My Initial Opinions
Hey Gang, thanks to a Great AS member, I now have a 16" PS system on my little MS170.
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Now I've already Modded the Muffler on this saw some time back, so despite being only 30cc's, it does run out pretty well for what it is. I mainly use this saw for limbing and cutting up the tops as it's lighter than my MS290 and 038. I finally got the chance to use this setup on a big scaffold branch from a Curly Maple late last month. This scaffold branch, which was 24" at the crotch end, had broken at the crotch over a year ago, but it didn't break free from the trunk and the end limbs, touching the ground, kept the rest of it suspended to season out very nicely.
I ran about 1 1/3 tanks of fuel through the saw with this setup on it. Never rocked it, never touched the sharpening cassette, and was pretty impressed that it performed just like it's advertised to. It seems to me, that it may be a tad bit faster through the cut compared to the picco micro I usually run on this saw. I couldn't get a fair comparison since the only picco micro I've got for this saw looks like this.
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The chain is very aggressive compared to the Picco Micro chain, and a bit choppy IMHO. It likes to grab if you are cutting something smaller, say a 4" or smaller diameter limb and you aren't using a lot of throttle. You do have to be careful if you're cutting up this type of smaller wood out towards the bar tip and not against the saw body, as this chain will grab it and yank it to the saw body. I should have snapped some pics of the cut surface, but I had limited daylight and it was burning up quickly on me. Although the cutters working face is it's Top Plate, it does leave substantial grooves in the cut surface of the wood. I believe this is due to the point of the cutter being a bit more prominent compared to a standard cutter, and the angle looks to be a bit steeper as well. It does sever the fibers nicely and throws bigger chips than the Picco Micro.
I used the saw from the tip of the branch, up to about 14" diameter wood. Under normal circumstances I would have switched to the MS290 sooner, but I wanted to really get a good work out with the PS system. I will honestly say, with the experience I've had so far, I am itching to use it again, and I am really looking forward to trying out an 18" .325 setup for the MS290!
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I thoroughly enjoy hand filing my chains, and I will continue to do so. But this setup will remain in my working collection. I have been cutting firewood all my life. I got my first saw when I was 9 years old, I am now 37. This year my 65 year old father will be retiring, and I will buy him one of these for his new tool-less Homelite saw. He also still heats with wood, and this is the Perfect Setup for a feller like him. Of course you know who, keeps him well stocked with firewood, but he does like to piddle around and cut up dead fall limbs and such.
I believe Oregon has figured this thing out. It's not for everyone, but it is for someone. I look forward to putting more time on it and sharing my experience with you all.
A Big Thank You to Philbert!
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