NEO-TEC 12'' Top Handle Gas Chainsaw, Mini Chainsaw 2-Stroke 25.4cc Portable Chain Saws for Trees Gas Powered Wood Cutting

I have a small wooded ranch with occasional tree tasks.  At 65 years old, I no longer wield my old 20" Husqvarna Rancher, and was looking for something easy to use, that could be used one handed, say, in a tree reaching to trim boughs.  Weight and cost were a consideration.  First choice was to get a used (no longer in production) more powerful Stihl MS200T top handle saw.  These are famous among pro arborists but are around a thousand bucks used now.  A reputable knockoff of that saw is the Farmertec Holzfforma G111, which you can buy here on Amazon.  All parts are interchangeable with the Stihl.  Downside is the weight is more than this NEO-TEC, and the cost is nearly triple.  Given my anticipated infrequent use, I opted to try out this lighter saw.  I was impressed.  So I bought another for my other property.  Also bought three extra chains for each, and that funky fuel mixing bottle.  This saw is a win.  It starts right up.  Idles well.  Cuts cleanly.  Is easy to fuel and service.  And all at a very affordable price.  My highest rating.

I got this to do climbing work around the property. I needed something small and light. It's a real ripper if you set it up right.First, replace the spark plug. I put in a Champion RCJ6Y gapped at .025. I don't trust the plugs that come in Chinese equipment after much experience with the issues they can cause.Second, remove the air cleaner and remove the metal plate over the mouth of the carb. It's just a restriction.Third, every single mesh air cleaner like this lets in fine dust. My other chainsaw has one and the inside of the filter and the mouth of the carb was caked in it. Get some air filter foam and cut it to size. Put a little air filter oil on it too.Soak the chain in bar and chain oil before installing it. Grease the bar sprocket too.The manual says to run 25:1 all the time. I'm assuming they're writing that based on garbage oil. What I always do is run 25:1 of non-athletic for the first three tanks, then run 40:1 full synthetic. Never had an issue. During break-in, never run it full throttle with no load. Run it like you're using it.I'm using Husky bar and chain oil. The manual says 10W-30. That's a huge no-no. It's not nearly tacky enough and it sprays all over.Tune it slightly rich on the high end. You want to hear it 4-stroke under load at full throttle without bogging. I was able to go out about a full turn without it bogging.Expect the chain to feel chunky but it should move freely without being loose.With all of that said, it starts 2nd pull even in 20 degrees F weather. I ran a tank and a half through it and it ran beautifully. Big chunks, eats through like crazy. The chain binds a bit on soft wood but that happens if you push too hard.With the right set up and good practices, this thing is a real runner. Perfect for those of us that do our own tree work or if you just want to cut up small trees and branches. I couldn't be happier with this purchase. My only concern is parts in the future. This is not a 2511 clone. It's slightly different and takes it's own parts.

First off heres some background. I have a small tree business. I was going to get a Stihl 194T which was around 450-500$ and I found these little saws which had good reviews. I have a lot of experience with the 194T working for large tree companies and they seem to last under constant use about 2 years on average. If these Neotec saws will last just 6 months they will pay for themselves.So i ordered 2 of these saws for 280$ so two for about half of the cost of a single 194T. They came packaged well. One of the funnels were cracked but hey its a cheapy funnel who cares. I installed the spikes, bar, chain, then side plate. The chain was sharp and the saws dont feel (cheap) weight and plastic feel wise IMO. I already had 1:50 fuel for my Stihl 250. So i just took a little bit of it in and added it to the Neotec Mixer and added bout half the labled oil to it. Should be around 1:25 ish for the first fuel tank lol. I then filled up the fuel and bar oiled tanks.The two saws fired right up in about 2 or 3 pulls each. I let them idle on the ground about 5 minutes then cut an 8"palm stump in my yard down that i had just for these saws. The first saw was weak because it needed a carb adjustment badly. The second cut well but needed slight adjustment. I adjusted them and they then cut perfectly even for 1:25ish fuel. I cut the stump flush to the ground and then let the saws idle another 5 minutes and then shut them off. After a few minutes i fired them back up in a single pull each then let them idle another 5 minutes and then shut them off and put them in the shop on some cardboard to check bar oil leaking and sure enough way to much bar oil. I turned them almost completely shut then 1/4 of a turn.Ill come back in a month or two for an update.------------------------------------------------It has been a couple months now coming back for an update. After a few uses of the saws which both work well btw the choke lever feels a little flimsy but have had no problems with them. After turning down the bar oil it is pretty much perfect. They are light and they start up after just 2 or 3 pulls still. They have both payed for themselves already multiple times. My only real complaint other than the flimsy feeling choke lever are the fuel and bar oil caps. They are annoying to get started to tighten down and difficult to losen. But it can be accepted, i mean these chainsaws are currently 129$ so I can live with that. Id rather buy 4 of these instead of 1 stihl of same size and type. When i got much more money rolling in I may switch to Stihl but honestly dont see it for a long while. Ill be back for a 6 month review.

Unfortunately I have several Very Large ash trees that have been Killed by the Emerald ash borer, and they are very near structures so A lift is required to take them down safely. so I was looking for a small top handle saw to use in the lift, and this saw has worked excellent for the job. The quality of the saw seems to be very good. it is a very good value for the price.

This saw replaces an Echo 330 which performed the amazing trick of being too large to be a small saw, too small to be a large saw. It got impossible to start , even with a new carburetor. When I looked into repairing it, (Possible partial piston seizure) the parts were CRAZY EXPENSIVE. I own larger Husqvarna saws, and have extensive experience repairing and maintaining them, ( and loved their amazing rugged reliability)and the Echo situation was VERY ANNOYING, given the rugged reliability the Huskys have given me over the years. To make a long story short I ditched the Echo and decided to try the Neotec, because I was NOT ABOUT TO BUY ANOTHER CRAZY EXPENSIVE ECHO SAW, only to have it flunk, and there was no Husqvarna flat saw available. (I will gladly pay extra for the extreme reliability of the Huskys,) I received the NEOTEC, put it together paying attention to the 25:1 Hi/test fuel/oil mix they recommend- I mixed it a little richer even than that for break-in, added the chain oil, choked it, primed it, cranked three times (it popped on the second pull), took the choke off, cranked once more and it was running. (Pro tip- if you use two of the 2.6 oz containers you normally add to a 1 gal container for a 50:1 mix, you get a 25:1 mix) It was cold and slow to rev, but after a warmup, it revved and ran strongly. I tested it cutting small diameter waste oak up to 3". It pulled strongly, never slowing down. The engine revs a little higher before clutch engagement than the Huskys. It has good one-handed balance, noise level was OK, vibration level was low. It oils the chain very heavily (I prefer a heavy oiling saw-it keeps your chains and bars healthy) . Hot restarts were a 1-pull affair. I am looking forward to a limbing job soon- If the saw exhibits reliability commensurate with its performance, we have a winner! The minimalist instruction pamphlet included also provided information on carb needle jet initial settings, maybe not needed, but welcomed by a guy who works on his equipment. So- for the price point- this saw looks good, good, good.Follow up: After several days use and many starts, I had to lay it up for a couple of days, then it was back to work- I took the saw down off the shelf, pumped the bulb, pulled the choke up, pulled the string and on the second pull it cranked off while choked- I pushed the choke knob down, opened the throttle and cleared the saw- then off to work- Easy. Peasy. Much easier even than pulling an extension cord out for an electric small saw. I bought three Neo-Tec saw chains, also very inexpensive. They are a 92 chain low profile- I have a chain grinder and keep my chains sharp and rakers low, but the inexpensive chains means that the homeowner with only a file can afford to keep sharp new chains on hand, and keep his job going without fighting dull blade- again- good, good, good. If the saw gives the durability I need, its a winner!5/16/2024- high winds came through the Houston area- I lost a mature oak with a rotten heart- blew the top out, along with many smaller branches and debris down on my homestead- I HAD BOUGHT ANOTHER IDENTICAL SAW, I LIKED THE FIRST ONE SO WELL,- I put them both to work- in four hours and about 25 cartloads later, we were done. The second one runs strongly, but needs some fine tuning to start as easily as the first one when hot, but I am sure it will tune up easily. There were no malfunctions, both were super easy start when cold- the light weight and good balance along with the good power of the saws made it a real time and effort saver- I didn't have to start my Husqvarna 445 or 460- so- again- a real nice saw for the money- and a great addition for the homeowner needing a handy saw with good capabilities!6-8-2024 Large Pine tree (>120 feet) fell on the back of my property, we have had over 50" rain this year; and the mud goes down 4 feet. The falling pine took out the corner of the garden, put debris in the pool, and left a mess. I cut it up mostly with this 12" for limbing the top, then cut the bole up with the 460 husky. When I got down to about 20 feet left, I left the bole and root ball intact. A couple of days later I cleaned off about 1 1/2 cy of dirt off the root ball, and was able to roll and pull the root ball out of the hole with my tractor. I put the 24" bar on the 460 and removed the rest of the bole and the long taproot. I backfilled the hole and was able to turn the stump upright, and attempted a burn using a steel heat cap and forcing air with a shop vac. No joy, it was just too green. So I was forced to return to cutting back the root and removing dirt- the 12" Neo tech really shined in this work, removing gnarled roots in muddy dirt was a snap- plus the NeoTech blade must have hardened cutters- usually when I hit a dirt pocket, the husky chains dull immediately- but the Neotech blade stayed sharp! Anyway, when the weight got under 1000#, I hooked up with the front end loader, lifted and hauled the stump. Next day I remediated the area, and the stump will be burned in a couple of weeks- anyway- the small Neotec saw really shined in this work, save my energy and made the job MUCH MUCH easier! I like these small saws!!!! Plus they start easy peasy!6/19/2024 Burned out two more stumps- used the NeoTecs to trim the edges of the stump,down in the dirt again. They make it much easier to do close -in work- I also think the NeoTec folks are providing hardened cutters on the chains- when I hit a sand pocket with the Husqvarna saw chains, they instantly dull. The Neotecs remain sharp longer- I really think the NeoTecs are made for folks with grinders; the Husky saws cutters are soft to make them easier to maintain by those using files to sharpen. Anyway the harder cutters stay on the job better- I am curious how they will behave when I grind- but so far, so good, good, good. My next purchase will be one for my brother for a birthday present- he is getting along with a heavy old McCullough commercial saw that must be 40 years old. He will think he has gone to heaven. 8/01/2024 OK- the brother finally got his saw- he lives so far back in the East Texas Boonies that Amazon couldn't find him- but its working now- HE LIKE!8/11/2024 -Using the saws for elevated work-Again- enjoyed easy start after laying up for several weeks- just fill the tank-pump- choke- pull once- unchoke- pull once and enjoy the sound of a running saw- the easy start and light weight and adequate power make de-limbing much SAFER and easier. When I climb, I don't really want a saw that is overpowered- I like it light and controllable, and easy to operate,- plus these saws have a loop for pulling up after you are in place and tied off, and you can clip your saw lanyard to - and anything you can do to to make the job easier is a plus when you are at height. Took off a large hang down that Hurricane Beryl left me - along with its branch at the tree- about 8" diameter- the branch was positioned so that I had to use the saw one handed- no problem with this light saw, but impossible with my other heavy two handed saws- down came the branch- then the long pickup in the heat- success- what can I say- I remain impressed with the saws-