new guy with saw fever, what to buy?

[LoveStihlQuality]

agreed.
one thing i have learned on here is the horrors of alcohol in gasoline. i would have never considered buying anything but the same gas i put in the car for a saw.

I haven't seen any discussions about Trufuel (Stihl Motomix or Husky). It has 5 year shelf life, 2 after open. At 5 to 6 bucks a quart its expensive. I keep it my big saws that I don't pull out very often. Awesome for storing equipment. Great option for anything that has occasional use. Plus, avoids risk of mistaken straight gassing.

LoveStihlQuality

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

as of today, i am leaning towards the cs-590. i have been looking for the right place to buy it, local dealer no stock it, special order from the big box stores. i have two other fairly close dealers to look at. that would be a big step up from what i have ran before, and will look to add a limbing type small saw.

that is without actually touching any of them. i wonder a lot about that-- looking at cars in mags and driving them are too different things. if its wet (supposed to be) tomorrow i will go to see some dealers, see what they say.
any recommended dealers for central ind?

For central Indiana, Reynolds Farm Machinery for Stihl, can't say enough about them at Fishers location. PM me for more. Also Castleton Outdoor off Shadeland sell Echo and they're great to work with. IMO, stay away from big box stores. I don't know where to find a Dolmar, Makita or Husqvarna dealers around here. Good luck.

LoveStihlQuality

 

[ELECT6845]

That guy from the east side is a Stihl dealer isn't he?

 

[Cycledude]

I don't know where to find a Dolmar, Makita or Husqvarna dealers around here. Good luck.

LoveStihlQuality

A little help finding Husqvarna dealers
http://www.husqvarna.com/us/dealer-locator/

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

A little help finding Husqvarna dealers
http://www.husqvarna.com/us/dealer-locator/

I didn't know Mid States Truck Equipment off Allisonville Road had Husky. I'll scope em out.

LoveStihlQuality

 

[ELECT6845]

Richards small engine in Elletsville is a Husqvarna and Echo dealer. Well worth the drive as they are great people to deal with. Lots of saws in stock.
EZ-WAY tool rental in Mooresville is also a Husqvarna and Echo dealer. Not a lot of stock though.

 

[tfrugal]

dealerships.
ok, my background is i have no experience with any dealership, was raised to be as self-sufficient as possible. heck, i have never had a car payment. i have always been my own mechanic, excepting saws. when it comes to two strokes, i am out of my league. tired of running junk-- and i admit my lack of experience has been part of why they have become junk. that is about to change....
this time, its either a dealership, or a 'guru' used saw. meaning between y'alls help and either a tech at a dealership or a used saw bought from a guy that wont mind 'teaching me to fish'.

i live a little north of indy. as for the echo, the closest dealer to me is in elwood, Lorens. they dont sell the saw. work on them, yep, but not sell them. i might order it through them, hard to say! there are a few echo dealers i pass on my way to work....

 

[tfrugal]

did i quote right??

familiar with Reynolds. good people. talked onan stuff years ago with them, they know their stuff. the new store on 31 is really close to my moms house, would not have a problem with them either. that is IF i go stihl. 300 dollar ms250 is advertized by reynolds..... i suppose i should actually do the due dilligence and go in and talk to them, tell them about the timberwolf-- and see what they pitch. thats a fair thing, right?

midstates, MTE. the posterchild for why i am leary about a dealer. lost a dump truck tailgate pin in 1986. they happily made me one, welded a washer on some ar stock, and charged me 60 bucks for it. good old time and material. sorry, not going to darken their door.

i DO APPRECIATE the 'Also Castleton Outdoor off Shadeland sell Echo and they're great to work with.', as they are one of the two dealers i drive by, them and the Mower Shop in fishers. having a recommendation means a lot to me!!

so, Reynolds and Castleton Outdoor are definitely stops i will make. elletsville is too far.

 

[Douglas Wend]

tfrugal,
I was in need of a saw earlier this year and started off by getting an MS180 and shortly after that ended up picking up a Makita DCS5121 (which is the same as the Dolmar 510) after days of researching and reading here on arboristsite and other sites. I then started to contract the disease and picked up a Dolmar 421 because I found a brand new one on clearance that I couldn't pass on. Before getting the 421 I was very satisfied with the MS180 and the Makita 5121 for their intended purpose. The Ms180 was light weight and great for small stuff and trail clearing, The Makita 5121 was a good all around saw for the medium stuff, it was super smooth and very easy starting. After a couple cuts with the new 421 I decided to sell the both the MS180 and the DCS5121 because the 421 to me was so much better than both of them. It is lightweight and very fast cutting, faster than the Makita 5121 even though it is in the 40cc class. My dad was also very impressed with the Dolmar 421 and his go to saw is a Husqarna 346xp. With that said I then sold the Stihl and the Makita, but then of course got an itch for a bigger saw so I picked up a Dolmar 6100 to complete my 2 saw plan. I really like the 6100 and have ran a few tanks of gas through it, one of these days I am going to put it head to head with my dads 562xp and see how it does. For the price and quality I do not think you can beat the Dolmar line although the market is full of great saws which is a good thing for consumers. With that said the 421 is my go to saw unless the wood gets big, for the type of cutting you describe I bet the 421 would really surprise you and it is easy on the pocketbook. Just thought I would share my story with you. Good luck on your purchase.

I am glad I am not the only one who has 'spun my wheels" looking for the right

tfrugal,
I was in need of a saw earlier this year and started off by getting an MS180 and shortly after that ended up picking up a Makita DCS5121 (which is the same as the Dolmar 510) after days of researching and reading here on arboristsite and other sites. I then started to contract the disease and picked up a Dolmar 421 because I found a brand new one on clearance that I couldn't pass on. Before getting the 421 I was very satisfied with the MS180 and the Makita 5121 for their intended purpose. The Ms180 was light weight and great for small stuff and trail clearing, The Makita 5121 was a good all around saw for the medium stuff, it was super smooth and very easy starting. After a couple cuts with the new 421 I decided to sell the both the MS180 and the DCS5121 because the 421 to me was so much better than both of them. It is lightweight and very fast cutting, faster than the Makita 5121 even though it is in the 40cc class. My dad was also very impressed with the Dolmar 421 and his go to saw is a Husqarna 346xp. With that said I then sold the Stihl and the Makita, but then of course got an itch for a bigger saw so I picked up a Dolmar 6100 to complete my 2 saw plan. I really like the 6100 and have ran a few tanks of gas through it, one of these days I am going to put it head to head with my dads 562xp and see how it does. For the price and quality I do not think you can beat the Dolmar line although the market is full of great saws which is a good thing for consumers. With that said the 421 is my go to saw unless the wood gets big, for the type of cutting you describe I bet the 421 would really surprise you and it is easy on the pocketbook. Just thought I would share my story with you. Good luck on your purchase.

 

[weimedog]

hello all, been lurking for a bit. tired of the wildthings and poulan stuff, and want to upgrade. my problem is i get lost looking at all the options....and the money is just burning a hole in my pocket.

i am 50, and am somewhere between heating the house or just supplementing the heat with a wood stove. grew up with wood heat, so many hours at it, but most was as the labor, not the saw guy. probably more of a weekend warrior, but understand value to be price and quality. most of my wood is stuff like tops left after logging, fencerow stuff, usually dropped or pushed over. mostly ash, cherry mullberry hackberry, i do end up losing some opportunities with larger trunks though.
really tired of pulling the rope until i want to toss the cheapy saw (a p pro refurbish that sure seemed like a deal at the time) and murder it with the ax. brother has went stihl, loves them. sort of leaning that way. mechanical ability is good enough to engine swap a car, but two strokes dont respond to my fumblings.

my options?
new/used. one saw or two? dealer critical or mail order?
do i go with a smaller saw, enjoy the lighter workload, and also pick up a larger saw for the bigger stuff?
do i try for a middle saw and make it work harder if i get bigger sized opportunities or some hardwood?

i can buy a new ms250 with an 18 inch bar for 300 bucks from the dealer.
huskys at the rural king look like an option too.

used,
i see some interesting saws in the tradin post. my problem there is i keep looking at bigger saws. not afraid of an older model, if it was dependable.
there was a makita or two that look cool as flak. between reading the dolmar stuff and seeing the makita colors, makes me want to jump. some of the huskies too.

looking at clist and ebay, close enough to go run the saw before i buy it has a few options.
stihl 017 an hour away, guy wants 130 obo.
ms251 cb-e for 200 that looks clean, and has 10 tanks of fuel ran thru.
husky 450 looks like a demo at a hardware store, has a day left and is at 175.

i see a lot of 025, 029 saws on cl, 250 seems the going price around here. i have no real clue what the diffs are, other than what i read on here.

any advice?? thanks in advance.

Husky demo for 175?? That's a no brainer as compared to the other options. A rather indestructible saw with some actual capability. I also happen to like some of those older Stihl's like that 029. But that's just me. You can't give me one of those 017/ms170-180 class saws. I wud pick a Husqvarna Strato over any other brands Strato in a heart beat. A bunch of reasons why. That will eventually change.

 

[tfrugal]

i snoozed on that one.
as for an update, i am running a 4218 poulan pro. yeah, sounds like i did not learn anything.
the deal was i saw it on ebay, from a arboristite guy. gave 80 bucks for it, drove to meet the guy and ran it in person to KNOW it ran right. plus he showed me how he tunes a carb, and looked at my 'junker' and gave me the education on how easy it is to redo it.
so, i am still running a cheapy saw, but i am a better owner-- can tune a saw, and not afraid to swap carbs. REALLY happy to have spent the time in meeting a good saw-maven.