Choosing new 50cc saw, Dolmar, Husky, Stihl, Jonsereds?

[nmurph]

If you want a good running saw for 10 years buy a plastic case saw. I have seen clam shell saws only last 8-10 years with only weekend use during camping season and a bit of firewood cutting. My 032 has been cutting wood for over 30 years with only the chain, bar, and spark plug being replaced. This saw is a homeowner saw but built to todays pro standards, if you want your saw to last a few lifetimes it is best to buy a pro model, that is why people recommend them over the plastic clam shell home owner saws of today. I have saws that are are 40 and even 50 years old that run as they would brand new and none of them are made of plastic so there must be something to this all metal pro construction. I am a weekend warrior, not a pro, but my saws are.

I suspect the reason you don't see 40 year old plastic saws is bc they weren't using plastic in saws that long ago. There are lots of very durable clamshell, plastic saws that are felling and bucking trees everyday of their lives. Their durability is just as good as magnesium cased saws. Just about every tree service and right-of-way company is running 290's, etc..... They are cheaper to build, not more cheaply built. Every modern pro saw has a plastic tank and handle assembly. A plastic clamshell saw has the crank supported in a metal base (I know, there are a couple of exceptions) The pro saws are designed to be taken apart for service. I suspect that if manufacturers could figure out how to make a totally plastic-cased, pro-style, non-clamshell saw, that is as light as a Mg-cased saw, that you would see them on shelves everywhere. And while there are lots of very nice, great running old saws, I will take a modern saw everytime, if my livelyhood depended on it, even if it were a plastic-cased clamshell.

 

[farrell]

:agree2: with nmurph

my first saw was a husky 350 (plastic clam shell) that i bought six years ago and it runs better than new. i never had a problem with it till i let a knuckle head barrow it and he ruined the b/c and loosened the muffler and melted the chainbrake off the saw. i fixed it with the help of the guys here and it has never ran so good. they are a lot easier to work on.

 

[nmurph]

Some clamshells are, some aren't. I hate the Stihl design, the Husky 340/345/350 design is actually easier to me than a typical pro construction saw, with the bearings being exposed when the cylinder is removed.

 

[homelitejim]

What happened to these clamshell saws that took them out of commission?

lets see, 2 cracked cases causing lean condition, stripped out screws causing case separation and lean condition, bar studs busted out of case, twig puncture thru case, muffler melted case, cracked case from riding on 4 wheeler, just plain wore out and tired with no compression (poulan wildthing 8 years occasional use). Granted most saws were box store saws but one was a husqvarna 435 and one was a stihl ms290. Just walk behind some saw shop and see what is in the dumpster, all clam shell, plastic case saws, the only magnesium saws I have seen in the dumpster were there due to White Death. I'm not trying to bust on plastic saws but people are saying how a home owner saw is as good as a pro saw for occasional work and I beg to differ. I am just not seeing well used 20 year old plastic case saws for sale around here.

 

[homelitejim]

Where are the plastic saws over 70cc? has anyone seen one? I think even the chi-com saws are of metal case construction. if plastic is so durable why is there a limit to its application.

 

[bcorradi]

lets see, 2 cracked cases causing lean condition, stripped out screws causing case separation and lean condition, bar studs busted out of case, twig puncture thru case, muffler melted case, cracked case from riding on 4 wheeler, just plain wore out and tired with no compression (poulan wildthing 8 years occasional use). Granted most saws were box store saws but one was a husqvarna 435 and one was a stihl ms290. Just walk behind some saw shop and see what is in the dumpster, all clam shell, plastic case saws, the only magnesium saws I have seen in the dumpster were there due to White Death. I'm not trying to bust on plastic saws but people are saying how a home owner saw is as good as a pro saw for occasional work and I beg to differ. I am just not seeing well used 20 year old plastic case saws for sale around here.

I've worked on a lot of stihl saws including a ton of clamshell saws and haven't seen those issues to be the norm at all. I know personal acquaintances of mine that have run clamshell saws for the last 20+ years without any issues and they are cutting 8-10 cords of firewood per year with them. There are plenty of mag saws that may not be in the dumpster at the shops, but they aren't economical to fix and haven't died the white death.

 

[farrell]

i have cut hundreds of cords of wood with my husky 350 in 6 years with only one issue (posted above) and that wasnt my or the saws fault! i never said it would or wouldnt outlast a pro saw time will tell. but it has been an awesome saw, period! sorry if you have bad luck with plastic. proper care and maintence makes all the difference!

 

[Carl Anderson]

I do cruise craigslist fairly regularly (got my old Gravely brush mower and '58 Massey Ferguson tractor with loader/backhoe from there). This morning I saw an ad for a 1 year old Dolmar 510 for $175. I left a message for him, would be 45 min drive, not bad if the saw is good.

Getting closer to finding the money for the better new saw though. Even my wife thinks I should just do it (that's a beautiful thing!) and pay it off later as fast as possible. Lord know's I've cut more than $500 worth of firewood the year or two. I have been burned with used stuff before (unintentionally, just bad luck) so not to snub anyone's very generous offers but I'm leaning towards a new saw if I'm gonna spend $300-$500 so I have a warranty/dealer support.

Local Husky dealer has 346xp for $480 Stihl is fading fast because of higher price. Dolmar dealer has the 510 in stock, gonna go check it out. He also says he has a few Efco saws left over from last fall. He bought a bunch of them on a promotion and sold a bunch but not all. He says they are a real good Itallian saw with 5 yr warranty. Nervous to buy a saw I don't hear much about and not a lot of dealers around.

Any thoughts on Efco?
Also, there is a J-Red dealer local too, what is the 346xp equilalent in J-Red, 2153 maybe?

 

[farrell]

2153 jred and 346xp husky are twin sisters. i dont know anyhting about the efco other than i heard they are hard to get parts for.

 

[homelitejim]

i have cut hundreds of cords of wood with my husky 350 in 6 years with only one issue (posted above) and that wasnt my or the saws fault! i never said it would or wouldnt outlast a pro saw time will tell. but it has been an awesome saw, period! sorry if you have bad luck with plastic. proper care and maintence makes all the difference!

No plastic saws here, I have learned my lesson from watching others. I prefer older saws but if I have to have a new one I will buy a pro saw, look in my signature my 066 and 441 are my newest saws the 441 I got last year. I use my 10-10 and super ez for almost everything non firewood related and never have a problem. I maintain all my saws ask my 770, 40 years old and still cutting wood same with my 032 which has been cutting wood every year for 30 years with nothing more than new bar and chains and a spark plug or two.

 

[The Count]

I have the 346 XP and it is a very small and light saw yet powerful and fun to work with.
cheers.

 

[sunfish]

I have the 346 XP and it is a very small and light saw yet powerful and fun to work with.
cheers.

And you didn't ask too many question before you got it, did ya? :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[The Count]

Ha ha. I can`t remember. LOL
I drove everyone crazy. For the life of me I can`t get it how some folks can make up their minds in just few posts.
Truth be told I knew absolutely nothing about chainsaws; now when I look back the right choice is pretty obvious...

 

[TK]

BTW, the Redmax G5300 is identical to the Husky 353 and is currently cheaper. All parts should interchange; disadvantage is that Husky dealers may not service and certainly won't honor the warranty. Both saws have a magnesium crankcase and both are made in Japan.

The 353 is made in Sweden, and Husky dealers simply can't service or honor warranty on the Redmax saws unless they are Redmax dealers - even though Redmax is owned by Husky. We can't even order parts unless they cross to a Husky unit.

Where are the plastic saws over 70cc? has anyone seen one? I think even the chi-com saws are of metal case construction. if plastic is so durable why is there a limit to its application.

What are the 70+ cc homeowner saws?

 

[bcorradi]

I maintain all my saws ask my 770, 40 years old and still cutting wood same with my 032 which has been cutting wood every year for 30 years with nothing more than new bar and chains and a spark plug or two.

If you take care and maintain your saws like you say a clamshell stihl jonsered, husky, etc would last you many years also. My point is I don't think there is a 8-10 year expiration date on clamshell saws. If you take care of them and cut 10 cords per year there is no reason they won't last 40 years like your 770.

 

[The Count]

What are the 70+ cc homeowner saws?

first of all, it must be a big home. second I recomend the PS 7900.

 

[Carl Anderson]

Well, Dolmar 510 was nice (big dual dogs on that thing) but he quoted me wrong before. He meant $350 plus tax, not total and that was for a leftover from last year which he sold a few days ago. The new one he got in today is $365 plus tax = $387. 346xp = $509 total. $122 difference, hmmmmmmm.

He had a leftover 5100S for $375. That is tempting too but may not be the best fit for me being a part time cutter and not wanting to retune a saw often. J-Red dealer is out of his mind with his prices so that's out, $399 plus tax for a 2250 plastic saw. OK, I said I'd try not to worry so much about money but it is part of the process, I'll try not to whine about money.

 

[Chris J.]

...He had a leftover 5100S for $375. That is tempting too but may not be the best fit for me being a part time cutter and not wanting to retune a saw often...
OK, I said I'd try not to worry so much about money but it is part of the process, I'll try not to whine about money.

I think you might be misreading the info others have posted on the Dolmar 5100S. I think that they are referring to the re-tuneing the dealer would do after you've ran X of tanks of fuel through it. To my knowledge (limited, I admit) the 5100S isn't a finicky saw that requires frequent adjustments. That sounds like a very good price on the 5100.

 

[SawTroll]

I think you might be misreading the info others have posted on the Dolmar 5100S. I think that they are referring to the re-tuneing the dealer would do after you've ran X of tanks of fuel through it. To my knowledge (limited, I admit) the 5100S isn't a finicky saw that requires frequent adjustments. That sounds like a very good price on the 5100.

As I understand it, the problem was that Dolmar set them too lean from the factory (to pass EPA), and "someone" failed to inform the dealers that they had to readjust them before they are handed over to a costumer. The readjustment after run-in is normal for all saws.
I bought a tach when I bought the 5100S, and that was no coinsidense.....:msp_wink:

 

[Chris J.]

As I understand it, the problem was that Dolmar set them too lean from the factory (to pass EPA), and "someone" failed to inform the dealers that they had to readjust them before they are handed over to a costumer. The readjustment after run-in is normal for all saws.
I bought a tach when I bought the 5100S, and that was no coinsidense.....:msp_wink:

Yes, I forgot to include the dealer adjustment before the saw leaves the shop. Other than the initial adjustment & readjustment after some break-in, I'm not aware of the 5100 being temperamental.