stihl ms193

[Paddler]

I am looking for a chainsaw for landscaping, firewood and dealing with storm damage. I won't be felling large trees. I was looking at a 14 inch bar and was originally thinking about a Husqvarna 435. Partly because they seem to go sale price for a pro saw, partly due to the weight being low at 4.2kg and partly due to the low vibration data. But the feature that most caught my eye was the "inertia brake" to cut the chain if kickback happens. stihl don't seem to offer this on their saws which seem similar to the 435, such as the MS 211 which is heavier. the 435 also seems to have a lower chain speed, for some reason in the stihl brochure they don't advertise their speeds!!

 

Anyway I was talking to a neighbour who said he was looking for a lighter chainsaw and was considering a stihl Ms 193 at 3.5kg it is certainly light. Has anyone used it? What is it like?

 

is the Husqvarna inertia chain system worth having over a stihl system?

 

so .stihl MS 211 v husky 435 v stihl Ms 193

 

Any thoughts for the chain saw novice?

 

thanks

[Daniël Bos]

The brake systems on all modern chainsaws are the same (badly made copies excepted) though there are some saws with an extra brake feature on the back handle ("trio-brake), that puts the brake on as soon as you release the back handle. Its crap, don't buy it.

 

The ms193 could well be an awesome saw, it's predecessor was but that means not much when it comes to new stihl models... It's more of a specialist type saw, as it's really a tophandle saw with a back handle stuck on it, ideal for carving and such. also does your local dealer have one? the 192 was never officially for sale in the UK?

If you can buy one it'll probably be fairly expensive compared to...

 

The ms211 is proven, reliable but underpowered and overpriced compared to...

 

The 435 has less power on paper, but it being a larger displacement saw it has more grunt and power to pull the 14" bar.

At under £300 the husky would be my choice in you position.

[peatff]

I don't think Husqvarna sell the 435 as a "pro saw" it's more of a householder firewood saw. Trio brake is only an extension of the front brake handle which you can operate from the right hand, it doesn't come on when you release the throttle but it might get in the way sometimes. All modern saws that meet regulations have inertia brakes for kickback protection so it is probably not mentioned as an extra feature.

[NFG]

Hi & welcome

 

I agree, that Trio brake thing is a waste of time, I had a look at one not so long ago, awkward & not necessary.

 

The 435 is not a pro saw, but pulls a .325 chain hence the lower chain speed compared to similar 40cc Huskys, ie 135 etc, but the smaller pico chains go dull quite quickly. The 193 is a top handle saw, so you might like to avoid that as its your first saw.

 

You dont state your intentions for your saw, so I'll guess its around £300 budget for firewood & maybe a bit of felling in which case the 435 would be fine, Normandy Lumberjack used one & liked it, or you could look at an Echo CS420ES.

 

Try & avoid gimmicks like tool-less chain tensioning - fiddly & more to go wrong than 2 nuts & a screw & leave some cash for some PPE - helmet, trousers & boots.

 

bon courage

 

N