Husqvarna 120 Mark II Gas Chainsaw Review (2026): The

Why you should trust this review

I bought this saw and put two full cords of firewood through it before writing this. Husqvarna had no involvement and did not provide the unit. I am a homeowner with a wooded lot, not a professional logger, which is exactly who this saw is built for. I cut firewood, clear storm damage, and fell the occasional small tree, and that is the work I tested it on rather than some artificial bench scenario. Two cords is a real season of cutting, enough to learn a saw’s starting habits, its appetite, and its annoyances.

How we evaluated

I used the 120 Mark II across a full firewood season, bucking logs, limbing, and handling storm cleanup. I tracked cold and warm starting behavior over dozens of sessions, noted how the engine held up under sustained cutting, checked how often the chain needed tensioning and how easy that was, and paid attention to the things that wear you down over a day, like weight, balance, and noise. I ran it on ethanol-free fuel with the correct oil mix throughout.

Starting and engine reliability

Gas saws live or die on starting, and this one starts honestly well for its class. Cold, with the proper choke routine, it fired on the second or third pull almost every time. Warm, it was usually the first or second pull. There were no flooding dramas and no temperamental mornings, which is more than I can say for some saws I have owned. The X-Torq engine is the modern part of the package, cutting fuel use and emissions compared with older Husqvarna designs, and over two cords it never bogged or stalled mid-cut. It needs the full gas ritual, mixed fuel and seasonal storage care, but in return it is dependable.

Cutting power and the bar

The 38cc engine and 16-inch bar handle around ninety-five percent of what a homeowner runs into, and that estimate matched my experience. Firewood rounds, limbs, and small to mid trees all cut cleanly without me forcing the saw or watching the chain slow. Push it into very large hardwood and you will feel it is an entry-level displacement, but that is not what this saw is for. For the daily reality of bucking and cleanup, the power-to-bar match is well judged and the cuts came out clean.

Tensioning and ergonomics

The side-mounted chain tensioner adjusts without tools, and after a season of needing to nudge tension as the chain warmed and stretched, I appreciated not hunting for a scrench every time. The saw is reasonably balanced and light enough that I could work through a morning of cutting without my arms giving out, though like any gas saw it is heavier and busier in the hands than a cordless. Husqvarna’s dealer network is a quiet advantage here too, since parts and service are easy to find when something eventually needs it.

Noise and the gas trade-off

This is the honest downside. At roughly 102 dB at the operator’s ear it is loud, and hearing protection is not optional. It also carries all the baggage of a two-stroke gas engine: mixing fuel, sourcing ethanol-free gas, choke-and-primer starting, and storage prep at season’s end. A 60V cordless saw beats it on noise, fumes, and grab-and-go convenience for light storm cleanup. What the cordless cannot match is sustained gas cutting power for a full firewood season, and that is the line that decides which one you want.

Who should buy the Husqvarna 120 Mark II?

Buy it if you want genuine gas cutting power at the entry level, you cut real firewood or clear storm damage, and you are comfortable with the gas routine. Buy it if you value a strong dealer network and a tool-free tensioner.

Skip it if you only do occasional light cutting and would rather grab a quiet cordless saw, if noise and fumes are dealbreakers, or if you regularly cut large hardwood that wants more displacement and a longer bar.

The verdict

The Husqvarna 120 Mark II does exactly what a homeowner gas saw should: it starts when you pull it, cuts cleanly through the vast majority of real-world work, and lets you adjust the chain without tools, all backed by a dealer network that makes ownership easy. It is loud and it asks for the full gas ritual, and a cordless saw will beat it on convenience. But for true gas cutting power at the entry point, after two cords of firewood, this remains the homeowner saw to beat.