What is the best Climbing Saw?

[litefoot]

Dang, Tom. If pictures speak a thousand words, then you just exceeded your lifetime allotment.

 

[bytehoven]

i notice it runs great if you set the carb right.

+1

Tweaking the "L" helps throttle response and reduces bogging in the cut.

Also, try negotiating a 200T for $575 with a Stihl case. I recently had the offer on a 200T to replace my 192T, but chinced out and got a MS211 instead.

 

[tomtrees58]

yup the phone is hung up tom trees

 

[MCW]

A lot of pruning contactors in this area have swapped to Echo and Husky top handles. The 200T's are getting way too expensive (Good stuff Stihl) and in all honesty the above mentioned saws are not far off the pace of a 200T. I've used a lot of 009's and 200T's pruning Almonds and never had any complaints but then again I never had to buy them
I'd get a Husky 336...

 

[fishercat]

you're right!

+1

Tweaking the "L" helps throttle response and reduces bogging in the cut.

Also, try negotiating a 200T for $575 with a Stihl case. I recently had the offer on a 200T to replace my 192T, but chinced out and got a MS211 instead.

it's mostly in the "L" and a smidge in the "H". i love mine.absolutely love it! i think more folks would if they got the carb adjusted right.i use mine most of the time now. i get the 200t out when i need the speed for a certain cut ,large leaders,or getting the gas burned out of it..

 

[Cliff R]

The Echo CS-330 and CS-360T's use piston ported engines, and have replaced most of the old top handle models. They still list the CS-346, but it is an old reed valve engine design. I have a CS-346, and haven't ran it since getting a CS-360T. Pretty much a waste of time in comparison.

As far as a climbing saw, the Echo's a tad "bulky" compared to the MS200T. A muffler modded CS-360T is a strong running saw, as less than half the price.

I'm still waiting for mine to develope it's "death rattle", but it continues to run flawlessly. Got it off E-Bay for under $200 delivered. I'd run one without hesitation if I was climbing in my older age......Cliff

 

[bytehoven]

it's mostly in the "L" and a smidge in the "H".

Please go on. What tweaks to H do you make? My H setting only rotates 3/4 turn counter clockwise, which is the recommended position. Do you run a little less H or are you talking about removing the cap and taking H a little farther?

How much L do you have dialed in?

 

[Tom Hoffman]

I picked up my 192 T C-E for 319.99 with a 14'' bar.

I'm not a fan of the cold start with this one, however once it gets going i have no complaints. It can accommodate 12''-16'' bars and has enough stank behind it to cut through dense wood well.

 

[Hinerman]

Another ancient thread revived and a 192T with stank. opcorn:

 

[Wood Doctor]

For tree work off the ground, it's hard to beat a used Echo CS-3000 that runs. So many were made and sold that you can usually pick up a dandy for $150. That''s about half the price of a Stihl 192 T.

 

[teacherman]

I picked up my 192 T C-E for 319.99 with a 14'' bar.

I'm not a fan of the cold start with this one, however once it gets going i have no complaints. It can accommodate 12''-16'' bars and has enough stank behind it to cut through dense wood well.

I sold my nearly new 192T with a 12" bar to a friend for 200. I guess it was a bit cheap. I drilled a couple of small holes in the baffle thing, riched it out all the way and it runs good, tachs at 14K like the book says. I'm not a fan of the mini chain though. I have 2 200Ts, one has never been in wood. $530 on fleabay a few years back. Glad I didn't sell it. The other one was about 4 bills but I had to buy a new carb, it was one of those that had bad carbs. Runs great now. I'll be keepig those. Not an arborist, but I do climb a bit for fun.

I really like putting an 009 handle on an 012. 45 ccs in a little package, but a little heavy for one hand. Fun little limb saw, though.

 

[midwestguy1]

Much appreciated teacherman, but I'm a long way from Kansas.

What's the general consensus on the Stihl MS 192 T C-E?
Comparable to the MS 200 T?

I own a 193 and a 201. The 201 is truly what you want to have on your side when up in the air the extra power gets threw the tree faster and with ease. Reliability has never been a concern it just keeps running 10hr days no problem. It maybe the last Stihl saw that is best in class. It's sad the commercial company I work for run everything Stihl. Wanted a 261 pro for personal use when I got change to run a 590
It cuts 261 pro and runs flaless

Hey TomCat1, welcome to AS...the best place for tree and saw info you will find ANYWHERE!

As for the best climbing saw, there are going to be some different opinions...brand loyalty plays a part...but in IMHO the Sthil ms200T is the "Gold standard" of tree saws...fast, light, tough (I have dropped mine outta trees too many times to count)...simply the best Arborist's saw out there.

That being said...they are pricey...new around 600 bones.

The thing is, you can buy cheaper saws more often...your choice.

Bounty Hunter

You don't say?

What does a new 200T go for these days? They were 600 + tax here in Kansas last I checked several months ago. In my town, that ends up being about 650.00 total. If you need one, I could do quite a bit better than that. Or, you could find an 009. A bit heavier, but still a solid performer, and pretty tough. I ran mine fully buried down both sides of a 3 foot oak log at the GTG the other day. 009s can be had pretty cheaply, too. I have several, and would likely part with one.

Oh by the way, welcome to AS!

Sent from my SM-T357T using Tapatalk

 

[Boomer 87]

I've never run a 200t or 192. I have run a 009, it cut good. I always wondered with all the talk of the 200t. How does compare in power alone to a poulan super 25. Not a micro but the all mag one?

 

[John Church]

They're both top handles...that's pretty much where the comparison stops

The MS200T is a much more explosive saw...throttle response is excellent...cuts extremely fast...tons of power for a small saw.

The only thing I've noticed about mine that I don't like is that it runs hot....might be that I'm running it a little too hard though.[/QUOTE
Cut an extra hole in the exhaust about 3/8" to 1/2 " (it will be louder) ,your saw will not run hot. EPA is trying to make our saws burn up all emission's so that is the problem. I had a MS 660 burn up (after only 12 hours of hard core use, all the damage was on the exhaust side of the cylinder) ,all damage was done because of the EPA and a single port exhaust system to meet their ignorant regulations . A engine is a gas powered air pump that needs to have freedom to breath and expel .The better is does this the better it will preform, run cool and last.

 

[John Church]

Best climbing saw on the market is the 200T but stihl just plain rapes you on the price. Some of the climbers I know have recently switched to Redmax and to Solo cuz they cant justify the price of a new Stihl in the down economy. If you have the cash, stihl is the way to go. Cant help you with your other gear. Try a post in the commercial tree care forum above. Good Luck.

The Stihl 020T is better and the best Tree climbing saw ever made but very expensive if you can find a good one, sometimes $1000.

 

[mrpotatohead]

Wow, this thread refuses to lay at rest. Even Lazarus only got resurrected once...

 

[bulletpruf]

The Stihl 020T is better and the best Tree climbing saw ever made but very expensive if you can find a good one, sometimes $1000.

That's what I'm curious about - how does the 020 stack up against the MS200T? I have an 020 AVSEQ (Anti-Vibe, Super, Electronic, Quickstop, right?) but it's a rear handle. I'd like to find the bits to turn it into a top handle. Just curious if that would be a step up or step down from an MS200T.

 

[Matt Hogden]

Zenoah 2500

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Robin Wood]

my top handle experience is limited to cs3000, cs3500 and t435

cs3000
robustly built, weight is about just right, slightly underpowered, stiff mounts good for pushing and pulling all in all cheap and can take some serious beating
fully adjustable carb, no epa crap, good throttle response, air filter secured by screw
cs3500
also robustly built like its sibling, about 100g heavier, good power, and the rest are the same as above except its snap lock air filter

t435 (epa)
carb is abit finicky i had to turn my L open fully, epa muffler with clogged baffle and screen, soft mount smooth operation but need watch out when used hard. the carb boot can tear, throttle response isnt as good as the echo's, snap lock air filter, decent weight, good power, same weight as cs3500 i believe

 

[Wood Doctor]

Following up on Robin's post, the Echo CS-330T has a nice strong lanyard connector, stronger than anything Stihl makes, and similar to the older CS-3400. I've had several expensive Stihl top handle saws brought in with that connector completely snapped off. Unfortunately, the powerful Echo CS-355T has the same design, probably copying Stihl. Suffering from myopia, they didn't follow the design on the earlier Echo saws. In my book. the CS-355T could have been the best buy of the bunch had the designer not copied the Stihls so carefully.

For all I know, they may have weakened this clip on purpose so that whenever a falling branch catches the saw, the clip gives way, snaps off, and protects the climber. Lots of things happen up in the trees. Sometimes climbers take a big saw up there and the saw will get yanked to the ground by a falling branch. This happened to one of my customers who was using an MS 440 about 40 feet up. He lost the saw, it hit the ground, and the branch landed on top of it. The ropes held him in place, so he was unhurt. About $200 in parts and four hours of labor got the 440 running again.