Another Small Saw/Aging Advice Thread

[501Maico]

Greetings everyone!

I read a lot of existing threads on this topic but many of the saws mentioned are NLA. I would like to gift myself a new saw to replace the tiny Craftsman labeled Poulan saws which I use quite often on smaller stuff. They run and cut OK but the many pulls starting without a primer bulb, idle and bogging issues drive me crazy. I wanted a PRO saw to loosely match the ready to cut 10 lbs. of these little saws but came up blank except for the 543XP. I was all set to buy but changed my mind at the last minute and started looking again.

I have 2 saws in mind now, the ECHO CS-361P and Husqvarna 439, which I have never used or held either one. I would appreciate some guidance on these saws and other models that I may have missed.

Many Thanks.

 

[Trailsawyer]

501Maico - that brings back some memories!​

"I want a PRO saw"....... I think it's going to be hard to stay under10# and get much of a pro level saw.
My guess is that you used to want action when you opened the throttle..... 501!? I would try out a 261 Stihl.... just a little heavy, but decent performance - at least in the eyes of an old Kawasaki rider that "gifted" himself a "lightweight" 462 a couple years ago!

 

[501Maico]

Hi Trailsawyer, I did give up on a pro saw. Those 2 that I listed should be close enough to 10 lbs. ready to go. I looked at a new 261 just a few days ago and it's too heavy. I already have two 20" heavy saws and I want a good small light saw.

As a youngster I remember drooling over the 501 when I first saw it on the cover of Dirt Bike magazine but I had sense enough not to buy one. A few years later I did end up with a 400 radial fin Maico.

 

[esean]

I'm very happy with my 361P with a muffler mod, 14" bar and sharp chain. Just looked up the 439 - very similar specs, but has a strato engine. If you're really limiting it to small wood (4" or so) you could even go lighter with an Echo 2511P.

 

[501Maico]

Thanks for your input esean. I did consider the 2511P but thought it was getting too small. The Poulan's (over the years I ended up with 3 non-running freebees) have a 32/33cc motor and 4" hardwood is nothing to them. 6 and 8" is still reasonable but anything bigger gets the larger saws. I keep my chains sharp though.

 

[HumBurner]

543's aren't bad little saws if you don't expect them to be like a 242 or a 350. I've abused the hell out of mine and have had minimal repair work up to this point. It's great for brushing and sprouts, cutting small trees, or bucking up wood under 12"-13". For slash cutting trees or burying the tip, it's an underpowered saw. I've run it with a 15, 16, and 20". 15" was the best.

I imagine with a muffler mod and proper tuning, they would really shine. Switch it to low-profile and it would likely be better still. Some are turds out of the box and never wake up, even after 10-20 tanks....not super common, but there is some dissatisfaction also out there. I've had mixed feelings at times but have really come to appreciate its weight and compactness. Another downside is its price. You're clearly paying for something Husqy slapped their label on and repainted.

It's all about application and budget on that saw. Parts are also surprisingly expensive for Husqy OEM.

A quick upside. I've run three tanks in a row on this saw with minimal cooling in between fill ups in warm and cold weather. I think the most tanks I've run in a day on it was six or seven, a mix of bucking and thinning/sprouting. There is some degree of quality to the 543.

 

[501Maico]

543's aren't bad little saws if you don't expect them to be like a 242 or a 350. I've abused the hell out of mine and have had minimal repair work up to this point. It's great for brushing and sprouts, cutting small trees, or bucking up wood under 12"-13". For slash cutting trees or burying the tip, it's an underpowered saw. I've run it with a 15, 16, and 20". 15" was the best.

I imagine with a muffler mod and proper tuning, they would really shine. Switch it to low-profile and it would likely be better still. Some are turds out of the box and never wake up, even after 10-20 tanks....not super common, but there is some dissatisfaction also out there. I've had mixed feelings at times but have really come to appreciate its weight and compactness. Another downside is its price. You're clearly paying for something Husqy slapped their label on and repainted.

It's all about application and budget on that saw. Parts are also surprisingly expensive for Husqy OEM.

A quick upside. I've run three tanks in a row on this saw with minimal cooling in between fill ups in warm and cold weather. I think the most tanks I've run in a day on it was six or seven, a mix of bucking and thinning/sprouting. There is some degree of quality to the 543.

I don't have any brand loyalty and in most cases I like Japanese products. Their engineering and attention to detail is amazing to me. I have spent so many hours reading about this saw. Once it got hold of my interest I read every post I could find on every forum and found a lot of negative about this saw with some that like it. I think the posts that bothered me the most was the descriptions of a cheap plastic feeling saw which would annoy me no matter how good the saw is. Most likely any saw that I buy will be ordered without me seeing it in person first so I'm trying to be cautious with my purchase.

If I do get a Husky saw I can get 10% off under their first responder promotion. BTW, what does "slash cutting trees" mean? I know what slash is but I hope you don't mean de-limbing a tree because that's a big use for my little saw and it does well. Are you talking about huge trees with really thick limbs. I can see that being too much for a small saw.

Thanks for your input!
Henry

 

[HumBurner]

It sounds like it might be the right saw for you, other than the higher price tag.

They improved the air filter a few years back and it is much nicer than the older ones.

Slash cutting a tree. We work out in the woods, WUI, sometimes around homes and outbuildings, but more often doing fuel breaks and other prescriptions in and outside of defensible space zones. So we often cut standing trees down by slashing them (some climbers might call it the salami) and maneuvering them from there, sometimes repeatedly slashing them 2-10' at a time depending on where they need to end up. Generally these aren't large trees, 12-16"max outside of rare occasions, often 8" and under. The 543 just doesn't have the grunt or speed to safely slash trees much over 6-8". Just like with face cuts, there are a variety of ways and techniques to slashing. Making cuts in different places at different depths and angles can make the trees do different things when they come loose.

I only threw the 20" on there for a brushing\swamping job on super steep ground where reach was critical. Not recommended.


Like I said, I mostly like the saw. It fits a nice niche. The underside of mine is almost all silver from how many times I've used it as an anchor\support getting up a hill. Gasket is still visible. It has at least 800 hours on it, possibly nearing 1000, but I've lost track. Top end is finally wearing out.


Cheers!

 

[esean]

543 is within ~1/2 lb of the the Stihl 261 you considered too heavy, and is about 1-1/2 lb heavier than the 361P and 439.

 

[501Maico]

543 is within ~1/2 lb of the the Stihl 261 you considered too heavy, and is about 1-1/2 lb heavier than the 361P and 439.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[501Maico]

It sounds like it might be the right saw for you, other than the higher price tag.

They improved the air filter a few years back and it is much nicer than the older ones.

Slash cutting a tree. We work out in the woods, WUI, sometimes around homes and outbuildings, but more often doing fuel breaks and other prescriptions in and outside of defensible space zones. So we often cut standing trees down by slashing them (some climbers might call it the salami) and maneuvering them from there, sometimes repeatedly slashing them 2-10' at a time depending on where they need to end up. Generally these aren't large trees, 12-16"max outside of rare occasions, often 8" and under. The 543 just doesn't have the grunt or speed to safely slash trees much over 6-8". Just like with face cuts, there are a variety of ways and techniques to slashing. Making cuts in different places at different depths and angles can make the trees do different things when they come loose.

I only threw the 20" on there for a brushing\swamping job on super steep ground where reach was critical. Not recommended.


Like I said, I mostly like the saw. It fits a nice niche. The underside of mine is almost all silver from how many times I've used it as an anchor\support getting up a hill. Gasket is still visible. It has at least 800 hours on it, possibly nearing 1000, but I've lost track. Top end is finally wearing out.


Cheers!

Slash cut, I found some videos and can see why a sharp chain and fast cut is necessary. Has quite a few different names too. I like "lawn dart" for climbers up in the tree.

 

[John Lyngdal]

I picked up a Makita/Dolmar 4300 a while back and it's pretty close to your weight goal and has a magnesium case like a pro saw.

 

[501Maico]

I picked up a Makita/Dolmar 4300 a while back and it's pretty close to your weight goal and has a magnesium case like a pro saw.

I did look at Makita but that model's weight is in the MS261 range. The 2 lighter saws that I looked at were "occasional use" maybe Chinese made and had bad reviews. Big box store saws.

 

[Fatherwheels]

I did look at Makita but that model's weight is in the MS261 range. The 2 lighter saws that I looked at were "occasional use" maybe Chinese made and had bad reviews. Big box store saws.

I have Two EA4300 saws, they are lighter than the MS261 despite what the official figures say, when you remove the cat from
them they are lighter again, not only the cat but there is a steel plate that holds the cat to remove which cuts more weight.
Have you looked at the Echo 4510, they are light, well built saws, I had the Echo CS352, a great small saw, maybe too small
for the OP, but as far as I know they replaced the 352 with a 3510 which is lighter and more powerfull.

 

[holeycow]

The 4300/421/420 is a really, really good little saw. It definitely feels lighter than light 50cc saws (and weighs lighter too). With the lopro setup it cuts nearly as effectively as the good pro 50cc saws. The very best part, imo is that it starts ridiculously easily. Or maybe that is has a superlative antivibe system. One of the smoothest saws made.

to not call them a pro saw is wrong.

I have a 420. It is one of my favourites, for sure.

don't be fooled by the naysayers on this model. They haven't run one, obviously.

 

[holeycow]

I picked up a Makita/Dolmar 4300 a while back and it's pretty close to your weight goal and has a magnesium case like a pro saw.

It IS a pro saw.

aside from the spur drive..

 

[Fatherwheels]

The 4300/421/420 is a really, really good little saw. It definitely feels lighter than light 50cc saws (and weighs lighter too). With the lopro setup it cuts nearly as effectively as the good pro 50cc saws. The very best part, imo is that it starts ridiculously easily. Or maybe that is has a superlative antivibe system. One of the smoothest saws made.

to not call them a pro saw is wrong.

I have a 420. It is one of my favourites, for sure.

don't be fooled by the naysayers on this model. They haven't run one, obviously.

Have to agree, the anti vibe really makes this saw a pleasure to use, its definitely better than the one on the much more
expensive Echo 501p, I had three of them and they vibrated more, the smaller Echo CS352 had a better anti vibe and was
almost un noticable in your hands, the replacement for the CS352 has a different antivibe, I don't know how it fares.

 

[501Maico]

I have Two EA4300 saws, they are lighter than the MS261 despite what the official figures say, when you remove the cat from
them they are lighter again, not only the cat but there is a steel plate that holds the cat to remove which cuts more weight.
Have you looked at the Echo 4510, they are light, well built saws, I had the Echo CS352, a great small saw, maybe too small
for the OP, but as far as I know they replaced the 352 with a 3510 which is lighter and more powerfull.

Sounds like the EA4300 is like the MS241, which weighs close to the MS261 but forum guys raved about how much lighter the 241 felt. I picked that saw to buy and I was very peeved to find out it was NLA. The 241 still shows up on stihl.com but not on stihlusa.com. The 4510 is larger and heavier than what I need. The 3510 is perfect and similar to the CS-361P which is one of the two saws on my want list in my first post. Can't remember why the 361P is $100 more than the 3510. I wish I could handle these saws before buying but my area is far from being a saw town. BTW they still list the CS-352 on the USA site.

 

[John Lyngdal]

I just weighed several saws with bars to add data to the discussion.
Stihl MS180CE 11.35 lbs
Makita EA4300 12.6 lbs
Stihl 026 13.4 lbs
Stihl MS261 14.5 lbs

 

[501Maico]

I just weighed several saws with bars to add data to the discussion.
Stihl MS180CE 11.35 lbs
Makita EA4300 12.6 lbs
Stihl 026 13.4 lbs
Stihl MS261 14.5 lbs

Thank you very much for the weights. I'll read more about the Makita. An extra 2.6 pounds over what I have might be worth it.