Last Big Jonsereds

When Husqvarna introduced the 162se in 1976 it pretty much defined what chainsaws were going to look like from that point on. Simple and elegant, and using a compact case with the oil tank in the main magnesium casting and the fuel in the handle has become what we expect a saw to look like. There was opposition from two innovative companies in Sweden at the time, but there was an easy way to deal with Jonsereds and Partner – buy them. Electrolux could see that three Swedish companies competing for both market share but also research and development was not effective and the solution was to bring them under the one banner and that’s what they did. Arguably both the other two had some better ideas than Husqvarna. Jonsereds cylinder porting was superior and Partner had better antivibe on their saws which were also extremely compact (it would be interesting to see were the final development of the Partner 7000+ might have ended up). However, as the dominant sibling, Husqvarna seemed to hold sway in most things.

Jonsered, as it was abbreviated to for some strange reason, lost its way after the merger to some extent. We can however thank them for what we now know as the “clamshell” design of crankcase with saws like the 520sp which used a one piece magnesium case bottom with the cylinder built up on top of it. When composites improved Husqvarna and Stihl would adopt this in plastic rather than mag for their “non-professional” saws.

The merger did produce some very interesting saws that are certainly worth a look for the enthusiast and collector. This started with the last “real” Jonsereds the 910e. This was a good saw that combined many Johnny traits in a torquey 87cc package, albeit with weak rear anti-vibe mount. This saw received some Partner input in the handle design and became the 920, with a regressed “Husky” style cylinder – it could not match the 910 for shove, but it was smoother. Final incarnation the 930 super, got it all pretty right, and was powerful and comfortable and for a mid 80’s saw – it still feels good today.

At this point someone at Electrolux got on the gear and while the mid range Johnny’s became red and black huskies, the big reds went off on a pretty massive tangent. While it might be through that the 2094 and 95 are just Huskies, they are actually a development of the 930 and don’t share much with their Husky counterparts. These are very desirable saws that go very hard and are extremely well suited to Australian hardwood.

Oddball that you have to love is the 2083. This is an almost entirely Partner design and looks like nothing else made. They come up every now and then and are an interesting piece of history as perhaps the last true Partner design in a big saw (you can see millions Partner inspired small saw). Another Jonsered that was actually a Partner is the 1020 which was also marketed in Australia as a Mac1000 – both are actually a Partner P100.

These big Jonsered’s are unbelievable saws that are still usable today. While they don’t have the classic look of the older models, they were built in a time of strife and innovation. While the new 572 owes a lot to the 162se, any saw with compact dimensions, straight into crankcase porting and spring antivibe, should tip its hat to Partner and Jonsereds – classic Swedes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

70cc Saws That Rocked the World!!!!!

Image
Imagine you were looking for a new chainsaw in 1987. There was no ebay, no Bunnings and no cheap imported saws. You had the choice of some of the best professional grade 70cc saws ever made however. You would not have realised it at the time but you were looking at some of the last great models from traditional manufacturers who while still making excellent saws, were not going to be able to compete when it came to both manufacturing costs or marketing. From a marketing point of view Stihl already had the show by the balls, their aggressive approach to competition and solid professional grade products constantly leveraged for even greater market share wherever there was an opportunity. Your Stihl dealer would have offered you a 038 magnum, the development of the heavy but durable 038. At 72cc the Mag had plenty of shove but was by this stage an older design that was resting on longevity and build quality in the face of ferocious opposition. Being the development of a 60cc class saw, ...
Read more

Iconic Saws of History - Solo Rex/Super Rex

Image
Solo is a cool brand from a time where saws were big, heavy and loud!! Even their relatively modern saws are, well, big/heavy/loud. The high point for Solo was undoubtedly with the introduction of the legendary Rex in 1958. Big and Blue, Blue and Heavy and Heavy and Loud, this sucker was one hell of a saw. It looked a bit like what HR Geiger would have designed if given the crayons to come up with a saw. It looks, one part Alien, one part Sea Monster and one part German Master Race showing off. It was however one hell of a kick arse saw as long as you didn’t have to kick arse for a particularly long performance. It was touted to be one of the first saws to “extensively use plastics”, but if you have ever picked one up you will realise that the only plastic bits are the cover at the back, which will have inevitably started to break down with UV exposure and to have warped to the point where engaging the choke requires a level of finger dexterity more in keeping with a piano...
Read more

Little Saws That Could

Image
Husqvarna 444se In 1980, Husky introduced the final development of what had started as the 140, 40cc saw, the 444se. At this time the model designation basically meant that the 4 meant it was the fourth development of this platform and the other four’s obviously related to 44cc. A whole family of saws had been based around the 140 and there were thousands of the little farkers around the place in 44, 140, 240 etc. guise. There were not so many of the 444se’s around however. This was a full on professional saw and stood head and shoulders above its siblings with its closed, well ported cylinder from the factory. These days we have been inundated by cheap “homeowner” small saws that are junk. We tend to throw every small capacity saw into the “not worth my interest” pile, unless they are a professional top handle arborist style saw. But the 444 was a little bit special. It came with a full metal handle and clutch cover arrangement that made it a little heavy by todays standard...
Read more