The age we live in... depressed.

[Whitespider]

I’ve been thinkin’ about a top handle saw for trimming and light work. Yesterday I happened to be driving by my favorite local Stihl dealer, and stopped to fondle… and now I’m depressed. I know it’s the age we live in, but is necessary to hang gadgetry on everything? C’mon… Easy2Start, IntelliCarb, M-Tronic, QuickStop Plus, and my personal number one on the crap list, “Reduced-Emission Engine Technology - Caring for Nature”… makes me wanna’ puke. I don’t want any gadgetry on my machines; gadgets break, wear-out, and just flat fail… and electronic versions of gadgets are the worst. Gadgets add unnecessary weight, bulk and complication; What happened to small package, low weight simplicity? It’s the age we live in; younger people have grown-up with it, aren’t happy unless their “stuff” has it, and worst of all they’ll pay extra for it because they somehow think gadgetry makes something better.

I guess I bought my last new saw 20 years ago.

 

[RandyMac]

bummer dude.
go beat hippies with sticks, you will feel better.

 

[KenJax Tree]

Its called technology

 

[Whiskers]

Wonder if they thought that same thing when they first put a motor on a saw.

 

[blsnelling]

Me thinks you're stuck in the Stone Age. Do you have electricity and/or a microwave oven?

 

[zogger]

A tophandle, for trimming your trees around your house? Why not get a silky handsaw? They work, simple as it gets, no gadgets. I've seen some vids of pros using them up in trees and they look to be quite fast and effective.

Cheap, no frills reliable gas engine model, old school design but still lightweight, poulan s25da or cva

 

[CedarRock]

Me thinks you're stuck in the Stone Age. Do you have electricity and/or a microwave oven?

A microwave is an oven?

 

[Gologit]

I’ve been thinkin’ about a top handle saw for trimming and light work. Yesterday I happened to be driving by my favorite local Stihl dealer, and stopped to fondle… and now I’m depressed. I know it’s the age we live in, but is necessary to hang gadgetry on everything? C’mon… Easy2Start, IntelliCarb, M-Tronic, QuickStop Plus, and my personal number one on the crap list, “Reduced-Emission Engine Technology - Caring for Nature”… makes me wanna’ puke. I don’t want any gadgetry on my machines; gadgets break, wear-out, and just flat fail… and electronic versions of gadgets are the worst. Gadgets add unnecessary weight, bulk and complication; What happened to small package, low weight simplicity? It’s the age we live in; younger people have grown-up with it, aren’t happy unless their “stuff” has it, and worst of all they’ll pay extra for it because they somehow think gadgetry makes something better.

I guess I bought my last new saw 20 years ago.

Luddite?

 

[Chris-PA]

1. They gotta justify the inflated prices.

2. Who needs a new saw? For those prices you can keep an older saw running forever. You can afford to spend a bunch with some site sponsors buying a supply of spare parts.

3. I like clean air and reduced fuel use, that's why I heat with wood and run saws. My older saws are non strato, so they stink more and use more fuel than they need to. Strato requires no electronics, just properly worked out port shapes. Eventually I will find used strato saws and switch over to them.

Actually, the only electronics used are in the M-tronic, and that's not all that big a deal compared to the electronic ignition you already have. Disposable greeting cards that play music probably have about as much precessing power. The rest of the stuff is just simple mechanical stuff they're trying to make sound like a big deal to justify the cost of a new saw. IntelliCarb is what, some plastic carb vents in the air filter? Ooooh, high tech. And a fancy chain brake and recoil. Yawn.

 

[Whitespider]

Its called technology

Me thinks you're stuck in the Stone Age. Do you have electricity and/or a microwave oven?

“Technology” is nothing more than an excuse; anything man-made is “technology”… a carpenter’s hammer and metal nail are “technology”. There was a time when new “technology” brought us things that were smaller, lighter, delivering more power and at lower cost than the previous. That all began to change during the 70’s when government started forcing manufacturers to develop new “technology” that would protect us from ourselves. Does anybody remember the sluggish performance and 435 miles of vacuum hoses on late 70’s cars to control emissions? That was new “technology”, but a damn poor new “technology” that cost all of us untold dollars. Just because the “technology” is new doesn’t automatically make it a good idea.

Next came gadgetry during the late 80’s. Since then people have somehow become convinced they can’t survive without gadgets, especially electronic gadgets… and it HAS to be the latest-and-greatest also. My first pocket-sized cell phone (a good idea) rang when someone called, and when I dialed someone answered… I charged the battery once a week and carried it for 6 years. Now my plain-Jane cell has so much unused and worthless crap running on it I have to charge it every day and I can’t get one to last more than 16-18 months (if that)… and my daughter’s “smart” phone needs charging twice a day sometimes.

Of course I have electricity and a microwave… I ain’t stuck in the “Stone Age”. But I don’t buy things with no practical value… like some silly Easy2Start, IntelliCarb or M-Tronic control on a simple power tool. I’d rather have to pull the rope and adjust my carb on occasion than have to put up with all that unnecessary weight, bulk and complication that eventually means unreliability. I can remember when advancements in chain saw “technology” meant simpler, smaller, lighter, more powerful saws at lower cost… now-a-days advancements in chain saw “technology” mean complicated, bulkier, heavier, less powerful saws at higher cost. You can go ahead and call that “advancement” if’n ya’ want… I call it idiocy.

And I sure the hell ain’t gonna’ pay for it.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

How about a little something in YELLOW!

There are a lot of those little yellow top handle saws around that you could use! :msp_scared: :msp_sneaky:

*****EDIT****(An example of backwards progress!)

 

[SawTroll]

I’ve been thinkin’ about a top handle saw for trimming and light work. Yesterday I happened to be driving by my favorite local Stihl dealer, and stopped to fondle… and now I’m depressed. I know it’s the age we live in, but is necessary to hang gadgetry on everything? C’mon… Easy2Start, IntelliCarb, M-Tronic, QuickStop Plus, and my personal number one on the crap list, “Reduced-Emission Engine Technology - Caring for Nature”… makes me wanna’ puke. I don’t want any gadgetry on my machines; gadgets break, wear-out, and just flat fail… and electronic versions of gadgets are the worst. Gadgets add unnecessary weight, bulk and complication; What happened to small package, low weight simplicity? It’s the age we live in; younger people have grown-up with it, aren’t happy unless their “stuff” has it, and worst of all they’ll pay extra for it because they somehow think gadgetry makes something better.

I guess I bought my last new saw 20 years ago.

You're mostly right about the gadgets and emissions stuff, but not regarding M-Tronic (and AutoTune).
That actually is progress, and don't add a lot of weight and bulk either, when done right.

 

[user 64030]

Troll is right. Without some technology we'd all be carring around those big clunky monsters from the 70's

I can do w/out the easy start and most of the gimicks, I do like the M-Tronic. I have no real problem w/ engine changes that reduce emmisions without sacrificing power, and that can be done... Stihl now has a FI engine out and I doubt it will be long before it makes it from the cut-off world to the chainsaw world...

dw

 

[Chris-PA]

Regarding IntelliCarb - a carb works by using the airflow through the venturi to create a low pressure at the jet outlet compared to the area over the fuel bowl. Even the crude carbs on lawn mowers have bowl vents inside the air filter so the mixture doesn't change when the filter gets clogged. Heck, so does my junk old McCulloch 3420, by placing the carb in a box under the air filter. So after how many years they play catch up and adopt what's been standard procedure everywhere else and now it's got a marketing buzzword! And they pas this off as advanced technology!

These guys are so far behind every other internal combustion engine market technology wise, it really burns me that they charge the prices they do. It's about time they put in some actual content.

 

[Overtrained]

There are a lot of those little yellow top handle saws around that you could use! :msp_scared: :msp_sneaky:

*****EDIT****(An example of backwards progress!)

Everybody is a hater

 

[Tzed250]

An axe has one edge and one moving part. Post a review when you get it.

 

[Whitespider]

…your big saw is a Stihl 026? You're killing me, Bubba.

I don’t believe I’ve ever said the 026 is “my big saw” Del… you’re the only one that says that. I say the 026 is my only saw, and has been my only saw for some number of years now.

…regarding M-Tronic (and AutoTune). That actually is progress…

Damn hard for me to see something as “progress” if it ain’t needed or necessary and adds cost to the product. I’ve never had any problems keeping a saw running properly without that stuff… so where is the need or necessity?

Regarding IntelliCarb - a carb works by using the airflow through the venturi to create a low pressure at the jet outlet compared to the area over the fuel bowl. Even the crude carbs on lawn mowers have bowl vents inside the air filter so the mixture doesn't change when the filter gets clogged…

Oh… I get it now… if’n I buy a saw with IntelliCarb I’ll never have to clean the air filter…
Say what? I still have to clean the air filter?? Well, if that’s the case, what possible reason do I have to pay extra for the IntelliCarb and all of its extra vents, tubes, holes, diaphragms and whatnot?
Naw… I’ll stick with the KISS theory… ain’t failed me yet.

 

[Whitespider]

Actually, the only electronics used are in the M-tronic, and that's not all that big a deal compared to the electronic ignition you already have.

Electronic ignition was a good idea… a true advancement. Electronic ignition reduced the total amount of parts and pieces, replacing parts that needed regular adjustment and replacement and worked through mechanical movement. The M-Tronic increases the total amount of parts and pieces, including adding some mechanical. Apples-to-Oranges.

 

[blsnelling]

You're right. We should never improve anything. What you don't seem to realize is that many of the things you mention are not complicated at all, nor do they negatively affect the reliability of the saw at all. You seem to be an intelligent man, but you're way exaggerating this. Do you want to go back to points ignition, manual oilers, no chain brakes, no AV........?

 

[blsnelling]

The M-Tronic increases the total amount of parts and pieces, including adding some mechanical. Apples-to-Oranges.

Not true. It's all in the coil and carb, an extremely simple design.