Stihl 290 or Dolmar 5100

[MCW]

I find it to be handy, I've talked to several people about saws they have otherwise I wouldn't have known they had them. It is interesting to see who has what....I personally like when people list the saws they have or equipment.

It's also handy when someone talks crap about a saw and how they are a pro logger when all they own is a Poulan...

 

[roncoinc]

It's also handy when someone talks crap about a saw and how they are a pro logger when all they own is a Poulan...

HAHAHHAAAAHAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that outta make KITTY laugh !!!

 

[J.W Younger]

subsidised by who ??? lol !

ABOUT 12 DOLMAR DEALERS AROUND COLUMBUS,, will start calling tomorrow offering to buy all them bad saws if i can find the right one..
i have a friend close to columbus i'm sure he will pick them up for me

when i get them i will offer them to members ay COST !!
nobody will want one of those POS saws now that stihlboy has let the cat out of the bag

lets see now,,have to find his post where he said what road he lived on and start with the nearest dealer

I'm good for at least one of em.

 

[SawTroll]

Thanks stihlboy, I was in the market for a new chainsaw and was contemplating trying the Dolmars, but your comments on that brand have changed my mind.

There's no way I'd buy a Dolmar now. I see now that they're actually a sub-standard brand . Seizures, unreliability etc.. It does makes sense, as there's not many Dolmars around.

Lucky I stumbled upon this thread. I likely would have ended up with a junk saw. I'll be staying with the proven proper chainsaw brands from now on. Thank again for the good info.

:censored: There is nothing wrong with the Dolmars - except dealer and (partly because of that) user incompetence, as far as I know........

...but there are some really good Dolmar dealers as well, like the ones that are sponsors here!

 

[roncoinc]

Originally Posted by pgg
Thanks stihlboy, I was in the market for a new chainsaw and was contemplating trying the Dolmars, but your comments on that brand have changed my mind.

There's no way I'd buy a Dolmar now. I see now that they're actually a sub-standard brand . Seizures, unreliability etc.. It does makes sense, as there's not many Dolmars around.

Lucky I stumbled upon this thread. I likely would have ended up with a junk saw. I'll be staying with the proven proper chainsaw brands from now on. Thank again for the good info.

There is nothing wrong with the Dolmars - except dealer and (partly because of that) user incompetence, as far as I know........

I think you missed the point.

 

[grandpatractor]

Thanks stihlboy, I was in the market for a new chainsaw and was contemplating trying the Dolmars, but your comments on that brand have changed my mind.

There's no way I'd buy a Dolmar now. I see now that they're actually a sub-standard brand . Seizures, unreliability etc.. It does makes sense, as there's not many Dolmars around.

Lucky I stumbled upon this thread. I likely would have ended up with a junk saw. I'll be staying with the proven proper chainsaw brands from now on. Thank again for the good info.

Are you serious? You can't see this guy is full of BS.

 

[grandpatractor]

2 were sent out too lean, 3 had intake boot failures, 3 were cold seized, and the other two straight gassed... these are not common the last two were homeowners the others were brought in pairs by our local tree service company's and they were by no means new they were used and abused wearing a 24'' bar. i believe they were 2007 model year. our facility is a storage unit down the road from the shop where we keep parts saws.......saws were out of warranty...... i have yet to see this under normal circumstances

I call total BS and I let my rep show it! If you're going to make stuff up at least make it more believable.

 

[blsnelling]

Fred, I told you that if you're going to post stuff like this, you had better be able to back it up with cold hard facts. You can't just post stuff like this and run.

 

[pgg]

:censored: There is nothing wrong with the Dolmars - except dealer and (partly because of that) user incompetence, as far as I know........

...but there are some really good Dolmar dealers as well, like the ones that are sponsors here!

Don't worry S.T.
Don't worry granP
Don't worry ronC
Just kiwi warped sense of humour there..

 

[grandpatractor]

Don't worry S.T.
Don't worry granP
Don't worry ronC
Just kiwi warped sense of humour there..

Sorry, I couldn't hear the sarcasm in your voice!

 

[Tim Carroll]

I own both. There is nothing wrong with the 290 but if I had to pick one I would go with the 5100. It is lighter, stronger and faster. I've not had an issue with the 5100 and my dealer had me bring it back after I ran 10 tanks of gas through it to check it. If it is set up right you will not have an issue.

 

[Steve NW WI]

What part of mn are you in? You can come to the GTG in a couple weeks and run them side by side.
You should be able to get a 5100 around here for pretty close to 400 bucks

I'll make sure my 290 is in the truck when I head up there. If he can't make it, we can always get a comparison video for him.

I own both. There is nothing wrong with the 290 but if I had to pick one I would go with the 5100. It is lighter, stronger and faster. I've not had an issue with the 5100 and my dealer had me bring it back after I ran 10 tanks of gas through it to check it. If it is set up right you will not have an issue.

Same here, I cut for the better part of the last 10 years with a 290 before I got on here and got enlightened by the Dolmar gang. I just bought a 5100 this summer, and my 290 is now a shop ornament/loaner saw. It's by no means a bad saw, just nothing like the 5100.

The only repairs the 290 has needed over the years have been a couple of the above mentioned fuel lines. Other than that, dead reliable. I won't comment on the 5100 reliablilty yet, as I only have maybe 10 hours on it, but I expect the same from it.

 

[jtimm]

Sounds like I may have to take a closer look at the 5100. What's this about the 5100 changing to a 5105 with a different muffler and bigger spike bars?

 

[stihlboy]

now i'm gonna post this in a way that you guys can understand it......the 5100s is a great saw, but if it is not tuned and treated properly it will fail, these saws can take their fair share of a beating.

5 of 10 were the go to saw of 3 local tree services they were worn out logging saws, the 2 that were sent out lean got the tech fired for not setting the saws up, the other 3 were customer error in which the customer recieved a discount to buy another.

under normal circumstances the only issue that came in was because the owner tightened the bar nuts too tight and cracked the clutch cover. i wasn't trying to bash dolmar. im sure if i went to a stihl dealer and asked how many 290's they have had come in with issues they would say atleast 10.

i think they are both great saws, the 5100 is worth the money to buy at under $400. i prefer the 290 because its a stihl and i am partial to stihl saws..there is nothing wrong with dolmar except the lack of 166 parts lol

 

[Maldeney]

i suppose being exposed to these saws regularly doesn't help but i have seen many suck in dust/dirt in and score the p&c so bad it barely runs, have seen a few intake boots split and seize up motors, seen a few rotating assembly problems, but only saw one snap a rod, also the coils seem touchy on these dolmars.

i have mainly seen fuel lines, and seals on the 290 which is not normally expensive if you check it before running it.

thats my $.02

now i'm gonna post this in a way that you guys can understand it......the 5100s is a great saw, but if it is not tuned and treated properly it will fail, these saws can take their fair share of a beating.

5 of 10 were the go to saw of 3 local tree services they were worn out logging saws, the 2 that were sent out lean got the tech fired for not setting the saws up, the other 3 were customer error in which the customer recieved a discount to buy another.

under normal circumstances the only issue that came in was because the owner tightened the bar nuts too tight and cracked the clutch cover. i wasn't trying to bash dolmar. im sure if i went to a stihl dealer and asked how many 290's they have had come in with issues they would say atleast 10.

i think they are both great saws, the 5100 is worth the money to buy at under $400. i prefer the 290 because its a stihl and i am partial to stihl saws..there is nothing wrong with dolmar except the lack of 166 parts lol

Try again!

 

[gink595]

i suppose being exposed to these saws regularly doesn't help but i have seen many suck in dust/dirt in and score the p&c so bad it barely runs, have seen a few intake boots split and seize up motors, seen a few rotating assembly problems, but only saw one snap a rod, also the coils seem touchy on these dolmars.

i have mainly seen fuel lines, and seals on the 290 which is not normally expensive if you check it before running it.

thats my $.02

290, even though it weighs more and is a homeowner saw i believe it is better, i have had way less problems with 029/290 saws than i have with the 420/510/5100s. that means less down time.

now i'm gonna post this in a way that you guys can understand it......the 5100s is a great saw, but if it is not tuned and treated properly it will fail, these saws can take their fair share of a beating.

5 of 10 were the go to saw of 3 local tree services they were worn out logging saws, the 2 that were sent out lean got the tech fired for not setting the saws up, the other 3 were customer error in which the customer recieved a discount to buy another.

under normal circumstances the only issue that came in was because the owner tightened the bar nuts too tight and cracked the clutch cover. i wasn't trying to bash dolmar. im sure if i went to a stihl dealer and asked how many 290's they have had come in with issues they would say atleast 10.

i think they are both great saws, the 5100 is worth the money to buy at under $400. i prefer the 290 because its a stihl and i am partial to stihl saws..there is nothing wrong with dolmar except the lack of 166 parts lol

Either I just totally misunderstood you the first couple times or you just did a 180*

 

[roncoinc]

stihlboy..... now i'm gonna post this in a way that you guys can understand it......

sounds a bit condescending to me....anybody need that word explained to them in " a way you guys can understand it " ??

i think they are both great saws

did you happen to notice what a lot of the people on this thread think of your opinion ?..to late to change that now..
It's NOT to late to drop the subject,rethink your posting content and context in the future and recover your credability..

my last post on this..
time to let it go..

 

[stihlboy]

Either I just totally misunderstood you the first couple times or you just did a 180*

just been thinkin about the circumstances in which the saws failed, a 290 would have failed after 2000+hrs like these dolmars if not sooner. these saws had no warm up time it was start and cut and were never maintained properly. i think any saw would have problems after those conditions. i just didn't want to admit it but dolmar does make a good saw

 

[Maldeney]

just been thinkin about the circumstances in which the saws failed, a 290 would have failed after 2000+hrs like these dolmars if not sooner. these saws had no warm up time it was start and cut and were never maintained properly. i think any saw would have problems after those conditions. i just didn't want to admit it but dolmar does make a good saw

WOW! Here fido, here boy!!!!

Now I really will never listen to anything that you have to say. Folded right up there!

 

[stihlboy]

WOW! Here fido, here boy!!!!

Now I really will never listen to anything that you have to say. Folded right up there!

i doubt many listen to you, and don't call me fido or implicate that i am a dog. im not rude to you so you don't need to be rude to me