dolmar7900

anyone using dolmar 7900 and is it comparable to a sthilor huskys. by the way thankyou to all who reached out for my crane tree, its down and we are all happy thats over with

do a search in the chainsaw forum, they are very well liked. the big complaint about them is the lack of dealers for parts. as the 372's dry up more people might be giving the 7900 a shot. i just picked one up a few weeks ago but gave it to ed to get modded before i even ran it. quality wise their right up there with stihl and husky. the dolmar 5100 is currently the strongest 50cc saw out there.

I have sold a bunch of 7900's great saw! and you will be very pleased with one!

kf_tree said:

the big complaint about them is the lack of dealers for parts.

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I don't think the Dolmar parts issue is that big a deal. Dolmar dealers have assured me that parts avail. isn't an issue since their distributer is now the same on that does Briggs and Stratton.

Maybe Dolmar is even better then Stihl since Dolmar dealers will ship you parts. Stihl dealers are forbidden from shipping parts outside their little assigned territory which makes it a PIA to get parts. So far it averages me about one week to get Stihl parts unless I pay extra fees. I also have to waist time and drive down to a B&M dealer to pick them up.

However the beauty of Stihl is that Ebay is flooded with parts. New, used, and aftermarket. Stihl's silly distribution system is backfiring bigtime. It's protecting their worst dealers from competitive forces, yet it's created a huge gray market on Ebay. (even from Stihl dealers who are betraying Andreas's edicts!!)

Dolmar seems to be focusing on best of class products. Stihl seems to be touting their 8000 dealers. Husky seems to be touting their breadth of dealer channels (ie B&M, online, and Homecenters) while offering quality products.

my complaint about dolmar is they still seem unorganized, i pmed the dolmar tech guy that post's here my zip code to find the closest dealer. he sent me back a phone# when i called the dealer he said he only had husky's.

so one day this week i'm going to drive 150 miles to pick up a 5100.

That would not make me happy........I shouldn't have to work hard to spend money.:bang:

I've run a 5100 and a 6400 (same frame as a 7900). I didn't like the feel of the handles, especially on the larger saw. Compared to the Husky it feels like a cheap plastic POS, if I were blindfolded I'd guess it was a Homelite or some other crap from a box store. The engine ran great and it had very nice power, I just didn't care for the feel of the saw in my mitts.

I had been half planning on buying a 7900 or two later this year, glad I scooped up a couple 372's instead.

kf_tree said:

my complaint about dolmar is they still seem unorganized, i pmed the dolmar tech guy that post's here my zip code to find the closest dealer. he sent me back a phone# when i called the dealer he said he only had husky's.

so one day this week i'm going to drive 150 miles to pick up a 5100.

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I bought my PS5100 from NY yet I live in OR!! (5 days + $20 shipping wasn't a big deal)

skwerl said:

I've run a 5100 and a 6400 (same frame as a 7900). I didn't like the feel of the handles, especially on the larger saw. Compared to the Husky it feels like a cheap plastic POS, if I were blindfolded I'd guess it was a Homelite or some other crap from a box store. The engine ran great and it had very nice power, I just didn't care for the feel of the saw in my mitts.

I had been half planning on buying a 7900 or two later this year, glad I scooped up a couple 372's instead.

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but, then again it wasn't that long ago that you swore by your echo.

To each his own!

I like the 7900 !!!

skwerl said:

I've run a 5100 and a 6400 (same frame as a 7900). I didn't like the feel of the handles, especially on the larger saw. Compared to the Husky it feels like a cheap plastic POS, if I were blindfolded I'd guess it was a Homelite or some other crap from a box store. The engine ran great and it had very nice power, I just didn't care for the feel of the saw in my mitts.

I had been half planning on buying a 7900 or two later this year, glad I scooped up a couple 372's instead.

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"Feel of the handles". That's a new one. I feel better balance and less vibration. (PS5100 w/18" vs. Stihl 026 w/18").

However I've never compared it to a Husky.

P.S. Has anyone done an objective comparison of 7900 vs. 372XP vs. MS460??

I like the feel of the handles on my 7900 better than my 372. I think the 7900 has more room for your hands, I also like the smooth rubber cover on the top handle of the 7900 better than the ridged one on the 372.

We have converted a lot of husky users over to the Dolmar PS-6400-7300-7900 series of the past few years. Everybody has liked the feel of the saw over the 365, 372, and 385. I had one customer that was in yesterday that ran a 575 he called it a "bulky hunk of plastic" (I have not had a 575 in my hands).
Another thing that our customers have noticed is that the Dolmar's are much easier to work on.


The Dolmar distribution has been very unorganized over the years.:bang: The distributors were fighting over territory in the North East (Actually over one dealer ). But there was very little to no distribution on the west coast. But then there was the Makita Dist trying to step on the Dolmar Dist. That is why there was no Dolmar dealer list, the Dolmar distributors did not want makita to find their dealers.

But that all changed this summer!!! Makita dropped all the gas chain saws except for the 540 & 6400. Dolmar set up their new Distribution Network with the IDN. Now all the Dolmar distributors will Work Together on building the dealer base back up where it needs to be.

All the new distributors have plenty of parts & wholegoods in stock.

Dolmar made a huge jump in product development over the last few years. Starting with the Power Cut-Off saws which is extremely well liked in that market. The 7900 Series saws that were released in 2001, and the PS-460, 510, and 5100s series that was released late last fall.

So there is Truth about Dolmar USA, it's been a rough past 10 years. But the future looks very bright!!

Steve
Part of one of the oldest (If not the oldest) Dolmar dealer in the US.

I love my Dolmars!!!

rbtree said:

I love my Dolmars!!!

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Roger,
Have you used your EHP5100s yet?

I have put many hours on a 7900 and its a quality saw. Every bit as good as Stihl or Husky. It does have a few qwerks that need to be fixed(cheesey oiler) but all in all its a decent machine.

Oiler and chain adjuster

I am pretty sure that there has been problems (at least complaints) with both the oiler and the chain adjuster on the 7900 in the past.

Have those issues been solved, or are they still present on new saws?

By the way, the closest Dolmar dealer is about 1000 miles from here....

Edit;
166 just confirmed that the chain adjuster has been replaced by a stronger one in a post in another tread,

166 said:

The Black hood saws are the same as the late model Orange hoods.

But from the original models introduced in fall 2001 the changes have been:

1- More durable carburetor (No power difference)
2- Better AV mount (Handle - Cylinder)
3- Better AV mount Clamp (Handle - Cyl mount)
4- New Fuel Line - Black (Better in -10F conditions)
5- More Durable On/Off Switch
6- Stronger Chain Tensioner
7- New Coil Black > Red > Black (No performance difference)
...

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...but the question about the oiler is still open.

bwalker said:

I have put many hours any a7900 adn its a quality saw. Everybit as good as Stihl or Husky. It does have a few qwerks that need to be fixed(cheesey oiler) but all in all its a decent machine.

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Of all the saws we have sold as a Dolmar dealer yes in the past we had leakers. The 109-540 come to mind, sometimes it was the pickup line sometimes it was just drool from the vent. BUT with the 6400-7900 saws we have sold i've only had 1 leaker and that was not a saw issue as it was a user issue using old worn out motor oil with little if any viscosity left. Is your issue about leaks or pumping enough oil?
SCOTT

Is your issue about leaks or pumping enough oil?
SCOTT

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Talk to Terry Green. He is well aware of the issue.
Its leakage between the pumps outlet and the hose that butts up to it. This hose(outlet hose) has nothing holding it in place other than the crush fit caused by the pump being screwed down.

I have not had any complaints about the oil pumps on the 7900.