Makita/Dolmar DCS6401, Stihl 260, what to do, what to do...

[Moze]

Hello all and thank you for all of your help over the last few days.

I had decided on getting the Stihl 260. Then I was in Home Depot today renting an auger for work, and asked the guy about the Makita chainsaws which they rent there. He said they actually sell the rentals after a certain amount of time and can even order the saws new and sell them as well. But then he gave me the phone number of a local Makita repair shop and said they have really good deals. I called the repair shop and the gentleman there said that yes, he sells reconditioned units with full warranty's.

So, I can get the Stihl 260 for around $400 or I can get the Makita 6401 for about $300. Do I need that much saw? No. Does the testosterone in me keep telling me to get. Naturally.

Just looking for some input from you experts out there. Has anyone used the DCS6401?

Any comments would be appreciated!

Moze

 

[TonyM]

$300 for a reconditioned saw or a new saw? If it's for a new saw, can I get that phone number too? For a reconditioned saw with like new warranty, I'd go for the 6401. That's seems like a good deal. Not that you wouldn't be happy either way, but for less money, you may as well get more saw.

Maybe since you only have one tree to drop, just rent the saw

 

[Justin Garrison]

By the saw that has a better price, better service. Both good saws if you think there will be a time in the future when you will need the extra power than buy it. The makita DCS6401 has a list price of 685.00 however they are selling it on a site for 529.99. It sure seems like a killer deal if you dont mind carrying the extra weight if you dont use it.

 

[Moze]

Thanks guys. I'm with you - the weight is the main (only?) drawback I can think of.

Tony, it's a reconditioned saw. And I thought of renting one but here's my little sob story/tribute to my wife:

I divorced my first wife while I had my Stihl 044. I moved some stuff out (my tool collection) and came back the next day for my saw and some other stuff - it was gone. "Where's my saw?", I ask..."I don't know", she says. Later, I find out she gave it to one of her friends who sold it for money for who-knows-what.

My current bride, who is a gem, wants to buy me a saw for our anniversary - partly so I can cut the tree down, partly so she can replace what was taken from me (who am I to argue?). We would also like to relocate somewhere down the road, and I would like to buy one that I can get years of use out of. So eventually I may need this for more than felling this one tree. Add to that, that it would be nice to have one to help friends that have a need for a saw...

 

[TonyM]

One nice thing about the 6401; if you ever happen by chance to eat a piston/cylinder, you can always upgrade to the 79cc setup.

 

[Justin Garrison]

I know where I live if you walk through the woods there wont be a tree an 026 can't take. However there are the mutant oaks around that are 3-4ft diameter. A friend of mine has a cottonwood tree that fell in his yard and crushed some of his vehicles. They pulled the tree of the cars with an 8 wheel John deere tractor,bit it still sits in his yard. Problem? nobody has a chain saw big enough to cut it. I have never seen the tree but others say it is around 7ft diameter. If you dont mind the weight go for it its always nice to have more power.

 

[Moze]

Yeah, I have a belief about tools - you might not use it every day. You may not even use it every month. Or every year. But that one time you need it, you'll sure be glad to have it. That goes for plumbing tools. Electrical tools. Carpentry tools. Cabinetry tools. Cordless tools. Why shouldn't it go for chainsaws?

There's not much worse that being in a situation where you need a certain tool to complete the job, and you can't do it.

Now I need to get the accessories - chaps, etc. Anyone know any good sources?

 

[Lobo]

Moze,

Either one you can't go wrong, but at that price the Makita/Dolmar sounds good to me. Even used !

 

[Justin Garrison]

I bought a pair of stihl pro mark chaps and helmet with ear muffs and face screen, from my dealer. Baileys supplys them also.http://www.baileys-online.com/index.htm

 

[flyinmechanic]

Home Depot Makita

Couple of months ago..........
My 084 Stihl was out for a rebuild,

So I called several Home Depot rental centers for prices on Makita 6401 saws, and found one for $216 out the door, tax included!!!!

New bar & chain included.
But if you get one, go thru it, mine needed a drive sprocket & clutch drum, and oil pump rebuild kit.

Doug
_________________________________________________________________
Stihl 084
Makita 6401
Makita 520i
Dolmar 510

 

[Big Woody]

I bought a Home Crappo 6401 Rental saw last march for 200 + tax. I did have to put some new clutch springs in it as well as a new air filter but the compression is excellent. It is my favorite saw and I have many.

I never leave home without it (even when I am not going to cut wood)! You will need a special clutch removal tool since it does not have the 19mm nut standard on most clutches.

I have gone back several times in recent months to buy another but none yet up for sale. You can order parts from any local Makita repair facility.

 

[CaseyForrest]

The HD in Lansing has 2 makitas for sale, one is $230, the other $260. They both look exceptionally clean, and both seemd to have good compression.

 

[dieseldodge]

Therer is nothing like that at my home depot in Port Huron. I checked. Nothing in the store 45 minutes south either. I would like to try one for the price. Never had a dolmar saw.
jason

 

[Lakeside53]

I would never buy an ex-rental saw... They get beat to hell by people that don't own chainsaws... that mix their own gas, that.... and they are maintained by ...?.

You might get lucky, but the odds are against you...

 

[sugarbush]

I would never buy an ex-rental saw... They get beat to hell by people that don't own chainsaws... that mix their own gas, that.... and they are maintained by ...?.

You might get lucky, but the odds are against you...

home depot sells there saws when warranty runs out. there serviced by a dealer. I've bought a few from them and there a good buy. but won't buy from most rental place's because there kept years past warranty. home depot has a good system for a rental place.

 

[Lakeside53]

home depot sells there saws when warranty runs out. there serviced by a dealer. I've bought a few from them and there a good buy. but won't buy from most rental place's because there kept years past warranty. home depot has a good system for a rental place.

...but warranty doesn't cover abuse... like bad gas mixes etc. My local HD sells them for a variety of reasons, and not just because the warranty runs out.

Buyer beware... Ask to take them to a servicing dealer for an eval.

 

[sugarbush]

...but warranty doesn't cover abuse... like bad gas mixes etc. My local HD sells them for a variety of reasons, and not just because the warranty runs out.

Buyer beware... Ask to take them to a servicing dealer for an eval.

home depot carries the brands they do because of the warranty, don't know why they would sell one early. far as abuse what ever it was the dealer fixes it. home depot pays for it and probably collects from the customer. but i sure would like to get all of there year old saws, at the prices thats been mentioned.

 

[sedanman]

I'm not a big fan of H/D but.....................I needed to rent a Mantis tiller once and it came with a full gallon of fuel mixed at 50:1 and instructions to bring the can back to H/D if I needed more fuel, it would be free.

 

[Big Woody]

The HD here as well as most others (I assume) sends the saws out with a jug of premixed gas (and maybe bar oil) to avoid the "pure gas" syndrome.

 

[NewbieDave]

Excuse me guys, I am reading this thread and wondering about the Makita/Dolmar brand. Who is the saw builder, Makita or Dolmar? Why two different labels for apparently the same saw? Just wondering since I haven't seen either on any store shelves around here.