sub £200 firewood

[dansound]

Might be getting a refund on dodgy saw i bought, so might be back on the market for something under £200

 

I know £200 does not get me a new pro saw, but will it get anything decent?

 

I'll only be "logging" about 10tonnes a year.

here is a pic of the stuff i will be cutting - this is what it looks like before i've processed, so still needs a bit of work

 

Opinions on what to get new

Opinions on what to get second hand

 

thanks!

[Big T]

Check out the Makita saws, they are a fair bit cheaper than the Stihl or husky ones and alot of people on here really rate them!

[dansound]

It's a Makita that that i have this is a bit dodgy.

Either going to get that fixed or get something else.

 

Danny

[bobh]

Husky 254, really solid old saw

[Chris Sheppard]

I've got a husky 357xp going spare, though it's a little over your £200 budget but is tidy - might still be on arbtrader I think.

[growforest]

Speak to Spudulike on here. He may have something on the shelf worth having. Sorted me a fine old Husky for rough jobs for less than your budget. Other secondhand saw purveyors are available of course. I'd not recommend Makita personally, for saws. Avoid Evilbay too, IMO.

[doobin]

MS181 with a 12" 1.1mm gauge bar and chain is in budget brand new and will be ideal for you. Rock solid resale value on eBay also.

 

Assuming you collect the logs as per your pic to process yourself.

[Big J]

Sorry to hear the Makita didn't work out for you Danny.

 

I'd avoid the MS181 personally - I had one as a first saw, which seemed OK at the time. I then bought one again some years later and was staggered how slow and gutless it was. Additionally, Stihl non-pro saws never seem to oil well.

 

I'd possibly try to push your budget up a touch - the Tanaka I have is pretty solid at £320 and has a 7 year domestic guarantee.

 

Jonathan

[harvey b davison]

why not and get the makita repaired by a pro, thats what i would do personally. If not my dad has a husky 135, its a homeuser saw, and its a decent piece of kit and around your budget too.

[agg221]

Breaking with the above opinion slightly, I might go looking at a secondhand Stihl 038. They're solidly built and parts are plentiful and cheap, and it will chew through stuff like this at speed. They're not really pro, more 'farmer' due to power to weight being a bit worse, but this wouldn't be a problem if you're not using it all day every day. Alternatively, the 036 and 034 are, in my opinion, underrated for this and often make a lot less money than they should (I've seen a scruffy but fully working 036 make under £60!). Both can be had within your budget.

 

I am less anti-ebay than most, so long as you buy with your eyes open. I would buy 'cash on collection', and if it claims it's a runner, test it before handing over the cash. Any genuine seller should be happy with this. I would then plan on getting it to someone who can a do pressure, vacuum and compression test on it, and give it a service. Assuming all is good bar a few service parts you'll have something that shouldn't be as frustrating and temperamental as many other more modern saws seem to be.

 

Alec