Craftsman 42cc 18" Gas Chain Saw

UPDATE:  Owner for almost 2 years...

I have had NO problems with the 35190 chainsaw in the 2 years I have owned it.  Since cutting up 2 cords of Oak the saw has been used only lighlty and started about every 4 or 5 months, until this past July.  In July we put in a new front lawn and had to remove a 50' x 30" palm tree.  My brother-in-law helped and brought a brand new Stihl 24" $450+ chain saw.  I can't tell you why my B-in-l had problems with his new Stihl, but he eventually stopped using it, and most of the cutting was left to my trusty 35190 sears $150 saw.  I used that saw on & off for 4+ hours and it worked great!  I did have one time it seemed like it didn't want to start, could have been due to all the wood fiber built up from cutting, so took it apart and cleaned the housing well and went back to work.  Besides sharpening the chain twice due to hitting dirt, my little 18"er did the job.  Palm trees are soft wood so usually any saw can cut them but at times I had the whole saw almost buried in the thicker sections and I can't even recall a binding issue, this includes crosscuting and ripping down the trunk.

My usage is typical light duty homeowner stuff.  If I had to use a chainsaw weekly then I would still consider this saw, and think of it as a throw away, over 4 or 5 years and when one 35190 failed beyond nominal repair throw it away and buy a new one.  3 sears 35190 would buy one heavier stilh and as long as the work load was light to medium the 35190 can keep up.   I know some craftsman do this with smaller hand power tools, rather than buy a $300 tool they buy a $100 use it till it fails then get a new one.  Its all a matter of choice.

Owner for 1 day 11-02-09

First it has to be acknowledged that is this is a cheap chain saw, at $159 or 149 in that price range it is all about bang for buck. I believe the 35190 is essentially a Poulan Pro 18" #PP4218AVX., there are slight differences, such as better anti vibration control, but essentially it is close to the PP 18". The Price and Sears Credit was important to me. Compared to the more expensive Husqvarna 18" models the 35190 is a bargain, the Husqvarna Model# 952802268 is a 18" but only 38.2 CC compared to the 42 CC 35190. The 35190 is high tech hard plastic housing, controls, and grip/handle, only time and use will reveal how the plastic holds up. The EZ Tensioning system is a concern. So I did a little research and you can buy the old style clutch cover, tighting screw, and nuts from ordertree.com, you will have to talk to someone live because you can't locate the parts via the site. 530058935 (clutch cover), 530069611 (chain tension screw), 530015917 (nuts).

Opening the box, it comes with a heavy duty plastic bar scabbard and carrying case, 2 stroke oil, tool/spark plug-screw driver, manual.

In other reviews chain tension system and jumping off the bar were an issue. I tried to make sure the tension was set properly and the bar lubed. On initial startup and 1st cut was a 5" green oak branch, and the 1st cut was great, I tried a 2nd cut and the chain jumped off the bar. This was mentioned in other reviews and the solution is do a 1st cut then reset the chain tension, a couple more cuts and do another chain tension adjustment. After the 2nd adjustment I worked for 2 hours without another adjustment. Regarding the proper method of setting the chain tension. • Lift the Knob lever and loosen a couple of turns, using the screwdriver tool turn the EZ-Adust screw clockwise until the tension is fairly firm and springy when pull from the bottom of the bar, not loose springy, firm springy. Tighten Knob lever clockwise, before you get it real tight check tension one more time, it might get too tight. If the tension is correct go ahead a add enough turns on the knob lever until is difficult to turn, be-sure and close lever. Remember during the first 15 minutes of use you will need to check tension constantly.

Starting the 35190. There are complaints about starting and idling. First I am going to take a guess, that maybe some of those problems were due to improper mix of 2 stroke oil to gas. This can be in two forms, 1st they didn't mix the gas/oil in a gas container, instead they put gas in the 35190 tank then added oil, the oil/gas will not mix correctly right away, if this is done, it is possible globs of oil could foul the carburetor and valves. 2nd maybe didn't measure properly when mixing gas/oil in a gas container, if too much oil then there will be start and running problems. I happen to have a 1 gal container for my blower, the 2 stroke oil provided in the 35190 box is the exact amount for 1 gal of gas to achieve a 40 to 1 mixture. I had no problems starting the 35190, priming about 8 presses until I saw a little gas in the plastic bulb. Full choke for 2 or 3 pulls, then no choke and 2 pulls later she was running. Once the 35190 is warmed up starting is usually 2 or 3 pulls. I prefer to put 35190 on something solid about knee height and make firm pulls, not hard jerk pulls, it just isn't necessary. After warmed up the 35190 can be started by just holding, but it seems this method is two jerky and is much more difficult to start.

I used the 35190 for about 6 hours with maybe 3 hours of stop start running. I was cutting green giant Oak up to 22" in diameter, from 1" to 22" the 35190 performed great. As long as the chain is sharp the 35190 cutting was effortless. In my opinion there is plenty of power, I just never encountered a situation where the 35190 was straining to cut. Three or four times the 35190 sputter and stopped, but not during cutting it was right after a cut when I let off the gas. I think a couple of times it was due to long idle time. This is a problem with 2 stroke engines, and if you idle a long period the carburetor and plug can foul, so avoid long idles. Chain oil looks like it leaks, but according to the help center this is normal. There is no sensor to stop the oil from flowing once the engine shuts off. So for a few minutes after engine is off the chain oil is still allowing a little oil to flow.

I did hit dirt and sure enough the 35190 chain was dulled from this. When I bought the 35190 I also picked up a chain file guide/file #36561, which is the right one for the 18" 35190, after shaping the chain, the 35190 was back in great cutting shape, cutting effortlessly.

My experience using chainsaws is limited, beside using a small electric for years, on and off I have used several gas saws for either tree removal or firewood. Those chainsaws were either rented or borrowed. In fact my brother-in-law loaned me his 24" Stihl for this project. However after taking it to a local shop to sharpen the chain and test to make sure it started, it just didn't cut, was very heavy, and very difficult to start. I convinced my wife that the 2 cords of oak we were saving $500, so laying out the $150 still netted us $350. She said great, now I can count on you cutting firewood every year and saving us $500, ( We burn about 2 cords a season).

bought it and the chain tensioner broke within 2 cuts and the chain flew off and almost got me, got it replaced, same thing happened, got the tensioner replaced again. now after less than 1 season the thing won't idle and when you try to throttle it up, it dies. so i figured the mixture needed adjusted, but guess what, all there is to adjust the mixture is 2 spline shafts, so you either need a special tool or have to take it in to be serviced. well i managed to adjust the mixture by removing the cover and air cleaner bracket, used a pair of needlenose pliers to tune it in. put it all back together and it ran good for about an hour then same thing. while trying to start it, the rope on the simpul system became undone and wrapped itself around the flywheel, really! what a piece of ****! i think i'm just gonna save myself more trouble and buy another chainsaw that isn't sold by sears. i guess you get what you pay for