Poulan Pro PP3516AVX

I have owned this saw 1 week and I am already buying a new bar. I think for light use this is a fine chain saw but I thought it would handle a few cords of wood for just one winter. On the upside the saw… always starts easily and the motor runs well. On the downside, the bar is very wimpy and susceptible to heat/bending damage. Also, the hold down screw will not tighten sufficiently on my saw - I have to frequently re-tighten the chain to prevent it from falling off. Yes, chains will naturally loosen when they get warm but this saw is simply not holding the bar in place. The oiler seems to clog very easily so I have to keep a constant eye on that as well. I would return the saw if I had bought it locally but I don't think it is worth shipping back. I have talked to 3 people this week who own this saw and all have had chain and bar problems. Maybe the replacement bar from Oregon will be better quality than the original (or maybe not), but I am still stuck with a poor adjustment mechanism for chain tension. I was so close to buying a good saw (stihl farm boss or above) but I just needed a saw for this winter. Only slightly older Poulan saws are much better - I have used several of the older ones without any problems. I am really amazed that this saw has relatively good reviews. I have owned several chain saws over the past 30 years or so and this has been the most troublesome of the bunch by far.

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I got the chainsaw out of necessity. It did exaclty what I expected and then some. I used it once/twice and it was awesome. Once we moved I'd use it 3-4 times a week (and still under 3 gallons of fuel… total) the chainsaw went belly up. Took it to a trusted show they informed me it had blown up. I then found out I had 2 year warranty on a 18 month old saw. Took to authorized dealer they told me it was carburator and not blown up at all and by taking it to the previous shop I voided my warranty. Yeah, my mistake there, but with no more than 3 gallons of gas in 18 months this should have never happened! So, now I am out $20 service call and a $139 chainsaw. My wife told me to buy a Stihl and the authorized service shop recommended Echo and then Stihl. For sale or trade one broke PP3516AVX. The PP should be POP for Piece of SxxT! My last Poulan product, unless they give me one.

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I just used the saw for the first time to cut up a small pine tree (10 to 11 inches in diameter). The saw worked fine, and I would give it an excellent rating except for one thing. It was hard to start… and did not idle properly. There is a 6-step startup routine. 1. Slowly press primer bulb 6 times. 2. Pull choke out fully. 3. Pull starter rope 5 pulls. 4. Pull choke to half choke after engine tries to start. 5. Pull rope until engine starts. 6. Allow engine to warm for 30 seconds; then squeeze throttle to set normal idle. For the first 15 minutes of use, my saw did not idle. It just stalled out. So I had to repeat the startup routine many times. All those rope pulls are a good workout for an old guy like me. After 15 minutes, the saw did idle. Maybe this was just an issue of "breaking in" the saw, and it will start easier and idle better the next time I use it. If I had it to do over, though, I would look for a saw that was easier to start.

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This was the third Poulan I have bought. I borrowed the first one to a friend (some friend) and he didn't bother to use mixed gas and ruined the engine. I wore the second one out after years of hard use and… didn't hesitate to get another Poulan. I was really looking forward to the new anti-vibration feature and the the easy to adjust chain tightner. Took it out of the box, filled it with fuel and chain oil, pumped the primed, pulled the choke and with 2 pulls it popped right off. I was like a little kid in a candy store. I had another new Poulan. The next day, much to my dismay, there was a puddle of oil on the garage floor. I called Poulan and they said they had changed the chain oiler from a pump system to a gravity feed and it was always going to leak. I explained that I really didn't want a puddle of oil on my floor and they suggested that I "Drain the oil each time you use it!!!!!" So much for that idea and the saw went back to the dealer. it's a shame that a company, such as Poulan, can advertise all their great new feature and forget to tell you that they saved $.50 per machine so you can have an oil spot on your garage floor, or in your truck, or the trunk of your car. I would never buy another Poulan when they over look the little things that meam so much to a consumer---

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