Chainsaw selection... ideas?

[LD1]

I never had any problems with Dolmar or Makita saws jumping chains. Sounds like end user problems.

Dolmar 166 x 2 Dolmar 7900 5100 Makita 6401 7901 no problems with chains whatsoever. :laughing:

Me neither. And I like the way you think when it comes to saws.

 

[om21braz]

Shotguns & saws, this thread almost has it all LOL! Especially considering RadarTech has had his saw for quite some time now.

 

[newbury]

That's what I meant when I wrote:

We don't care!!

Just let us continue giving you advice!!

And advice is pretty generic for a generic problem

This seems to be a pretty general thread about a pretty general problem.

But nooooo -- it had to degenerate into murdering trees with a shotgun!!

Which brings up a true story.

Setting - Northern Vermont, early 1960's, a couple of weeks before Christmas, relatives from New York would come up to visit.

Well invariably there would be snow, deer season, etc. and my Dad would take them out hunting. My Dad would carry a single shot 12 gauge with slugs. They would return with surprised relatives and a Christmas tree. My Dad would just walk up to a good looking tree and blast it off at the base. Relatives thought he was crazy.

What he didn't let on was that he'd scouted out the tree during early hunting season, gave the farmer a couple of bucks and had it all planned.

/edit - one shot, one kill

 

[RadarTech]

No worries..
The tree well....

I was chasing something... And the poor tree got in the way.. I didn't want to post the gore... Thought the tree was a fitting comment..

 

[crazyal]

Anyone see the Mythbusters where they cut the tree down with the Dillon Mini gun?

YouTube - Mythbusters can a machine gun chop off a tree MINIGUN!!!

Now that's my idea of a chainsaw.

 

[RadarTech]

Anyone see the Mythbusters where they cut the tree down with the Dillon Mini gun?

YouTube - Mythbusters can a machine gun chop off a tree MINIGUN!!!

Now that's my idea of a chainsaw.

Yeppers.. That was a good one.....

 

[dcyrilc]

Skyco,
That crack me up comment was to the person that said they didn't care if I already chose a saw.. They were still going to give me ideas...

Well duh....

What's the fun in not giving advice?:laughing:


Get yourself an Echo for a backup saw.

 

[wade simpson]

I have a shindaiwa. I been using it for over 3 yrs, in all weather, cutting big and small, sometimes going thru 2 or 3 tanks of gas in a day, it has never let me down. 1-2 pulls flashes right up. I still have the same bar and chain but it's just about time for new.

It cost a lot but it has definitely proven it value to me.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

Wow.. this is a long thread, both in time and posts. Lots of info too. I started another thread about my current desire to upgrade my saw, but I'd like to mention that my very first saw was a Remington Mighty Mite Weekender that I bought for $75 at Agway in a blister package. I had that saw for over 20 years and it ate everything I put it against. Started out with a 12" blade, and ended up with 16 and when I brought the saw to the transfer station, someone took it, and I have no doubt that if they had patience and mechanical aptitude the thing is still running. It was all minor stuff that brought it there, really and lack of time to fool with it. That Remington was so good to me, I bought another model Remington for my Dad, and it was a real piece of junk. My Mighty Mite was all metal, and all business. His later model was all plastic and fell apart in about two years.

Anyway, The Husky 372P I looked at today was very impressive, including the price. It's the smallest saw that Husky recommends for a 24" bar, which is what I want and it's not awfully heavy, except for the price!! I have had very good luck with my two Echo saws, a 25+ year old CS500VL and a much newer 300. I want to upgrade the older saw to something more powerful and with a chain brake and 24" bar. My question basically boils down to this: Is the Husky 372P really a $300 better saw than an Echo CS 600P? My 500VL is a wonderful saw, as good as new, but I wonder if the current Echos are built as well.

 

[LD1]

My question basically boils down to this: Is the Husky 372P really a $300 better saw than an Echo CS 600P? My 500VL is a wonderful saw, as good as new, but I wonder if the current Echos are built as well.

Short answer is yes to some people and no to others. It depends on how often you use it. You aren't really comparing apples to apples.

The echo is just under 60cc's and only 4.0 HP The 372 husky is almost 75cc with 5.4 HP. Weight is about the same.

So you either need to decide weather the 1.4 HP (which is huge in the saw world) is worth the extra $$$ OR you need to compare more similar saws.

In order to get to the HP of the 372, you need to look at the CS8002. And that puts you about 3lbs heavier and who knows how much more $$$.

The appropriate husky you should be comparing the cs600 to would be a 357xp, which is a few hundred dollars less than the 372, about a pound lighter than the echo and still about 0.4HP more, OR the 359 husky which is about $300 less than the 372 and specs comparibally to the cs600.

When it comes to saws, for the most part, you get what you pay for. You need to look close at the specs (just like when buying a tractor). All the big saw companies prices are similar for similar models. you HAVE to compare apples to apples.

And as with buying a tractor, don't forget about dealer support. And test each saw BEFORE you decide on one. You may hear nothing but good things about a certain saw, but it just might not feel right in your hands.

And I will also throw out dolmar for you to look at if you have a dealer nearby. Their PS6400 puts out 4.8HP (0.8 more than the cs600) and weighs about the same, and can be had from a good dealer in the $500-600 range.

If you havent noticed, the echos are typically a little underpowered in their classes when compaired to the respective Dolmars, Husky's, and Stihls. But they are still a great saw and a great warrenty.

Sorry for being long winded and good luck with the purchase.