in the process, it shot across my garage to be lost forever. Parts are not available; I guess since this is a new model. Getting "authorized" chainsaw work done in Houston right now? Yeah, right. Get in line with everyone else doing storm cleanup.

I was very excited to buy this saw but quickly became aware that I had put too much faith in my prior expereince with Husqvarna saws and their general reputation. This new "tool less" acess to the bar and chain makes for a loose bar because there is only one bar nut (the plastic thing with a spring loaded handle). There is another bar bolt but it is just hidden under the cover.
The other problem with this saw is that, unlike my 3120 Husqvana, the brake handle is part of the saw body and not the chain cover and the brake assembly(with the springs and gears) is pat of the cover. Therefore, it is easy to accidentally open the cover with the brake on, thereby bringing the saw to an unworkable state. I have owned this saw for less than a week and will have taken it in for repairs TWICE.
Furthermore, I have discovered that the reason that I was being led to open the chain cover (my chain was falling off/getting REALLY loose) was due to the fact that the chain wasn't being oiled at ALL.

Overall, I was hoping for a high quality limbing saw but have found that I got a high priced low quality out-of-commission saw.

Chainsaw defective on receipt. No easy repair. Vendor non-responsive. Amazon's A-Z guarantee saved me.

I have owned this for six months. The first one would not start after the third tank of gas. No spark. I returned it to Sears for another. The oilier refused to oil after the fourth tank of gas. I cleaned out the oilier, grooves etc. It still would not oil. It seized up. I returned it to Sears for another. EVERY THREE TANKS OF GAS the oilier clogs. My Poulan was 20 years old. It never clogged. It was a manual oilier. Just press, press, press until oil comes flying off the tip. My McCoulach never gave me a problem. I bought this one because it is lightweight. It will not start when it is warm. Forget about taking a ten-minute break. It will not start until it is completely cool. Leave it running. You cannot gas it up while running. It is on its 12th tank of gas. Now it cuts out and stalls when it is turned sideways to cut a trunk.

I just bought this saw and have been using it all morning as I had to to prune multiple trees and fell another in my yard. It handles great and started right up following the step-by-step instructions. This is not a heavy duty saw by any means, but great for the homeowner that needs a reliable, solid little saw for storms and light cutting a few times a year. It has plenty of power for this task.

As for others here that mentioned it bound...allow the saw to cut :) You can bind any low-to-mid horsepower saw by applying too much pressure regardless of who makes it. Just my 0.02

I have had this saw for three years and it still starts right up, even after sitting for a few months, if you follow the starting procedure. I agree with one of the other reviewers and suggest purchasing the stihl chain instead of another oregon. I cut 3-4 cord of wood every season and it is a great saw. It is possible to remove the side cover with the bar brake engaged, but it's not easy. When I did, the local husqvarna dealer replaced the spring and reset the brake for $6.

It is a great saw for limbing, felling and bucking moderate sized trees. My 20" saw stays in the shed for all but the biggest trees.

This is an excellent saw for light duty work, I use it for tending to apple and pear trees and the occasional cleanup after a storm. It is big enough for light firewood tasks, but is underpowered for large hardwood pieces. The first thing you should do is buy a Stihl chain for it as the factory Oregon (who makes the husky chains) is a skip link design, featuring fewer cutting teeth and dulls quickly.

In the event that you do remove the side covere with the brake on, which is comparatively difficult, you can make a three prong socket to reset the tension spring. This works much better than chasing a spring around the shop. Your local Husqvarna dealer has a reset tool that they can show you. Lowes might sell Husqvarna, but until they have a parts counter they are not a dealer in my opinion.

Good little chain saw. Starts easy. Cuts well. Keep the chain tensioned especially during break-in. Have had no problems. Having said that Husqvarna advertises this a small job chain saw. They are not fibbing. This is NOT the saw you want to cut cut down anything bigger than a 6" diameter tree or to cut up wood to keep a wood stove going. It is good for very small trees, pruning etc. Try to run this on an 12" tree doing multiple cuts and my experience is it will hang up. Not enough horsepower. But it is a good little odd job saw.

I love this product. When spring and fall roll around, it is probably the most used tool that I own. I have used it for both working around the yard and for ranch work. It is a great saw. I have used it to cut down all variations of trees with limbs up to 16" in diameter. It is alittle tricky to pull apart but over all it is simple to work on. The one piece of advice for potential buyers is when you pull the bar off to clean or change out the chain, make sure that the chane brake is released. That mistake cost me three or four hours of time trying to correct. The saw starts easy every time. It is a good buy. I have owned it for over two years.