Yeah - couldn't believe the price! I have a 450 and it's been awesome. Starts in all weather and cuts nice with a FC .325 chain.
The 455 is coming with a 20" 3/8" .050 72DL, which will compliment my MS311. Nice having the same chain.
Chainsaw for cutting lots of firewood preferably under $300?
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The 455 is coming with a 20" 3/8" .050 72DL, which will compliment my MS311. Nice having the same chain.
I ran my Uncles 460 Rancher , it was a very reliable firewood provider !
The 55 and 372 are pretty much bullet proof when treated right.
J_Ashley
ArboristSite Operative
Sounds like the OP happily found an Echo saw that fit his needs.
I'll just add this for posterity - I found a Stihl MS260 "Pro" on eBay** last winter for $275, less than $300 at my door. Had a 20" bar. The chain was trashed, but $40? for a new Stihl RS chain, and it has really impressed me. Pulled the muffler, cylinder was good, and started on the first pull!
It does feel lighter & nimbler than the older MS290's that I'm used to using.
Just this past weekend, I had my wife using it as well. She was noodling/quartering some big hard maple rounds in order to make the splitting a little easier. She, nor I, really wished for more power, even in this hard maple.
All that to say, if someone is on the lookout for a budget friendly "firewood" saw, I would highly suggest finding a used 026, MS260, or even MS261 over the more popular MS290/291's.
** My general advise on eBay purchases, is simply to be careful of (2) things. First, make sure to select "US Only" for the seller's location. Second, is to select "Returns accepted." If you follow those rules, it's hard to go wrong, and I've had tremendous luck on eBay for many years now...
I'll just add this for posterity - I found a Stihl MS260 "Pro" on eBay** last winter for $275, less than $300 at my door. Had a 20" bar. The chain was trashed, but $40? for a new Stihl RS chain, and it has really impressed me. Pulled the muffler, cylinder was good, and started on the first pull!
It does feel lighter & nimbler than the older MS290's that I'm used to using.
Just this past weekend, I had my wife using it as well. She was noodling/quartering some big hard maple rounds in order to make the splitting a little easier. She, nor I, really wished for more power, even in this hard maple.
All that to say, if someone is on the lookout for a budget friendly "firewood" saw, I would highly suggest finding a used 026, MS260, or even MS261 over the more popular MS290/291's.
** My general advise on eBay purchases, is simply to be careful of (2) things. First, make sure to select "US Only" for the seller's location. Second, is to select "Returns accepted." If you follow those rules, it's hard to go wrong, and I've had tremendous luck on eBay for many years now...
bran1har
ArboristSite Lurker
Holzfforma G660, 92cc, $300 brand new. Best saw Ive ever had.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1937206003...LJNnOyvtb5fJZBi02orkRKitXErCkF1BoCsqcQAvD_BwE
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1937206003...LJNnOyvtb5fJZBi02orkRKitXErCkF1BoCsqcQAvD_BwE
If you want to stay in the 50cc ish class. I have a Husqvarna 445e ii that I really like. Also Stihl ms 290 that is a really dependable saw. I have it set up right now to rip slabs that I milled. Has the .325 handles it no problem
I’ll also add I have owned a 460 ranchers. Runs a 24” bar really nice. It probably out of your budget of 300 but is a nice firewood saw
Two 330 Homlite runners for 400 take the pair plus shipping. They both run good and if you want both I'll include bars and chains. They might be older but these are smooth runners with no known large mechanical failures. Parts should be around still but you may never need them as a part time cutter.
I have about the same amount of money in to a 543xp Kevin ported as you would in to a 50cc pro saw and it'll make a stock 50cc saw look like it has the chain on backwards and it literally feels like a toy in your hands. It's not the same size at all.
Brettl
ArboristSite Guru
What part of Kansas are you in? Did you find a saw?
kellenobrien
ArboristSite Lurker
So all standard firewood home owner esc farmer types actually create a 50cc market all across the brands…it’s a thing around 50cc…you get the actually named saws…timber wolf timber bear farm boss woodsman ect. So the stores sell 50 and majority of used for sale gear…40 to 50 cc….but your at 60cc now witch actually puts you up twords tree workers range…big timber fallers run 95 cc saws . The required BC fallers is either a 395 or 550i…most loggers will say they ran a big husky 395 but what actually the loggers are on is about 60-70….so you’ll see that’s when all the bar and chain combo stuff kinda starts getting noticeable…how can I not be a 50cc normal firewood person but not have a heavy super powerful saw kinda thing ….so your at 60 and that’s what everyone kinda falls into …now it’s price. 300 keeps you in I touch category, but I am trying too…I am ordering the parts and doing the build literally this week….I got a 300-400 priced saw. And doing some upgrades to get it closer to the “big “ saws …I got the saw at such a good price it was worth the refurbish and upgrades….but I run big big saws now and don’t feel motivated about having it …so 300 and I’ll send you stihl ms390 and the parts still new some in boxes and you rake it away, aftermarket big bore piston and cylinder kit it’s pre built …new crank shaft, new lines filters sprocket spark plug … new carb and carb kit (it ran and that was all I was told by the saw shop was a carb kit)
It’s yours if you or anyone else wants it for 3
It’s yours if you or anyone else wants it for 3
cahaak
ArboristSite Lurker
I picked up a Joncutter 5800 from Farmertec on Black Friday a couple of years ago. It and a few chains were ~$150. Cut a bit, tuned it all up and it is an excellent firewood cutter up to about 24" wood. It does not scream and doesn't cut like my H 359, but it is a very solid saw for the price. I think most all of the farmertec clones are good saws if you set them up correctly.
EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar
ArboristSite Operative
Buy a new Echo 4910 for about $360 and you'll love your decision.
Another vote for a Echo 590.
40 dollars for a 20 inch chain? I am selling way to cheap (24 here)
If you're selling 20" loops of Stihl RSC chain for anywhere near $24, send me a PM and let me know what you're selling 18" loops of .325 x .062 for and what it would cost to ship them to Indiana. I don't currently need any, but I'll stock up at that price. I'm not calling BS, I'm serious. I will gladly order chains from you.
Old thread. OP posted in Sept of 22, hasn't been back since Oct of 22. Don't expect this to help the OP, but maybe someone else who has the same question will come along.
One of my hard earned life philosophies is to buy the best tool I possibly can. I'd rather spend $600 on one good saw that'll last 20 years, than buy a new $150 knockoff every other year, ten times over.
One of my hard earned life philosophies is to buy the best tool I possibly can. I'd rather spend $600 on one good saw that'll last 20 years, than buy a new $150 knockoff every other year, ten times over.
I know I'm late to the discussion, but I agree with everything said above. Word of caution though, the MS261 is a noticeable improvement over the 026 and MS260 (4.0 bhp vs 3.5 bhp). Prior to the MS261, the Husqvarna 346 was largely considered king of the 50cc firewood saws. When the 261 hit the market in 2010, it quickly became the new king of the hill and has remained so for the past 13 years.
I tend to agree, but I can't always justify the best tool for the job. Even if I can, I have to balance the cost with the purpose of the tool. I won't buy harbor freight battery powered tools. I do my own remodel work, and I've done it professionally when I was much younger. I know what I need those tools to do, how long I need them to last, and what kind of abuse they need to take. HF battery powered tools won't hold up. On the other hand, I buy a lot of circular saw blades from HF. They are plenty good enough to do what I need done and spending 2x for really good blades won't help me get a project done any better or any faster.
I can't justify the cost of a new Stihl saw regardless of how much of an improvement it is over my existing saws. On the used market, I can easily justify the extra cost of a Pro saw over their equivalent because they allow me to get more work done in a day and the cost difference is relatively small. Similar conversation applies to the clones. If I can get a new clone for the cost of an old used OEM saw, I'll go with the clone because it has all new rubber. I'm fine with spending $30 on a new pull rope and some fasteners to replace the known junk on the clones. It's better than having to trouble shoot and replace a cracked intake boot or impulse line. I have less in all my saws than I would have in a new MS661. If I had not had an issue with the 064, I could say that I've bought all of my saws for about the cost of a new MS362.
Definitely understand that. What I can afford and justify is absolutely included in "best tool I possibly can."
What tool I can find matters too - I bought a Harbor Freight nutsert tool this past weekend. Good reviews, better than the no-name tools on Amazon. Even the "name brand" tools looked to be no-name tools that had various off-road company logos on them? So far it's worked great for installing tie downs in the bed of my truck. If I could have found a Milwaukee or DeWalt nutsert tool, I might have gone that route, even at 3x the price.
I don't agree on the Chinese saws, with the caveat that I've never owned one. Just about every thread about them here on AS talks about happy owners......who have had to replace half a dozen parts within the first couple hours of running, just to make the saw usable. If those people are happy with that level of service, then fantastic. Farmertech sold a saw so they're happy, the customer got a saw they're happy with at a price they're happy with, win win situation.
I just wouldn't be happy, and would rather pay more and buy a good used or a new name brand saw.
