Cheap but more than cheerful.

[Ian H]

I used to use a Poulan top handle saw for firewood, it had manual oiling and no chainbrake, whacked an 18" bar on it and it lasted for decades, no comparison to a modern saw but great at the time.

[White Noise]

I did buy an echo top handle saw years ago you know the really small ones . I think it was 26cc with 10" bar mint for pruning but it did not last 12months ? Other echo saws Ive had have been great though .

[tommer9]

My local garden shop sells alot of tanaka and efco stuff.

Although i dont really like it myself, and find it heavy and clunky as it were, but on one of the N.T properties i work at thats all they use, and they do a fair bit with them. The head hardener there has a brushcutter and 2 chainsaws, and although they are a bit rattly now, he swears by them, and TBH they do seem pretty well made. Getting parts is also not a problem I am told, although having said that- he hasnt needed much in the way of parts, and this is a wel used saw. He must produce several tonnes of firewood for the big house each year with it, aside from al the other duties around the estate (they only get me in for climbing/ dismantling/ really big stuff, as they can deal with most felling etc themselves).

So i reckon tanaka would be worth a look.

[Mick Stockbridge]

I bought an AMA top handled saw (25cc) for topping conny hedges and an AMA groundsaw (45cc) from Jonesie this year and I've used em regular as clockwork and both are doing well. Both came with a two year warranty.

 

£145 and £200 respectively and money well spent imo.

[bob]

Vibration on copy stuff is usually bad:thumbdown:

[Mick Stockbridge]

AMA aint copy stuff bob, they're Italian.

[harvey b davison]

Hasn't Tanaka now been bought out by and rebranded Hitatchi ? Screwfix are now selling them, look pretty decent.

[MaxJ]

AMA aint copy stuff bob, they're Italian.

 

My little ama topper is great paid for its self in one job, never let me down and perfect for conny's etc.

[swinny]

My little ama topper is great paid for its self in one job, never let me down and perfect for conny's etc.

 

hows the chainbrake handle? has it freed up? i know that theyre stiff when new, also have you have any work done to it or is it standard?

[Les Cork]

When i started in the chainsaw industry in 1980 Stihl were no 4 in the UK behind McCulloch, Echo and Husky, you could also buy Sachs Dolmar, Homelite, Jonsered, Partner Shindaiwa, Oleo mac, Danarm,Poulan, Jobu, Topso, Tanaka and several others all of which built a decent farmers saw. Yes there were some crude cheapies about like the quadra in about 6 brands and the Mac 120 saws both of which were £79.00 retail.

Then aquisitions got rid of many and slick marketing pushed the big two up to what we have today in the UK.

In the USA however there are other players, those who used to read chainsaw Age an American chainsaw magazine would read about how Shindaiwa was voted best pro saw in 6 states and how redmax is a good no noncence work horse, and today they still are getting the sales and reviews along with Echo and these brands grab a nice little chunk of the pro business over there.

There has been a new alliance between Echo and Shindaiwa which will see a huge range made available and once the distribution sorts itself out will be worth a look.

Makita bought Dolmar and have kept both brands going, in the states big Makita's get better reliability reports than both Stihl and Husky and are the subject of some keen modding as well.

The lightest most responsive mid range saw i have ever used was a Shindaiwa 62cc, it had the torque of nearly a Dolmar 120si and the chain speed similiar to a Husky 357, and that was back in the late 80's.

I acknowledge the market place for the Chinese saws for the home owner and know some landscapers who prefer to abuse a cheap saw and then replace, the question is if your saw works hard a lot of the time then it must have build quality to survive, if you are coppicing and thinning for example is "hard work" for any saw and also on the operator so weight, performance, balance and reliablity all play a part.

I guess what i'm suggesting is that the other saw manufacturers and distributors need to get some saws in the field and spread the message if they believe in their product for the pro market.

As for Cheap back up saws "smart choice" as Mick Stockbridge said his AMA is a motorised silky.

One last mention has anyone tried an old 60cc Topso saw ? i would like to see one run against a modern saw as they were ultra reliable with a Mahle pot/piston proper bearing crank and spring AV Not bad for the mid 80's, and has anyone tried a CT or CA Dolmar in big timber as it's an experience of brute force not equaled by most modern saws except the 090 which isn't available here anymore.

 

Check out [google] Power equipment trader magazine which also has southern logger and other titles under it's parent company.