TORTURE TESTING THE GIO 52 C.C. CHAINSAW:

Author: Danny A. “Hurricane” Halmo… Action Figure…

I must admit that I had long been sceptical about 2 things: 1) Any economically-priced, gas-powered tool that was made in China, and 2) My ability to write a fair, un-biased assessment of one. Because, since I was born and raised around Detroit, a U.A.W. town, where the automobile was invented, I was encouraged to maintain a Hunter S. Thompson type perspective of fear and loathing towards anything that could be perceived as a threat to our “American Way.” But that “Way” has fallen by the wayside anyway, all by itself, because our times they are a-changing, and we need the maximum value for (what’s left of) our dollar, so by the end of this day, my mind would be a-changing too. Because there is a new player on the block now, one who ain’t short-changing her buyers in any way, because she offers such an excellent economic value, and she’s easy on the eyes as well.

Besides, hating-on anything just because of where it was ‘born’ is over-rated. It has gone out of style, especially when it is applied to a very decent product that has done nothing to deserve it. If anything, this piece of equipment is actually under-rated. It has both the power and dependability it needs to have too. Just ask any of the other 4000 GIO brand chainsaw owners who have been shredding tree trunks with the best of them… and… at a fraction of the price of the competition… even if it is a little louder… and a little heavier.

So we decided to take one out to the Fernridge Christmas tree forest in south Langley British Columbia to see what this 52 cc wood-whacker does (or doesn’t) do best, and we have just the job for it: the worst job in the forest, stumping, about a thousand of them. The job description requires the trunks to be cut off as close as possible to the ground, once the cut-your-own people have left for their holidays. This could be a brutal job for any middle aged baby boomer with a middle aged lower back, but I had no need to fear, because by the end of this day I was in love, warm and fuzzy, with wood chips all over it.

And what’s not to love about a product that starts well, cuts very well, is easy to service, has a limited replacement warranty, and doesn’t cost almost a weeks’ pay? Which brings us to one of its most endearing features, because there is nothing else in its class (that you would actually want to own) under $200. Not even close. Even the most comparable Poulan retails for around $250, and it has a smaller motor.

Once we sorted out what the assembly instructions were trying to explain (one of two very minor shortcomings, and GIO is currently rectifying) we gassed and oiled it up, and it started on the eighth pull, not unlike any other chainsaw. After that, it started on the third pull when cold, and when it was warm, before the first pull was completed. After running it for a few minutes to break-in the chain, we shut it off to readjust it. Again, this is exactly like you would have to do with any other chainsaw. But this is where we discovered that the dual-purpose tool supplied for that job was only about 60% effective. The wrench end did its job satisfactorily, but the screwdriver end of the tool was a bit wonky to use. It still could do its job, but just not as well as an actual standard slotted screwdriver, something that every handyman would have anyway. So then we wandered off into the 12,000 Christmas tree forest for a day… and hoping that my back won’t hate me all next week.

Once the deer and the coyotes ran off, we started stumping, and by the end of the first hour there was wood chips all over me and stuck to the chain oil on the saw, and it was still begging for more. Plus the chain was still tight! I couldn’t believe it. This thing is not a piece of junk. In fact, I did not have to adjust it until lunch time, and I was actually ready for the other half of my shift. Usually this is about all I’d feel like doing on any given day, but I felt a certain obligation to see how much more I could take. So then we got out the tape measure and a stopwatch, because I figured a few performance specs would be in order.

Depending on the pedigree, Christmas tree stumps generally range from 2 – 6”. But, as a slacker from way back, what I was more interested in was how to minimize the effort. At 6’3” it is a long way to bend over, so I would want to do it for the shortest possible time, and with the lowest use of physical effort to draw the saw through the tree truck. This is a little more difficult than the usual chainsaw challenge because you have to be careful not to hit the dirt and still get as close as possible to the ground. So precision is as significant to me as the fact that I would have to do this about 1000 times today.

What a relief it was to discover that the GIO 52 cc could easily cut at a rate of about 2”/second. The 4” example pictured took less than 2 seconds, and that was a fairly hard wood. So there you go, as fast as any other chainsaw, but at a fraction of the price. I found that the power band had the of the engine delivered peak-torque right where I wanted it to be, the clutch and chain performed perfectly, and it always started just like it was waiting for me all along.

I bet that GIO has got one waiting for you too. You won’t be disappointed. And my back wasn’t either.

Now, where did I leave that 6-pack?