Need advice on ~40cc saw.

[Bier]

Hello, new to the site.

Just had a few trees (10-14" dia) uproot or get blown over in the latest weather and have decided to pick up a chain saw to cut up and haul them myself.

Looking for something that is lighter weight and nimble in the ~40cc range that can be used for trimming/limbing as well as the odd bucking or felling. I was pretty dead set on a Dolmar PS-420 but nobodoy seems to stock these saws in SoCal, nor the 510 or 5105. When I called a dealer to order one they said the distributor, which is only an hour away and stocks them, stated it was not CA compliant (even though it has their new catalytic convert exhaust). So I gave a call back to Dolmar headquarters whom said it is compliant and shouldn't be an issue. Anyhow after going round in circles for a few hours, with no resolution between the 2 parties, I have no PS-420 on order. Next went to pick up a Makita/Dolmar 510 or 6400 online, again same issue this time with Amazon, won't ship to CA, Makita says it's compliant.... So, If somebody here has access to a new Dolmar 420, or is a site sponsor/dealer, and wants to sell/ship me one please PM, I would be very grateful.

Otherwise I need to come up with a new option, criteria being it is built to last, good power to weight, <12lbs, 14/16" bar, and is made either in the US or Europe (no Chinese tools here). From looking further it seems the cost jumps from $250+ range right to $500 when you go Pro. For this size saw I don't really want to spend over $330.

Some other options I was looking at the:

Husqvarna 435
Echo 370
Stihl MS250 or 192, seems there are some complaints about being underpowered from searching on here.
Shindaiwa -no local dealers

Plan is to buy a lighter for nimble saw for common maintenance task and then pruchase a 60cc+ for heavier stuff later. However, now I am questioning whether to just go for a 50cc general purpose. I would jump on a Dolmar 5105 for the prices I have seen talked about on here ($430), however my local dealers want $520+ to order one, at which point I would probably go with a Husq 346XP or other.

Anyhow, any suggestion would be appreciated, or any help on acquiring a Dolmar 420 or 5105 for a more reasonable price would be appreciated.

Regards.

 

[PLMCRZY]

I have a Cs 370 its muffler modded and tuned and its a nice little saw, i love it. The Cs 400 is right at 40cc and is a screamer i hear as well.

 

[JustinM]

IMHO the consumer grade husky, echo & stihl you're noting are not comparable with the pro grade dolmar 5100 or 420.

Im not sure what part of cali you're in, but i found about 10 in the LA area. Just go search here:
http://www.dolmarpowerproducts.com/contact/dealer_locator/usa_dealers.html

and at least you'll have a starting point for calling. Failing that, could you drive to another state? I know its a hassle but I think you'll find its worth it.

 

[John R]

I have a MS 250 Stihl, and is not underpowered, I think you will be very happy with a 250, with a 16 or 18 inch bar to do what you want.

And it's in your price range.

 

[o8f150]

echo all the way

 

[John R]

echo all the way

Yeah I keep an Echo around in case my Stihl gets pinched.
They seem to work good as a rescue saw. :greenchainsaw:
If nothing else, I can use the bar as a pry lever.

 

[mountainlake]

I'd get a CS400 off Ebay for $200 , learn how to tune it and muff modd it unless there're to many EPA police in CA. Steve

 

[mountainlake]

Yeah I keep an Echo around in case my Stihl gets pinched.
They seem to work good as a rescue saw. :greenchainsaw:
If nothing else, I can use the bar as a pry lever.

Must have taken your smart pills today. Steve

 

[SawTroll]

IMHO the consumer grade husky, echo & stihl you're noting are not comparable with the pro grade dolmar 5100 or 420.

Im not sure what part of cali you're in, but i found about 10 in the LA area. Just go search here:
http://www.dolmarpowerproducts.com/contact/dealer_locator/usa_dealers.html

and at least you'll have a starting point for calling. Failing that, could you drive to another state? I know its a hassle but I think you'll find its worth it.

Dolmar doesn't regard the 420 as a pro saw - if they did, the model number would have been 4200. The reason probably is because it is quite heavy for its cc size and power, compared to true pro saws -as I believe the quality is there.

True pro saws below 50cc mostly is a thing of the past!

 

[computeruser]

I'd get a CS400 off Ebay for $200 , learn how to tune it and muff modd it unless there're to many EPA police in CA. Steve

Not a bad idea.

 

[SawTroll]

echo all the way

Any Echo is a bad idea, because of the way they conduct their business, if nothing else!

I am not talking about the dealers, more like how the company treats them - and the way that they behave about specs! :monkey:

The monkey is for Echo, not for you!

 

[Bier]

IMHO the consumer grade husky, echo & stihl you're noting are not comparable with the pro grade dolmar 5100 or 420.

Im not sure what part of cali you're in, but i found about 10 in the LA area. Just go search here:
http://www.dolmarpowerproducts.com/contact/dealer_locator/usa_dealers.html

and at least you'll have a starting point for calling. Failing that, could you drive to another state? I know its a hassle but I think you'll find its worth it.

Thanks for the effort Justin, already have called all but 1 of those on that list since my search was out of OC, CA. Out of all of them I found 3 stores with a total of 1 Dolmar saw each in stock, 2 460's and one other. I know Dolmar has updated the original 460 to a 4605 (a la 5105) with the same feature set first introduced on the the 420, but it hasn't hit our shores. Anyway the 420 just seems to fit my criteria. The Echo being more questionable to me on builld quality then the Husq 435, but it seems some come with a good Oregon bar and LP chain which sweetens the deal.

 

[andosca]

someone on another thread said you could get a 445 on ebay new for $200. i dont know if that's true but if it is grab one, you can't go wrong at that price. it's a nice little saw and i don't know if it's light for 46cc but it feels really well balanced and has some nice features.

 

[andosca]

reconditioned

 

[SawTroll]

I know Dolmar has updated the original 460 to a 4605 (a la 5105) .

That actually is not the case, the 4605 is a "development" of the Euro 4600S, and has a lighter Mag case and other pro refinements, while the 460 is a heavier non-pro saw with an Alu case, and some lesser features.

 

[o8f150]

Any Echo is a bad idea, because of the way they conduct their business, if nothing else!

I am not talking about the dealers, more like how the company treats them - and the way that they behave about specs! :monkey:

The monkey is for Echo, not for you!

i actually agree with you on that sawtroll,,wait,,,did i say that,,yep :agree2: ,i have heard a lot of stories about echo finding ways to not warrenty anything,,always blame it on the operator,, thats why i always tune and mod muff and watch my mix very closely,i say the heck with the warrenty especially since i can fix anything that MIGHT go wrong,,i use 93 octane with echo power blend and marine stabile,,i am with sawtroll on the company itself but not the saws,,i have run them for years aand many many hours without a minutes worth of problems

 

[PLMCRZY]

Bought the echo cause its all i could afford at the moment. Turns out i did ok:biggrinbounce2:

 

[SawTroll]

Bought the echo cause its all i could afford at the moment. Turns out i did ok:biggrinbounce2:

Sure, if you can live with bad ergonomics, bad handling and low power output!

 

[discounthunter]

get a wildthang. 100-120 out the door.

 

[theoctagon]

Isnt there a sponsor on this site to sell him a 420?