Hymer

After some absence on the forum due to 'working abroad in a target enriched environment' I have been following this thread with enormous interest. So much so that my own 'tiny Echo' arrived this morning and I am in love. It is a revelation for me, light yet powerful and fitted with the 10" C bar, an absolute delight to use. I had never really considered Echo's having been brought up on Stihl's, and latterly a Makita 7901, but I bought the Echo CS310 last month to replace a dying MS170 and I have been bitten by the orange and black bug. This little saw elicited screams of 'how cute' from the ladies in the showroom and I must admit that it really is a small but perfectly formed piece of kit. Someone said it looked like a Silky with a two-stroke engine attached: that is the perfect description.

Bought one nearly two years ago to work an Alaskan Mill. Put a 28" bar on it and it has been a faultless performer. Nothing has gone wrong or broken, it is pretty good on fuel but likes chain oil. I would have another on a heartbeat. It has been such a good saw that I have replaced a dying MS181 with the Makita 4610. That is a cracking little saw and I am very pleased with my two blue and grey machines.

Rory Hitachi bought out Tanaka a few years ago and have slowly changed the branding and design to Hitachi though the machines are essentially Tanaka models. Some are now made in China rather than Japan but seem to the same quality. I put my Hitachi 200 hedgetrimmer side by side with my friends Tanaka badged model and couldn't see any difference. Amazon had some Hitachi petrol tools on sale last year at silly prices and I bought several even though I really did not need them. For example I got a petrol drill for £138 which was on sale (and still is ) for £560. They are excellent tools and apart from my little Honda four strokes, I have yet to find an easier to start small petrol motor. I don't have a Hitachi chainsaw as they had sold out of the little ones so I bought a small Makita 4610 as my 7901 has been a revelation in power/size but if they are anything like my other Hitachi/Tanaka tools then they will not dissappoint. As an aside, Charlies Stores in Newtown (Powys) have the two Hitachi/Tanaka top handled saws for £170 and £190 respectively which is a staggering deal. License required for purchase.

Hi TMT Have to agree regarding the Makita. It is an excellent saw; reliable and very powerful for its size and weight. I use it with a 28" bar on my Alaskan Mill and it hasn't missed a beat. The bar itself is an Oregon, badged Dolmar, and came as part of the purchase deal. It is a solid nose but I haven't had any problems. I use Oregon ripping chain. I did ask the Makita rep if it would take a longer bar and he gave a qualified yes but the 28" is the longest bar they approve and supply as an extra.

Many thanks Chris I have bought Oregon ripping chain for my saw and received excellent advice, service and prices from Mark at NewSawChains. I was able to attend a local chain saw demo of Makita, Stihl and Efco saws, tried the sizes I wanted and was very impressed with the Makita DSC 7901. It is a very powerful saw for its size/weight and I was able to negotiate a very good deal for the saw with an 18" bar (for the Mini mill) and an additional 28" bar for the Alaskan itself. I used it for the first time today on one of my fallen oaks and it was superb. Well pleased and very impressed with the whole Alaskan setup. I used a alu ladder for the first cut and couldn't believe the quality of cut. Even though I am a total novice I found it very easy to adjust and use. Thanks for your interest. Pat

Thank you all very much for taking the time and trouble to reply. Pat

Grateful for any advice regarding a suitable saw for a 30"/36" chainsaw to use with an Alaskan Mill or a Logosol equivalent. I will be milling oak and so far have looked at both the Husqvarna 395XP and the Stihl MS 660 and, whilst I do have an old and very reliable Stihl 029, have absolutely no badge preference. Whilst talking to a Husqvarna dealer regarding price/availability he mentioned the Makita 9010 as a viable alternative to the 395XP and though, as a recently retired soldier, I have seen Makita's in use in the Army, I have never seen the larger saws or indeed any of the Blueys used by anyone locally. As Makita had never even entered my mind as a potential purchase my initial thoughts were that it was perhaps a chainsaw too far away from the established and well respected market leaders. I went to see the saw as it was considerably cheaper than the 395/660's and after getting over the rather old fashioned design ( appreciate it is a reworked Dolmar) was struck by the solidity of build (and weight). It looked robust and capable of pushing a 30"/36" bar through my oak trees. It doesn't have a decompression valve which for a large capacity saw might make starting a bugger but it does comes with a full 12 month warranty. I would be grateful for any views, good or bad, on the Makita 9010 bearing in mind that it will not be lugged around and will spend 90% of its time on the chainsaw mill. I have budgeted for the 395/660 but do like a bargain. Is the 9010 a good buy at approx £250 less than the two other saws or would I regret not staying with the established brands? Many thanks Pat