TurtleWoods72

If you click on the link burgess, you'll see it's a rear handled MS201 I'm referring to. Still at a loss as to why it's so much money..

Oh crickey. I doubt I'd need a big bar ever. So it's now a swing between the 560XP @ £602 and the 365 @ £521.50. I'm kinda trusting Eddy's advice but the official specs state the 365 uses less fuel per kWh.. Heeeeeeellllpppppp P.s thanks too!

Stihl MS201 Petrol Chainsaw This was the MS201 is was curious about the cost of. I think the 555 is off the menu like mussels in August, and I'm leaning away from the 560XP. 365 in standard trim is tops on my new list (thanks to you brilliant buggers!) ... This is the best bang for my buck I can achieve, isn't it?

Sooo..555 is a bad choice. Crossed off. 550XP not worth it since £100 more buys much better 560XP Echo CS620-SX £50 less than 560XP and same size, power. But not much love from the masses. But what I really need is a 365 X Torque which I use until out of warranty and then port, making it a 372XP to all intents and purposes. Oh brother. I think I need to order before midnight tonight as the discounts end, or am I mistaken? (Radmore & Tucker/ FR Jones & Son) Aaaaaarrrghhhh... And thanks people for your honest late night advice!

I'm up for any mods I need to do myself (warranties don't seem to be worth much these days) or I could just wait till the warranty expires and do it. In terms of performance, would the ported 365 really be the same as the 372XP? And what about reliability. I don't need a formula one car to collect the milk from Tesco, but if I can get one cheap and reliably I'm in guys! Nobody has given any love for the 555 or MS391 'farm saws'..are they really that bad, or is it just because you guys need to cut wood fast, all day to make profit? Also, just to throw a spanner in the works, why the hell is the 35cc MS201 so much money?

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!

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.....

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?

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...

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.

Why don't you do one if it bothers you that much?

Fantastic piece. Quite took my breathe away (no pun intended) and made me come over all 'funny' as I'm also watching a Grayson Perry thing on the TV, so I must have had a bit of an 'Art Attack' (really no pun intended!). May I ask what saw/bar/chain you used and how easy is it for a noob to get into?

I don't know wether to admire your honesty, interrogate your wife, or disown your brother. Thanks for the laugh though!

I'd have to say John Deere. JV63 mulcher. Customers won't be bothered that you don't bag the clippings when they realise they are feeding the lawn and returning moisture. Failing that, Ariens LM21 with the Kawasaki engine unless you're ever going to lift the thing, they're built like tanks!

Absolutely, I'm so in love with Makita for good robust saws at semi-sensible money I'm sorely tempted to buy a DCS9010 just because I think it's built like a tank and I won't be using it enough for the weight to ever bother me. :thumbup:

Other than the commercially available chemicals I've no other ideas. Funnily enough my terrier had a bad dose of fleas about 3 years ago. Since then we've not treated her with anything and she's been fine. Walking in long grass all summer and not a sausage. I think it's because she eats mostly 'human food' as in lean chicken and beef and may have an advanced immune system (she's a hardy bugger!). Try a flea bomb, washing all the bedding in the house (hot) and buy a flea comb. Good luck, and thanks for making me feel itchy lol!

I think you're splitting hairs somewhat, but yes you're correct, Makita bought Dolmar in 1991. So technically it's a Dolmar in blue. However technically it's been a Makita for the last 14 years all said and done. Like you said, great saws whatever the colour I think the OP is right wanting the best they can afford. It'll work better, take less time and last longer. Plus it'll have a resale value you just don't get with cheap homeowner tat which becomes worthless after you've fired it up and got it dirty.

Just asking as a noob. How dangerous is chainsaw carving? I'd love to try it but every intuition says that using the tip of the bar is inherently dangerous. I appreciate that different bars are used, but what is the danger/injury rate compared to say arborist work or logging?

Excuse me butting in, but Dolmar are red versions of the very available and identical Makita saws available in many shops in the UK. I have a DCS4301 which is a great little saw and cost me around £280, discounted from £600 odd if I remember correctly. Sadly the guy in the shop who used to give these crazy discounts has since left and I can't buy Makita as cheaply. I have no problems with the saw, it is very gutsy and well built, although I've had to rewind the pull start spring which shat itself within a year.. I'm tempted to buy a DCS9010 for no better reason than it looks like a beast and is about £200 cheaper than an orange equivalent.

What sort of quantity of wood are you talking? I'd be interested in a reasonable amount for personal use, and can saw to fit in trailer on site. PM me with more details please. Rich.

Well here I am, a new member & former voyeur. Glad to be aboard! & thanks for letting me watch!