Uh oh....looks like I might need to buy 2 saws this week!

[COLD_IRON]

According to the JD site -

If you calculate the weight x the Power to weight ratio -

You get 5.6 hp for a 80cc saw - the 76cc MS 460 is half a pound lighter and is 6 hp.

 

[superfire]

jd

Italy
aka efco-emak-oly mac
they seem too be better desigened then husky my cs81 with a
28" bar an semi skip seems about on parr for cutting ability. the again i aint really broke her in yet. just run two tanks thru her so far the cs 81 is cheap than a similar cc stihl husky. mine came with dual dawgs ang a solid
28" bar with sproket tip and a :censored: safety chain. it can use the
same bar as stihls which is really funnyy.
:greenchainsaw:

 

[sneno77]

Best bang for your buck may be the Dolmar 7900, esp since you have a dealer close by. After reading everything I could about them around here and on other sites, I bought one online w/o ever handling one and haven't been dissapointed. My nearest dealer is 140mi away, but it's easy enough to work on yourself and you can get any parts you want shipped to your house.
I was a die-hard Stihl guy until I bought this saw...can't say enough good about it. I'm running a 32" GB Titanium bar w/ full skip and it pulls great through 30" doug fir.

 

[Vibes]

Cold Iron. Is that half lb. of weight and .4 HP worth $200 and some dollars to the homeowner cutting up storm damaged trees for firewood? Like I was saying there are some good deals out there on those 981's.

Superfire, are you sure the JD takes a Stihl mount bar. The Efco's take the large Husky mount bar.

I'm tempted to go with that Dolmar too. If there was just any dealer near me.

 

[Narwhale]

Grant,
24 to 26" soft maples or firs, only a couple a year, and easy on the pocket.
Good performance.
Sounds like an Echo CS670 would work well with a 24" bar.
I got one recently and use it on pecan tree trunks that size to cut up turning blanks and am really happy with it.
Compared it to the Stilh equivlent, but could not stomack, or force myself to buy a Stilh. Got the Echo instead and am real happy with it. It runs pretty darn smooth, cuts well, controls are easy to operate. And I know it will last a long time, and start when no other saws will.
Check into it with an open mind.
Rich S.

 

[COLD_IRON]

Cold Iron. Is that half lb. of weight and .4 HP worth $200 and some dollars to the homeowner cutting up storm damaged trees for firewood? Like I was saying there are some good deals out there on those 981's.

I was merely stating the facts so people could get a comparison, but if you want more details...

The John Deere website states the CS 81 MSRP is $739

According to the Stihl website - MSRP on a 460 is $839

So 100 bucks difference not 200.

The MS 440 is rated at 5.3 hp and 13.9 lbs and probably costs less than the 81.

The MS 441 is rated at 5.4 hp and 14.6 lbs and retails here for $ 789

The 385XP lists on Baileys for $699 and is 6.2 HP

 

[Vibes]

Cold Iron, Like I stated earlier, there are deals out there to be had on these Efco's. If thats the price of the 460, which I know a Stihl dealer isn't going to budge from, its closer to a $300 differance from whats out there.

 

[COLD_IRON]

Cold Iron, Like I stated earlier, there are deals out there to be had on these Efco's. If thats the price of the 460, which I know a Stihl dealer isn't going to budge from, its closer to a $300 differance from whats out there.

Stihl Dealers negotiate, how else do you think I got 15% off when I got my 361?

Where are you getting this $300 difference?

 

[musch]

New, the MS 441 will run you almost $800 with a good sized bar. (I think??) The 460 is an extra $50 or $60.

For that price difference, and the weight/size being equal, I don't know why you wouldn't go with the 460.

That being said, most people here would probably agree that the Jonsered 2171, the Husky 372 or the Stihl 440 are all good options.

Around here, you need a bigger saw for a 32" bar, but its a lot of big hardwoods.

 

[DarylB]

Slick 038 Super 66cc in the tradin' post, good saw, broke in, cheap, but well maintained. 20" bar!

http://www.arboristsite.com/pp-classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1074&cat=500

 

[litefoot]

Stihl Dealers negotiate, how else do you think I got 15% off when I got my 361?

Where are you getting this $300 difference?

A few do. Most do not negotiate with mere mortals (homeowners).

Slick 038 Super 66cc in the tradin' post, good saw, broke in, cheap, but well maintained. 20" bar!

http://www.arboristsite.com/pp-classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1074&cat=500

Beat me to it, DarylB. Good suggestion!

 

[Vibes]

Around here in lawn mower land, its hard to even find a big saw in stock. I don't have any dealings with the Stihl guys around here because they are both jerks. There have been a couple of new dealers opening up lately that I haven't been to yet, but when I did have to deal with these other 2 characters, they sort of turned me away from Stihl.

I'll let you know where the good deals on the Efco's are after I buy one. No kidding here. I have a price quote of way less than $300 cheaper than the 460.

As far as Baileys selling Husky's, I thought they couldn't sell through the mail anymore. Or is that just over the computer. The last sale catalog that they sent had a bunch of Echo's and Solo's in it.

Like I said, I would get that Dolmar in a heartbeat from Amicks, but I have this mental thing of there not being a shop near me. I see a couple Dolmar shops in the 50 to 70 mile area on the locator. I may try one of them.

 

[COLD_IRON]

Around here in lawn mower land, its hard to even find a big saw in stock. I don't have any dealings with the Stihl guys around here because they are both jerks. There have been a couple of new dealers opening up lately that I haven't been to yet, but when I did have to deal with these other 2 characters, they sort of turned me away from Stihl.

I'll let you know where the good deals on the Efco's are after I buy one. No kidding here. I have a price quote of way less than $300 cheaper than the 460.

As far as Baileys selling Husky's, I thought they couldn't sell through the mail anymore. Or is that just over the computer. The last sale catalog that they sent had a bunch of Echo's and Solo's in it.

Like I said, I would get that Dolmar in a heartbeat from Amicks, but I have this mental thing of there not being a shop near me. I see a couple Dolmar shops in the 50 to 70 mile area on the locator. I may try one of them.

The Dolmar 7900 from Amicks is the best deal I've seen so far, and I'm tempted to get one if they are still carried later in the year.

So you can get a CS 81 for what - $500? That seems cheap - someone must want to unload them. Which isn't a bad price at all - but there are better saws in the MSRP range.

 

[joesawer]

A respected AS member has a brand new, in the box Husky 372 (71cc) for $575. It is listed in the trading post.

 

[wanab]

Slick 038 Super 66cc in the tradin' post, good saw, broke in, cheap, but well maintained. 20" bar!

http://www.arboristsite.com/pp-classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1074&cat=500

no offence man but the bar studds look wasted on that thing.

:jawdrop:

 

[wanab]

The Dolmar 7900 from Amicks is the best deal I've seen so far.

agreed, and your unlikely to find better service than from the sponsers here as they are enthusists.

 

[GrantC]

Well, I ended up with...

...but first some narrative.

As so many hinted, in the 70-80cc class you could pretty much toss a coin and come up with something good. I decided to try a Dolmar 7900.

So, I call up the closest dealer. "Nope, don't have one in stock. Got a 6400, and it's pretty much the same thing. If you want, I can order in a 7900 - $820."

:jawdrop:

So, I called the other two dealers within reasonable driving distance. Neither had a 7900, or a 7300; one had a 6400, and tried to talk me into that, and the other had a 9010.

At this point I decided to call Amick's and order one there. No dice - they were out, and didn't expect any in for a week.



Other than the Dolmar, the other major maker's saws are all pretty close to the same power/weight ratio - no clear advantages. So, keeping in mind the "toss a coin" point, I fell back on familiarity - since I already have some Shindaiwa equipment, and like it (and factoring in the positive reviews they get around here), I decided to get a 757. Dealer had it, along with the 32" and 24" bars, and out the door I went!

-=[ Grant ]=-

 

[DarylB]

no offence man but the bar studds look wasted on that thing.

:jawdrop:

Studs are perfectly fine, those high-res cameras bring out everything, good & bad.

 

[2000ssm6]

Congrats

...but first some narrative.

As so many hinted, in the 70-80cc class you could pretty much toss a coin and come up with something good. I decided to try a Dolmar 7900.

So, I call up the closest dealer. "Nope, don't have one in stock. Got a 6400, and it's pretty much the same thing. If you want, I can order in a 7900 - $820."

:jawdrop:

So, I called the other two dealers within reasonable driving distance. Neither had a 7900, or a 7300; one had a 6400, and tried to talk me into that, and the other had a 9010.

At this point I decided to call Amick's and order one there. No dice - they were out, and didn't expect any in for a week.



Other than the Dolmar, the other major maker's saws are all pretty close to the same power/weight ratio - no clear advantages. So, keeping in mind the "toss a coin" point, I fell back on familiarity - since I already have some Shindaiwa equipment, and like it (and factoring in the positive reviews they get around here), I decided to get a 757. Dealer had it, along with the 32" and 24" bars, and out the door I went!

-=[ Grant ]=-

Pics bud! We need pics of that bad boy.

 

[COLD_IRON]

What did you pay for it?

That 757 is actually very close on paper to a 441.