RES
ArboristSite Operative
When I bought my first saw in the early seventies, Stihl made two small saws the 015 and the 020AV. Both of these saws are top handle saws. The 015 was their homeowner offering. I believe at that time many other manufacturers made top handle homeowner saws. There was no mention of climbing saws and there were no eyelets on them. I bought the 020AV at that time and have used it ever since for trimming trees and bucking small trees and branches without any thought of it being dangerous. Maybe I have been lucky, but in all those years it never caused any problems. I now have a couple of rear handle saws, but I find them awkward for trimming. I now have a MS201t and that is even easier to use because it is lighter and better balanced. Maybe it is just a matter of what you are used to. Some one mentioned that in some European countries, that the MS201t and its competitors can only be sold to professionals. I hope that doesn't happen here in the USA.