Best small chainsaw for UK?

[Steven P]

What kind of budget do you have? We could all suggest top of the range with someone elses money?

 

I've got 2 saws - the Stihl 181 and a battery Qualcast (discontinued), for similar to you - small trees, firewood, I had the Stihl doing about a 25" limb the other week - slow but capable. Bought that from new so I know its history, been looked after reasonably well and is about 10 years old now... plenty of spare parts available, plenty of advice here and other places. The qualcast, 36V battery, again capable, has cut similar sizes to the Stihl but that flattens the battery. However it is no longer sold (I got the last in the store, half price), not sure what spares there would be or new batteries.... but it is also a capable saw.

 

Point being the smaller saw is probably OK, MS181, or a decent battery saw and a spare battery - but all depends on the budget - for the battery saw when it dies it will need replacing - which brings me to my recent conclusion, when the saws need replacing I'll be going battery + spare batteries. 

 

e-bay.... you could try this to get something cheaper - my experience, 2 identical hedge trimmer and 2 identical blowers being a 50-50 success rate (I got 2 of each, 1 for good and one for donor) - if you are OK with maintenance you might get something - but budget on the top end of e-bay, perhaps 60% of new price

[openspaceman]

I agree that a MS181 would be adequate for harvesting sub 5" material but I wouldn't want it to crosscut those poles into logs, preferring a circular saw bench or to try a branch logger.

[Bill C]

Second the Stihl MS17*/18* series saws, light and easy to handle, had my MS180 since 2005 and can't fault it. Have the 3/8"x0.043 pmm chain on a 12/14" bar and keep it sharp and it'll deal with what you are planning to cut. If you use the Makita LXT range of power tools the Makita 36 volt battery saws are close to the Stihl MS170 and to be honest the battery saws are nicer to use on small fire wood and if you keep the chain sharp a set of batteries will do a dumpy bag of fire wood.

[Will C]

Have you an echo dealer local? They’re cheaper than stihl/husky but equal value for money with parts back up. A stihl 181. Will do all you require bit a little bigger would be far more pleasant to use imo. More importantly put the time into learning to sharpen properly, a small saw needs to be spot on to get the best from it. 

[Muddy42]

3 hours ago, Niftyprose said:

Thanks guys, esp. Muddy42, who has the instantly-recognizable tone of one who has given good advice to a lot of idiots over the years.

 

(Muddy, I grew up with a Rayburn solid fuel stove as our only heat source and we used to dry wood for two years on rotation in a big shed. These days I lay it down in early summer for winter burning. I miss that shed, but I use a ventilated store, stick to fast-drying woods and cut pretty small. Also I wear safety glasses, protective trousers and gauntlets, honest. I'll omit checking off on all the other points you and Decro raise but I'm 60, in pretty good shape, and long past the age of risk-taking.)

 

 

Back to the original matter. I'm aware of Stihl's dominance in the chainsaw market, and I've long used Stihl strimmers and a Viking (Stihl-managed) lawnmower. I posted here because I guessed that higher-end specialist models would be available, but you're right -- given my likely usage an MS1* looks like a better fit than an MS2*.

 

NP

 

 

 

Sorry if I sounded condescending, you clearly know what you are doing!

 

Yes get a small petrol chainsaw. Any of the Stihl MS1s will be fine. I have a professional stihl MS261 which is great but five times the price new or three times if second hand. The case for cheap saws is quite strong.

 

Have fun with the firewood. It doesnt sound the most efficient in terms of handling wood, but satisfying never-the-less. I process wood on an industrial scale for 4 days of the year with hired heavy machinery but I still handle the odd blown tree to tidy up.

 

maybe have a bag or two of firewood delivered to tide you through while the wood dries?

[gand]

The stihl 170/171/180/181 and 211 have now been discontinued. I've tried the new 182 and 212. I will say I wouldn't of recommended a 16" bar on a 181, but the 182  handles a 16 well

[Niftyprose]

Thanks everyone and esp. Muddy (who didn't need to apologize -- my old day job in IT taught me how few people actually listen to the advice they've asked for). This was an invaluable exercise because a. we ruled out the likes of the ParkerBrand and b. I realized that I can't justify buying one of the "pro" Stihls for a few days' work each year. 

 

It looks like there are still a few old-stock petrol MS170s for sale, but Steven's note prompted me to check out cordless saws, an option which I hadn't previously considered and which will need a lot more research. I'm a few weeks from purchase and will follow up here in case anyone happens to have hands-on. 

 

NP

Edited June 18 by Niftyprose

[Bill C]

Petrol V battery, depends on what you use it for, lots of small(up to 5" or so) fire wood I've been converted to battery so much easier, no idling saw or starting it no petrol and a bit less noise(about 10db). Also top up oil and charge battery and that's it. I've a Stihl MS 180 with a 14"x3/8"x0.043 pmm chain and a Makita DUC305Z with a 12"x3/8"x0.043pmm chain both weigh 5.4kg. I've just milled(hard on any saw) 8yr old Oak 3" thick and 240" long, the Stihl used 1/2 tank of fuel. I also milled with the Makita 2yr old Ash 2" thick and 190" long and that used 1/2  battery charge, so not much difference. Using the saws, both about the same size but the battery saw is a little more rear heavy, other than that about the same.

[peds]

If I were in your shoes, I'd get a nice battery Stihl, MSA 200 or 220 for playing in the woods, stick with the Screwfix yoke for processing it at home, and maybe get a cheap Chinese 50cc run on Aspen at some point in the future if you need it.

[manco]

not sure i would take a battery saw for the woods, not without some good backup for recharging.

id go battery at home where low noise is better and easy recharge.

saying that ive not used battery saws so i dont know what kinda cut time you get on them

you wont go wrong with the 201/540 as a work saw, just the cost.

maybe look for buying a second hand or consider the resale value in a few years once youve cut your wood.

second the need for decent ppe. essential.