Zombosis
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Everything posted by Zombosis
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So are you saying I’d be better of buying the £150 MS162 than the £400 Echo 2511? I get that we are talking overall value for money rather than ‘performance’ per se.
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Nice suggestion! I have a pair of rather over engineered ratchet loppers which I bought years ago from a brilliant little shop in Yeovil. They have chomped through some pretty thick stuff but are bloody hard work and knackering when reducing a heavy buddlia for example. Are these nice ones you are bringing to my attention easier to use without feeling like I’ve been doing deadlifts for a day? Must admit, I like the idea of reinventing my inventory with non powered, non fuel dependent, and basically ‘forever’ tools.
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Originally looked at the Husqvarna version as there was a free spare battery offer going, but dithered and now that’s ended. Watched a few of these being tested and they looked a bit pants to be honest with comments such as “I’d be quicker with a silky” and other disparaging remarks on YouTube. Hence my switch to the small petrol chainsaw route.. As it happens I do run the Makita 18 volt system, and have only one remaining functional battery despite having three chargers, two drills, an impact driver and angle grinder. (Did have the mini hoover and torch but both broke. Will have a look into this Makita one, if it’s available as a kit so that I can restore my battery arsenal. thanks.
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You may be right, I don’t have a silky, just a really crap cheapo pruning saw which snags and bends and feels like the blade is about to snap and fly into your eye. The genuine silky saws look very expensive for what they are but I guess you are getting a very high quality item that will be a pleasure to use? The GTA and similar I will address below the guy who recommended the Makita version… thanks.
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Good points there amigo! Thanks. Double checking the specs again you are 100% correct, the only concession I get with the ‘budget saws’ is a lack of power and build quality. You’ve convinced me the shorter bar won’t really achieve much either. The 2511 is so tempting, as it looks like a little ripper. If I hadn’t read the couple of bad reviews on here I’d probably have bought one last week.
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Thanks, I agree and I love my 4301, so would you use that over a 2511, Mitox equivalent or say a Husqvarna 135 Mk II? (Just for light work). I’m interested as to whether a shorter bar would make my 4301 a nice little pruner!?
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Please read my full post? I explained that it was an original choice, but for reasons I won’t repeat I decided on something cheaper like and ENTRY LEVEL saw. I included it in the survey in case the answers made a compelling case for spending the extra (double) to avoid making a bad choice with the others. Got anything constructive to add?
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Howdy Agimos! Just a quick one to rack your brains and harvest your opinions please? I am contemplating adding a small, cheapish saw to my collection, specifically for pruning task, light tree work on my property and to bridge the gap between my ratchet loppers and my smallest other saw, a Makita / Dolmar DCS4301 at 43cc. Initially I fancied an Echo 2511WES for its diminutive size and low weight. Two things put me off slightly, the £400 cost, and reports on this forum of issues with the smoothness of the chain in wood. Setting my sights a little lower, and slashing the budget required in half left me looking at three ‘big name’ entry level beginner saws all under £200, as listed below: Stihl MS162 @ £155.00 Husqvarna 120 II @ £170 Echo CS-310 ES @ £199 and the ‘off brand’ wildcard, in the image of my initial choice, a smaller saw aimed it appears at CS-2511 WES buyers; Mitox 270 CSX @ £199 also. Your thoughts and experience with these saws would be greatly appreciated ladies and gentlemen.
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Thanks for the great advice and time you must have put into your answers. Having given this more thought, and taken on board the feedback I agree with your suggestions. I don’t have the money to buy a multi thousand pound machine on the off chance it’d get some use presently, and it’s a bit of a chicken and egg business as in I can’t promote it until I’m able to fulfil the service. Regarding hand filing, I wouldn’t say I’m any sort of guru or anything, but like you say it’s a cheap entry into the market and carries less risk than some high production machine that might seldom run. The notes on postage were interesting, and you’re right that multiple chains would have to be sent to justify postage costs which will probably rise steeply if the fuel price situation escalates. This might exclude the home users who just buy an electric chainsaw from B&Q or Screwfix and don’t have any spare chains. (The people who tell you they’ve got a 16” ‘blade’) 😆 I think I will really work on my hand sharpening for now and see how scalable it is. If anyone has any other suggestions or advice I’m all ears. Thank You and Happy Easter all.
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Thanks, I think you posted this as I was typing a response expressing an interest in the Portek. What’s you company name and what do you sell them for? (If that is permitted on here).
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Thanks for that information, I’m getting more cautious of extra ‘features’ on things as the supply chain breaks down and want to eliminate future problems. As you assured me the system is fairly robust and essential, I may be over thinking things! I take it you are using the 620-230? I’m wondering whether the Portek Mk4 might be worth a punt at under £200? I’m guessing it’ll be made in China, but so was the ‘Italian’ Tecomec and I’d imagine the Oregon too?
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Oregon 520-230? I’m kind of leaning towards if I do get something, to get a manual clamp version. I can’t see me being super busy judging by the comments and feedback, and I worry the the hydraulic system will fail, making the unit useless until repaired.
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Thanks for the insight and pricing. I’m tending towards abandoning this idea until I can afford the automatic machine which won’t be for a while, if I ever do it. May I ask what machine/s you are using? I’m nowhere near you geographically by the way, and wasn’t looking at this a mail order business.
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Thanks for the feedback, cheapest automated machine I found is £912.00. If the venture flopped it'd be an expensive door stop! 😞 I see the Portek Ultra Mk4 has the same features as the 620-230 Oregon, but it's 2/3 of the price, so might be worth a punt if this isn't going to be a big earner (judging by the poll so far). I appreciate all your honest feedback.
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Hello all, I'd like some advice please? I am considering offering a chain sharpening service in my local area, as part of a wider range of sharpening services to provide some sideline income. My plan was to buy the 'top of the range' Oregon 620-230 sharpening grinder which seems to cover all chain sizes, and has the addition of a hydraulic lock to remove the need to manually clamp the chain before each grind. My fears are that I'd be throwing £300 away on a machine that would barely see much action (other than the few chains I'd sharpen for home use). Am I right in thinking that you professional arborists all either sharpen your own chains by hand in the field, or own such a machine yourselves and will sharpen all your chains on a Sunday morning? A person advertising online was charging £7.50 per chain, which I thought seemed a bit steep, but I'd like to hear the members' opinions. If I didn't have a market within the arborist community, I don't think the few domestic users that have a saw for firewood/pruning etc would provide enough income to pay for the machine in any reasonable timescale, so it might be a dead duck of an idea. I was a member years ago so I know the good natured banter here and I'm awaiting some 'good ol' fashioned p-taking' and the like What do you people think? Also, if you have views on such machines vs hand sharpening I'd be willing to hear those too. I'm a bit worried that the hydraulic feature is jest another thing to go wrong, like floor jack, hydraulic presses etc, which invariably leak and lose pressure as the seals degrade. Over to the floor.....
