Supmixtools S6251 Gas Chainsaw Review

The S6251 is built around a 62cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine rated at 4.2 hp and up to 8,500 rpm, and that displacement is what carries the saw through real firewood work. Buyers on Amazon describe it cutting through 15-inch maple logs with ease and single out the motor as having plenty of power for residential use. Power is one of the most-mentioned positive topics in the feedback.

A full-size bar

The 20-inch bar means firewood rounds and limbs go through in one pass instead of two, and you reposition the saw less often on a pile of logs. It also reaches through a larger trunk when you cut from both sides.

Easy to live with day to day

Assembly is one of the topics buyers praise most, and the box includes a bar, chain, spark plug, tool kit, mixing bottle/funnel, chain cover, and manual. Starting draws positive comments too, with one buyer noting it takes a single pull once the engine is warm. Ease of use comes up often as well, which matters on a saw this size.

Comfort and safety features

Front and rear handles are anti-vibration, which takes some of the sting out of a long session. The oiler is adjustable and automatic, so you can match oil flow to the wood and the conditions. An inertia-activated chain brake stops the chain automatically, a low-kickback feature works against rotational kickback, and a throttle lockout keeps the trigger from moving until you grip it deliberately.

Sharp out of the box

Sharpness is one of the most-praised points in buyer feedback, which suggests the chain arrives ready to cut rather than needing a session with a file before the first tank.

Durability is the open question on this saw. Buyers on Amazon are divided on build quality and on durability, and some buyers on Amazon report the chain brake breaking after about two hours of use.

Weight

At 14 lb it carries a full-size saw's weight. That is fine at ground level and tiring for long stretches of overhead or ladder work, where a lighter saw earns its keep.

Noise

A 62cc two-stroke is loud, and hearing protection is not optional. The motor is loud, and anyone within earshot will know the saw is running.

A basic machine

This is a saw you maintain yourself with the included toolkit and standard consumables. Nothing in the product sheet points to a dealer network behind it, so plan on doing your own chain tensioning, filter cleaning and plug changes.

Starting discipline required

Once you hear the first ignition sound, closing the choke and pulling repeatedly floods the engine and stops it from starting. It is a limit of the starting procedure, not a defect, and the next section walks through it.

62cc with a 20-inch bar puts the S6251 in the class of saw that handles firewood rounds, limbing and felled trees without working up a sweat, and that reaches through a bigger trunk when you cut from both sides. The 14 lb is what you trade for that capacity: it is comfortable at ground level and awkward once you lift it above your shoulders. Check the automatic oiler and the chain brake before every session.

The cold-start sequence on the S6251 follows a fixed order, and the choke step in the middle is where most failed starts happen.

1. Push the chain brake forward.
2. Pull the choke knob out fully.
3. Turn the switch on.
4. Pull the starter handle up to 6 times, and stop as soon as you hear the engine fire for the first time.
5. Push the choke knob fully back in. Not halfway: fully in.
6. Pull the starter handle again, up to 20 times.
7. The saw starts.
8. Pull the chain brake back, then hold the throttle trigger and the trigger lockout together.

Warm start

A warm engine skips the choke entirely: brake forward, switch on, pull the starter, then release the brake and use the trigger and lockout together.

If it fires once and then will not run

After the first ignition sound, closing the choke and pulling on the handle repeatedly sucks in too much fuel and keeps the engine from starting. If the saw has popped once and then refuses, stop pulling with the choke out. Push the choke fully in and pull again, and if it still will not catch, let it sit before trying once more.

Fresh gasoline mixed with two-stroke oil at the ratio marked on the saw's fuel cap or label is what the engine wants, and the cap is the place to check before you mix. Mix in small batches you will burn through rather than filling a can that sits in the garage for months, because stale fuel is behind a large share of hard-starting two-strokes.

Bar and chain oil

Keep the automatic oiler tank filled and check the oil level at every refuel. The adjustable oiler lets you match flow to the wood and the conditions, and a bar running dry wears fast.

Chain

Check chain tension before each use and again after the first few minutes of cutting. Keep the low-kickback chain sharp, clean the bar groove, and flip the bar periodically so it wears evenly.

Storage

Before storing the saw for a long period, drain the fuel tank and run the engine until it stops on its own. Stored this way, with the fuel and the chain looked after, the 62cc engine, the automatic oiler and the 20-inch bar will keep this saw running all afternoon on firewood.

The S6251 is the 20-inch, 62cc saw listed at 35.4 inches long and 14 pounds. The second version, model 6250, is the same 62cc, 20-inch, 2-cycle gas saw in a shorter body at 32.14 inches long, 10 inches wide and 10.43 inches high. Both run the same 8,500 rpm chain speed, so the choice comes down to body length rather than cutting capacity. Pick the 6250 if you want the more compact saw of the two.

Buy it if

• You are a homeowner, smallholder or farm and garden user cutting firewood, limbing felled trees and clearing storm damage.
• You want a full-size 62cc saw with a 20-inch bar rather than a compact saw.
• You are comfortable mixing fuel, tensioning a chain and following a starting procedure.

Skip it if

• You need a light saw for overhead or ladder work.
• You want a saw with a dealer behind it.
• You want a first chainsaw without guidance on safe use.