New Topper, which model & petrol or electric?

[Gnarlyoak]

Hello all, toying with the idea of treating myself to a new top handled saw.

 

Just wondering if its time to consider going the electric route or stick to a petrol driven variety. Currently have a MS200T which I predominantly use on take downs & an Echo 360TES which I mainly use for pruning (but I do wish I'd got a 2511T for that instead!)

So was considering just getting a new Stihl 201TCM but started thinking that it might be a good time to bite the bullet & get an electrickery saw now instead as sooner or later they'll probably be the only option on offer before much longer (thinking along the lines of you will not be able to buy a new petrol driven car after 2030)!

 

So any regrets or rave reviews from others that have made the switch? Is an electric only a good option for pruning works or can they compete & hold their own on a large take down? Taking down a large oak or beech with my 200 and 14" bar I'd have no qualms about the saw's ability to do the job, but would an electric be struggling by the time the small brash is off and I start chogging the bigger limbs let alone the upper part of the stem of a diameter equivalent to the length of my bar?

 

Then if electric is the route to go down whose electric saw is best, Stihl MSA161T; Husky T540i XP; Echo DCS-2500T; Makita ?? (once upon a time Makita would never have been on my radar, but time & again recently Makita kit seems to get more & more good reviews and thumbs up from other AT members, so is it probably worth considering?!?!)

 

Thoughts, pros & cons, from the esteemed AT collective much appreciated.

Thanks

[Paddy1000111]

From my experience using both the 200T and 201TCM side by side I much prefer my 200T. It seems to have more grunt, and the 201TCM occasionally cut out in the tree when starting/took more pulls but you can't really compare a "broken" saw to a working one I guess. I don't actually know if it was broken but the guy who lent it to me said "It does that every now and again" like it was normal? I know that my 200T has more grunt and feels more capable.

Unless your 200T is completely shafted, maybe it's time to look at rebuilding it? I rebuilt mine from a scrap saw, even got the crankcase re-powder coated but you can also just buy new crankcase halves for about £75 each. I'm sure there are guys on here that would do it for you if you wanted... 

 

I can't give you a proper comparison on the electric saws as I haven't had them side by side but I have one of the electric Makita ones. I like it but the Stihls are lighter and if I was buying an electric saw from scratch I would go for a Stihl/husky. The Makita one works well but because the battery packs are heavy and the tools are rather clunky they feel like they are more designed for a roofer than tree work.

[Moose McAlpine]

We have a few MSA161s at work. They're a nice saw but underwhelming and not very powerful. We do a lot of council contract pollarding they bog down and stall cutting 2" growth quite frequently. They can cut more but quite slowly, you have to real easy on them.

 

Husky T540i gets good reviews, apparently quite powerful, near on the T540XP. Nice an quiet, don't have to pull start etc.. i'd like to try one.

 

I have a new T540XP MKII, love it. Very smooth and powerful, lovely smooth easy starter "feel". Balance, comfort and build quality is great. Much prefer it over the MS201Ts at work which i can't say i like much, although not used them much.

 

Also have T525, little 27cc top handle. So small and light, lovely to use. Not as powerful as the 540, but it pulls a 10" bar and it's just really nice to use.

[Moose McAlpine]

5 minutes ago, Paddy1000111 said:

The 201TCM occasionally cut out in the tree when starting/took more pulls but you can't really compare a "broken" saw to a working one I guess. I don't actually know if it was broken but the guy who lent it to me said "It does that every now and again" like it was normal?

 

Ours do that all the time.

[Paddy1000111]

4 minutes ago, Moose McAlpine said:

 

Ours do that all the time.

Guess it wasn't broken then. It was infuriating though. You would pull it, it would fire over and then stall and take 3-4 (sometimes more) pulls to get going again. That was with the saw warm and in the I position

Out of interest how old are your 201T's? I noticed still do a mtronic update kit for them for ~£60 with a new carb, flywheel and ignition module. Maybe this fixes it and comes as standard on new ones

Edited December 6, 2020 by Paddy1000111

[Moose McAlpine]

13 minutes ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Guess it wasn't broken then. It was infuriating though. You would pull it, it would fire over and then stall and take 3-4 (sometimes more) pulls to get going again. That was with the saw warm and in the I position

Out of interest how old are your 201T's? I noticed still do a mtronic update kit for them for ~£60 with a new carb, flywheel and ignition module. Maybe this fixes it and comes as standard on new ones

 

I'll have a look, i would hazard a guess at a couple years old as our guys kill equipment quite quickly.

 

Ours often die in the cut too. Honestly, i think they're crap saws.

 

The 200T has a cult following as a powerful, reliable saw. Pretty much unmatched all-round. My mate has 3 of them, the one he uses the most is 20 years old and all beaten up but gets run hard on cheap Stihl HP oil, with minimal maintenance and it just keeps on truckin'. 

 

I let one of our guys use my 540, he made one cut, then stopped and was just grinning. Said it was much more powerful and much smoother than his 201. It's a little beast of a saw. 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Moose McAlpine

[Paddy1000111]

Funnily enough the one I rebuild is around 18 I think. I got it in an absolute state but she's a beaut now. I took it to pieces as far as it would go, ultrasonically cleaned each piece, replaced the plastic stuff as it's cheap and you wouldn't even know that it's an old saw! 

[Moose McAlpine]

3 minutes ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Funnily enough the one I rebuild is around 18 I think. I got it in an absolute state but she's a beaut now. I took it to pieces as far as it would go, ultrasonically cleaned each piece, replaced the plastic stuff as it's cheap and you wouldn't even know that it's an old saw! 

 

 

That really does look brand new! My mate's ones all look like the before picture.

[Khriss]

33 minutes ago, Moose McAlpine said:

 

Ours do that all the time.

I think it was a factory optional extra . K

[Moose McAlpine]

1 minute ago, Khriss said:

I think it was a factory optional extra . K

Doesn't appear to be optional. 😛

Edited December 6, 2020 by Moose McAlpine