New 60-80cc Saw Recommendations

[Justsaws]

Hummmmm... well, we are in one of the many Dolmar voids here in the PNW. Never seen a 7900 in my life. Only ones are the beater rental 6400 Makitas at Home Depot. Stihl? There are over 10 dealers within 45 minutes of here. Maybe 3 or 4 Husky dealers as well. Also a smatering of Jred and Echo and Shinny dealers. But...

Dolmar dealers? :monkey: Might be the best saw on Earth, but you cannot buy one on any shelf around here to save your life. Hence I would recommend a Stihl or a Husky.

Could be worse, you could be surrounded by Dolmar dealers that are just far enough away to make paying over list price really really aggrivating.

Our best Dolmar dealers are Makita vendors, They "can" get Dolmars and Wackers also if you want to pay even more for a Dolmar.

 

[windthrown]

Surrounded by Dolmar dealers? That is science fiction here. I was looking hard at the 5100s two years ago. I looked on the Dolmar site, and lo, there was a dealer listed in Salem, OR. So I go by the address listed, and what is there? A delapidated building with some old saw and small engine logos, surrounded by a chain link fence. It was a sign. I am really peeved that I did not take a picture of that place, as it was a classic. Some relic of the past. An era gone by. Oh yes, and no Dolmar saws were there. It was a scene from The Twilight Zone.

The other issue with Dolmar here is the PNW distributor. They are notorious for not having saws and parts available. Back-orders are the norm. Also there is a lot of bad blood with ex Dolmar dealers around here (new Makita era Dolmar dealers, not the Sachs-Dolmar dealers that were burned in the past). I have also gotten a lot of PMs about Dolmar issues around the US, and why a lot of people no longer deal in those saws. It is not just a PNW issue. So again, they may be great saws, but Dolmar has huge dealership, repair and distribution issues in many places in the US of A.

I really wish they didn't. Otherwise I would probably have a PS-420 by now. :greenchainsaw:

 

[Justsaws]

I understand the bad blood reference from the ex-dealers. The area I am in had three and all of them will rampage on Dolmar as a company. I ended up getting most of the parts that I needed through a Makita vendor.

I keep getting wacko pricing and have yet to see a new model Dolmar chainsaw actually being used by the person that bought it new. Makita chainsaws have a presence but barely noticeable. I see more new Efcos than new Dolmars/Makitas. The only brand that is more screwed up is Solo. I can go to multiple dealers that can sell Solos and none of them will stock Solo saws. The pricing on the new Solos is also odd at best.

Around here it is
Stihl/Echo
Stihl
Jonsered/Efco/Solo/Poulan/Homelite-Oh yeah, these guys are busy.
Box stores.

If you want anything else, drive.

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

Batter up...

There are some great dealers here that are sponsors that will send you whatever you need for Dolmars.

Purchase one over the internet, or possibly get hooked up via one of the homeboys here. You shouldn't let bad local dealers deal you the hand. Deal yourself the hand and do something about it. I don't trust the Dolmar dealers around here except one, but he's too far away. So the dealers here at AS are super friendly and it was a no brainer. Service at your door.

 

[2000ssm6]

I am surprised that Stihl hasn't adapted the air prefiltration to more of its saws than the MS441. I guess they are waiting for the looming emissions redesign to throw that feature in too. I took the MS441 off my list due to being the new engine, etc. design.

So far the MS460 and 372XP have been recommended. What are some obsolete models I may still be able to find new that would also fit the bill? Does the 372XP have a cat or any other crap like that?

The 171/181/211 saws have this air filter system and the 362 does also. No need to write the 441 off, just see if ya can run one first then make up your mind.

I've never seen a 372 with a cat but there is 2 versions out, the 70cc(XP) and 75cc(XPW). I'd lean toward the 576 if it had to be a husky.

 

[lmalterna]

One option I have not seen mentioned is a lightly used Husky 359- alot of go for the money. and if you have it worked- even more to brag about.

Otherwise:
372XP, 359
MS460; MS440; MS360

I have a brand new 372XP worked by TWolf sitting on the shelf- no time to try it out yet though.

2door

 

[GrantC]

Surrounded by Dolmar dealers? That is science fiction here. I was looking hard at the 5100s two years ago. I looked on the Dolmar site, and lo, there was a dealer listed in Salem, OR. So I go by the address listed, and what is there? A delapidated building with some old saw and small engine logos, surrounded by a chain link fence. It was a sign. I am really peeved that I did not take a picture of that place, as it was a classic. Some relic of the past. An era gone by. Oh yes, and no Dolmar saws were there. It was a scene from The Twilight Zone.

Same thing, same "dealer"! I was really interested in buying a 7900, and called that shop. The guy didn't have any in stock, would have to order it, and quoted me $839 PLUS shipping! That's how I ended up with a Shindaiwa 757.

Luckily, there is now a dealer in Independence. He's just starting out and has a hole-in-the-wall for a shop, but is young, energetic, and has a long family history in the saw biz. He keeps a few Dolmars on the shelf (had a couple of 510s and a 5100 last time I was there) and is happy to get anything else pronto. I bought my 341 from him, and he quoted a fair price - not lowball, but fair. The Portland distributor didn't have one, so he got it from a distributor in Atlanta (or some such place down south) in 3 days.

There is hope for Dolmar. A faint glimmer perhaps, but it's there!

-=[ Grant ]=-

 

[GASoline71]

There are some great dealers here that are sponsors that will send you whatever you need for Dolmars.

Purchase one over the internet, or possibly get hooked up via one of the homeboys here. You shouldn't let bad local dealers deal you the hand. Deal yourself the hand and do something about it. I don't trust the Dolmar dealers around here except one, but he's too far away. So the dealers here at AS are super friendly and it was a no brainer. Service at your door.

I don't wanna base my parts orders on the internet... I can walk in to my saw shop and get anything for a Stihl or Husqvarna saw that has been produced in the last 25 years... most parts are on the shelf, and ordering is ususally next day. When Dolmar can back up a saw like that with a dealer... I would snatch one up in a heart beat.

You can't even find a Dolmar saw... little alone a dealer.

Gary

 

[04ultra]

Surrounded by Dolmar dealers? That is science fiction here. I was looking hard at the 5100s two years ago. I looked on the Dolmar site, and lo, there was a dealer listed in Salem, OR. So I go by the address listed, and what is there? A delapidated building with some old saw and small engine logos, surrounded by a chain link fence. It was a sign. I am really peeved that I did not take a picture of that place, as it was a classic. Some relic of the past. An era gone by. Oh yes, and no Dolmar saws were there. It was a scene from The Twilight Zone.

The other issue with Dolmar here is the PNW distributor. They are notorious for not having saws and parts available. Back-orders are the norm. Also there is a lot of bad blood with ex Dolmar dealers around here (new Makita era Dolmar dealers, not the Sachs-Dolmar dealers that were burned in the past). I have also gotten a lot of PMs about Dolmar issues around the US, and why a lot of people no longer deal in those saws. It is not just a PNW issue. So again, they may be great saws, but Dolmar has huge dealership, repair and distribution issues in many places in the US of A.

I really wish they didn't. Otherwise I would probably have a PS-420 by now. :greenchainsaw:

Cry me a river ...........







.

 

[Chris Crouse]

Wow thanks for the responses so far everyone. I glanced through them quickly (I'm at "work" of course) and I will read them in depth as I can.

I saw a post asking why I want to stay away from compensating carburetors. I don't know the details on them, but usually anything that automatically does anything means more things to break, wear out, or cause problems. If it is a matter of an additional diaphram in the carb than that is one more piece or rubber to fail in the future.

I have worked on a lot of old stuff and in my area (Denver, CO) the things that break and stop working over time are all petroleum based. Rust really isn't a big issue around here. Plastic, rubber, etc. have all come a long way as far as quality but they still aren't metal. Minimizing plastic and rubber means maximizing durability to me.

 

[jra1100]

Makita 6401

I think that if I had to reduce my saw inventory to one I would keep the Makita 6401 which is of course the Dolmar 6400 in blue gray drag. I love this saw and if it should ever blow up I can always add the BB kit for little money. The Makita can be found from time to time at Home Depot for big discounts when they routinely sell off the rental saws. If you are near a larger city you can check that out. I got mine on ebay for $160 and think it is the best deal that I ever got on a saw. JR

 

[gink595]

I got mine on ebay for $160 and think it is the best deal that I ever got on a saw. JR

Wow You should be pretty happy with that price

 

[nmurph]

the more i use my 7900(1) the more i am convinced it is the perfect saw for the 1-saw plan. light enough to use all day without getting tired, powerful enough to take down just about anything.
my two saw plan is a muff modded ps34 and the 7901. the 34 just keep going despite it being run far beyond what it was designed to do. there are other small saws i would have preferred (dolly 420 or redimix 3800), but for the ridiculous price i paid for the saw and the way it performs given its design, i will run it until it will run no more.

 

[Fastcast]

I don't wanna base my parts orders on the internet... I can walk in to my saw shop and get anything for a Stihl or Husqvarna saw that has been produced in the last 25 years... most parts are on the shelf, and ordering is ususally next day. When Dolmar can back up a saw like that with a dealer... I would snatch one up in a heart beat.

You can't even find a Dolmar saw... little alone a dealer.

Gary

The local Stihl dealers around here do stock (parts) but a lot of times what you need would have to be ordered anyway.

On the other hand the local Dolmar dealer has his act together and stocks just about every saw, trimmer, blower and cut off saw they make. He also stocks a decent amount of parts too (similar to the Stihl dealers) but of course not any and everything you might need going back 25 years. I also find it hard to believe any dealer would, no matter what brand they carry. :dunno:

So I guess it (service and availability) all depends on where you're located.

 

[Justsaws]

The local Stihl dealers around here do stock (parts) but a lot of times what you need would have to be ordered anyway.

On the other hand the local Dolmar dealer has his act together and stocks just about every saw, trimmer, blower and cut off saw they make. He also stocks a decent amount of parts too (similar to the Stihl dealers) but of course not any and everything you might need going back 25 years. I also find it hard to believe any dealer would, no matter what brand they carry. :dunno:

So I guess it (service and availability) all depends on where you're located.

Where are you located in Ohio?

 

[Saw Dr.]

I saw a post asking why I want to stay away from compensating carburetors. I don't know the details on them, but usually anything that automatically does anything means more things to break, wear out, or cause problems. If it is a matter of an additional diaphram in the carb than that is one more piece or rubber to fail in the future.

The compensating carb just redirects the vented side of the metering diaphragm to the inside of the air filter. It is very simple, with NO moving parts. The idea is that IF (yes husky guys IF) the filter becomes clogged, the lower pressure on the inside will also act on the metering diaphragm to reduce fuel flow. This is an attempt to maintain the optimum air/fuel ration with a clogged filter. You can change back and forth from intellicarb by swapping the carburetor tops. If I was not at work, I'd show the difference. It is a very simple system. The only Stihl saw (right now) that has any electronics on the carb is the MS-280. I bet more are coming. I have not heard many bad things about that 280, though.

 

[Fastcast]

Where are you located in Ohio?

I'm located in southern Stark county and the dealer is Andrews Saw in Canton....Nice guy!....Probably about 1.5 hours north of you.

 

[SawTroll]

plastic is weak on the 361??

I talked about soft, not weak - but all the saws I have seen with more or less broken off handguards on the rear handle have been Stihls......

 

[2000ssm6]

I talked abou soft, not weak - but all the saws I have seen with more or less broken off handguards on the rear handle have been Stihls......

I see more busted huskies here...

 

[brinkwolf]

There is always gonna be a counter no matter what saw you use(that's why there are so many different brands to chose). People are different and have different taste. Smoe like Husky some like Stihl some like other saws. They are all good just pick one you have good dealer support for or learn to work on it yourself and be happy with what is good to you period.......