Poulan Chainsaws - They Just Keep Getting Better

Poulan has come a long way in the last 60 years. Originally an independent company set up in Shreveport, Louisiana, Poulan is now part of the Swedish company Electrolux.

The company was set up in 1946 by Claude Poulan, a chainsaw pioneer. Poulan was a very innovative man and it was during a "Newton" moment that the Poulan chainsaw was born.

Claude Poulan first got the idea of developing a power chainsaw during World War II. He was supervising a group of prisoners who were cutting pulpwood using a conventional power chainsaw. Power chainsaws in those days were very cumbersome to use. Three men were needed to operate them which economically, probably didn't make sense to Poulan. Being a creative mind, he sat down and eventually came up with a way to overcome, the then chainsaw's shortcomings.

Three men on the one chainsaw - one on each end , and the third using a pry-pole to prevent the chain from pinching; this was about to change if Claude Poulan would have anything to do with it.

Re-shaping an old truck fender into what he called a bow guide, Poulan built a device to replace the pry-pole operator. Not only did his invention revolutionize the forestry industry but it heralded the birth of an industrial giant.

It was just 16 years later and Claude Poulan sold his business which became known as the Beaird-Poulan Saw Company. Further change occurred in the 1970's when the business was purchased by the Emerson Electric Company which then merged with Weed Eater.

High durability and affordable chainsaws are synonymous with Poulan. The Poulan brand name is currently used mainly for outdoor power equipment. Leaf blowers and chainsaws heading it's product list targetting the mid-level consumer market. Often sharing it's technologies with Husqvarna, another under the Electrolux banner, Poulan is one of the first brands that spring to mind when talking chainsaws.

Continuous improvements which include the SuperClean system and DuraChrome cylinders have ensured Poulan chainsaws will only become more durable and providing even more cleaner and smoother performance.

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