Peter 1955

That's a magnificent job, well done there. The one I did for a customer was not in that league. 👍

An astute and probing question. Typical of the sharp and incisive minds on this excellent platform. Sadly, the data protection act prevents me from either refuting or agreeing with your premise. 🤐

The same as too many internet forums- populated extensively by keyboard warriors hiding behind the cloak of anonymity, and imbeciles purporting to know everything. Fortunately, it's fairly easy on here to get good advice and information from the genuine folks.

Screwfix are noted for their descriptions being somewhat " lax". Usually, the Details section is correct. Usually. It seems to be badged as a Pro model, so perhaps that's why? I'm still running a 4041 of similar vintage, which my son bought. It has cut many, many tonnes of timber.

Agreed. And considering that Screwfix are offering them from £50, it shouldn't be too fiscally imprudent.

Yes. Buy a Pro. No comparison. Oops, just seen you've made the decision, good move. I have 12, 10 and 8. The 12 is a standard, and isn't a patch on the Pro.

Absolutely correct. One of my customers sometimes buys bags of logs from a log merchant in their log bags, which he rightly claims as 1 cubic metre. Compared to the 1 Tonne builders bags, they're huuuuuuuuuuge! Beware the folks advertising a cubic metre of firewood in builders bags, can't be done. 😉

One saw only, 400, yes absolutely. Lovely saw, light and powerful. But: if you're going to have two saws as suggested above, it's got to be a 462 to accompany the 261.

I recently got a Stihl 82 RC-E, which is supposed to have a lower speed gearbox, enabling it to cope with thicker stems. So far, I like it a lot, and it seems to handle thicker stuff well. I got the shorter bar, a colleague has the longer one, which looks imposing, but too long for what I want.

I'm not convinced that the 220 will offer quite enough muscle for what I want, as some of the logs are quite hefty. I definitely don't want yet another different chain profile, which is the reason for the appeal of the 300 running the same as my 261. Now as to a saw bench, well there's no question that a good bench would be a game changer, less handling time, more cutting time. Due to rarely having straight timber, the " logging " benches are ruled out, I'd be looking for something along the lines of this. Redband diesel saw bench WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Redband diesel saw bench at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products. That really would allow me to manage some of the awkward timber I come across.

Kombi Pole saw yes, petrol. The cunning plan going forward might be to get the battery version as well. Most of the trimmings are either done by a contractor with a 360 and shear, or sometimes me in a teleporter basket. Oh good heavens yes. How I wish I hadn't had to say goodbye to the cast iron bench driven by a combine engine I put on a farm trailer many years ago. The right bench would actually be the perfect solution, but it's finding the right one at the right money.

Apologies for sticking my question in on here, but I didn't think it merited another thread so similar. I've been looking at the MSA300 because it can run on the same bar/chain as my 261 does. Most of my wood is hedge trimmings, and because it's bent branches, I use a sawhorse of sorts. I cut the bits to manageable lengths to bring into the yard, then log it and split it into the shed. It's often a two person job, one loading/unloading the horse, one cutting. My 240v Makita is good for the stop/start nature of this, and is also low noise, which is a safety bonus. The safety drawback is the length of orange cable underfoot. That's why I was looking at the330, to lose the cable. Also, it would be portable for other jobs. With two batteries, I can probably keep going as constantly as I need to in the yard, but the astronomical price is a hindrance. The 220 has a big cost advantage, but I don't think I can get it on the same light 04 bar as the 300/261, which I would want, to save having so many different chains/sizes. Should I stick with the cabled saw, should I splurge on the 300, ( which to my way of thinking is the best option ), or can I save money on a 220, and still have the same bar/chain as my 261? Floor's yours folks, thanks for the advice.

Another vote for the 36v Makita here, you already have the batteries. Try to use matched batteries ( same age/condition, same size, or you'll get poor performance ) It has its annoying little traits, but you soon get used to pressing the button every time before you cut. With a sharp chain, it's surprising what it will comfortably cut. I know it's not the best, but it's by no means the worst.

I have what I suspect is a smaller version of that blade on a Stihl Kombi, and it's awesome. Only problem is for best mulching results, reminding myself to move it up and down, not side to side. In briars and brambles, it's marvellous, if used correctly.

I thought the answer was always a 500i? Wish I'd tried to sell him my old 251. 😂