Beginner looking for saw and advice

[gensetsteve]

mse220 no fuel to go off and still plenty of power.

[hazzygawa]

Get all the pro still saws up to 880, get all your tickets up to 42.

 

Hey presto. Your a Tree surgeon.

 

All the posts have valuable info excluding this one

[harvey b davison]

have a look at the makita range, they are a lot cheaper than stihl / husqvarne, but make a good solid saw. But please buy some safety clothing, and look into some sort of training first. Your local college should be able to help.

[Italiastar]

Thank you all for you valuable advice - particularly about the safety side too - the thought of using one of these machines with sharp teeth scares me too - hence my query. I cant understand why the DIY sheds sell these things as if they were selling a cordless drill - and they are dangerous enough in the wrong hands. I'm planning to buy from a proper retailer that insist on some basic training and advice.

[Daniël Bos]

As a first, "home-owner" type saw, the Stihl ms180 cannot be beaten.

They go on and on and on and on...

It's a simple saw to setup, spares availabe at your nearest tesco's (well nearly, but pretty much everywhere that sells stihl will keep stock for these).

It's powerfull enough to handle a 14" bar (if you're patient) at a push.

It's nice and small and light.

It's really quite awesome. I have one with a 10" carving bar on that I use when hedgelaying sometimes for those hard to reach places, it's still going strong at 10+years.

[Italiastar]

F R Jones have got the MS181 at not much more than the Husky - I can specify a 16" bar too - is it worth going for a longer bar?

 

I can deal with them face to face as they're reasonably local and they look like a good dealer too.

[Daniël Bos]

F R Jones have got the MS181 at not much more than the Husky - I can specify a 16" bar too - is it worth going for a longer bar?

 

I can deal with them face to face as they're reasonably local and they look like a good dealer too.

 

Don't put a 16" bar on, it's too much. They only offer these big bars on tiny saws as unknowing customers think it's a way of comparing saws "that one must be stronger, it can have a 16" bar":sneaky2:

With a 14" bar you'll be able to cut most firewood you're likely to encounter. If you really need a bigger bar you really need a bigger saw as well asn 14"x2=28" of tree-trunk!

 

F.R. Jones have a very good reputation, good on price and good on service:thumbup1:

[geoff]

I agree Rover,a bomb proof little saw,& you are dead right about the bar size too.

[spudulike]

Husqvarna 345 - loads of power, sounds great, very good AV - a poor mans 346XP and IMO.......under rated. It will slice through 12" logs no problem.

15" bar recommended with 0.325 chain -standard fitment!

[windfall]

I borrowed a MS180 from my mates dad to do the CS30/31 and fell in love with it, as long as the chain was sharp and you didnt force it through it was superb! Simplicity its self to set up and maintain.

 

By the end of the week it had felled at least 10 pretty big trees and earned my respect! lol