Which brand saw?

[LD1]

Husquavarna used to have a great saw,

They still do

but they succumbed to the volume sales approach at the expense of quality following in the footsteps of Poulan and others.

They didnt succumb. They have been doing it for years. Actually, the parent company on husqvarna is also the same parent company of poulan. And yes, they do make lower end saws, but that dont mean their higher end saws (xp saws) are any less quality.

I call it smart business. If you only appeal to a select few (IE: higher end loggers) you are only getting a fraction of the business. Appealing to the homeowner opens up a whole new market.

[Bluegill2]

Husquavarna used to have a great saw, but they succumbed to the volume sales approach at the expense of quality following in the footsteps of Poulan and others.

Like LD1 said, ya have to learn a bit about the different models. Husqvarna is making some of the best saws ever made, in the XP models and also the 353, 359, 365, 555. You will find these at a real saw dealer, not the big box stores.

Husqvarna is now the parent company and owns other brands such as Poulan, Redmax, etc...

[saltbranch]

[QUOTE=LD1;3088634]That is a heck of a price for both the 5100 (probabally NOS), and the 420. Just be sure they tune the 5100 right, or do it yourself. For that matter, do they have a 5105?? Might be worth the little extra to not have to worry.

Also....what in the heck is a stihl dealer doing with two new dolmars???


QUOTE]

they brought the Dolmar line in to try and sell. Dolmar name is not known around here and they have not sold very many. These are the last 2 Dolmar saws they have. The guy I am dealing with, which is one I have delt with on equipment I buy for work, says they never have had much problems with Dolmars as far as repairs/returns. That they can do repairs /warranty work in house if I do buy one of these. He said the fact that there is no name recognition down here really hurt the selling of the Dolmars.

[PhilY]

You can get a Stihl 261, their smallest pro saw at 50cc, for about $575. The prices go up from there. The 261 can handle an 18" bar with authority in hardwood, and pull a 20" fine in soft wood. Next would be the 362 (60cc, 20-25" bars) then 441 (70cc, 20-28" bars). Beyond that you're talking over a grand for bigger Stihls and getting into some heavy powerheads. For the record, I have a Stihl 261 and a 461. Of all the saws I have run over the years, the 261 is my favorite saw by far.

I've got the MS261 with an 18" bar and love it. I have been using it for the past year to cut about 12 cord of wood and it is going strong. I would highly recommend it to anyone. It's light and has a ton of power, and the anti-vibration mounts in-between the handles and the rest of it really make it a smooth running unit. For me, the weight was a huge factor in selecting my saw, and this one is about 11.5 lbs. It slows down just a little when cutting 22 inch red oak, but then again the whole bar is cutting as the tree's wider than it is. However, with it not being all that heavy, I can run it for a full day without getting whipped like with some of the bigger models. This makes a big difference too if the trees you need to take down are in an over-grown woods and all get hung up as you need to cut from bottom up at chest height to take chunks out of it until the tree comes out of the canopy.

[JoeBuyer]

I've got the MS261 with an 18" bar and love it. .

Good to hear. That is exactly my next saw and bar length. Sounds like a great saw.

[sea2summit]

If you only need a saw once or twice a year to cut up a 5" limb that fell out if the tree......you dont need a $500 saw to do that.

Don't tell that too my wife.

[Bluegill2]

The ms261 is a fine, solid saw, but (for me) it's just too big for a 50cc saw. I was goin to buy one until I got one in my hands, it's basically the same size as a 357xp. That's one reason I've stayed with the 346xp.

[jpm1]

Stihl . . . .with out a doubt! People complain about the new gas caps but they work well if you give-um a chance. I've got 3 stihls and if they die i'l buy more of um . . .John

[kenmac]

My husky rancher has served me well for 10 yrs. Never been the shop for any repairs, adjustments, etc,

[xyz123]

Don't tell that too my wife.

LMAO