£450-£650 chainsaw. Best VFM?

[TurtleWoods72]

I'm tempted to splash out on a new saw for no other reason than it's Christmas and I fancy one.

 

Won't be using it professionally, just for cutting up firewood and pallets mostly. Bigger ambitions lie in buying bulk cordwood and preparing larger quantities of firewood, to allow a seasoning period.

 

I have a pal who cuts his own wood and has invited me to join him for some felling and cutting in the past in return for a load of wood for myself, and I'd be keen to take him up on this assuming I am bringing something to the party.

 

I currently own a Makita DCS4300 which is great, but I'm tempted by the orange offerings of either a Husqvarna 550XP, 555, 560XP or something similar from another manufacturer, i.e Stihl, Echo, Efco. Makita/Dolmar, etc.

 

Reading extensive posts lead me to believe newer Stihl are junk, Makita are good but embarrassing because they're blue , Huskies rule the earth, and everything else is dog poop.

 

If the saw I have is more than good enough I could be tempted to blow some dough on a small saw and try my hand at carving or use it for general snagging in the garden where my recip saw would normally force me to use long extension cords.

 

So guys. Spend my money for me on either a new monster, a new midrange master or a tinchy schnitzel.

 

Also, can someone explain what all the different 'series' mean in terms of Husqvarna and Stihl model ranges, as it's confusing as hell as to which is best.

Edited December 30, 2014 by TurtleWoods72

[Eddy_t]

You have 2 choices 365, send it for porting and have a cheap 372, or buy a 560 and make sawdust extremely quickly!

Everyone bows to the swedes now! Even makita pay for the privilege of being almost as good

[Breezeblock]

560 xp or xpg 8 pin sprocket 15" bar best saw I've ever used for general stuff

[TurtleWoods72]

So what's the deal between 3 and 5 series Huskies? I take it it's not as simple as BMW where the 5's are bigger and better?

 

Also, is the £100 difference between the 550XP and 560XP worth it? Let's face it £100 is a few bags of shopping these days, or a night at the cinema!

 

Also, are the 'farm saw' types just a bag of poo or are they more suited to a casual user who wants long term reliability like me.

 

P.S I have managed to get the Makita DCS4301 to bog down, so I dint think it's overpowered for my needs. Plus I'm a big strapping great bloke so no Chris DeBurgh fear of a large ass saw...

[Eddy_t]

So what's the deal between 3 and 5 series Huskies? I take it it's not as simple as BMW where the 5's are bigger and better?

 

Also, is the £100 difference between the 550XP and 560XP worth it? Let's face it £100 is a few bags of shopping these days, or a night at the cinema!

 

Also, are the 'farm saw' types just a bag of poo or are they more suited to a casual user who wants long term reliability like me.

 

P.S I have managed to get the Makita DCS4301 to bog down, so I dint think it's overpowered for my needs. Plus I'm a big strapping great bloke so no Chris DeBurgh fear of a large ass saw...

 

 

3 series saws are being replaced by 5 series, it's just husky's very confusing way of telling you what's newer... Until you look at the homeowner models, so don't!

The farm saw models (anything without an XP) are just detuned pro saws, although the 5 series are more heavily detuned.

The difference between the 550 and 560 is amazing, and £100 wouldn't cover the difference! The 550 May be a wasp to some on here, but the 560 is like a hornet, on steroids and speed!

[TurtleWoods72]

So ..avoid the 3 series as they're old hat, soon to be phased out. 560XP well worth the extra moolah over the £100 cheaper 550XP, and no need for anything bigger (or smaller).

 

Are Stihl really pants at saws these days?

 

I like their brushcutters (although prefer my Danarm Kaaz Kawasaki) so find it hard to understand how they've lost the plot so badly. I must say the saws I've seen on display at Countrywide Farmers and such like have looked pretty blimmin cheap and nasty (MS170 - MS231).

 

Also, am I right in thinking the deals (on Husqvarna) at Radmore and Tucker / Abbey end tomorrow?

[geoff]

Some of the Stihls are good, the 560xp your looking at is a good fast saw, but I bought an Echo CS-620SX, which is also a very nice saw, not quite as fast, but a well put together saw with lots of torque, & a high quality bar as standard.

[Eddy_t]

So ..avoid the 3 series as they're old hat, soon to be phased out. 560XP well worth the extra moolah over the £100 cheaper 550XP, and no need for anything bigger (or smaller).

 

Are Stihl really pants at saws these days?

 

I like their brushcutters (although prefer my Danarm Kaaz Kawasaki) so find it hard to understand how they've lost the plot so badly. I must say the saws I've seen on display at Countrywide Farmers and such like have looked pretty blimmin cheap and nasty (MS170 - MS231).

 

Also, am I right in thinking the deals (on Husqvarna) at Radmore and Tucker / Abbey end tomorrow?

 

 

No, the 3 series are still strong runners, I have a ported 357 that smokes any 560 I've ran it against, many love the 346xp, and with the 70cc huskies, if the 540 was anything to judge by, the 572xp should be on sale in 2018 at the earliest...

 

My line up generally consists of a 560 on 18" .325 with a 9t rim (not advised for a non-pro) and a 385xp on 36" 3/8 8t rim. Anything too big for that probably shouldn't be felled, as a bigger saw is heavy

 

Some Stihls aren't pants, the ms150t and 241 are great, it's just Stihl are trying to compromise speed and power too much, trying to compete with husky and makita, that and they haven't ironed out the technical issues of switching to husky tech.

[TurtleWoods72]

Ok, just had a look at the Echo CS620-SX, seems like a nice piece of kit, priced between the 560 and 550.

 

Hmm, this is difficult.

 

Who buys the 'farm saws' when the 'fast n pro' saws aren't much more money, and seem to do more with less. I'd have thought I'd be a prime customer for a 'detuned' saw. However I don't like driving cars with a tea towel up the exhaust pipe so.....

[TurtleWoods72]

So am I better off with a 365 and porting it (what is this and how much does it cost)? Or should I just 'go big or go home' and get the 372XP, which is probably way too cool for me

 

I knew this would be difficult!