Best bang for buck.

[Drunkle Jeff]

In the market for a new chain saw. Have an old stihl my father gave me, which I'm sure was given to him, but it's given up the ghost. I do my own fire wood, I don't cut down the trees, I just get it at tree length. Most logs are around 8" but go up as big as 12". I do 4 chord a year and knock down a few trees to open up trails. Any suggestions as to what could tackle that and be easy on the pocket book??

 

[r black]

for the wood size, i would recommend , echo 490-590 , or for more $ , stihl ms261 or Husqvarna 550xp, all saws are up for the task ....used or new, however if ur , drunk a hand saw may be to much or just right ?.......

 

[stihl86]

MS 462CM. Always buy bigger than needed. I absolutely guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Price ? Any high end saw is expensive. Just like cars, booze and hookers.
A cheap turd saw like..... a husky, for example, winds up being more expensive in the long run.
But there is no long run with them.

 

[r black]

MS 462CM. Always buy bigger than needed. I absolutely guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Price ? Any high end saw is expensive. Just like cars, booze and hookers.
A cheap turd saw like..... a husky, for example, winds up being more expensive in the long run.
But there is no long run with them.

I believe the 462, is a bit much for the size of wood this person is cutting , and booze, hookers ,or cars , although nice ?, have nothing to do with this topic... possibly a drug test is in order for yourself of course ? . and a Husqvarna saw is not cheap or a turd ............

 

[OM617YOTA]

CS-490. Tune it immediately.

 

[OM617YOTA]

MS 462CM. Always buy bigger than needed. I absolutely guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Price ? Any high end saw is expensive. Just like cars, booze and hookers.
A cheap turd saw like..... a husky, for example, winds up being more expensive in the long run.
But there is no long run with them.

A 72 cc saw for 12" max wood is ridiculous. You're telling the guy to buy an F350 to tow a Harbor Freight trailer with a lawnmower on it.

 

[Drunkle Jeff]

CS-490. Tune it immediately.

What do you mean by tune it? I'm pretty green when it comes to chainsaws...

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

+1 on the Echo 490. Search YouTube for how to do the muffler mod for the 490 (it's stupid simple). Then tune it (adjust the carb). YouTube has videos for how to do this as well, it's pretty generic, so simply search for tuning a chainsaw. Short story on the tune, error on the rich side.

This will unleash the performance that the EPA requires manufacturers to squash to please the environuts.

 

[jltrent]

Stihl MS250

 

[computeruser]

Second. Ms250 is a good choice for this work.

 

[MACHINE]

A guy gave me a 440E , I put a new carb , cleaned it up , tank vent , they are a low end saw but damn I was mildly impressed, it really cuts , lite, easy to start and operate.

But the smallest Stihl pro saw is a great saw ,but at nearly 600 bucks you can buy 2 440E saws

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Johnmn]

Makita 4300

 

[buzz sawyer]

Advice, don't buy a new saw and do a muffler mod. 1. It will void your warranty. 2. For what you are cutting, stock CS490 will have all the power you need.
As for tuning, saws often come lean for emission control but can damage the engine. If you don't know how to tune it, find someone who does.

 

[OM617YOTA]

What do you mean by tune it? I'm pretty green when it comes to chainsaws...

They're notorious for being tuned lean from the factory, to the detriment of performance and lifespan. Proper tuning = good to go for a long time.

 

[Adam08ski]

Makita 4300

I second this. Makita/dolmar 4300/421

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

 

[Drunkle Jeff]

What's the advantage of getting a CS 490 vs getting a 400. Is 10cc all the difference???

 

[cuinrearview]

I second this. Makita/dolmar 4300/421

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

This. If you have a home depot nearby you can pick up an ex-rental unit south of $200. For the twigs you're cutting you'd be hard pressed to find a better fit and value.

 

[OM617YOTA]

What's the advantage of getting a CS 490 vs getting a 400. Is 10cc all the difference???

Nope, the 400 would serve you just fine too. 4 cords per year is still a decent amount of cutting though. 40 CC's will take longer than 49 CC's, and I personally would lean towards the slightly larger/faster saw, but that's personal preference.

 

[Freudianfloyd]

I'm going to say it....get a Farm Boss MS 271 or an MS 291. A used MS 029 or an MS 290 would be good too. They get a lot of hate on this site, but they are a proven design and many farmers out here use them exclusively. I have also been really impressed with my Husqvarna 450.

 

[holeycow]

Makita 4300/Dolmar 421

no contest. Most power, best build, best antivibe, best filtration....

the ms250, cs400 and cs490 aren't even close, even if they are reasonable choices