# Shindaiwa Chain Saws



## joed (Jan 28, 2002)

I would like to get some feedback from those of you who have used the Shindaiwa chainsaws, particularly the 488 model. I have heard some nice things about them except for the weakness of the bar. Also what would a 488 go for?
Thanks


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## wendell hollis (Jan 28, 2002)

Hey Howdy Hey,

I only ran the bigger pro models, good saws cut like a bat out of Hades  890 or something like that. Lightweight, tough ,and flat out fast.  Faboulous saw for commeriacial firewood. Ran a 28" bar. One of the better off the mainstream saws I've run. Almost got laughed out of the woods several times until they saw it go!!

Shindaiwa shindig in Woodville, Wendell


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## Treehugger101 (Jan 28, 2002)

The Shindaiwa 488 is a true pro saw. It is among the best built small saws you can buy. We use them in our tree business every day. The oldest one we have is about 6 years old and we have had absolutely no problems at all with it, or any of the others. We have two Stihl 026 Pros as well, and I really believe that the 488's are equal or better. They are high RPM saws as Walt will surely point out, which makes them more suitable for the experienced user who is willing to keep his chain sharp and minimize kick back causing situations. The have a very good balance and handling, and are easy to maintain with an air filtration system that works similar to a Husky's which means the filter needs cleaning far less often than on a Stihl. A dual ring piston and aluminum crankcase round out the package. Locally they go for $389 with a pro bar and chain. Online you can get one from: http://www.storesonline.com/site/228078/product/488
for $369 but I don't know what bar is on it. The stock bars are not top notch, but that is something you can remedy when you buy it.

I bought my last one new on ebay for $250 shipping included and sent it Walker's to be powertuned for another $125. Now it will out cut a Stihl 036 or Husky 262xp with much less weight.

In my limited experience, parts are pretty reasonable, the only things we have replaced are covers that guys broke due to negligence. An air filter cover was $17.


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## armyguy (Jan 29, 2002)

*488 price*

The cheapest I found was at the following website; $349.99 w/ free shipping in continental US. I emailed to confirm price but didn't get a response. I believe they have a 1-800 number. Hope this helps.
http://www.naxs.com/shindaiwa/default.htm


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## jokers (Jan 29, 2002)

Hi Che, good to hear from you. I too had to "unlurk" since I was just cruising through catching up on the new posts. Welcome Aboard!
If your dealer is anything like the one local Shindaiwa dealer, you might as well order on-line from Armyguy`s posted link. Commercial Cutters used to carry Shindaiwa but they recently threw in the towel and picked up Echo in the trade. After first spotting this post today, I went to the remaining local dealer and inquired about the 488. They don`t stock any, or any parts for that matter. Didn`t know whether or not it comes with a bar when I said I wouldn`t want the laminated bar, had to look in the catalog to figure this out. I said O.K., how much to upgrade the bar, or how much off if I don`t take the bar. He says, "what do you expect me to do with the bar the saw comes with?" When I asked about the price, the owner of the place looked up the MSRP of $375(funny, Armyguy`s link says $369) and offered to order one for me for $370 + 7% sales tax. I told him no go, I can buy on-line delivered, no tax for $349. Guy just about blew a gasket about how Shindaiwa, ala Stihl, has promised no undercutting or on-line sales to protect their "servicing dealers". Anybody else see the irony here? I don`t mean to bad mouth this guy either, I`ve dealt with him before through his construction equipment rental business and never had a complaint. I told him if he can beat the $349 delivered price by a nice margin I could probably sell a half dozen for him. He`s going to check with his distributor and get back to me. If anything comes of this I`ll let you folks know. Russ


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## armyguy (Jan 29, 2002)

Russ, did you go to the link or call? I checked the link again and could have swore it said 349.99. I guess I'll pick up the phone and call to check for sure. Thanks for all the good info.:dizzy


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## jokers (Jan 29, 2002)

Yeah we`re talking the same price I think, Armyguy. $369.99 MSRP, $349.99 delivered right? I went back and looked at my post and it could be taken to say that the price on the link you provided was $369 delivered, my mistake. Russ


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## Fish (Jan 29, 2002)

I used to be a Shindaiwa dealer, but when I found I could get the
same saw cheaper{my cost} elsewhere, so could my competition 
and customers, I decided to drop them. I like quality, but not
that much.
fish


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## armyguy (Jan 29, 2002)

Russ, I called but got no answer. Just got home from work and there's an hour time difference. I'll try tomorrow. I'm leaning towards picking up a 488 and have been looking around for a while. Will post what I find out. Thanks, all.


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## tundraotto (Jan 29, 2002)

i have never used a shindaiwa but you guys seem to like em - they seem really expensive!! the 488 has 2.5hp!!?!? for $349 isnt that a rip off? you can get a 346xp for that delivered cant you?? - heck they probably cost more than a stihl!! seriously - what difference justifies those prices?


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## Walt Galer (Jan 29, 2002)

Howdy,

Please check your specs again on the Hp of the 488. I think you will find 3.5 Hp, out of 2.9 cu.in. In otherwords considerably more power to displacement than normal. This is the norm by the way for Shindaiwa engines, trimmers included. Also this is an excellent example of why it is a mistake to purchase equipment based on comparison of displacement specs.

Regards,
Walt Galer


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## tundraotto (Jan 29, 2002)

ok that sounds more reasonable but i still highly question the advantage(s) over ex. the 346xp for the same price.. the specs i got from the forementioned site:

http://www.naxs.com/shindaiwa/chainsaw.htm


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## armyguy (Jan 29, 2002)

tundraotto, if you look closely at the site, the head of the columns are offset on that row. The 488 goes with the 47.9 cc specs. It confused me at first too.


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## tundraotto (Jan 29, 2002)

ok i see now, however like said before what is/are the advantage(s) over ex. the 346xp for the same price????


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## Walt Galer (Jan 30, 2002)

Howdy,

I would recommend that you look at an exploded diagram of the units. How many rings? What type of coating is used on the cyliner? How difficult would it be to diassemble, at least as far as re-ring job? What are the costs of parts such as airfilter assembly, topcover, etc.

If you are at a service shop, physically hold the main bearings in your hand that are in the two saws. You might ask the mechanic which is the best bearing. A good mechanic's comments can be worth their weight in gold, and will have the advantage of local experience. A comment that he never gets one back! should not be ignored.

Regards,
Walt Galer


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## high life man (Jan 30, 2002)

I checked Shindiawa's website to look at their lineup. 

The little tophandled 357 looks good to me. I love my 020T, but I hate the single bolt bar mount, and I don't care for the way they put the air filter right where you would naturally slap your hook while climbing. The whole saw seems a little delicate to me, but it seemed the best option at the time. 

Anyone have experience with their climbing saws? I might even go for a big Shindiawa instead of that 066 soon. I found two dealers not far away. The one I called quoted $339 for the tophandle model, and they'd have to order it. I guess that means they'll have to order whatever parts I break too. On the other hand, it's $120 less to cry over when it's dropped from a tree. 

By the way, does Shindiawa use some kind of wierd mount for their bars? Will Stihl or Husky fit?

I have a Shindiawa straight-shaft trimmer for around the house that I bought at a Gov't auction last year. $5 not running. I fixed
the leaking gas line, and it's run grrrrrrrrrreat ever since. The thing probably rolled around in the back of a Park Board pickup for five years (it shows). Tough unit.


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## Walt Galer (Jan 30, 2002)

Howdy,

Sounds like you got yourself a deal-deal on that trimmer. The fuel line problem is characteristic. The Japanese seem to refuse to believe our gas is really that Bad!

The top handle saw was designed for bucket pro use. It came out a might heavy, but very durable, possibly as a result. It is a low end torguey saw due to having a reed valve engine, unusual these days.

The mount on the little Shindaiwa saws is the same as the Poulan small saw series, if memory serves me right. In any event, it is a very common mount, and professional solid bars are available as the Windsor MiniPro. Otherwise laminated cheapies.

Regards,
Walt Galer


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## high life man (Jan 31, 2002)

Thanks, Walt.

It may be an option if my 020 ever gets crunched. I checked their site again, and it looks like they manufacture nothing bigger than @70cc. 

I thought Jonsered was going to manufacture a 2033 tophandle saw. What ever happened to that? Anyone know?


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## dozerdan (Jan 31, 2002)

Jonsered has the 2033 listed on there site.I am not sure who builds it.The old Pro 35 was built by Effco and the 2033 look like it was made by them also.

http://www.jonsered.com/index.asp?skip_intro=true

Dan


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## rbtree (Feb 1, 2002)

The 357 is rated at 1.8 hp, versus 2.2 for 020 and 335 Husky and it is much heavier. A climber friend had one and didnt like it much. I have never run one, but dont like the design or feel.

I've had good service from the 335 after the initial problems were solved. Much cheaper, lighter and more streamlined than the 020 and just as powerful, contrary to what some say. My new one will soon be on its way to Walker's.


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## rbtree (Feb 1, 2002)

Walt, the lighter bars last pretty long and are durable enough. Every ounce saved makes this old climber a happy fella.


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## tundraotto (Feb 1, 2002)

walt - i really like the inside of your posts but sometimes you just speak out off your a__, you show me a climber who does it for a living and uses a solid bar...they dont walt...lami bars are a lot cheaper and bar longevity isnt a factor as the bar is bent or worn or the users dead before the bar reaches the end of its useful life...hope you know more about filing racing chain than arborist work since that is still very much in the minds of all of us....and the advantages of the shindaiwa compared to the popular saws on the market - since the price is not one of them. i know you can surprise me!


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## Walt Galer (Feb 1, 2002)

Howdy Tundraotto,

Careful there old boy. How do you think the lowprofile extended pitch chains were developed? I used several arborists as field test user's on products that otherwise would not have very useful field evaluations, as consumers simply do not use up the product in a reasonable period of time, by anything but gross abuse.

I found a few guys that prefered bars that resist bending, and with more durable rails, especially a factor in winter emergency work. The weight factor with such a small bar is very minimal, and the balance effect, actually favorable. You are correct however, most guys prefer to donate the equipment, and most crews seem to have at least some fellows who specialize in same.

When I conducted a school for Asplunk (sp?) in New England, they found that the filing info and suggestions lowered their equipment cost significantly as well as decreasing the accident rate. (The sample study was a bit small to prove the accident point, but it was highly likely). I never did hear if they went on with the idea with their other area crews, but I'll bet they at least made it a point to give some additional instruction.

In the other direction it was bucket crews in Canada, around Langley, BC that taught ME an interesting lesson about a design consideration for reducing roughness on these low profile chains, when I tested the idea of using an Oregon design tiestrap opposite essentially a Carlton design cutter (Windsor 50R). This one proved it was the cutter part bottom length that is the important consideration in smoothness on these small chains. It was a heck of a surprise at the time. (And an extreemly useful bit of information).

The pros up in the bucket are a very professional group and an important segment of the market. I did not let it go unnoticed!

Regards,
Walt Galer


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## armyguy (Feb 1, 2002)

*latest 488 find*

Just ran across this while browsing. http://www.farmequipmentunlimited.com/youngkubota/shindaiw.htm Good Luck


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## sritzau (Feb 1, 2002)

Armyguy, thanks for the tip-off RE: where to get a Shindaiwa for slighly less $. Walt, can you recommend where to pick up the bar and chain set-up you talked about in your earlier posts?

Thanks, 

Steve


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## armyguy (Feb 1, 2002)

Steve, let me know how you make out. I'm trying to get momma to let me spend a few dollars. She thinks you shouldn't need more than one saw. She wouldn't believe all of the addicts found here. Well, good luck and be careful.


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## Walt Galer (Feb 1, 2002)

Howdy,

The best bar is to get a Windsor Mini Pro if you can find one. This is a smaller lighter edition of the the regular professional Windsor Speed Tip, with no shortcuts. There is no other narrow, lightweigt, solid bar in the industry to my knowledge, made with a replaceable and rail hardened nose assembly. In otherwords, nothing even close.

The chain is your pick. Some guys firmly believe in LG for the 3/8 chisel chain, and I find Stihl plenty good chain. I'm not up to date on Cartlton. In .325 I would positively recommend Windsor 50/58J chisel. No other .325 chisel is even close to my knowledge. Again, I am not up to date on Carlton.

Does it sound like I need to be doing a serious comparison of Carlton chisels vs. the competition?
I would need to do an initial length measurement, an out of box cutting speed comparison, an as-filed to factory specs performance comparison, a stay sharp test, and then an ending performance comparison. After this, another length measurement to determine stretch, or elongation per hole after use. Costs too much to do for laughs on my own! (And I don't think anyone in the industry is serious enough to want to fund such a project anymore! After all, it's a great bull???? eleminator). Until I have taken chains through this series, I hate to make very many recomendations.

Regards,
Walt Galer


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## high life man (Feb 1, 2002)

rbtree,

When I bought my 020, My dealer, who sells both Husky and Stihl, subtly steered me away from the 335. He claimed that they'd had alot of warranty work done on the 335's they sold, and specifically mentioned oiler problems. This was about a year and a half ago. 

Did you experience the same? Has husky now solved the problems with the saw? If so, is there anything cosmetically different with the brand new ones that could differentiate it from a unit that's been hanging around in the store for two years?

If it weren't for the dealer's advice, I'dve bought the Husky. @ $100 cheaper, and a better overall desighn I thought.


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## rbtree (Feb 1, 2002)

hey, Walt,

I sure didn't like the tone of tundra's response to you for sure either. I have gleaned much from your insightful knowledge and experience which you have shared with us here. Many thanks.

However, us climbing arborists want the lightest combo possible. I was tickled pink when the 7.5 lb husky 335 came out. We had been using the 9.3 lb 020S and the underpowered 7.3 lb. Echo 3400. I have a 16" Oregon solid replaceable tip bar, which i like, but never use it due to the close to 1 lb weight difference. The laminated bars will easily give me one year of service til they are too worn or the tip flies part.
******
The 35 ton crane picked a 91 foot, 700 board foot doug fir stick today!! He picked it eight feet from one house and laid it down 12 feet from the neighbor's.
Longest ever for us. Next tree, the lower 44 foot log, 580 board feet, weighed 8000 pounds. So that he could get to the top log at 94 feet, he had put out an extended fixed section that reduced his lift capacity to 9000 pounds. Close call!! The middle piece weighed 5000 lb, if I recall. Total weight of 9 trees, including several small ones, was 52000 lb; 4100 board feet or so. The other truck load weighed 40000 lb from 2 big firs and a couple of lousy hemlock pieces! Now that was timber!!

Rog


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## rbtree (Feb 1, 2002)

sritzau, 

Before you buy that 357, check out the Husky 335XPT at Alamia.com. 1.5 pounds lighter, .4 hp and a lot of rpm more. $349 I think. Then send it to Walker's for ~.4 more hp.

Absolutely no comparison, the Husky beats the heck out of it. 357 may last a bit longer, but my fist 335 is still chuggin' along after 4-5 years!

All the early problems solved with the saw, now I'm quite happy with them.

The 488 is a sweet saw and a heck of a deal, but not the 357. Especially when a 3400 Echo is about $260 and probably the same power.

Roger


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## rbtree (Feb 2, 2002)

highlifeman,

I have three of the old, problem fraught 335's. I have one of the first sold on the west coast. We made 'em work and they still do.

In fact, one of the three was a screamer, faster cutting than the three or four 020T's I pitted it against. At least 10% faster than my new one, that is going up to Walker's for a hop up.

The old hot one has lost some compression and consistency. I'm going to break it down and replace the piston and rings if the cylinder is OK. The seals and bearings should be fine, it has no air leaks. It has been used pretty hard for about 2 years, pretty darn good, I'd say. The other two never cut as well as it did, but certainly OK.

New saws date to about mid 2000, see the mfr date below the bar mount.


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## Hayubusa (Nov 25, 2009)

jokers said:


> Hi Che, good to hear from you. I too had to "unlurk" since I was just cruising through catching up on the new posts. Welcome Aboard!
> If your dealer is anything like the one local Shindaiwa dealer, you might as well order on-line from Armyguy`s posted link. Commercial Cutters used to carry Shindaiwa but they recently threw in the towel and picked up Echo in the trade. After first spotting this post today, I went to the remaining local dealer and inquired about the 488. They don`t stock any, or any parts for that matter. Didn`t know whether or not it comes with a bar when I said I wouldn`t want the laminated bar, had to look in the catalog to figure this out. I said O.K., how much to upgrade the bar, or how much off if I don`t take the bar. He says, "what do you expect me to do with the bar the saw comes with?" When I asked about the price, the owner of the place looked up the MSRP of $375(funny, Armyguy`s link says $369) and offered to order one for me for $370 + 7% sales tax. I told him no go, I can buy on-line delivered, no tax for $349. Guy just about blew a gasket about how Shindaiwa, ala Stihl, has promised no undercutting or on-line sales to protect their "servicing dealers". Anybody else see the irony here? I don`t mean to bad mouth this guy either, I`ve dealt with him before through his construction equipment rental business and never had a complaint. I told him if he can beat the $349 delivered price by a nice margin I could probably sell a half dozen for him. He`s going to check with his distributor and get back to me. If anything comes of this I`ll let you folks know. Russ



I get a kick out of this. Before I start I have nothing against the dealer mentioned above, he has to make a living. Now, I'm sure I'll get yelled at for saying this here but I'm going to anyway - waaayyy to much is made of "dealer support" in my opinion, I saved $80 when I bought my 357xp from Baileys 3 years ago when they still sold Husqvarna compared to what my local dealer wanted. 3 years I use the hell out of that saw and not once have I needed squat from my local dealer. This day in age if I needed a part I'll order it online in which case the part will arrive at my house quicker than I could find time to get to the local dealer. I can do this and I know very little about saws compared to 95% of the guys on here. I like to keep my money in town as much as anyone else, but when it comes to chainsaws, local dealers can easily have their high schooler make a website for them and sell to locals and everyone else in the world. If you can save the money you worked for you owe it to yourself to do just that.


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## GrantC (Nov 25, 2009)

Wow...this may be a record: the resurrection of a thread that's over 7-1/2 years old.

:newbie:


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## jl4c (Dec 10, 2011)

*NEW Shindaiwa 488 saws for $300*



GrantC said:


> Wow...this may be a record: the resurrection of a thread that's over 7-1/2 years old.



For anyone interested in these rugged saws, a guy in Provo UT (about 40mi south of Salt Lake City) has a couple of brand new ones for sale. Apparently he bought three of them twelve years ago, thinking he would wear one out ever few years (ha). He's still using the first one... So he wants to sell the other two. Link below.

Classifieds for Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming | ksl.com


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