Ed Pawlowski writes:

Switched off to a Homelite,
XL12 IIRC, and went on about my business. Of course, this was 30+
years ago, Homelite is no longer Homelite, and Stihl probably has
improved.


Good decision 30 years ago but not 5 years ago. I bought a Homelite and
after a couple of years of frustration I tosed it into the woods as far as I
could. Never regretted doing it.

It ended up at the home of a small enngine repairman/rebuilder. He tossed
it also as it was not worth rebuilding. I'm talking only a few hour run
time.

As I said, it was 30 years ago. Homelite was located in Port Chester, NY when I
got that saw, moved to Charlotte, NC a couple years later, was bought by a
holding company about the same time (along with a potful of other companies)
and is now, I think owned by Ryobi or Ryobi's parent company after being moved
from hand to hand to hand to hand. That XL 12 was the stone ax of the Homelite
line even in '73-'74, vibrated like someone's sister Kate used to shimmy,
turned fingertips white as all get out, but cut like crazy.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html