New Saw Recommendation

[GeneSimm7]

I have several chain saws and the climbing saws are the most pleasant to use but would probably be too small for what you are wanting to do.
Of my other saws, one of them is a Stihl with compression relief and that feature makes it much easier to start! I strongly recommend that you look for one with a compression relief.

 

[vanskills]

All I know is the price of new saws is ridiculous, I wouldn’t buy one

 

[walnutman]

One that doesn't get mentioned is Makita/Dolmar. My Makita 6421, I've been real happy with for the bigger stuff. Mine is an older one with blue plastic. I saw one in a pawn shop just like mine but they wanted too much money for it.

https://makitatools.com/products/details/DCS6421RFG

I've got two Dolmars. They are German machines. I have the 7900 big unit with a 26" bar and an older, smaller 109.
The only time I had any starting issues is when I installed the air cleaner on upside down on the 7900 LOL... blocks airflow. It has the HD air cleaner setup.
Really strong.

In 1927, Emil Lerp, the founder of Dolmar, developed the world's first gasoline-powered chainsaw and mass-produced them.

Umfortunately years after Makita bought out Dolmar... they discontinued all gas engine production.
So much for green.

Here is an older post from a guy in PA..

"I have 2 Dolmar 5100`s a 7900 and the odd ball 7300. I love Domar saws. I hate the dealer network but I am a mechanic and I am also very resourceful when it comes to finding the part I need. I do not need to rely on a dealership for service. The Domar saws by themselves are terrific. The dealer network is the polar opposite.

As a professional arborist I have had the opportunity to own and operate most every pro saw made by Sthil. The only Sthil saw I own today is my old 066. I sold all my other Stihls when Dolmar stole my heart.

There are two things that made me fall out of love with Sthil.

#1 is the overly complex flip lever gas and oil caps. This seems like a minor nit-pick but this is a huge issue for me. Sthil If your reading, screw on gas and oil caps work because they are idiot proof.....K.I.S.S!!! You didn`t need to reinvent the wheel when you have the best reputation in the business!

#2 is price. Other saw makers are building saws that cost lest, run smoother, are better balanced, make more power at a given weight and are just as reliable.


Sthil has a great dealer network and if I needed to rely on dealer service Sthil would be my first pick. But when it comes to just the saw,the Dolmar 3100 is a better saw than the Sthil 026/260 and the Dolmar 7900 is better than the Sthil 046/460.

The Dolmar 7900/7300/6400 are all built on the same platform. They are the same size, shape and weight. The only change is the piston and cylinder that is bolted on. The 7900 shines because it puts out gobs of power for its weight. The 7300 and 6400 while still great saws shine less than the 7900 because they put out less power but weigh just as much.

I have a lot of respect for Sthil and they really are #1 . They have been #1 for a long, long time. But there are some other great saws out there. I want Sthil to produce the best chainsaw in the world, I am willing to come back but...... in the past few years Sthil has only added gimmicks like flip-lever oil caps and tool-less chain tensioning. These are home-owner features that I would expect on a Poulan Wild-Thing but never on a Sthil. Sthil you are better than this. Lead the market with the best product or eventually you will be in someone elses dust.

Cut 4 fun , thanks for the info on the Solo. I saw the pic in Bailey`s and saw the Domar resembleance. I want to try out that saw."

 

[kenhar]

So, my small engine mechanic tells me all new saws are garbage with these new EPA emissions. But I have a bunch of maples I just had felled. They are 14 inch at the tops and 26 and 31 inch at the bottoms. I only have an old Stihl 029 and thinking about getting something bigger. What do you all recommend.
I find looking at the saw websites very confusing. You see small saws that are more expensive than big saws?
Figure for what it cost to get them to block it all up, I may as well invest in a bigger saw.

What do you all recommend for this job?

Any right sized saw with a sharp chain will be fine as long as it's a Husky. I have 3. One is a 266 SE, bought new in 1984. Seems to be considerably heavier today than when new. Longevity of products made today is based mostly on the warranty. When the warranty is done, so is the product.

 

[Hermio]

So, my small engine mechanic tells me all new saws are garbage with these new EPA emissions. But I have a bunch of maples I just had felled. They are 14 inch at the tops and 26 and 31 inch at the bottoms. I only have an old Stihl 029 and thinking about getting something bigger. What do you all recommend.
I find looking at the saw websites very confusing. You see small saws that are more expensive than big saws?
Figure for what it cost to get them to block it all up, I may as well invest in a bigger saw.

What do you all recommend for this job?

I like my Stihl MS500i.

 

[xyz123]

Any right sized saw with a sharp chain will be fine as long as it's a Husky. I have 3. One is a 266 SE, bought new in 1984. Seems to be considerably heavier today than when new. Longevity of products made today is based mostly on the warranty. When the warranty is done, so is the product.

Those are not bad for weight. It's just because we are getting older.

I started selling of 084's 3120's 166's. Few more years the 066's 395 went.

Heck now the 65cc-70cc range feel heavy like you talking with 266.

Owned alot of those. Collectors keep buying them from me.

PHO before tanks filled and choice of bar chain.

 

[CoyPatton]

My opinion on newer saws (ones that felling into the EPA emissions pit) is that for that same size CC saw you need to run a shorter bar and chain to experience the same cutting power. This forces you to buy a larger saw to run the same size bar and chain. Which means more weigh to use and more expense to purchase. Then is the factor of fuel, ethanol is hard on any small engine. It also does not produce the same power as non ethanol fuel. This results in a double hit on power on any saw.
While the price jumps, I believe the pro model saws are build with better materials. So will last longer, also buy fuel in the premixed cans to avoid ethanol as I have known people that say the non-ethanol fuel they have bought at pumps have contained ethanol.
Personally for my limbing needs, I have gone to battery powered saws. So far they have worked ok. No starting issues, just have to be sure batteries are charged prior to wanting to use.

 

[neilpaku]

The other thing to remember is that saw engines can be refreshed with a cylinder and piston kit and that effectively returns them to as-new (so long as stuff isn't actually broken on them). My brother logs and routinely refreshes his saws with cylinders/pistons. When the bottom end lets go (usually the seals), then he gets a new powerhead because, at least for Stihls, he says that getting the bottom end right is not easy without the right tooling and because of the cost.

 

[Ronald G]

Chevy and Ford.
Back when I was cutting timber for a living, my choice was McCollough, (showing my age) I always had trouble with starting Stihls, could have been me. My Husqvarna 357xp with a 30 inch bar and 3/8 chain works flawlessly. This saw has been out of production for several years.
I empty the gas tank when I dont use it for a while. Always starts in three when not used for a while and tank was dry.
Always starts on one pull every time when warm. At 80 years old the husky is a bit heavy, but there is nothing out there that this saw won't handle, as mentioned before make sure you get a saw that comes with a 3/8th chain, anything less is a kiddy saw. These saws produce saw DUST, the 3/8 chain produces wood chips.
Don't buy at the big box stores, find a dealer who will cover you and supplies the bigger landscape and mowing companies, they know what works.
I have four big maples that have been blown over from our last hurricane here in Fl. As soon as the water dries up looking forward to get them cut up for fireplace wood.

 

[ForestRoads]

So, my small engine mechanic tells me all new saws are garbage with these new EPA emissions. But I have a bunch of maples I just had felled. They are 14 inch at the tops and 26 and 31 inch at the bottoms. I only have an old Stihl 029 and thinking about getting something bigger. What do you all recommend.
I find looking at the saw websites very confusing. You see small saws that are more expensive than big saws?
Figure for what it cost to get them to block it all up, I may as well invest in a bigger saw.

What do you all recommend for this job?

I know most people only talk about Stihl and Husky, but the guy who owns our local saw shop convinced me a couple of years ago to get an Echo Timberwolf CS-590, and it's my new favorite, over the Stihls I own. He said when guys go out cutting firewood together, it's always the Echo owner who keeps cutting while the others are fussing around, trying to get their saws running, or fixing an issue. That appealed to me. It starts faithfully in 3 or 4 pulls, max - one, if it's warm. I have a 24" bar on mine, and it hogs through trees like crazy. I recently felled a couple of newly-dead firs that were 36 inches in diameter at the stump, in just a few minutes, each. I'm a convert.

 

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Husqvarna chainsaws that were all great when new, but became harder and harder to start every year

I had the same hard to start problem with my Husky's, I was ready to junk 'em. A friend told me to replace the coil see if that helps. Wow, what a difference, a new coil and they run like new, easy to start hot or cold. Seems the coils break down over time, might try that.

 

[EddieWalker]

I know most people only talk about Stihl and Husky, but the guy who owns our local saw shop convinced me a couple of years ago to get an Echo Timberwolf CS-590, and it's my new favorite, over the Stihls I own. He said when guys go out cutting firewood together, it's always the Echo owner who keeps cutting while the others are fussing around, trying to get their saws running, or fixing an issue. That appealed to me. It starts faithfully in 3 or 4 pulls, max - one, if it's warm. I have a 24" bar on mine, and it hogs through trees like crazy. I recently felled a couple of newly-dead firs that were 36 inches in diameter at the stump, in just a few minutes, each. I'm a convert.

For everyone that has only owned Stihl, I agree that it's a good saw and there is no reason not to be happy with it. But if you ever buy an Echo that's similar in size and power, you'll see that it's a better saw.