Husqvarna HUSQ120-14 Petrol Chainsaw Review

Assembly for all of the five petrol chainsaws that I tested always begins in the same way – unscrewing the side panel so that the bar and chain can be attached. However, unlike most of the other chainsaws I reviewed, the side panel screw for the Husqvarna is on the front of the unit, rather than the side. This makes it significantly easier to remove and replace the side panel.

Once you’ve fitted the bar in, unravelled the chain, and then fitted the chain onto the bar, you can replace the side panel before tightening the chain. 

All of this only took about 10 minutes, plus an extra few minutes to fill the machine with fuel and oil.

This Husqvarna chainsaw definitely looks like a high-end machine at first glance, although it’s significantly smaller than some of the other chainsaws that I tested. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – for some, a 14” bar is all that’s needed, especially when you combine this with the high-quality chain that this chainsaw comes with.

When it comes to features, this chainsaw stands out from the rest for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it has a combined choke/stop control, which should make it easy to start the chainsaw from both warm and cold, while also protecting the engine from flooding. It also has a fuel pump air purge feature that, again, should help when starting from cold.

Other than that, just like the other chainsaws, this one boasts a large trigger, an ergonomic handle, a gripper bar, and a recoil start cable.

As I discovered with the Hyundai petrol chainsaw that I tested, just because a machine is designed to start easily doesn’t mean that it always will. Fortunately, the Husqvarna lived up to its easy-start promise. To turn the chainsaw on, all you need to do is push the red button up, pull the blue choke lever out, press the primer bubble a couple of times, and then give the recoil start cable a pull. Follow those steps and the chainsaw should start first time, every time, which definitely makes things more convenient.

Being a Husqvarna, I didn’t expect this chainsaw to have any issues with cutting, and I was correct. It sliced through medium-sized trunks well, but, due to the size of its bar, struggled with larger trunks. You can usually use a chainsaw to cut a trunk that’s double in diameter of the chainsaw’s bar length. So, theoretically, when you do a cut from each side, this chainsaw should have been able to handle trunks with a diameter of 28”. However, in reality, I’d say that 24-25” is the maximum diameter you could expect to cut. 

That said, its smaller size has its advantages. I needed to cut some hanging branches from the top of a Scot’s pine tree, and this was the chainsaw that I chose to take up to the top of the tree with me.

Update: A few weeks after testing this chainsaw, I had a tree surgeon come round to fell a tree that had its roots loosened by Storm Arwen. Out of the five petrol chainsaws that I was testing (or six if you count the Stihl that I already had), this was the one that he chose to fell the tree. Its smaller engine and bar size made it the easiest one for him to manoeuvre, and he was able to get the tree down in no time.

Compared to the other four chainsaws that I tested, this one has the smallest engine and it’s definitely noticeable. However, again, its 38.2cc 2-stroke petrol engine would suit someone who only needs to occasionally cut up some firewood or fell a small tree, but it’s not going to be powerful enough for heavy-duty tasks.

That said, I appreciate how Husqvarna has designed this engine to offer reduced fuel consumption and low emissions. You’ll also find an air injection feature that helps to keep the filter clean – something that most other chainsaws don’t have. 

It may have the smallest engine, but compare this Husqvarna to the other chainsaws that I reviewed and you’ll see that it’s the lightest one of the lot. Weighing in at just 4.8kg makes this compact and lightweight chainsaw so easy to use. 

It fits very comfortably in my hand and doesn’t require any force to be applied when cutting. It’s a great one for those who intend on using their chainsaw for extended periods of time – it won’t leave you with tired arms by the end of it. It’s also an ideal size for tree pruning, as it’s light enough to easily carry up a ladder.

Safety features are so important when it comes to a chainsaw, and Husqvarna has clearly taken this into account. To start with, it has a low kickback feature, as well as an inertia chain brake that will keep you protected in case a kickback does occur. 

Like the other petrol chainsaws that I tested, this one is also fitted with an anti-vibration system. This absorbs any vibration from the machine, which would otherwise make it very uncomfortable, not to mention unsafe, to use. It comes with a plastic protective cover as well that slides over the bar easily, plus a scattering of safety stickers.

That said, no matter how safe a chainsaw may seem, make sure that you’re always wearing the right protective gear when using one.

This may have been the smallest chainsaw that I tested, but it was also the most expensive. If you go with one of the other brands, you’ll not only be getting a larger chainsaw with a more powerful engine, but you’ll also save yourself some money.

So, why does this Husqvarna cost so much more than the rest? Two reasons – quality and branding. There’s no denying that this is a very well-made and durable machine – it’s one that’ll definitely last you the years, and it also offers a few innovative features that the other chainsaws lack. However, you’re also paying for the Husqvarna name. Fans of the brand won’t mind shelling out a little extra for this, but, for the occasional user, which is who this chainsaw is designed for, you may want to look into some of the lower priced alternatives.

It’s also worth mentioning that, unlike the other chainsaws that I reviewed, this one didn’t come with any spare parts, such as an extra chain or spark plug. Granted, you probably won’t need to replace either for quite a while, simply due to the fact that everything feels very high quality, but it’s always handy to have spares, and it does help to add even more value to a product. That said, assembly and maintenance tools have been included.

When it comes down to it, if you’re looking for a chainsaw for both home and professional use, this Husqvarna isn’t one that I would recommend (check out the Hyundai or the ParkerBrand instead). I would also be dubious about recommending it to anyone whose main focus is tree felling, simply because you’ll find yourself very limited when it comes to the size of trees you’re able to tackle. However, if your goal is to find a high quality and reliable chainsaw that’ll make cutting firewood an easy task, this Husqvarna would be a worthwhile investment.