Darkslider

Neither can I if I'm honest, but at just over a third of the price of the MS250/251, I won't be upset if it falls a bit short of the real deal!

Good points there Cuttup, you did initially put me off the Solo but further reading found plenty of good reviews and a few others here have had good experiences with them so i thought on balance it was worth taking a chance. I'm fervently hoping you were unlucky with your experience! Agreed there are other options available but I've been studying the second hand saws finishing on Ebay and the Stihls and Huskys do fetch strong money, my £190 would only have really seen me into an MS181 if I was lucky, and (perhaps foolishly) I've been swayed by the extra horsepower and 4" longer bar of the Solo. I will own up if it turns out I've made a horrible mistake buying the Solo but for now it's fingers crossed it will be sufficient for my needs. Thanks for your advice anyhow! If it turns out to be **** you're allowed a very big 'I told you so!'

Well, I've read more good reviews than bad and I made a mistake with the vibration levels, they're actually a more acceptable 4.9 m/s on the Solo 646. So I've taken the plunge and bought the Ebay £189.99 stock clearance one. So I will wait with baited breath to see whether a decent useable saw turns up or whether it'll be a bit pants. The good thing about Ebay is if it turns out to be useless and rattles itself to bits the first time I use it I'll have no trouble sending it back. I'm expecting it to cut slightly slower than the Stihls I've used as the 18" bar is a tad on the big side for the power output (3 hp) but for the occasional use it'll get I can put up with that, I'll just have to keep the chain nice and sharp. It comes with quite a few freebies like a carry bag, oil and mixing bottle etc so that'll be good so long as the saw works alright! Will type up what I think of it once I've got it and given it a try, might get some pictures and a video too perhaps. Thanks for everyones advice anyway and sorry for the thread hijack, fingers crossed this saw works out ok for me

According to the Solo website they're 7.8 RH handle and 5.4 LH handle. A good chunk more than the equivelant Stihl saw, the MS251 (picked purely because the power output is the same) is 3.9/3.9. So the Stihl will be more comfortable to use for extended periods but you'd assume that anyway.

Have you any experience with the 646 that's being discussed here? It's this model at Screwfix Solo Solo 646 38cm 2.9hp 45cc Petrol Chainsaw | Screwfix.com although obviously nobody is going to pay that price. The power output looks about right for a 45cc motor, it's slightly down on what a similar Stihl would produce but you'd expect that. The Ebay version comes with an 18" bar as opposed to a 15"/16", am I right in thinking it will make for a more versatile but slower cutting saw?

D'oh, I was all set to order the Solo till I read Cuttup's bad experience with one, do you think it could have been restricted to the example you used or am I definitely better off steering well clear? If I am I guess I'll just have to see what I can get for similar money second hand from the big two!

Interesting thread and has given me a lot to think about. I'm after a cheap saw for occasional firewood duties at home and it might get taken into the woods with me no more than once a month to do a bit of minor felling/clearing as part of a mountain bike track I'm involved in building/maintaining. Having done my CS30 recently I think I'd value a slightly longer bar to make the saw a bit more versatile over a bit more power, nothing I'd do would be overly time critical so I don't mind taking a bit longer to do it if it's going to make my life easier. With a budget of about £150 Stihl/Husqvarna are out of the question really, even the second hand saws seem to fetch really strong money and aren't that much cheaper than their new counterparts. The better of the cheaper brands seem to be Solo, Echo and possibly McCulloch (who have more in common with Husqvarna than Husqvarna would want us to believe?) The Solo 646 being discussed on ebay at £189.99 looks a good deal, but as a wildcard has anyone had any experience with Sanli saws? A UK distributor with full warranty and dealer/spares backup sounds promising, and I've managed to find a few good reviews like this one: http://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/newsitefiles/2011/0611/ChineseChainsaw.pdf As the CS45 is widely available for less than £150 with a 45cm Oregon bar and chain, is there any reason why I shouldn't go for one as a cheap and cheerful introduction into basic chainsawing? Or is it worth stumping up the extra £40 and getting an equivalent Solo or an inferior (in terms of power/bar length) Stihl MS170?

First post on the forum, hello Thought I may as well kick off with my demonstration of safe timber loading techniques in my 1992 200tdi 90. A bit exciting getting it back off the beach afterwards as well!