coppice cutter

Just "Made in Germany", so plainly post unification. There's a sticker with numbers on it and 97 stands out so i'm guessing that's possibly the year of manufacture. If that's the case it's in remarkable condition for a farm saw, still the CE stickers and everything on it.

I'll have to check. Certainly feels as if it's built like a tank anyway!

No resolution (or money spent!) yet, but a turn of events has kicked the can down the road a bit. To be honest I was struggling, not that there weren't saws that I could have bought, just that there was nothing jumping out at me as being the obvious thing for the job, and certainly nothing that I would have been confident enough to place an order for online without seeing or handling the goods. A neighbour in the meantime has offered me the use of his 109 Dolmar, it's like 20yrs old at least but has done very little, still has all the stickers on it!, has a 15in bar on it, and I can have it until I eventually get out and get something. It's a heavy wee brute, doesn't actually feel that much lighter than the 266 to be honest, but it's smaller and a bit easier started so it'll buy me a bit of time. Getting out and getting stuck in will probably be helpful in determining more precisely what I should get as well. Must admit I increasingly like the idea of battery power, more for the quietness than anything, but how much?????? Crazy money for something compared to petrol equivalent, and they're certainly not a lightweight option either! I wonder if there's a bit of cashing in on the 'green agenda' going on there? However, spending a few weeks cutting will maybe give me a better idea of precisely what balance of weight/power/durability I actually need. Thanks for all contributions.

I worked a lot on TZ Yamahas in the 70's when they were using actual chrome on the barrels. The platings they were using from the 80's on were different (i.e. not chrome!) and rightly so, chrome was a very imperfect means to an end. Thus the terminology is a puzzle, especially as it would appear going by what you say that it isn't actually chrome anyway. Looks increasingly like it something to sound good on the marketing blurb.

Nikasil is used as an all encompassing term to cover all forms of nickel silicon coating, none of them are chrome. Chrome was primarily used in 2-stroke racing engines in the 70's (Yamaha were the main users), but iron-liners were still common place as well and from early 80's on most companies were developing their own electro coatings anyway, all of which were vastly superior to chrome. So it seems odd that it's now being put forward as a selling point, then again maybe I'm taking it too literally.

Quick update. Was pretty much settled on the new 3510es from Echo, it was close between it and the 362WES as they're very similar weight and power output and then spotted in a video that the little grabby things (can't remember their proper name and cba'd looking it up when everyone will know what I mean anyway!) on the front of it are plastic! OK, I'm not a pro user as such, but that's a bit too "I just want to be able to tell my mates I've got a chainsaw" for me to take the thing seriously. So it's pretty much a toss-up now between the 362WES and the 'old' 352. On paper the 362 is lighter and more powerful, but the 352 just looks like a more 'traditional' type of saw, possibly better built being an older design and a bit heavier(?), and is also significantly cheaper. Don't have the option of going somewhere that has both on the shelf so it's going to have to be a brainstorm moment ordering one. 352 looking most likely at the minute despite it having been on the market for yonks, but then, everyone seems to hanker back to the older saws as being better anyway!

Yeah, I've seen that in the blurb. Seems odd when chrome plating was ditched in the late 70's for the more durable and robust nikasil type coatings that have been on the go since. So either it's just marketing speak or it's something that's been resurrected again in an improved form.

Another thing worth adding. If your stove is fitted with a room seal kit and you have a particularly air-tight house, sometimes it helps to just ease a nearby window for half a minute until you get the stove fueled. But obviously this would be of no benefit whatsoever if you already have a room vent.

The fact that you need to ask the questions strongly implies that in your case the answer is gas.

Mine was a white top, bought new in 80/81 or thereabouts. Have to say, as far as my old grey matter can still recall, the 266xp is just that wee bit better in pretty much every respect, apart from needing a fair arm to pull the thing it's still a brilliant useable saw.

Not at all chief, you've used and handled both side by side (361/390), it was an excellent insight and a good review. Really can't see a difference (361/362), must be some typically pedantic Japanese thing. Oh well.

@wyk One final thing, Echo list a 361wes and a 362wes and I'll be darned if I can see a difference between them with some places selling one and some selling the other. Any ideas?

So not an MS200 then?

So without pandering to clichés too much, 390 - 'pro saw', 361- 'homeowner saw'? That having been said, I tend not to abuse stuff and weight is a factor so with the 390 I may just be spending unnecessarily. Was hoping I could be certain enough to purchase unseen, but with these two both seeming like a good option, plus the new 3510es, that seems increasingly unlikely. Anyway, thanks for the help, much appreciated.

Good man, thanks for that. What about the price difference, would you see it in them? Do you think the 361 would have stuck the abuse that the 390 got?

Can't find it, in fact, couldn't find a new one anywhere. But then us oldies can struggle a bit with t'internet sometimes. Can you put up a link?

Is there any particular reason for that? Thanks.

Can you get me a new one?

@wyk Excellent reviews and very relevant to my own buying needs at present. Firstly, almost two years later, how are both saws doing? Secondly, there is a huge price difference with the 390 more than half as expensive again compared with the 361, having owned both saws for a useful period of time now, have you any idea why that should be? Thanks.

I've a Makita backpack leafblower which I bought new about 15yrs ago and it's been faultless, so I've no issue with the brand whatsoever. Just worried about long term ownership given their imminent abandonment of petrol engines. However, if I were ever to be considering battery power I doubt if I'd look anywhere else. Nonetheless, I'll check them out along with the two Echos. At the minute the new Echo 3510ES (not the auto choke one) looks like a strong runner.

Looking at the power and weight probably something you'd buy more as a 'do everything' saw, having the 266 anyway I'd probably be best going a bit lighter. But I'll bear it in mind should one turn up before I buy.

If there's no drawback with the 14in bar for coppicing, it would certainly make the saw a wee bit more useful overall and maybe even save me having to wrestle the 266 to life occasionally as well.

All excellent and useful advice Paul, thanks. I'll be coppicing similar to yourself, all native hardwoods. Firstly, do you ever see any reason why the 12in bar would be better, given that I have a larger saw as well, would the 12in be better for solely coppicing work or do you prefer the 14in in any case? Interesting that you mention the Echo 352, it's just been replaced with a 3510 although the 352 still seems to be available, I'll have a good look at both! Good tip on the five year warranty as well.

In fairness, I did post the question in the chainsaw section. Therefore your sarcasm probably needs more work!

I'm not, I was told by someone doing the same work that I needed a 12in. However, I'm not set on it as I don't know, thus I was asking. I did say that there were only two bottom lines! Anyway, why do you consider the 12in to be too short?