[Sorry to those who have seen this twice. I meant to have it be it's own post for easier searching in the future.]

Since there have been a few recent posts on hydraulic units, I thought I'd review a hydraulic saw to give some options in choosing hydraulic saws.

There are two major manufacturers of hydraulic chain saws- Stanley, and Fairmont Greenlee. Most people know about Stanley saws.

Fairmont Greenlee makes well, scads of hydraulic tools, including chainsaws. I have 2 Fairmont Greenlee HCS816 chainsaws, and one Stanley CS06. I like the Fairmont saw better as a detail saw. It has a more traditional beavertail which allows me to stabilize the saw on my hip for detail for or to take weight off the saw.

The HCS816 runs on 4-8 gpm of flow. The powerhead is only 6.7 pounds! It can run up to a 24" bar (although I'd consider using skip tooth chain for a 24" bar).

I ended up with 2 of them because they were each less than $200 on Ebay. I couldn't resist and now have one set up with a 16" quarter tip and one set up with a 12" dime tip.

The Fairmont saw comes standard with a 3/8 sprocket, which can be converted to 1/4 pitch with a $3 rim sprocket from Baileys or your local shop. My universal mount carving bars bolted right on.

Personally I find the Stanley pistol grip less "detail" friendly (we all have our own opinions on saws, I guess). It makes a good blocking saw and is more sturdily built than the Fairmont Greenlee HCS816.

Which brings me to my only complant about the Fairmont. It uses more plastic parts than the Stanley saw. I broke both hand guards off, which is okay, since the saws are now 6.4 pounds! It does have a plastic removeable cover over the chain guard which allows cleaning the saw without removing the bar. I feel like I could drop the Stanley repeatedly without any damage. The Fairmont saw, I'm more careful with. I think it'll still last for years if I keep my chain sharp and don't abuse it.

For those that want a chainbrake, there is a version of the Fairmont Greenlee HCS816 that has a chainbrake (Model #HCS8160CB).

Here are some pics comparing the Stanley and Fairmont saws:

This shows the main difference between the Stanley and Fairmont Greenlee saws. You can pretty see the pistol grip of the Stanley and the long, more traditional beavertail of the Fairmont.


Another view.


Here is a good comparison shot of the Stanley CS06, Fairmont Greenlee HCS816, and a Stihl 260 Pro. This is actually a great comparison shot because you can see just how little there is to a hydraulic chainsaw. Without the gas powerhead, the saws are pretty tiny. I find that the hydraulic saws have a much smaller "blind spot" without the gas powerhead.


Again, saw preferences are pretty personal. Having more options is good.

Oh, Fairmont also makes a few other models of hydraulic chainsaws. I have no experience with them. If anyone gets some experience with them, post a review.

Thanks for your recent posts concerning hydraulic chain saws. You and AJ have both provided some valuable and honest information.