Top Handle climbing saw suggestions

[James Sawyer]

I'm in the market for Top Handle saw for limbs DRT climbing. Looking at the CS1125T or MS194 but I really don't know much about Top Handle saws so they maybe better saws. I'm open to suggestions. Some saws around here are sometime hard to get. One dealer hasn't seen a Top Handle for over a year. But I do have some dealers within a reasonable distance that have a MS 194t another with CS1125t. I'm hoping I can find a good deal on a saw at Oregon logging conference on Feb 24-26 if there is such a thing as a good deal these days. Dealer price on CS1125t are $439 and same for MS194t.
Is the MS194 that much better considering the added 2lbs ? 6" limbs/branches about the biggest cut to meet my needs. I understand the CS needs a better chain and bar upgrade then what sold stock. The dealer I have in my area sells the CS as a package, not the power head separate so I don't have other bar options without buying package bar and chain. That said the CS sounds like more expensive option. This is not for commercial use, private limited use.

 

[link]

I have a CS280T, it's a little heavier and perhaps slightly lazy compared to the CS2511T. It does come with a .050 chain and it's a bit choppy when cutting with that chain, a .043 chain is smoother, more pleasant to use and cuts faster but requiers a new guidebar as well. I have a 10" Makita guidebar at .043 on mine, I allso have a 12" bar for it but I much prefer the 10" bar on a top handle like this as the whole idea with it is for it to be compact and maneuverable and you sure aint going to cut 12" wood with it - you can of course but it would be the wrong tool for the job.
Just to mention I dont use it for climbing, I prefer a battery saw when climbing - I'm way too fond of my arms, fingers and neck to mess with a gas saw up in a tree. Anyway from what I can see at the US Echo site the CS2511 already comes with a .043 bar and chain.

As for the Stihl I've read lots of negative comments in here, but you should consider that a lot of people in here have a rather posh and arrogant attitude to any chainsaw that is not made in magnesium or "metal". Allso anything less than a 16" bar is for woosies, nothing to do with whats practical or not.
Anyway my senior neighbor that owns a lot of forest land uses a Stihl MS192 with a rear handle for allmost anything, he have a bigger chainsaw for felling but he still uses the 192 - even felling trees with it. He dont clean it and he dont service it, he only sharpens the chain regularly and fills it up with gas and oil, have never been any trouble with it as far as I know.
With a rear handle I would use it with a 12-14" guidebar, 12" makes it snappier and more maneuverable but it handles a 14" well.
As a top handle I would use a 10-12" guidebar for maneuverability and control, but it might be difficult to find a 10" bar for it.

Stihl also have a saw called MS151 that I know proffessional arborists like to use here in Smallwoodville, this is more in class with the CS2511.

 

[James Sawyer]

T.K appreciate the advice and I really think you’re right! I've looked at and was leaning towards a battery saws but I'm thinking with the extra cost for batteries and a charger for a good electric I'm in +$700-$850 range. I’d most likely would buy the Stihl if I did and two batteries.
I do have old TH homelite XL2 but the way its runs it needing seals. Plus, I consider that saw pretty dangerous to climb with (2 throttles and no brake). That XL2 is not something I’d want hanging on my belt either.
All my saws I have are too big for this job, the smallest bar I have is 20”. The smallest saw I have is Husqvarna 355. All my saws are professional saws ( I have 9), they all run larger bars. A TH is not a saw I would generally use, so I thought a home owner saw for the price would do what I need.
My problem is I have two Black Locust tree +30ft tall in my yard that are out control and they hang over my house. Where they’re at, I just can’t fall them without damaging a lot of stuff. My wife has a lots of flower beds, she’s a gardener. Hundreds of feet of beds, lots of plants, ½ acre yard, ½ of it flower bed…thank God for Surfland. If I wreck her plants I’d be sleeping with both eyes open and I have found that to be pretty…hard… to do! LOL
Then… I have a big maple tree with a 10”-12” limb that hanging over my neighbour’s barn and his retaining wall. Its going be fun because it hang out so much. To get this one I’m going have double line from two other trees. I can’t walk it without rigging from somewhere else, I don’t have enough height from that maple to stay < 45 degrees. If I thought I could just hinge it, pull it to the side and be ok I would …but if the hinge breaks early or something go wrong it’s not worth the risk. I’ll have to spider line sections off this limb. If I could shorten this limb maybe 20 ft, I could just drop the rest, but it’s less work if I let this one run too. It’s on hill over hanging my fence line… maybe 9-10% grade. I have to set my live line, it’s not much more effort to shoot in a rigging line to run it down the hill.
I also I want to limb some Douglas firs, which I could do with that 355. But with all the other work, I really need TH saw, I know the CS1125 is little small for the maple but prefect for the Locust. The plastic brake handle, side cover and chain stop have me concerned. The MS194 also plastic so… I just don’t know much about TH saws. I know Husqvarna makes a saw in this price range. Once in a while I see used t200 and 201’s but they want way to much and you just don’t know what your buying.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Only one current model saw to consider really- Stihl 201TC-M.
If you are going to climb a lot, cut a range of limbs and tops- anything else is not in the same league.
Of course a nice freshly built 200T would be nicer- but harder to find and prices are up there.
The 194 is okay for small stuff, but is a let down for bigger limbs and tops that do not over test the 200T or 201T models and they can do the small stuff as well.
No comment on the Echo stuff, never run them nor climbed with them.

 

[link]

Only one current model saw to consider really- Stihl 201TC-M.
If you are going to climb a lot, cut a range of limbs and tops- anything else is not in the same league.
Of course a nice freshly built 200T would be nicer- but harder to find and prices are up there.
The 194 is okay for small stuff, but is a let down for bigger limbs and tops that do not over test the 200T or 201T models and they can do the small stuff as well.
No comment on the Echo stuff, never run them nor climbed with them.

It would be the 360T, no quarter compared to a Stihl 200 with a magnesium frame though of course.
This is a 360T with a rear handle for convenience, 14" bar buried in birch wood.


Now, please show me what you can do with the 201TC-M.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

I run a CS355T because when I started climbing I wasn't 100% sure I was really going to do it for a long time or not and didn't want to spend the 201T money.

I find it pretty good. It's a bit heavy and less power than a 201T but I think it's a better choice than the 192/3/4T from Stihl's line up. 35cc and chews through wood well. Muffler mod and timing advance can wake them up pretty good. Give it a good tune on the carb and keep the chain sharp.

I cut quite a bit of dead ash with it and it does well. Starting is very easy. Cold it's usually 3 to the pop and 1 more to run. Warm it's always been a single pull to start.

If you're going to be in small wood or soft wood, I think the 2511T is a pretty good choice. It's a lot lighter, but also pretty low on power. I've run one on one occasion and I wasn't impressed with it in bar hard wood over 8-10". In the spruce/pine it was ok. I would definitely try to get a 12" 1/4" pitch bar/chain conversion on that saw and it would probably handle bar length wood pretty good with that. For the trees I'm in, the 355T is a better choice IMO. I'm pretty regularly in 10"+ ash/oak/hickory/locust.

 

[link]

I run a CS355T because when I started climbing I wasn't 100% sure I was really going to do it for a long time or not and didn't want to spend the 201T money.

I find it pretty good. It's a bit heavy and less power than a 201T...

You sure have had a your fourite beverage, The 360 is considerably lighter than a Stihl 200 series lumb of metal.
Cheers!

 

[link]

Please show me the 201 surpass my 360, I beg you.

 

[link]

T.K appreciate the advice and I really think you’re right! I've looked at and was leaning towards a battery saws but I'm thinking with the extra cost for batteries and a charger for a good electric I'm in +$700-$850 range. I’d most likely would buy the Stihl if I did and two batteries.
I do have old TH homelite XL2 but the way its runs it needing seals. Plus, I consider that saw pretty dangerous to climb with (2 throttles and no brake). That XL2 is not something I’d want hanging on my belt either.
All my saws I have are too big for this job, the smallest bar I have is 20”. The smallest saw I have is Husqvarna 355. All my saws are professional saws ( I have 9), they all run larger bars. A TH is not a saw I would generally use, so I thought a home owner saw for the price would do what I need.
My problem is I have two Black Locust tree +30ft tall in my yard that are out control and they hang over my house. Where they’re at, I just can’t fall them without damaging a lot of stuff. My wife has a lots of flower beds, she’s a gardener. Hundreds of feet of beds, lots of plants, ½ acre yard, ½ of it flower bed…thank God for Surfland. If I wreck her plants I’d be sleeping with both eyes open and I have found that to be pretty…hard… to do! LOL
Then… I have a big maple tree with a 10”-12” limb that hanging over my neighbour’s barn and his retaining wall. Its going be fun because it hang out so much. To get this one I’m going have double line from two other trees. I can’t walk it without rigging from somewhere else, I don’t have enough height from that maple to stay < 45 degrees. If I thought I could just hinge it, pull it to the side and be ok I would …but if the hinge breaks early or something go wrong it’s not worth the risk. I’ll have to spider line sections off this limb. If I could shorten this limb maybe 20 ft, I could just drop the rest, but it’s less work if I let this one run too. It’s on hill over hanging my fence line… maybe 9-10% grade. I have to set my live line, it’s not much more effort to shoot in a rigging line to run it down the hill.
I also I want to limb some Douglas firs, which I could do with that 355. But with all the other work, I really need TH saw, I know the CS1125 is little small for the maple but prefect for the Locust. The plastic brake handle, side cover and chain stop have me concerned. The MS194 also plastic so… I just don’t know much about TH saws. I know Husqvarna makes a saw in this price range. Once in a while I see used t200 and 201’s but they want way to much and you just don’t know what your buying.

That said for the thread starter, considering cost, reliability and worth of money; I would recommend the Stihl 194.
However if you swim in money and dont mind the extra weight; Stihl 201tc-m or Stihl 200T.
But if you get misguided in to think that a 16" bar is good for yah health, maneverability, control and convenience and you loose a limb - dont blame it on me.
I would prefer the 151 if I was up in a tree, and that is if no proper battery saw was available.
Good luck with it...

 

[James Sawyer]

T.K appreciate the advice and I really think you’re right! I've looked at and was leaning towards a battery saws but I'm thinking with the extra cost for batteries and a charger for a good electric I'm in +$700-$850 range. I’d most likely would buy the Stihl if I did and two batteries.
I do have old TH homelite XL2 but the way its runs it needing seals. Plus, I consider that saw pretty dangerous to climb with (2 throttles and no brake). That XL2 is not something I’d want hanging on my belt either.
All my saws I have are too big for this job, the smallest bar I have is 20”. The smallest saw I have is Husqvarna 355. All my saws are professional saws ( I have 9), they all run larger bars. A TH is not a saw I would generally use, so I thought a home owner saw for the price would do what I need.
My problem is I have two Black Locust tree +30ft tall in my yard that are out control and they hang over my house. Where they’re at, I just can’t fall them without damaging a lot of stuff. My wife has a lots of flower beds, she’s a gardener. Hundreds of feet of beds, lots of plants, ½ acre yard, ½ of it flower bed…thank God for Surfland. If I wreck her plants I’d be sleeping with both eyes open and I have found that to be pretty…hard… to do! LOL
Then… I have a big maple tree with a 10”-12” limb that hanging over my neighbour’s barn and his retaining wall. Its going be fun because it hang out so much. To get this one I’m going have double line from two other trees. I can’t walk it without rigging from somewhere else, I don’t have enough height from that maple to stay < 45 degrees. If I thought I could just hinge it, pull it to the side and be ok I would …but if the hinge breaks early or something go wrong it’s not worth the risk. I’ll have to spider line sections off this limb. If I could shorten this limb maybe 20 ft, I could just drop the rest, but it’s less work if I let this one run too. It’s on hill over hanging my fence line… maybe 9-10% grade. I have to set my live line, it’s not much more effort to shoot in a rigging line to run it down the hill.
I also I want to limb some Douglas firs, which I could do with that 355. But with all the other work, I really need TH saw, I know the CS1125 is little small for the maple but prefect for the Locust. The plastic brake handle, side cover and chain stop have me concerned. The MS194 also plastic so… I just don’t know much about TH saws. I know Husqvarna makes a saw in this price range. Once in a while I see used t200 and 201’s but they want way to much and you just don’t know what your buying.

 

[James Sawyer]

Bob...No I don't plan on doing a lot of climbing just once in awhile on my place and some friends. Wish I could spend $900 on another saw just doesn't make sense. I really don't want to spend more then $400. The Locust limbs aren't that big, unlike that maple. I thought about buying 201t have you had any issues with you're? If you cut all time how long do you get out these new 201T's. I read mixed review on the life of these saws? I'm not 100% sold on auto-tune yet, but I've heard good things over what they had when they 1st came out. With the new emissions on saws i feel more comfortable with a carb. I can fix those... I do like Stihl most of my saws are Stihls, I have 2 huskies 355 and a pole saw, the Homelite xl2.... all the rest are Stihls. 034, 038 super, MS361, MS362, MS460, MS461 oh and I guess I have Mac 10-10.

 

[4CornersPuddle]

For many years as I worked as a timber feller, I considered any saw under 80cc's as little. I logged with a 480 Husky for a few years, but reached for my 2100 and 281s and then 288s several times a day.
Since I've been out of the woods and up in the trees as an arborist, I've run several top handles. Stihl 200Ts, 020Ts, Husky 335XPs and 338XPs, Husky 540Ts, MS 192, Echo CS271T and
cs2511Ts. With all my experience and a little snobbery about the need for saw horsepower, the very first saw I would have the groundie tie to my climbing line would be a hopped up CS2511T. That said, the Echo would have a gutted muffler, 12" or even 14" bar with Bailey's Carlton full chisel 3/8ths LP chain, rakers lowered slightly, appropriately tuned with defeated carb screw limiters.
Do your best to find and handle a 2511. It will feel not much heavier and just as maneuverable as a 16" Silky Sugoi. For the rare cut you need to make in diameter beyond the bar length, just use it. or pull up a slightly bigger "baby saw". We'll pull up an MS250 or a 550XP when we need more bar length.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

I bought a cs-330t out of a scrap yard for 25.00 its a good top handle with a muffler mod, ( stupid cat muffler) .
Ive been using it the last couple of months and it has done very well.

 

[link]

For many years as I worked as a timber feller, I considered any saw under 80cc's as little...

...

 

[link]

Your d.c.k is just as long as your bar, thats for sure.

 

[Franny K]

Please show me the 201 surpass my 360, I beg you.

Echo 360 top handle has is a discontinued model in the USA. Isn't the manufacturers specifications in the part of the world where they post such 2.0 (echo 355t, likely same for 360) vs 2.4 hp? The Husqvarna 540 gasoline model is the same bore as the Stihl 201 and 2mm more stroke. I think it is 2.4 hp as well.

 

[link]

Echo 360 top handle has is a discontinued model in the USA. Isn't the manufacturers specifications in the part of the world where they post such 2.0 (echo 355t, likely same for 360) vs 2.4 hp? The Husqvarna 540 gasoline model is the same bore as the Stihl 201 and 2mm more stroke. I think it is 2.4 hp as well.

Stroke makes torque, I love stroke.

 

[gumneck]

Well, if I wasn't going to be using one all the time as you say you're just gonna be occasional, I'll add my worthless 2 cents and suggest why not look at this model:http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...81fd7e2d6f5cdc7988256bfa00189277?OpenDocument

You can usually find them pretty cheap and 38cc's of old fashioned kick@ss power with a small bar if you prefer or go 16" with no problem. The first 2 in my pic are representative of the link posted. I think the Stihl is only 35cc's but what is 3 cc's really gonna do for you. Not that there is anything wrong with the Stihl, just alot of money for occasional use is my point.

 

[calamari]

I've got an older model G300T that seems to be indestructible and cuts as fast as the saw in the posted video. The older saw is 28.5 cc and this is 38 I believe with 2.1 hp. $369 for this saw from RedMax so it should be cheaper elsewhere. A little over 8 lbs with bar and chain which is agin comparable to my older top handle RedMax and with a 14" bar I rarely use my bigger saw. There are alternatives to Stihl and this used to be made by Husqvarna, maybe still is.

 

[cookies]

I repaired and sold a 193T this past year, I put a 12" 3/8lp .050 bar/chain on it and she was a little ripper and pretty light. I may have a 35cc 335xpt husky top handle I can sell that I went through last year.