Giantz 88cc 24" Bar E-Start Petrol Chainsaw

Value for Money but Be Prepared to Compromise on Quality and Reliability and to Fiddle – This is my second Giantz 24" chainsaw. The first was the 92cc version of this saw I purchased in 2020. Finally the cheap plastic starter cog stripped in 2024 and no spares were available. That saw gave generally good, easy start performance although maximum power was declining by 2024 after doing a lot of work in a domestic situation. Pretty good for $200. The new 88cc model is a complete redesign and cost $169.

It is early days yet but the new model has noticeable improvements: - The chain drive sprocket has been redesigned and the supplied retaining E clip is lasting more than the 30min experienced on the 92cc. That said, a quality replacement E clip lasted from then on. - The chain appears to be good quality unlike the 92cc and has sliced through large hardwood logs with ease - The air filter inlet is no longer at the bottom of the saw but is pretty small so be prepared to clean it at every use. - The saw actually arrived with the correct carby setup. The 92cc arrived with the carby hopelessly set so it would not idle and lacked any power. This was fixed by adjusting the idle and maximum screws but was very subject to drifting during travel vibration. The 88cc saw has plenty of power, starts easily and idles nicely so far. Expect though drifting over time requiring readjustment. - The saw has a priming bulb for starting but the instructions are still based on the older model which had no primer bulb. This is unfortunate as it is easy to flood the saw if too many primer bulb pushes are made in a warm start situation. Will have to learn by trial and error.

I expect the plastic starter cog will also eventually fail on this saw but if it lasts 4 years that is still good value. Spare starters are available now but probably not in a few years time.

June 2025 Update - Suffered major structural failure where the spring mount which connects the handle assembly to the bottom of the chainsaw body broke away from the body. This was never a problem on the older version and is due to using a more flimsy body and mounting point. Did a quick and dirty fix to allow completion of that days work but it is likely that this failure will continue to propagate. Giantz seem to have pushed the cheapening of the design too far in this area.