Thought I'd give my opinion on a couple of things. One is of a porter (and saw) and the other is of a brand of chainsaw chain. - The person is Kevin LaVanway and the saw is a 500i he built for me. Kevin (huskihl) is among the most respected and sought after saw porters in the business for a reason. His builds are aggressive and tourqy which I love. I was expecting a lot out of the 500i he ported for me and I haven't been disappointed with it in any way at all. He's also been a Godsend to me with knowledge and questions I've had about saws. He's a good man and I'm proud to consider him a friend. He's my saw builder of choice (and I've tried a few others) and I can't recommend him highly enough. Kevin's not the type to toot his own horn but I sure will. - The chain is from Traverse Creek called Duke's saw chain. I've been running it for months now and really like it, especially for the price. It's aggressive out of the box, doesn't stretch much and is at least as durable as the Oregon/Archer/Forester chains I've tried. Seems like most of us want a chain that cuts like Stihl RS but doesn't cost like Stihl RS. This Duke's chain is a good, cost effective option. I've probably bought 20+ loops of it. Probably half are used up and in the garbage can. None of other loops are new. Certainly ran it enough to say I'll keep buying this chain.
Here's what me, Kevin's 500i and a couple 24" loops of Duke's chain did today. Big red oak logs, bucked to 18" and then noodled to load on my trailer. Not sure the saw ever broke a sweat but I sure did...lol.
Lol. Yes it is. An older lady stopped by while I was working and said she wants them as mulch. I'd be tickled to death to have her use them.
Kevin is a great porter, I have 4 soon to be 5 saws ported by him. What makes Kevin stand out to me is he is even a better friend and wonderful resource to the entire saw community.
