New Topper, which model & petrol or electric?

[Khriss]

@Dan maynard and all treees are different, Silky it is then 🤔 K

[Dan Maynard]

@Dan maynard and all treees are different, Silky it is then [emoji848] K

Oh yes, I never climb without a silky.

[Gnarlyoak]

16 hours ago, Moose McAlpine said:

 

Pretty sure the OP meant it as a shortening of "top handle".

I did, of course. But some pedants just can't help themselves. 🙄

[Khriss]

I just can't get exited at the battery pruning saws ( age probably) would always whip my silky out, can see their value in some ways but petrol will be around for my lifetime. K

[Gnarlyoak]

Interesting responses so far. My initial aim was to try and see if it was worth while getting an electric "TOP HANDLED SAW" or "Topper" as some of us climbers like to refer to them as, and which one.

Perhaps unsurprisingly its quickly spiralled down to the lowest level and became the usually Stihl v Husky bun fight, with the 200T still retaining its unshakeable crown as the king of the genre. (Do you think now that we are leaving the EU we could persuade Stihl to eschew EU emission regulations and remake the MS200T just for the UK market?)

It is also fairly apparent that unless electric saw owners are being overly coy with their experiences, that a petrol powered top handle is still the way forward.

 

Both my current saws (MS200 & Echo 360) have benefited in the past from being tickled & tweaked by Spud in the past. 200 about a year ago & 360 about 2 years. Always thought that if I had issues with one I'd still have the other as back up. Of course sods law has to come into play and both saws start acting up the same bloody week.

 

So I was debating with myself whether or not it was worth buying a new electric off the shelf that would be a worthwhile investment and a worthy inclusion to my topper collection. By all accounts it would appear money would be better spent by keeping the saws and send them to Spud to work his magic again!

 

[Khriss]

Keeps him busy i suppose 😉 dont forget  to clean it 😯  K

[Paddy1000111]

I've always considered a "Topper" to be one with a bit more grunt like the 200/201 etc, capable of making a large topping cut and handling bigger take down stuff (even though we don't top anymore bla bla bla) so I think you're right. Lots of things in life that we still have ancient names for as a hint to the past. 

 

I would do as you say and invest the money to spruce them up. Buy some new plastics as they are pennies from L&S, especially if you have a trade account. Maybe have the crankcase halves re-powder coated. I degreased mine and then dunked them in industrial paint stripper for 24h and all the old paint fell off. I filled any big dents with "Big Boy Powder coatable Metal Filler" from toolstation of all places and then masked up the seal faces, bearing journal myself with polyimide tape which is used for soldering/smd work which worked perfectly. The guy at the powdercoaters charged me £15 as I did all the prep work myself. If you do go down the re-painting route then make sure to take out the plastic block that's mounted inside the crankcase half. It's held in with one of those star style spring clips. Break the clip out with an old screwdriver and replace it with an off the shelf one.

 

You don't need to go to  the lengths I did but it is like a new saw as opposed to an old one that I kept repairing, it makes me feel differently about it as it's no longer an old saw that needs fixing all the time but a "new" saw that has the occasional hiccup 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Paddy1000111

[carlos]

i think small battery saws are great for prunning, 

superlight, quiet, dont need to leave them running or keep starting them,

much smaller on the harness.

obviously if you start making bigger cuts they slow up, although you can get bigger battery tophandles but ive not really tried these but i guess the weight creeps up too.

carl

[Peter 1955]

I think nowadays, battery saws have a place, without a doubt. However, until major leaps forward in battery technology happen, there's also a need for petrol saws. I wouldn't be without my battery saw now, neither would I rely on one exclusively. 

[spudulike]

23 hours ago, adw said:

Is it easier to strip because after a few hours most of it has fallen apart anyway ? have seen a few, mufflers either loose or cracked up, carburation is very strange, chain brake covers and bases melted, i know it is not the quickest to strip but i really think that is because it is so well built

Loose mufflers....it happens because many people remove them then fail to fit the belleville (domed) washers that should be fitted and tension the screw so it doesn't come loose😉 

Your last comment made me smile though😂