I want to buy a *REALLY* good chain saw. Suggestions?

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Very well said, paper specs only carry so much WEIGHT. :clap: :ices_rofl: ....

That is true, and why the weight "specs" I post normally are based on more sourses that just factory specs......

They are also empty powerhead weights, as anything else adds more variables, as tank size and choise of bar and chain, to the equation.



:givebeer: :popcorn: :popcorn:
 
For the next guy looking to buy a good saw
there are really only 4 brands to consider
Stihl
Jonsered
Husquavana
Dolmer

They are all good, the important thing is to have a dealer near you for parts and service. I buy farm tracters the same way no good having a John Deere when the Massey Ferguson dealer is just down the road and the JD dealerr is 150 miles away.
 
For the next guy looking to buy a good saw
there are really only 4 brands to consider
Stihl
Jonsered
Husquavana
Dolmer

They are all good, the important thing is to have a dealer near you for parts and service. I buy farm tractors the same way no good having a John Deere when the Massey Ferguson dealer is just down the road and the JD dealer is 150 miles away.

You do know that Jonsred, Poulan, and I recall an announcement about Redmax all being owned by the Husqvarna Group? I think Jonsred and Husky share the same engines, the major differences are the color and handles. I'm not putting down Jonsred but you seem to feel it is on par with Husky. It IS a Husky in red pajamas!

Hunk;
I own a 359. It is a fine saw that serves my purpose HOWEVER, you cannot find a new 359 that isn't an e-tech. E-techs run hot, why try to cool an air cooled engine in a campfire? Non e-tech mufflers cost about $50 with shipping and handling. that puts the cost of a 359 at roughly $500. At that price the 361 is a better buy at $515. Dolmar, Husky, and Stihl are all great saws. Stay away from plastic, maintain them, and any one of them will serve you well. The ball is in your court!
 
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.... I can't say exactly how much power loss is experienced (percentage wise) at this high altitude but I also just replaced a carburated Polaris Ranger for the new fuel injected one and again, the difference was huge!!

I believe the "rule of thumb" says 3% per 1000 feet, but I don't know accurate it is for each and every engine.........:yoyo:
 
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I believe the "rule of thumb" says 3% per 1000 feet, but I don't know accurate it is for each and every engine.........:yoyo:

I believe you are right on as we lose around 20-25% of power with non fuel injected engines here at nearly 8k feet.

I used to ride a wheelie effortlessly on my Honda CRF450 dirtbike, but at this elevation, I really have to *pop* the clutch to get enough power to lift the front wheel.

BTW, back to chainsaws for a brief moment.

I have narrowed my selection down to two models. The funny thing is that both of these models that are in my final two I have never seen, used, or even held.....so how moronic is that???

While I did go and try out a Stihl ms361 and thought it was an incredible saw; two iteams keep popping into my head. Weight and compatibility.

While the ms361 is VERY light for a 4.4hp saw, it is still over 12 lbs dry not including bar, chain, and of course all fluids.

This is extra weight to carry around that I simply don't need to be slinging about; especially with very sore joints. Also, as I mentioned before, we only have much smaller diameter tree's. Most average 6-10'' with a few around 12-14''. Really nothing bigger.

For this reason, I have narrowed my selection down to the two best saws I have never used!; that being 1.) The dolmar ps5100s and 2.) the new Husky 346xp with the larger piston producing around 50cc and 3.6-3.8hp. The only problem is that the new Husky does'nt even exist here in the U.S yet!.

I just can't get over the specs on the Dolmar 5100 as it is a near 4hp saw that runs at 14,500 rpm's, weighs only 11 lbs and costs only $389.00 retail!.

These incredible specs coupled with the fact that there are plenty of places on the internet to by parts from and even the parts are VERY cheap!!.

My local Stihl/husky dealer also said that they can work on Dolmar no problem, and even gets parts for them. So, more than likely, I will purchase a new Dolmar ps5100s.

I may wait a few weeks or so to do this only because the forrests are all closed (to chainsaws) right now in our area due to fire restricitions, but will open back up once the rains start.

This way, I will be able to see if that new Husky is ever going to come out or not!.

Anyway, on either saw, I will most likely use a 16'' bar, but no longer than 18'' to keep the weight down and balance point accurate. I just now need to do a bit of research on bars and chains as I don't really know the difference between all the various types of chains (chisel point, semi skip, full skip) and stuff like that. The only thing I read is that the stock *safety* chain is only good to prevent you from cutting your leg off; other than that, it's worthless!.

To be con't.
 
The choices that you have mentioned are all top performing saws.............you can't go wrong with whatever you pick...............buy it and have at it!!!


Someone mentioned the 359............the 359 is like the sleeper of all saws................muffler mod it and it much better..............woods port it and the saw is just dynamite!!!
 
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For the next guy looking to buy a good saw
there are really only 4 brands to consider
Stihl
Jonsered
Husquavana
Dolmer

They are all good, the important thing is to have a dealer near you for parts and service. I buy farm tracters the same way no good having a John Deere when the Massey Ferguson dealer is just down the road and the JD dealerr is 150 miles away.

Hi, wood rat,

cause of this I bought a Solo 651 Model 2007.

Roteiche
 
I'll ask it again. Why are you not considering the MS260?
Yup, or MS270, which I've been running on and off for the last couple of months, light, nimble, and nice egonomics for a larger person. So far no issues reliability-wise, but, as I said in a review I did for one of the Lawn sites on it I'd shy away from the 270c, just don't like the quick-adjust for the bar, much rather have studs an' nuts, then I feel I have more control over the tightening, a personal prefference. And I am not fond of non-screw on caps but haven't had a problem as yet.
 
I'll ask it again. Why are you not considering the MS260?

Because the Dolmar 5100 is much more powerfull (4 hp vs 3.2hp), it is very close in weight, (11 lbs vs 10.6), it can handle a 3/8 chain, and is $40.00 less expensive. The parts are also very cheap.

The ms260 is a fantastic saw but I think the Dolmar is just as good and has all the benefits mentioned above.
 
... For this reason, I have narrowed my selection down to the two best saws I have never used!; that being 1.) The dolmar ps5100s and 2.) the new Husky 346xp with the larger piston producing around 50cc and 3.6-3.8hp. The only problem is that the new Husky does'nt even exist here in the U.S yet!.

I just can't get over the specs on the Dolmar 5100 as it is a near 4hp saw that runs at 14,500 rpm's, weighs only 11 lbs and costs only $389.00 retail!.....

Just a couple of notes;

(1)The 5100S weights a bit more than Dolmar state, and the "new edition" 346xp probably weights a bit more then the "old" 45cc version - the Husky is probably still lighter, though - and power specs are only .1kW less. We know little about the engine characteistics of the new 346xp, hopefully it has more "bottom end" than the old one....

(2)They balance quite differently, with an 18" bar the Dolmar will balance better, with a shorter than 16" the Husky will be best - with a 16" they are probably quite even, but it depends on the exact choise of bar......
 
Because the Dolmar 5100 is much more powerfull (4 hp vs 3.2hp)

Simple, free muffler mod pops it back to 3.5 HP according to those who have more experience than I in these matters.

, it is very close in weight, (11 lbs vs 10.6),
Yes (or so the papers say).

it can handle a 3/8 chain
They both can.

, and is $40.00 less expensive.
Yes.

The parts are also very cheap.
I'll take people's word for it.


The differences are slight. Again, I would go put your hands on both of them (which you have for some reason avoided doing, thus far) and buy the one that felt best. You'll do what you will and that is good. Consternation about minutiae can be fun for some. I do it sometimes too...
 
.... Someone mentioned the 359............the 359 is like the sleeper of all saws................muffler mod it and it much better..............woods port it and the saw is just dynamite!!!

Yep, that is the concensus, but stock, with E-tech (as I believe all new ones are in the US now) - is a quite different story......:greenchainsaw:

They also weight quite a bit more than what Husky states.
 
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How are those 1 ringed 5100s holding up? I think the 5100/346 rely on chain speed to cut where the 260 has more grunt when the bar is buried to pull through...just my thoughts for today, happy 4th!!:cheers:
 
How are those 1 ringed 5100s holding up? I think the 5100/346 rely on chain speed to cut where the 260 has more grunt when the bar is buried to pull through...just my thoughts for today, happy 4th!!:cheers:

The 5100 has more low end torque than the MS260, and a wider "power band" - we don't know about the new 346xp yet......
 

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