My Hall of shame/whats your poison?

[Trailoftears]

So just curious,what saws do you have,'need',use?

I'm no arborist,tho I do grudgingly scramble aloft occasionally. Neither am I a tree guy.More of a general landscaper/jack of all trades really.So (without going down the slippery slope of hedgetrimmers,brushcutters,mowers,etc,etc)

This is the situation I find myself in just on the chainsaw front.

Makita 18v duc254 t.handled saw-love it to bits,handy up and down.

Stihl 'home owner saws,ms170-gutless- fairly rapidly consigned to the shed of shame.

Stihl ms180 c,after oiling problems from day one,after resolving,now my 'chuck it in my roofbox,just in case saw for gen.garden woodwork fencing/raised bed construction,coppicing etc.

Stihl ms250,never ran right from new,back to dealers several times-consigned to the shed of shame-conclusion-stihl cheapo saws are a mixed bag at best.Stihl ms038,My original saw dating back to the mid Eighties-bulletproof,never put a foot wrong.Lives under the workshop bench but can pick it up six months on,and off we go-in these d.comp days+age,I do have to draw a deep breath/gird my loins prior to starting!Ms441 c,My successor to the old faithful 038,same weight but 10cc more power with bells and whistles,not much love for it around the forums,but its my big boy pants saw for felling.Just lately,thinking I'd retire my trusty old ms180,Started looking thru the husky ranch saws (never owned a husky),By some strange trick of osmosis,found myself ogling the stihl ms241-and thought-just the job,if a tad expensive,then to my horror,realised the ms261 was 'only' £30 more,and not unreasonably heavier.Decided I'd be a fool not to pay £30 more for a 10 odd cc gain!And so the disease inexorably creeps on.

 

[Retired Climber]

I do everything with a mk 2 550xp these days. 

[Mick Dempsey]

3 minutes ago, Retired Climber said:

I do everything with a mk 2 550xp these days. 

I know, it’s mad innit? Apart from the toppers and the odd big saw on big trees, my two 550s do everything.

[Trailoftears]

It gets worse really,tho in my wisdom I decided that the ms261 c-m was best bought on a 16"bar as my sweet spot,now it dawns on me it would be good to get an 18" bar/chain combo for it-as it seems silly to lug the fairly heavy ms441 kut on a 20" bar for slightly bigger work.Oh dear.Also,After (slowly) coming to like the pole hedgetrimmers-I usually rely on a 30" single bladed hedgetrimmer.I'm seriously pondering should I 'invest' in a pole saw.....! Hey ho,at least it all comes off my tax bill as s.employed.My partner needless to say is rather more keen on more frequent overseas holidays as opposed to me needing extra sheds/workshops (as I like to style them).

[Retired Climber]

7 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I know, it’s mad innit? Apart from the toppers and the odd big saw on big trees, my two 550s do everything.

I don't do big trees these days, and only climb very occasionally (usually our own trees, or those of family / friends), so the 550 is just about the only saw I need. Don't tell the Mrs though, she'll be wondering why the hell I need the other half dozen saws. 

[Trailoftears]

Lol,your secret is safe with me.I've found it prudent to make sure only I have the keys to 2 of our 3 sheds-I cite security concerns.....

[Woodworks]

I sold my Makita battery saw and an MS 181 and bought a MSA220 electric. Love it and dont miss either of the old saws. Been hedge laying with it today and its just perfect for smallish work up to say 10". Great for snedding bigger timber as well. The next sized saw I reach for is an XP560

[Trailoftears]

Funnily enough,I blundered across a vid comparing the msa 300 vs the ms261.Extremely impressive performance tbh.But for me,given I long ago commited to the makita infrastructure,theres no way I could,would start again.Also,it struck me should you have a full days work in the woods, you'd really need  a couple of grands swap out batteries.Looking long and hard at o.p.equipment, there's a problem with power to weight ratios re: petrol stuff.I'm deffo dabbling and my mind is open.I find it alarming that given I was muttering darkly about paying £110 for 2 mak 5 amp batteries say,18 months ago,now you would do well to get a pair for £155.Brexit,pandemic or just increased demand from auto makers for lithium,I dunno 🤔

[Bolt]

8 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

I sold my Makita battery saw and an MS 181 and bought a MSA220 electric. Love it and dont miss either of the old saws. Been hedge laying with it today and its just perfect for smallish work up to say 10". Great for snedding bigger timber as well. The next sized saw I reach for is an XP560

Decent battery saws are a revelation.

 

When I first got a T540i I spent nearly two weeks re-coppicing overgrown sweet chestnut with it.

 

In the end I got the rear handled version before I got myself busted.

[Con]

Ms180, ms260, ms362, ms661, ms200t and echo 2511.

Yes a 180, and it gets used. It's just so light for snedding small stuff. Made up with the little echo. Makes a 200t feel very heavy now, though.

Ms261 is a good  choice 👍