Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Poulan Pro 20 inch Chainsaw, 50cc 2-Cycle Gas Chainsaw, PR5020, Black

This Poulan Pro PR5020 20-inch chainsaw died after exactly 1 year!!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2020

I bought this Poulan Pro PR5020 20-inch chainsaw on June 1, 2019, and it worked fine for 4 months after it was delivered. So, this week (on June 2, 2020) it died after I tried to cut few 1-2 inch dead tree branches for my neighbor. I have followed the User Manual and kept this saw in good maintenance. I have everything the Instruction Manual suggests and the saw would not start. I watched few video clips on Youtube about this chainsaw for tips, but nothing worked! I clean the saw, filled up newly mixed 50:1 ratio fuel and bar and chain oil, replaced spark plug (HQT-1), replaced air filter and fuel filter, but nothing worked!!! The chainsaw just will NOT start. Any ideas?

I wrote the above review and gave it one star when I was upset that I could not start the chainsaw. Actually it was my fault not doing regular maintenance of the saw. After I ordered the tune up kit and did tune up and cleaning, my chainsaw worked like new. I changed the rating to 5 star*!

5 people found this helpful

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Speaker of the Truth

Very Happy with This Purchase!

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2022

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

For the money, I think you will have a hard time beating this chainsaw. The construction is solid and it runs perfectly. I've seen people complain that it's hard to start, but I haven't found that to be at all true. Follow the directions and it starts right up. People also complain that the chain throws too much oil, which tells me that they don't understand how chainsaws work. It does use a lot of oil to lube the chain, and that is a good thing.

I've only used the saw maybe 6 hours so I can't speak to how it holds up over time, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. If a problem arises, I'll update the review. I rate this saw a strong buy.

6 people found this helpful

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A. D. Neal

Excellent saw

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

I have owned a lot of chainsaws over the years, gas and electric, small and large. For a full sized saw this is my favorite. I previously had a Poulon Pro 18" that served me well for years and they have made significant improvements in this newer model. Here are the highlights:
1. Price for quality
2. Made in USA
3. Quick starting
4. Powerful for the engine size
5. Efficient
6. Comes in a hard case pre assembled
7. Integrated tool in handle
8. Comes with Oregon blade
Truly an excellent saw, at a price point much lower than most brand names of its size and caliber. I have already cleared about a quarter acre of dense scrub forest and it goes through trees like a hot knife through butter. Plenty of power for 20", solid quality control, and of course made in USA. Given that the competition is about twice the price, don't cheap out on some junk, get this saw and you won't be disappointed.

5 people found this helpful

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Jackie

Works great for a day or two!

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

I have had this chainsaw. Now for several years of very limited use. I say that because it works for a few days then it breaks. It never wants to start right and when it does it dies within a min or two. I have had mechanics “fix” it and the same results. I just paid $80 to get it fixed and it worked for about 20 min of use with good gas and the proper blend of oil. It just is not a good product. I don’t recommend this unless you need another problem in your life.

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Callout

Great for the money

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

I recently had several trees come down in a wind storm and I didn't feel like fighting with my much older 18" (Poulan built) Craftsman that refuses to safely idle. At work we use all Stihl saws which may have spoiled me but I don 't have enough work to justify $1000 plus saws. I was looking for a Husqvarna and expected to pay in the range of $650. I couldn't find the models I wanted without ridiculous price hikes and I luckily stumbled onto this unit at barely over $200.

Just to clarify and get this out of the way, this is by no means a professional grade saw. It does however fill the gap between a small gas homeowner unit and a small professional unit. The case is relatively robust but not what you would call tough. The unit is easy to start cold and hot but strangely requires choke to start warm, a trait I've seen with other Husqvarna/Poulan (same company) products. If felling sights or marks are important to you you will have a tough time adding them due to the shape/design of the casing. All of that aside, it is a great cutting inexpensive saw. The extra weight of the larger engine is paid back in extra power over the smaller 38ccish engines most of the 18/16 inch saws have. The extra bar is handy even on small stuff as it tends to run cooler and require much less frequent chain adjustment. And the chain seems to stay sharp for an unusually long time. The vibration is very controlled and the saw doesn't beat you up at all under prolonged use. Definitely high value for money purchase, I would recommend it. And if you accidentally drop it off the tailgate of your truck you can find comfort in that it was only $200. Or more likely leave it full of ethanol laden gas for a few months...

14 people found this helpful

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Robert B.

Love the saw!

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

It isn't a fast revving saw like stihl or one of those.....but it is unstoppable for the price. Never have starting issues, it digs it and just flies through wood. But poulans are all known to leak the bar oil out into the case, so that's just part of owning a poulan saw. Other than the bar oil leak, I couldn't have asked for a better more dependable saw. Just bought a second one today at the store because my other one is at the deercamp. 2 identical saws and both work great! Pro5020

One person found this helpful

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Zazzblazzmatazz

Amateur experience level, exactly as advertised so far. Happy purchase!

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2019

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

DO NOT PRIMER 10X AS INSTRUCTED! FIRST TIME 5X THEN 3-5 AFTER THAT!

I am not sure why they advocate such a number of priming the fluid but its just not necessary and could flood your engine. I highly recommend doing this.

After much research I purchased this saw coming to the conclusion that even though it was overkill for what I was doing (cutting firewood for camping/hunting camp), it was the best buy and excellent worth. It seems that if you want your saw to last, its not a bad idea to get a bit bigger saw as they are built to last longer. Poulan seems to be the B team of Husqvarna. This is a good thing as its an indication that the same level of quality and practices are applied here. I have used this saw a few times after the past few months and have to say, if you read the manual (which I did top to bottom) it performs exactly as expected.

It should be specified that I am an amateur and am not a saw expert, but it seemed sturdy and powerful and did exactly what I expected it to do. Excellent priced saw. Hope it lasts me a long time.

7 people found this helpful

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Daniel Keller

Poulan pro great product

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2023

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

Great chainsaw I love it , used to ha

Used to have a poulan wild thing for 20 years

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Bay

Good chainsaw - If you're handy [QC issues UPDATE 2023]

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2023

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

The media could not be loaded.

-----(6/2023 UPDATE)
Saw started losing power under load and after checking the usual fuel, filters (air and fuel), plug, and spark arrestor, I found one of the filter housing nuts backed out causing an intake leak. I reinstalled them adding blue loctite and topped off the tank prior to testing and tuning. When I flipped the saw upright I noticed fuel in the saw below the carb. I thought I maybe spilled some but we'll get back to that later.
I ran the saw and the low power under load turned into a surge at WOT. No amount of tuning would resolve it. Idle was ok but WOT would surge. I picked up the troubleshooting the next day and noticed the fuel line looked lose from inside the tank while I topped it off. I removed the top cover and could see the hose backed out and a smaller diameter splice tube was leaking fuel out. Now I found the fuel from earlier wasn't a splill but a leak. Shoddy work but an easy fix since I have some Tygon fuel line on hand. Ok. This now turned into a fuel line and fuel filter replacement.
I take off the carb to gain access to the fuel lines and find the carb is missing the lower half of the gasket and there is an excessive amount of what looks like antisieze on the mating surface. My guess is they cracked the gasket on assembly, applied an antisieze coat to seal gaps, and finished assembly. When the fuel leaked it probably washed off some of the antisieze, and when the nut backed out, the lower part of the gasket fell out creating the massive intake leak that is causing the surging. What a cluster! I now have new Tygon lines and fuel filter installed with some carb gaskets on order. I will install and tune the carb later this week with an update.
It's a good thing I know how to work on most my vehicles/small engines because, if I didn't, I probably would have chucked this thing. Taking off 2 stars until repairs are done. (Pics and video attached)
-------‐-------------
I got this saw on Amazon (best price at moment) in 2019 and finally feel comfortable leaving an honest review (5/2023).
1st off, this is a great homeowner saw. It's not pro a saw so you can't really expect that level of performance from it. I've cut a lot of trees/branches with it on my property in Florida. Bucked hurricane debris, downed trees, felled trees, you name it. Always starts and always finishes the job. Still using factory Oregon chain and OEM bar.

Do the following to avoid its common gripes and end up with a reliable saw.

1) Won't restart after hot or won't idle: Adjust spark plug gap to 0.030. I experienced this hot restart issue. Once I adjusted the gap, it starts in no more than 2 pulls once hot. Made a huge difference.

2) Hard to start cold: Follow starting instructions on saw. Seriously. Most hard start complaints come down to this.

3) Alway use a good ethanol fuel stabilizer when mixing the fuel. Your carb will thank you. It'll keep water out and your fuel mix won't go stale. I buy Stens Shield Synthetic by the case to use on all my 2 stroke equipment.

4) Flip your bar and clean out the oiling port when you sharpen the chain. This will extend the life of your bar by promoting even bar wear.

5) Keep a big jug of good bar oil with you on larger jobs. She (this saw) goes through a lot of lube. ;)

6) Grease bar nose sproket before each use. There's a small grease port on both sides of the nose near the sproket rivets.

7) Place a chemical absorbent pad in the chainsaw case to catch dripping bar oil. I also keep my file and grease pump in there so I have it on the job.

8) The air filter is a cleanable plastic mesh. I use my K&N cleaning spray (not the oil) to clean it. Remove filter, spray with cleaner, let soak, rinse with hose, and let fully air dry before reinstalling.

Hope this helps those that are on the fence.

11 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Cost effective stopgap or quality homeowner saw.

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2017

Style: ChainsawVerified Purchase

This is a quality saw and even its flaws are well thought out. Short of going to ebay for a chinese saw I don't think you could beat it for the money. I primarily purchased this saw to use for cleanup/firewood and gather logs to mill for beams(with my heavier saw) without destroying my inherited saws while I save for a proper saw like a stihl and in the first weekend of use I have been pleasantly surprised by this saw.

As for the shipping it arrived on time , packaged inside of the carry case with the second bar channel on the case open so moisture could escape and the usual amazon packaging on the outside layer.

Presentation:
Everything was as you'd expect fit and finish wise and the manual/bar channel cap were in the case along side the saw.

Use/final thoughts:
Only adjustment needed was idle speed but be warned if you're going to run any less than 91 octane your might need a slight adjustment on the high speed jet(after break-in) as they seem to have it set for their premixed stuff. The bar it ships with is sturdy enough for the average person , I've had it in a few binds already with no deformation or issue, however I usually prefer a slightly less flexible bar so I'll be replacing that. The chain it comes with is a standard Oregon chain so they didn't cut corners on that. Chain tensioner is a wyrm type with the adjustment screw on the face of the clutch cover so unless you're used to Husqvarna it may take a minute to get used to. They got rid of the two post handles on the oil and gas caps and switched back to a more traditional cap. Otherwise everything is reasonably solid and generally passable by today's standards.
I only have two complaints about this product are that the pawl on the chain tensioner is pretty soft and that the automatic oiler is set way to high. as for the pawl on the chain tensioner I broke it the first time I got in a bind and tried to back the tension off to remove the bar/chain to cut the bar loose with my spare saw. Realistically this is my fault and upon inspection of the pawl there was no flaws in it so I simply over torqued it without realizing since I'm used to old tensioner with no gearing to assist. The oiler is pretty typical since your average homeowner only sharpens their chain when it starts to overheat which they then blame on the saw so the high oil flow will extend chain life, This doesn't mean I have to like pouring oil on the ground all the time though.

This saw should be able to handle anything you want to do short of milling or constant logging and seems to be built in a way that most hobbyists and homeowners should be able to keep it running for years after the warranty runs out.

64 people found this helpful

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Poulan Pro 20 inch Chainsaw, 50cc 2-Cycle Gas Chainsaw, PR5020, Black

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