Best 30 to 40 cc saws

[Cliff R]

The Echo CS-370/400's are dead solid reliable. I have a CS-370 on my Quad 24/7 and it has a zillion hours on it. Not overly fast in cutting RPM but they "grunt" well and have great mid-range power for the cc's. I used mine recently to make two 20' diagonal cuts in a HUGE hollow Beech tree to remove a large section to make a bridge over a creek to access wood on the other side. The 3/8" LP chain does well in dirty material and cross-cutting, and those little saws lug along nicely without stalling against the clutch. You'd be amazed at how well a little 37cc saw does cutting wood that big against the grain. They fair best with a 14" bar, 3/8" LP and you can buy two packs of chain at many local sourced for a little over $20.


You can just see the edge of the Beech on the left of the photo, the cut section is under the log pile. My little helper is proud of the work!........Cliff

 

[JTM]

I ran the makita ea3200 yesterday. The saw is really growing on me. I think anyone on the fence about getting a smaller saw should definitely pull the trigger. They are a lot a fun and make for quick work on the smaller stuff. Heck as cheap as they are I may just get one of each manufacturer.

 

[svk]

I ran the makita ea3200 yesterday. The saw is really growing on me. I think anyone on the fence about getting a smaller saw should definitely pull the trigger. They are a lot a fun and make for quick work on the smaller stuff. Heck as cheap as they are I may just get one of each manufacturer.

Does the newer one have a cat?

 

[Welder56]

I just rebuilt Makita dcs401. 39ccs and claims 12000 rpm. It’s under 10 lbs with a mag crank case. Abit more plastic than a true pro saw I guess. Not a new saw by any means but will make a great small saw with the mods I did.

Can’t comment on running it as I’m picking up a B&C this week for testing and tuning. Got it’s smaller brother (dcs340) getting built now.

Just figured I’d comment rather than creeping posts.

 

[svk]

I just rebuilt Makita dcs401. 39ccs and claims 12000 rpm. It’s under 10 lbs with a mag crank case. Abit more plastic than a true pro saw I guess. Not a new saw by any means but will make a great small saw with the mods I did.

Can’t comment on running it as I’m picking up a B&C this week for testing and tuning. Got it’s smaller brother (dcs340) getting built now.

Just figured I’d comment rather than creeping posts.

View attachment 672627

That's a sharp looking saw

 

[Welder56]

That's a sharp looking saw

Thanks man! Hope it turns out to be a fantastic runner too. I pretty much got both saws as a box of parts. They both cleaned up really well with some TLC

 

[svk]

Even more impressed since it was a basket case.

 

[Welder56]

Thanks again! I regretted selling my ea4300 and decided to rebuild a few basket case ‘kitas for myself. I think they were run hard and put away wet. I gave them a new life tho and they cleaned up better than most saws I’ve rebuilt.

 

[Welder56]

I should add I got the 401 for $60 shipped to my door and I paid $40 for the dcs 340 locally

It’s worth the hobby of repairing someone else’s problems for the little $$$ it takes to do

 

[JTM]

Does the newer one have a cat?

Think so. I’ll check.

 

[166]

Makita EA3601FR with a little muffler mod. The 2nd and 3rd cut I'm really pushing on it hard.

 

[Huskybill]

Start the kids helping too. The rewards is a trip to McDonald's or the local deli for a fresh made roast beef grinder. It teaches them you work, you eat. Good work ethics.

 

[TBS]

I think a lot of that comes down to the owner(s). When i read about a few plastic cases melting on the clutch side that tells me they probably didn't have bar oil in it.

I'll add to my point from an amazon review I read about a 56cc saw I have. If give a saw a bad review and blame the company for you bending the bar, kicking a chain off, breaking the pull cord, and start your review with I've been running saws for 40 years you shouldn't be running any kind of yard equipment.

 

[Huskybill]

My best 40 cc saw was my Husqvarna 240sg professional saw with a 16” bar/325 LG chain from the 70’s. In today’s saws it would be close to a 346xp.? With the govenor plugged and the rim one pin larger she screamed for just 40cc’s. This was in the beginning of my cutting.

Fast forward decades of cutting experience my picks today maybe would of been different back then. A 162se would of served me well the smaller saw limited me power wise. But I ended up with a husky 266se when they came out.

The new husky 550 Xp II reviews sound good.?