Bought the Makita. Tried the Makita. LOVE the Makita.

[Moze]

Well...I got it...the Makita 6401. The saw was a demo. One of their reps just moved and this was his demo saw. He would take it to Home Depot, display it with some other Makita products, and run it for those interested. The saw is in almost new condition. 4.7 horsies, 13,500 RPM's, and a ton o' torque. The guy was pretty nice...I asked him what his absolute best deal was, and he said $317 - included tax, full warranty, and a gallon of chain oil thrown in. $317. How could I say no?? The decompression valve is a pretty nice feature on a saw that size - it started on the second pull. Of course I had to try it out when I got home. I layed it on an 8" branch and it all but fell through it. Literally like a hot knife through butter. The saw is superb.

I want to thank all of you for your input, opinions, and insight. Much appreciated!

 

[TonyM]

Congrats on the fine purchase. Let me know when your ready to throw a 79cc piston/cylinder on that bad boy so you'll have the fastest "64cc" saw in Texas

 

[TonyM]

And so do you think it is "poorly designed and underpowered"

 

[Moze]

I'm totally unknowing when it comes to 'mod's' - don't know the first thing about them.

I almost needed a smoke after running the saw though. The torqu is wonderful, but there is almost no vibration when cutting.

 

[TonyM]

It is VERY simple to swap the piston/cylinder out on those saws. I took the cylinder off from one once with only the tools that are in the factory tool kit (a screwdriver, scrench, and Torx wrench). Someday if you wanted to upgrade to more power, it'd be a fairly inexpensive task.

 

[Moze]

And so do you think it is "poorly designed and underpowered"

LOL - What a joke. He's obviously never had one in his hands. Or maybe he did and forgot to pull the stringy thing on the side of the saw thing.

 

[Moze]

Tony, I missed somehow that you service Dolmar's. That may be something I'd be interested in eventually, but I'll let the dust settle on this purchase for now (if you're married, I'm sure you understand).

 

[Moze]

LOL - What a joke. He's obviously never had one in his hands. Or maybe he did and forgot to pull the stringy thing on the side of the saw thing.

That was referring to Troll, not you Tony.

 

[TonyM]

I got it. It's sort of an inside joke.

 

[Molecule]

the Harley Davidson of chainsaws ...

that deep kind of sound of the 64-7900 is also kind of unique ... it's kind of got a rumble in it, like a 1950's Harley blowing by you on the road. Somebody should start a thread ... what's your saw sound like, deep in the wood and lifted just out ... IMHO, the Dolmar's would win the Oscar, or is it Emmy, or whatever. My suspicion is that that big muffler, and the sound it produces, is actually an intentional design feature by Dolmar/Makita, like Harley did in the 50's and 60's. If it's part of their marketing plan, my hat's off to them.

 

[SawTroll]

Harleys produce a lot of noise and little power, doesn't they?

Hope the same is not the case with the Dolmars!

 

[Moze]

They apparently don't have Harley's in Norway.

Troll, as I said before, I ran an 044 for years. I don't have a thing against the saw. It was a truly great saw.

On the other hand, I gave this Makita a pretty good workout last night, and the saw is superb as well.

But I guess if I was impressed with the Makita/Dolmar, and it's grossly underpowered AND I like Stihl, that must mean they're BOTH grossly underpowered.

Just out of curiosity - to what extent have you operated a Dolmar or Makita?

 

[Lewis Brander]

Harley's, Makita/Dolmar/Sthil

Ha, Can't resist. I restored a 1949 Harley Hydroglide, 1200cc Panhead from front to back. She was all original down to the foot clutch, suicide shifter and 3 brush generator. I felt the old girl had lots of power and torque. I did chainge the primary drive sprocket. Moze glad you like your new purchace. I'm happy and glad for you. Had a chance to run a friend Makita and liked the way it handled and cut myselt. Stihl saws, I believe with their newer design may make a comeback, in my opinion, if they offer adjustable carbs and have a decent oiler on them (correct some of their past mistakes). I still question their parts supply setup, but hopefully that will be taken care of also. Ha, everyone take care. Lewis.

 

[Moze]

Thanks Lewis - I appreciate your comments. I'll likely be using the saw this weekend to cut down this mess of a tree in my yard, so we'll see how it does...So far, I'm pretty impressed though...

 

[bwalker]

Harleys produce a lot of noise and little power, doesn't they?

Yep..I use to love stop light racing Harleys with my little rz350 two stroke.

 

[Lobo]

Moze I like the Makita/Dolmar, it is sold here by our equivalent of your Lowes or Home Depot. I purchased one last fall but returned it after I realized I would have to drive an hour one way for parts & service (these guys only sell, no service or parts). I liked the saw, I found it qualty made, strong & sturdy. Never used it in any wood, however if parts and service were closer I would not hesitate to buy one. I found it better made than another brand which one of the control switch breaks off.

 

[tony marks]

congrats moze.. nothin like hoping for good and ending up with excellent..
i got all the saw i need or could want.. but if they were stolen ,id look hard at your saw.. like the idea of that piston change.. but if shes like you say.. just enjoy during the warranty period..good luck..jmo. them things must be good.. been too many here that testifieds to that..

 

[Moze]

Thanks guys...I'm pretty excited about it. Anybody know if a Bradford Pear is good for firewood...?

 

[TonyM]

Fruit trees generally make good firewood (unless you're hungry).

 

[Lobo]

Yep, Apple trres are one of the best you can get ! :blob4: