I want to buy a *REALLY* good chain saw. Suggestions?

[kevinj]

Occupation:
self made multi-millionair!

You spelt millionaire wrong in your profile.

Take your cash wad and go buy a 361.

Liar!

Huh??.

I'm sure he's told many people he's a self made millionaire.
But this is the first time he had to spell it...

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Yeah, he copy and pasted from my post to change his profile.

Seventeen posts and a red square....hmmm. Time will tell. I'll call him a newb for now. Newbieness is only good for so long before we start sending his mail to the house under the bridge.

 

[joesawer]

So you want some honesty and respect?

Start by showing some, fix your profile.
Your screen name says a lot more than a long bar on a saw.
If you are serious about wanting to cut more efficiently, good for you.
The single most important thing is an efficient chain and a good bar to control it. All the power in the world is useless if the chain is dull. A lot of power is needed if it is sharp but cutting inefficiently. A properly sharpened and maintained chain is rare in the home owner chainsaw world. A lot of people try to substitute it with horse power.
That being said, there are several excellent saws that are a step up, that have already been named.

 

[Mr_Super-hunky]

I say, raise your glasses to Mr Super-Hunky, who today has taken some pretty good punches and, though he is staggering drunkenly and has no idea that there is no end in sight to the vicous beating, is still standing. I say Mr. Super Hunky wins the award for "Newb of the Year." Here's to you, Mr Super Hunky!! (klink)

Thanks Andre. Say listen, your not sweet on me are you? I mean, why not join in on the troll trouncing??,.

Anyway, I'll stop in the stihl dealer this week and check out what others have suggested. I'm not sure if we have a Husky dealer in town but unless there is a clear advantage with Husky, I'll probably just stick with Stihl.

Joe, the profile is true, all of it. So why lie?.

As far as keeping a sharp chain, I don't really know how to do that other than to keep the tip out of the dirt. I had purchased a Stihl small round file for in field sharpening of the chain, but it never worked to well for me. I finally just tried to keep my bar very well oiled and clean and the tip out of the dirt. I just buy a new chain at home depot for $13 and don't mess with trying to hand sharpen it. It's not that I am opposed to sharpening it by hand, its just teetering at the "is it worth it for $13" kind of thing.

I guess I would be more willing if the results of my hand sharpening methods were better.

 

[superfire]

saw question

buy a husky 460 i with a 20' bar and a semi skip chain. And or buy a stihl ms 260 pro with a 20" bar and semi skip chain. i would keep the 021 as a back up saw.
just my beer monies worth. :greenchainsaw:

 

[peter399]

6 to 12 inch softwood.... I would say:

346XP - Best saw made to date for this type of work.

357XP/MS 361 - A little overkill but not a bad choice. Will let you do some bigger stuff if you will need to. If you only want 1 saw to do everything, go with one of these.

372xp/Johnny 2171 or MS441 - Really overkill but depends on how important power is to you. But for 6-12inch softwood, it will only be extra weight to carry around.

/Peter

 

[musch]

In case no body mentioned it yet, I recommend a Stihl MS660 with a 20" bar. You could not be more badass.
I assure you that you will not be disappointed!!!

opcorn:

 

[2000ssm6]

6 to 12 inch softwood.... I would say:

346XP - Best saw made to date for this type of work.



/Peter

Is that right??

 

[peter399]

Is that right??

I would say so yes. Sounds like a typical 50cc application and when it comes to 50cc I'd say that the 346 and PS5100 are the best saws. Then it depends if you are interested in the saw alone, saw+dealer support, only dealer etc.

 

[logbutcher]

Learn

Joe, the profile is true, all of it. So why lie?.
As far as keeping a sharp chain, I don't really know how to do that other than to keep the tip out of the dirt. I had purchased a Stihl small round file for in field sharpening of the chain, but it never worked to well for me. I finally just tried to keep my bar very well oiled and clean and the tip out of the dirt. I just buy a new chain at home depot for $13 and don't mess with trying to hand sharpen it. It's not that I am opposed to sharpening it by hand, its just teetering at the "is it worth it for $13" kind of thing.
I guess I would be more willing if the results of my hand sharpening methods were better.

Can you spell "LEARN" ?

Now wait one GD minute, CAN YOU SPELL ? opcorn:

We have ignition...................................

 

[spacemule]

Hey Mr_Super hanky, I'd recommend a Husky 455 rancher. A guy like you could probably mill some big cedar trees with one. :jester:

 

[rb_in_va]

Hey Mr_Super hanky, I'd recommend a Husky 455 rancher. A guy like you could probably mill some big cedar trees with one. :jester:

And I've got some hammers I'd like to sell for $900 too.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Sharpening would not be optional, Mr. SH. If you choose to not sharpen you'll have a completely unsatisfactory experience. In fact, it doesn't matter what chainsaw you choose if you don't sharpen. My feeling is that you want an excellent chainsaw.. if that's the case, you should do an excellent job keeping it sharp. You can:

1. Buy a bunch of chains and get them all sharpenend at once (money is no object, of course.)
2. Buy a nice electric grinder and read up
3. Buy a bar mounted filing jig (my choice)
4. Hand file (not my choice but some accept no substitute)
5. Take your chain in every time (IMHO, this is is a recipe for cutting with a dull chain)

Choose one of these, as they are the only option. If you have money to burn, #1 and #2 are your best bet. Remember, not sharpening is not an option. If that is going to be your choice, you should just hire a guy to do it who sharpens his chains.

I recommend this thread for reasons why: http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=50252

 

[Marvinlee]

You asked a reasonable question. I think that you need a system of dealing with your multiple needs in a chainsaw. As a starting point, decide how much weight you are willing to accept. That will narrow the range of saws that you consider. After that, determine your wants and needs for features. I prefer a compression release, which my Dolmar 5100S lacks; you may not need that, and so on.

You will have an idea of annual usage. If it is small, a nearby dealer is less important than if you expect to be using his repair services frequently.

As to quality, my view is that any of the top professional brands offer excellent quality on most of their saws. You can read the posts here and decide if you are persuaded of one brand's quality over another's quality.

The power needed to qualify for your super power need can be estimated by borrowing two or three saws of differing power. After finding a saw that meets your power objective, you can then look for specific models on the market that come close.

So, that is one suggestion: First choose the weight, then the features, then the power. Feel free to adopt any better approach.

 

[MrGriz]

MSH, I posted this in the other thread you started, but I'll repeat it here.

I recently got my Dolmar 5100s and I love it. It sounds like a great choice for the type of cutting you will be doing. If the $$$ was more even, I probably would have an MS361 in the garage, but for the difference in price I couldn't pass on the 5100s.

That being said, it sounds like dealer support is going to be more of an issue for you than price. Dolmar dealers can be scarce. If there's a good Stihl dealer in your neck of the woods, I would stick with Stihl. The 361 may be a bit more saw than you need, but if you hang out here for a while you'll see that "need" is a relative term.

You may also want to do a search and find the thread regarding Computeruser's three saw plan. Be careful though, the three saw plan has been reported to lead to the six saw plan, nine saw plan and maybe even put a couple of people into 12 step programs.

Welcome; they've tested the thickness of your skin a bit already and you're doing well. If you're going to stick around you may want to throw on some PPE (the helmet especially).

 

[nilzlofgren]

Maybe he should build a hotsaw, Or the V8 chainsaw on youtube.

 

[matty f]

Sharpen your chain properly and you won't need much power to do what you describe.

dude you hit the nail on the head alll these people buying pro saws to cut fire wood twice a year why???????????? sharpening and sharp is the key, why buy a pro saw if you cant sharpen it i bet i could make the bottom of the range stihl out cut half the people running 361's on recomendation just becouse i can sharpen and keep a saw sharp......

 

[SawTroll]

Yeah, he copy and pasted from my post to change his profile.

Seventeen posts and a red square....hmmm. Time will tell. I'll call him a newb for now. Newbieness is only good for so long before we start sending his mail to the house under the bridge.

I simply don't like his attitude......:bang: :bang:

He turned from "newbie" to "about to be banned", after I hit him.........

 

[weatherby guy]

dude you hit the nail on the head alll these people buying pro saws to cut fire wood twice a year why???????????? sharpening and sharp is the key, why buy a pro saw if you cant sharpen it i bet i could make the bottom of the range stihl out cut half the people running 361's on recomendation just becouse i can sharpen and keep a saw sharp......

Why? Who cares what they do? Guys buy professional grade tools, yet they are not professional mechanics or builders. Ask the dealers who are on this site daily if they care that home owners are buying 'pro saws'. My guess would be that they are thrilled.....

Let me know how much you charge to sharpen a chain...perhaps this home owner will throw you some work.....

 

[matty f]

Why? Who cares what they do? Guys buy professional grade tools, yet they are not professional mechanics or builders. Ask the dealers who are on this site daily if they care that home owners are buying 'pro saws'. My guess would be that they are thrilled.....

why????????what a waste of money and well its not like a snap on spanner is it!! that you cant blunt.blunt a saw its usless and you might as well not evan bother..i dont let my learner ground guys use pro saws they get the old 024 and husky 40 they aint touchin the others as they will fu9k there chains up in a second no matter how many times they are shown how to use and there attempts at sharpening!!! hahaha........