Need input on easy starting saw for friend

[struggle]

I am going to let him know about the Dolmar as we have a dealer in the area. The stihls I old him I thought would be his best starting point.

I guess his shoulder is an issue . He has a very nice husqvarna 55 that I have worked on for him,but it has killer compression and he cant start. He needs a light saw as well. I will inform him of the dolmar.

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[struggle]

Update, guy went to look at Dolmar 420 and they liked that saw a lot bit he liked even more the cordless Oregon electric saw more and bought that instead. Should be interesting to see how it works out for him. I never thought about cordless as an option for him

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[rburg]

I am glad your friend still wants to use a saw at 83. We had a local firewood cutter that cut into his 80's. I just hope I can still do the same when I reach that age. Let us know how he likes his new saw.

 

[benp]

For what it's worth,

The 510 Dolmar is now easy start also. I just saw this at my dealer this morning. Fairly inexpensive too in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Chris-PA]

My Dad had bought an MS250C with the EasyStart, which he gave to me for other reasons. I fixed it and ran it a while and thought the Easy Start was kind of weird feeling, but OK. I gave it back to him just before he hurt his back, and it turned out he was happy to have it. So I guess it has it's place. My McCulloch MS4018PAV has a similar system, and I have to say I don't prefer it, but it's not awful either. You end up putting a lower peak force on it for a more sustained time.

 

[zogger]

Update, guy went to look at Dolmar 420 and they liked that saw a lot bit he liked even more the cordless Oregon electric saw more and bought that instead. Should be interesting to see how it works out for him. I never thought about cordless as an option for him

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There's a learning curve to those oregon saws I found. They cut different from gas saws and with the powersharp chain, but once you get the hang of it they work well. I can get a lot more take home firewood pieces now then when I first started using mine.

 

[stihl023/5]

Husky 435 445 or Echo cs 400 all great saws my "experienced" neighbor loved my cs400 so much he got one.:msp_thumbup:

 

[blsnelling]

To my eyes, the dolmar still looks like you need more of a vigorous pull to start over the video of the easy start stihl. The stihl looked like you could pull out the cord slow and it would still start.

I agree. The stihls look much smoother where the dolmar still seems jerky. And jerky will be rough on the shoulder! I am not very impressed with the ms180 either, but a 211 or 250 would be ok I think. My cousin has a 250 and he likes it. Ive never used it though.

The 420 has something like 190 PSI compression. It's an exceptionally well build, pro grade saw. The same cannot be said of the 211. We're not even talking the same league of saws with the Stihl homeowner saws. The 420 really is that well built. And no, I don't own either. I'm just telling it like it is, based on my personal experience.

 

[Mike Williams]

My 445 is the only pull start machine I've ever owned (including saws, trimmers, DR's, mowers etc..) that both my wife and father can start. It instantantly turned them from hinderers into almost helpers! The only reason I mention it in place of the 435 is that it is a very surprising amount of saw for the money/weight, and in fact has totally replaced my 359 for limbing and small felling. I have also yet to have a problem with the single bar nut, which I hate the look of, but seems quite adequate for the 16" bar.
Probably can't go wrong with any of the excellent suggestions posted so far.
jon

I agree on the husky 445. I'm running mine with an 18 inch bar with no problems.

 

[eiklj]

I can get the Easy Start Stihls to start on their own. Major design flaw IMHO.
What was a homeowner gimic turned out to be a dangerous feature, IMHO again.
I don't like 'em.

 

[lambs]

MS250 but watch the choke

Won't knock Dolmar or Husky because I do not know them, but I think an MS250 would serve this gentleman well. But I know of one guy whose 250 is easily flooded. It's very difficult to hear some of them fire on full choke, so you don't know when to switch to half choke, and then it floods.

The fix is simple; give it 2 pulls on full choke, then move it to half and start it.

And you can often find a decent 250 for less than 250.

 

[zogger]

The 420 has something like 190 PSI compression. It's an exceptionally well build, pro grade saw. The same cannot be said of the 211. We're not even talking the same league of saws with the Stihl homeowner saws. The 420 really is that well built. And no, I don't own either. I'm just telling it like it is, based on my personal experience.

Oh, no doubt on the pro vs. home renter grade. The criteria was "easy to start" and the stihl "looked" easier in the vids, that's all. I have never encountered either though.


My oregon starts the easiest though, pull trigger, on, let go, off. No yanking nuthin', just cuttin'...

I have a friend of mine, older than me, her husband is older still and because of a stroke and related issues, can't do the firewood anymore. She can still run the splitter, but has issues with their non easy start stihl, as in, just can't start it at all, it's a doorstop now, so I recommended the easy start stihl to her or the oregon saw. I'll mention that dolmar model as well to her next time we talk. She is annoyed to have to buy wood when they own acreage and all these trees handy....

 

[struggle]

Next chance I get I will ask the guy how the electric Oregon saw is working for him. Haven't seen him as of late.

 

[lanesharon]

Easy start Stihl.

That is so sweet ! Going to check these out.

 

[Mike Williams]

That is so sweet ! Going to check these out.

Welcome to AS

 

[lanesharon]

Thanks Mike. I was just wondering if those 'Quick Starts' go through a lot of the springs that assist the start. Does anyone own and operate one, consistently?

It looks like that young lady had a tough time pulling that Dolmar. She was grunting. Not sure I could do it any better. LOL

 

[lanesharon]

To me it seems the older homelites were easy to start then the new ones, but I don't know.

I have an old Homelite S2, 14" bar, and it is startable by this senior citizen lady (with a shoulder problem). Wish I could find a bigger one that was just as easy to start.

I have about 20 southern pine trees, about 150' tall, on property I just bought. I am going to hire someone to drop some of them, but if you have them drop and remove or cut, it is $1,000 per tree. I can't afford THAT. So, I sure would like to be able to DIY. I fixed and tried to start my deceased husbands Poulan 2775 20" yesterday, but couldn't even begin to start it. Yet a male friend of mine started it with no problem.

Thanks to everyone for their ideas here. :msp_thumbsup:

 

[zogger]

I have an old S2, 14" bar, and it is startable by this senior citizen lady (with a shoulder problem). Wish I could find a bigger one that was just as easy to start.

I have about 20 southern pine trees, about 150' tall, on property I just bought. I am going to hire someone to drop some of them, but if you have them drop and remove or cut, it is $1,000 per tree. I can't afford THAT. So, I sure would like to be able to DIY. I fixed and tried to start my deceased husbands Poulan 2775 20" yesterday, but couldn't even begin to start it. Yet a male friend of mine started it with no problem.

Thanks to everyone for their ideas here. :msp_thumbsup:

Maybe you can sell them instead of having them cut down and paying someone? As long as they aren't yard trees, could be your nearest timber outfit/ sawmill might want them. You proly won't much for cash, but you'll have them down and you can pick at the bigger branches for firewood. Worth a few phone calls anyway.

 

[lanesharon]

Maybe you can sell them instead of having them cut down and paying someone? As long as they aren't yard trees, could be your nearest timber outfit/ sawmill might want them. You proly won't much for cash, but you'll have them down and you can pick at the bigger branches for firewood. Worth a few phone calls anyway.

I am told by the forest service, and the lumberer's in my area (there is a HUGE lumber mill near me), that they won't bring the equipment in for 20 trees. They need a minimum of a couple of hundred. They also told me that in this 'neck of the woods' in Texas, southern pine is very plentiful and not worth their trip. Sheesh.

 

[Saw Dr.]

We just got in a couple of those Oregon saws, and they look to be very well built. I have not had the chance to run one yet, as nobody wants to buy a floor model. I think the Stihl rep was kind of put off, but oh well. If you opt for a Stihl easy start model, I suggest the 250. The little ones seem to use a fairly large spring (probably the same in all models, though I have not checked) and they "trip" into starting mode before the cord is all the way out. This seems to make them more jerky on the cord. The 250 has a substantial amount of compression. Usually, the cord is nearly all the way out before the engine kicks over. The pull is a smooth slow one.