Poulan Pro 400E 18-Inch 4 HP Electric Chain Saw
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Poulan Pro 400E 18-Inch 4 HP Electric Chain Saw
Customer Review: Died upon first Use
Summary: 1 Stars
This Poulan died upon first use. Something happened to the motor, and there was black smoke residue on the motor vents. Pulling the trigger - it would occasionally arc, so I know it had power. Amazon let us return it, but charged a restocking fee, since we were busy and not able to send it back within 30 days. Disappointing experience. Spend the extra money and buy the Makita 16". We did. The Makita is much sturdier - no comparison. Makita's direct drive motor provides a very solid feel.Customer Review: Disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
OK, so I read all of the reviews, and learned that this is the same as the craftsman unit. Lots of positives. So I bought it, oil, and a spare chain. Hard to beat for $100.00 (total), and I was only gonna use it once in a while. Everything looked good. Previous reviewer mentioned unit unplugs easily. This is true. Tie the ends of the plugs together and bend the prongs abit, and it is OK. I quickly took down a small tree (about 10 inches in diameter) and everything was going fine. I attempted to take down a long run of vertical bamboo stalks. I say attempted. It cut for a few seconds, then spit the chain. Every time. Over and over. I checked tension and determined it was fine. I asked around, and I was informed that chain saws and bamboo just don't go together. Oh well, can't blame the saw for that. During subsequent use on trees and such, the oiler area would get clogged with sawdust and debris. I was constantly having to remove the adjuster / cover and clean things out. At one point it got so bad the oiler stopped working entirely (no oil consumption) and I quickly dulled the chain. I cleaned things up and installed the new chain and cleaned the oiler area. Back to cutting on a stump and the new chain lasted about 10 minutes. It was now dull and the rail was very warm. I dont know if it is critical for the saw to be on a specific side when cutting sideways. I dunno. I just kept having to clean out the oiler area which I believe was my major problem. I watch some of the logger shows on TV, and never see them taking their saws apart and repeatedly cleaning them. Design flaw? Anyways - now I am looking for a good deal on a dremel chain sharpener at my local hardware stores. I'll get the two chains ready for the next time I need it. Would I recommend this saw? For the price I paid? Yes. For the limited frequency user, its fine. Buy an extra chain. Would I turn people away from it? No. Just warn them to watch the oil consumption closely. When it stops, clean things out before proceeding. The cover comes off easy, and it only takes a couple of passes with a rag to remove the debris. The tool for adjusting the chain works good at getting down in the grooves of the cover to clear things out.
Im still glad I went with this one over a gas unit. I dont have any of the associated hassles and the unit will be ready at the drop of a hat. I may have had the same issues with the oiler clogging on one of them, maybe not. I dunno.
Hope this helps if your on the fence about this one.
Customer Review: Don't buy this saw from Amazon
Summary: 1 Stars
I originally bought this saw 11/2006 and they said delivery would be around 12/2006. Then they said it would be another month to deliver it, so I changed the address to deliver. Amazon ended up canceling my order in 1/2007. So I bought it again on 1/2007 and it was supposed to be delivered on 2/2007. Then Amazon wanted to extend again another month which would make it 3/2007, which I approved via email. When my dad didn't receive it 3/2007, I logged in to my account and Amazon extended it another month without notifying me! This was a Christmas present and this is unacceptable.
I'm sure it is a great saw. It is a customer reports best buy. Just buy it somewhere else.
Customer Review: Don't waste your money!
Summary: 1 Stars
Two units arrived not working - would not even turn on.
Unit is very cheap and won't hold up for long.
Basic design has cheap gears and oiler pump.
The HP rating is overstated -
1 HP = 746 watts, 4 HP = 2984 watts = 24.9 Amps
Thus, this unit is more like 2 HP not 4 HP.
Compare the HP rating with Husqvarna or Stihl.
At least I wasn't charged for anything.
Customer Review: Don't worry, this isn't too big
Summary: 5 Stars
Up until now, I've avoided buying a chain saw out of fear that I may injure myself. However, my pole electric pruner just wasn't cutting it for some of the larger branches that I wanted to cut. So, I decided to get an electric chain saw. Of course, I went to Amazon.com first and read saw all the excellent rating for this saw. I went to Lowes because I wanted to see what it felt like to hold it. This thing looked gigantic in the store and felt heavier than I expected in my hands. However, it was constrained by an anti-theft cable, so I could get a real feel for it. This seemed overkill. So, I looked at the 16" and 14" models. The 16" was just as heavy, but the 14" was super light. The reason for this is it's only 1.5hp. I almost bought it but was concerned that it would be underpowered and not much better than my pruner, and it didn't have all the cool features of the 400E. I ended up buying the 400E despite my reservations. I tried it out today. Wow! This thing cuts through small branches and trees like butter. I'm totally impressed. My reservations were unfounded. I now believe that the size and features make this chain saw safer and I'm very happy that I got it.