Suggestions for a light weight saw for trimming and limbing?

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except for Dolmar/Makita, Shindaiwa, and maybe somebody else..?
except for Dolmar/Makita, Shindaiwa, and maybe somebody else..?
CS400 is what I would actually suggest . Shindaiwa the New Parent Company of Echo has good units also . Dolkita-32 or 35 strong saws for the price point as would Zenoah or Redmax . It really comes down to if he needs Dealer support and convenient availability & wishes a Prograde saw . MS 170 is cheaper within the CS400 price point but not really in the same performance class .
 
The MS170 is $180....the cs400 is around $300......over $100 more for the cs400....and I don't need a bigger saw like that. I have a Poulan 5020 that is a great saw...but super heavy.

I'm leaning towards the little Echo 310 or 352.......just need to figure out if the 352 is worth the extra money. For the limbing of small branches, and felling smaller cedar trees, and other work around the farm that doesn't require my bigger saw...I think either would be fine.

At this point....my goal is to find a lightweight saw (under 10lbs) that isn't too expensive.......from what I can find locally, the echos fit the bill. I think the 310 and 352 are better saws than the MS170......right?

Is it true the the consumer grade Stihl saws have gotten cheaper and less robust over the years?
 
The MS170 is $180....the cs400 is around $300......over $100 more for the cs400....and I don't need a bigger saw like that. I have a Poulan 5020 that is a great saw...but super heavy.

I'm leaning towards the little Echo 310 or 352.......just need to figure out if the 352 is worth the extra money. For the limbing of small branches, and felling smaller cedar trees, and other work around the farm that doesn't require my bigger saw...I think either would be fine.

At this point....my goal is to find a lightweight saw (under 10lbs) that isn't too expensive.......from what I can find locally, the echos fit the bill. I think the 310 and 352 are better saws than the MS170......right?

Is it true the the consumer grade Stihl saws have gotten cheaper and less robust over the years?
Well you never mentioned in your original post if you had a 5020 or a Wild Thingy . All the saws I mentioned are Prograde although the Echo was a 40 c.c. class unit . The MS170 is a homeowner class saw . I could send you my New Husky 543 xp (40 c.c.) class saw , but then I would have to charge extra for the drool ! P.S. 352 would be a nice fit !
 
My old 40cc Poulan saw died on me today when I was out limbing, trimming up, and cutting down a bunch of small cedars. After 10 years of great service, something let lose in the motor. I ended up finishing the job with my 50cc saw....damn, it wore me out!

So I'm in the market for another small lightweight saw. The Poulan was a great saw (even though lots of people bad mouth them)......but I think this time, I'd like to go with an Echo, Stihl, or Husky. 40cc was even almost overkill for what I was using it for...so smaller might be better.

I want something small enough that I can use it all day trimming, and limbing small trees....and not kill my back. A 10" or 12" bar would be plenty big. Light weight is key, but I want it to have enough power to fell an 8" cedar if I needed too.

Looking for suggestions......

Thanks!
I would look at a Dolmar 420/421 or echo cs400 for all you wanting to do be plenty and cheap
 
I use one of these. It is possible to stand on a tractor deck and trim high limbs with just the right hand on the pistol grip. This is unsafe and this saw should never used for this method of cutting.

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The lighter weight of the 310, 352 and 170/180 is much easier on the bod for "me"also. I have other heavier larger saws but the 352 is the go to saw for 90% of cutting Oak for personal use.

I used my neighbor 180 when we cleared the shared private road. It felt nice and light also. The 352 did have more grunt though. His 180 was stock with a 14" bar, my 352 is MM'd with a 16 inch bar.
 
Since your looking on the cheap I'd suggest the makita 4300.
Here's on down your way at Home Depot, they will most likely drop the price a bit before it sells, call the store and they will will most likely tell you when the price will change.
They are a little fat for a 40cc saw, but they have a magnesium case and are great runners, hard to beat the value, but it is a used saw.
Otherwise there are some great options above on the cheap.

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One saw I haven't seen mentioned is the stihl MS200 or Ms201. Light and blazingly fast cutting for size and weight.
These are great saws and my choice in this category, but they aren't cheap, and nice 241 or 261 can be bought for the same price as a 201 rear handle, and good luck finding a nice rear handle 200 as most are beat to heck.
 
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