New member, rec's for saw?

[Eddy_t]

I'm amazed by the answers. The 560 is a professional 60cc saw costing £700 and designed to be used all day by professionals, felling trees. He wants to cut down the odd apple tree and slats for kindling and has a few small logs to cut up. The tiny stihl can do it but a slightly more powerful saw would be nicer to use. Anything above a 211 for a couple of hundred would be overkill. Spend the £500 difference on something you'll use.

 

 

Husky 450 then! 50cc homeowner saw, it won't win awards in speed or power, but it's serviceable easily.

 

Although I stand by the point of recommending an autotune saw to a home-user.

[TurtleWoods72]

I'm going to vote for the Makita 5121. An absolute bargain. Augmented my 4301 with a little more firepower, came with a steel case as part of the 'Promo' deal and will probably last me a lifetime.

 

I nearly went for a Husqvarna 365 X-Torque but at £540 for a casual user it seemed a bit extravagant.

 

I'm a big fan of Makita, but having set my heart on a Stihl (due to good experiences with brushcutters) I was reticent to buy one, when first getting a chainsaw.

 

Once I weighed up the spec sheets it became evident I'd bought a good tool for a fair price.

 

I've had my 4301 for a good few years, and other than some issues with the recoil starter which I easily resolved, it's been a little trooper. The 5121 is the same, but more.

 

I still hanker for a DCS9010 for no better reason than I like them. They look well made and 'old school'. Maybe I should buy one before they replace it with some new emissions friendly replacement?

 

I wouldn't rule out other manufacturers either, such as Echo, Shindaiwa, Solo etc.

 

Echo and Shindaiwa are Japanese and I can vouch for the Shindaiwa hedge trimmers.

 

Solo are German and seem to be revered in the USA but unheard of generally in Britain.

 

I'm not the best qualified person on saws on this forum by a country mile, but can offer my humble opinion based in your limited usage needs and current saw.

 

Ultimately you will ignore the advice on this forum and buy what makes sense in your own mind, but at least we can serve up some offerings for consideration!

 

Final word: No chinese unbranded �� off ebay, been there, done that.

[Duncan R]

Guys, I won't ignore your advice and have read replies with interest........it's like I said, I am quite sure I could do with a little more power in a saw and originally asked if stepping up to a 50cc unit would offer a 'perceptible' difference. The 181 is ok but every now and then it feels a little breathless so, while realising a 60cc saw will almost certainly blast through anything I'll ever encounter with ease and would be good to use too, it's probably too much for my limited usage/needs....

[wrsni]

I'm not the best qualified person on saws on this forum by a country mile,

 

No, but you're probably one of the best qualified to advise in this particular case as you're in the most comparable position and recently had to make a similar decision.

 

Horses for courses etc, etc.

[TurtleWoods72]

Get the Makita 5121 for around £350 delivered then. I bet you'll love it, if you don't sell it on eBay once the 'Promo' stock is depleted for what you paid for it and buy a 60cc Husqvarna or Stihl.

 

Simples.

[TurtleWoods72]

No, but you're probably one of the best qualified to advise in this particular case as you're in the most comparable position and recently had to make a similar decision.

 

Horses for courses etc, etc.

 

Haha, thanks.

 

See, even us noobs have our uses on Arbtalk lol.

[Duncan R]

Well, from one 'noob' to another thanks for the input TW........to be honest I'd love a fast/powerful saw but know, for various reasons, I can't really warrant one let alone need one. I'm guessing some of the pro' saws used by many on here are a hoot to operate and at some point I'd like to try one out but I just need a step up from the MS181 for now. When my numbers come up and I buy that plot of land I've promised myself for the last few decades I'll upgrade but for now I have my sensible head on. I did have Stihl on my wish list but only because this little 181 has been faultless, if opinions on Makita/Dolmar are favourable (which appears the case) I will probably venture down this route.

[aesmith]

Interesting discussion as I'm in a similar position to the OP, except I've just cut up a big Ash log with my MS180. The log was over 3' in diameter, and it took quite a bit of head scratching to work out how to cut it with only a 14" bar (under 13" actual cut). I just don't know how often I'm going to be dealing with that size in the future.

[TurtleWoods72]

Good call. You may already know, but Makita saws are made in Germany by Dolmar (Fomerly Dolmar Sachs) who Makita bought out.

 

I know a couple of the guys on here sell imported Dolmars (Orange rather than quirky blue) if you prefer, and report they are slightly 'better' in some ways than their Makita equivalent, due to some carburettor differences or something.

 

I'm sure to a noob like us we'd struggle to perceive any differnce if blindfolded (not recommended).

 

Going from an MS 181 I'm sure you'll feel like a chainsaw God using a DCS 5121!

 

You're going from 31.8cc to 50cc and 2hp to 3.3hp.

 

That means you currently have only 64% of the engine and 60% of the power of the DCS5121 currently. I think you'll notice a difference even before it's run in properly.

[wrsni]

I've a Dolmar chainsaw which has been flawless. I've also a couple of bits of Makita equipment and they've been flawless too.

 

To be honest I wouldn't be that hooked up on any differences between them, I doubt something marketed under the Makita name is going to be made substantially worse just for the hell of it.

 

That having been said, any of the guys on here bringing in Dolmars and selling them on are unlikely to be making a shed load of money at it so will be more than likely doing it primarily out of enthusiasm, and there's a lot to be said for buying something off someone who has a genuine enthusiasm for what they're selling.

 

Orange or blue, I don't think you'd go far wrong.