Husq 435 II or Stihl MS 181 c-be?

[billpierce]

dollys on sale atm for cheap £234:
 
https://www.fastfix.co.uk/makita-ea4300f38c-43cc-petrol-chainsaw-38cm.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyoDohsz84gIVjp3tCh1m2QwaEAQYASABEgLr-PD_BwE
 
crazy value.
 
 
 
 
 
 

I'd hands down get this over the husky or 181. Its decent like

[wyk]

21 hours ago, Mattia223 said:

Thanks for all the replies and for your patience.

 

@Stubby if better means bigger and heavier then I'm not too keen. Or did you have any particular models in mind for me to research?

My local dealer stocks Stihl and Husqvarna, so both will be suitable.

 

@wyk

Excuse my ignorance but I have no idea what you're referring to ?

 

@peatff

I don't mind the price point of those saws, they just seemed the best overall packages.

I'll look at the 135 ii and 120.

Is there a consensus of what chain is better? I hear the .325 stays sharp longer but the 3/8 suits small saws well as smaller?

Either a Dolmar/Makita from @shavey or an Echo from @RobD before those two Husky or Stihl options you've mentioned. They are made better in that price range.

[Mattia223]

Turns out fastfix (the shop in Steer's link) is a 15 minute drive from my house. Might just check the Makita out in Monday. Thanks for the various suggestions.

 

[stihlmadasever]

Husky 135 has the same power as the stihl ms181 you were considering.

Have you thkught of the stihl ms180.

Older version of the 181 and you can stihl get them new.

Bulletproof little saws

[doobin]

A 135 has more power in the real world and is nicer to use than a 181. I was pleasantly surprised by it having always used 181s for a chipper saw. 

 

Cheaper too!!

Edited June 23, 2019 by doobin

[gary112]

435 is a good little saw,I always keep one by as a spare when I,m hedge laying plenty power for a small saw and reliable

[peatff]

11 hours ago, stihlmadasever said:

Husky 135 has the same power as the stihl ms181 you were considering.

I've used my 135 and several MS181 and MS180 or 018 saws and the 135 feels much stronger and pulls better in bar length cuts. It also stays cleaner in use, not so much blowing down and clearing dust out after cutting. I have a couple of older larger Stihls I use and am not prejudiced against them they are good saws, I love my 036

[stihlmadasever]

10 minutes ago, peatff said:

I've used my 135 and several MS181 and MS180 or 018 saws and the 135 feels much stronger and pulls better in bar length cuts. It also stays cleaner in use, not so much blowing down and clearing dust out after cutting. I have a couple of older larger Stihls I use and am not prejudiced against them they are good saws, I love my 036

Both sit around the 2hp mark but your are correct the 135 is slightly higher in cc than the stihl.

The 135 is a tad heavier and more bulky than the stihl but over all a better saw.

I still love the little stihl 180 over the 181 and 135 though

[Stere]

The makita ea4300 is similar quality & spec to  a ms241 I think ,though iv'e not owned a ms241.

 

The instructor on my cs32 actually thought it was "better balanced" than the ms241

 

Also reckoned the fuel caps are a better design.

 

The dolmar version is the PS-420 SC

 

Iv'e used a ms181 and found its a very poor saw in comparison to the ea4300, as its low power means it cuts really slow/ bogs down in any  bigger diameter timber.

 

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by Stere

[Mattia223]

Thanks again for all the messages, folks. 

 

I picked a Makita up today from a shop around the corner from mine and will give it a good try in the weeks to come.

 

One question I do have, and this is probably a trivial question: when I first fired up the saw I followed the instructions. That's priming until there's fuel in the bubble, choke a few times, then open and turn on. Worked the saw a few minutes and put it away.

The primer bubble is half full with fuel. Will this get sucked out after some use?