Makita 7900 worth buying?

[CoffeeCan]

Hi all

The Makita EA7900P50E is at the moment half price of other 70/80 cc saws here in Denmark.

So my question is..

Is a reliable saw and it’s worth buying here in 2018?
Also my chainsaw dealer said that he had trouble with some 6400/6800 blowing up without any cause.

Thanks.

 

[Conquistador3]

The Makita 7900/Dolmar PS7910 is always worth buying... provided you have something to cut with it!
Remember it's an almost 80cc saw, so probably overkill for over 90% of anything even a professional can come across here in Europe outside the logging business.
And as long as you resist the "tuning" sirens and don't drop a log on it there's no reason it shouldn't last many, many years.

If price is a big deal you can get one from Germany for a smidge under €1000, shipped, or less if you pick it up locally. The Dolmar version is also available with a heating handle option at about the same price as the regular one.

 

[CoffeeCan]

Yeah its 80 cc at 6,8 kilos, so fairly good weigth to power rotation.

I can buy it for 620 euro after tax returns (Around 800 euro with tax). So fairly good deal.

I work as a forest worker, and probably spend 3/4 months a year cutting trees in all sizes. So the need is there.

 

[Tree Feller]

Absolutely worth buying! Very dependable saw and super strong. IMO it's the best power to weight in it's class.

 

[Little Al]

As said good saw if you leave it std you should have a long lasting reliable work piece that will do all you require no problem

 

[Conquistador3]

Yeah its 80 cc at 6,8 kilos, so fairly good weigth to power rotation.

I can buy it for 620 euro after tax returns (Around 800 euro with tax). So fairly good deal.

I work as a forest worker, and probably spend 3/4 months a year cutting trees in all sizes. So the need is there.

If that's the price for a large saw to keep handy when and if the need arises, it's hard to beat.

 

[foeke]

Short answer: Yes! (Even shorter without the exclamation mark)
Bit longer answer: Great saw. Really great. Also great in the sense, don't try to start it with the safety switch off.
If flooded, I'm not man enough to keep on cranking to burn it off. I need my Brad Pitt body double mate to do that.

Other than that, it's pull twice, and go.

O yeah. If you do not have a lot of experience with bigger saws, do your safety gear a favour, and buy a 5121 or maybe a 6100 (That's already to much for the average DYI type, I would say).

If you are used to be sloppy with the tip of your bar, because you can easily stop your 40/50cc saw from head butting you, just walk away.
It's not only the increased power output, but also the increased weight of the saw, and mass of the chain that will in a best case scenario rip your helmet off.
I bought mine at a amazon.de sale for 599 including VAT (MwSt).
That's 50cc money, but no 50cc replacement. Amazon tends to have silly glitches once in a while, where dolkita's are sold for silly prices with Spanish product description. Like a Dolmar motorsearra 6100 for 470 euro's. Don't know why, but in my case both the 7900 and 6100 showed up for the right price. The never came up at one of the many find-the-lowest-price-websites.
Question back. What do you need a 80cc 6HP saw for? My way older 3,3HP husqvarna 353 get's to see more sunshine. The 7900 is just is to tricky for anything but really big stuff and even then you want something smaller for the branches real quick (under 30cm).
The occasional big (70cm?) oak goes down just as well with a 50/60 cc saw (15/20" bar) and a sharp chain. Just takes a bit more time.


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[Brazos]

Sounds like you have plenty of experience, more than me. I recently bought a Makita 6401, which is the same saw with a smaller piston. I only have my Echo, a couple Husqvarnas, and a stihl I own to compare with the Dolmar/Makita. From what I can tell the Makita is a nicer saw. It just seems to be of higher quality than my others. Of course it runs great too. Kind of like you I rolled the dice on this one. People had good things to say but I had never seen a Dolmar. The price was cheaper so I took the bait. I just found a dealer near me, who had none in stock, and ordered one. So far I am glad I did. It's a nicely made saw.

 

[foeke]

Just checked. The Dolmar 6100 is 520 right now. Quite a deal still.
DOLMAR PS6100/53 MOTOSIERRA 61CC https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00N41GLPU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_96zMAbVJBDWBG
Btw I'm no affiliate of Amazon.
If I could only have one saw, it would be that one.

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[Ryan'smilling]

I really like my 7900. Good power, not super heavy. Good air filter. The Husky flippy caps thread right in to the fuel and oil tanks. And it's really smooth. Really really smooth.

 

[Mygalomorph]

You can get a stihl 441 c mw, heated handles version, for 6500 DKr, and thats Before tax return at Vedbaek Skov og park (skovogpark punktum dk) I dont want to disregard Makita, but WHERE would you have it serviced/repaired/buy spares ???

 

[holeycow]

You would service and repair it yourself. It's only a chainsaw. It's not a spaceship.

Parts for anything are available all over the place.

what could be a problem with that?

PS, the 7900 will absolutely stomp the 441 in any aspect of saw work. The 441 is a typical modern Stihl (an over-complicated box of a thing). The Dolmar is a proper old skool chainsaw.

PSS, the 6100 doesn't feel like it has any kind of proper sideways balance whatsoever and the front handle transition is odd. You want to heft that saw before you buy one sight unseen..

Why can't Dolmar stick to the same ergonomic formula for all of their line?

It will be a sad day when the 6400/7300/7900 chassis goes away.

imo, anyway

 

[foeke]

PSS, the 6100 doesn't feel like it has any kind of proper sideways balance whatsoever and the front handle transition is odd. You want to heft that saw before you buy one sight unseen..

Interesting. I didn't noticed that. It does feel different than the 7900.
+1 on the self repair. Brought by chainsaws with issues to the dealer a couple of times when I started of cutting trees.
Problem is, just like everybody else, I find issues in winter and the dealer suddenly is fully booked.
Then you check some sites, view some video's and find out there is not a lot you can't fix yourself in less time it takes to drive back and forth to the dealer.



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[holeycow]

I picked a 6100 (a Makita colored one) at a Home Depot rental place and was basically shocked at the unwieldiness of the thing. Ergonomics is a personal thing and I just didn't get along with the "fit" of that saw. I like the 420. Still wondering about my 5105 (I haven't really run it yet).

 

[Conquistador3]

Why can't Dolmar stick to the same ergonomic formula for all of their line?

It will be a sad day when the 6400/7300/7900 chassis goes away.

Because part of their equipment is designed in Japan by the Makita R&D center in Anjo and the others in Germany at the old Dolmar R&D center in Hamburg.
I know for the 6400/7300/7900 family was designed in Japan, as are all the most recent four stroke handhelds including the cutoff saw.

And I don't think it will go away anytime soon: there's really no much needs for big saws with a brand new design these days. Just look at the Huskie 3120XP and at the Stihl MS880: how old are the basic designs? Both seem to work well enough.
Oh yes, and Stihl still sells the 070.

 

[holeycow]

The 7900 is not a big saw. It is the size and weight of a common saw used daily as an all rounder by most pro saw hands in my world. It just happens to be 80cc... The others are all 70cc.

Interesting that it was designed in Japan.

where were the 6100/5105/420 designed? They all feel a little different. In the case of the 6100, a LOT different.

 

[User Name Here]

I've been threatening on getting a 7900/7910 for a while now. I first got a ps421 at the recommendation of many here I loved it. I found what I feel was a good deal on a 5105 and I love it too. I thought that I would be happy with what saws I have but I keep coming back to wanting a 7900. I've even thought about trading/ selling my ported 461 to get one. I like that saw a lot but I don't know that I need to keep it. I can always get another one of those if I decided to but it may get hard to find a nice dolmar branded 7900, I know the Makita is the same - dolmar sounds better to me.

After running the 5105 I can't help but think the 7900 rolls be a lot smoother than my 461.

PS - I know I haven't helped anyone's decision with this post, I'm trying to figure this out for myself!

 

[CoffeeCan]

Thanks for all the great replies!

Sounds like the Makita 7900 isn't a bad choice. Also i have 2 chainsaw dealers in the area that sells Makita, but they have mixed ideas about their chainsaw (I just think they want to sell their main brand Husqvarna/Stihl instedad)

I have considered Sthil, but.. I like the Huskies and Dolmar/Makita runs the same bars and seems fairly similar in the construction and feel.

I'll let you know if I buy one. At the moment i make do with an old borrowed Husky 575 XPG without spikes/dogs. Oh well the felling season is over soon (1 month left).

 

[foeke]

If you are used to a 575, then a 7900 will be a sweet upgrade (bit more power, and less weight). And I believe they have the same bartype.

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