# I bought a like new Makita  DCS6401-20  chainsaw...how does it compare?



## burntime (Mar 21, 2010)

I come in from changing the oil in my tractor and a new posting for the chainsaw on Craigslist.  I call and he said he just put it on.  Turns out he is 10 minutes away.  Says saw will not start.  He cut 2 trees down with it and now nothing.  Checked and there is mix in it.  I hand him 50 bucks and smile.  I get home and the compression release was stuck in with sawdust.  It runs perfect!  Now I know for $50 with a scabbord and new sharpening file is cheap...but how does it compare to a stihl ms361/ms362.  That is the saw I keep saying I am going to buy.  It actually is more hp, but any real world comparisons?  The Makita hums at 13500rpm.  What does the ms360 series or the ms290 series run at?  I added a pic.


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## smokinj (Mar 21, 2010)

It compares very well nice saw!  12500 stock 13500 muff modd.


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## peterc38 (Mar 21, 2010)

Run it like you stole it.........because you practically did!


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## burntime (Mar 21, 2010)

I felt guilty when he included the file and some bar oil  :cheese:   That all when away when it fire up ;-)


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## smokinj (Mar 21, 2010)

burntime said:
			
		

> I felt guilty when he included the file and some bar oil  :cheese:   That all when away when it fire up ;-)



might want to drop him off a case of beer...you saved 500.00 bucks


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## JustWood (Mar 21, 2010)

Hope you didn't tell him where you live he might want to return the $50 and get his saw back!


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## burntime (Mar 21, 2010)

Nope, I just quietly drifted off down the road!  But he will hear that thing this week! ;-)


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## LLigetfa (Mar 22, 2010)

burntime said:
			
		

> Nope, I just quietly drifted off down the road!  But he will hear that thing this week! ;-)


Mod the muffler so it sounds different.


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## burntime (Mar 22, 2010)

Good one!  I think I bought a ms290 and ms250 newer style with 2 new bars for 300 tonight too.  I need to start selling some of these!


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## Tony H (Mar 22, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> It compares very well nice saw!



I agree nice purchase


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## mxjamie540 (Mar 22, 2010)

What kind of person purchases a $500 saw, cuts 2 trees with it.......   THEN does not investigate when it will not run any longer?


I don't know, but if I were to drop that kind of cash on a saw, it surely would not have left my house for $50 NO MATTER what kind of condition or mechanical shape it was in!


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## Tony H (Mar 22, 2010)

mxjamie540 said:
			
		

> What kind of person purchases a $500 saw, cuts 2 trees with it.......   THEN does not investigate when it will not run any longer?
> 
> 
> I don't know, but if I were to drop that kind of cash on a saw, it surely would not have left my house for $50 NO MATTER what kind of condition or mechanical shape it was in!




What about the warranty service on a new saw 
You never know might be some sort of story behind that I mean who would sell a saw they OWN for .10 on the dollar ?


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## drizler (Mar 22, 2010)

Try to run either Hi test or airplane gas in that critter if you can.    Neither has any alcohol in it.   After a bout of starting headaches with mine which is used very little and sits for long periods I got a guy to clean it out for me .    Now I heed his advice and just mix between a quart and a gallon at a time and only use hi test.   Never had any more starting problems with weed eaters or saw after that.


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## burntime (Mar 22, 2010)

It runs fine.  The compression release was jammed on with a bunch of sawdust.  I popped it off with a screwdriver and viola, it functions fine.  He has had the saw 1.5-2 years so warranty is over.  Oh, and it needs to be sharpened :cheese:


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## zzr7ky (Mar 22, 2010)

I guess that leaves room in the budget for a 79cc Cyl & Piston kit!!

I ran my 6401 Saturday and got a couple cords out of a nearby woods that I can't usually drive in once it thaws.  Too windy today.  The bigger displacemnet is nice when bucking larger trees.  Saves time and it's just more fun!

All the best, 
Mike


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## 3fordasho (Mar 22, 2010)

heck of a bargain. You asked for comparison to a stihl 361..  I don't have numbers but I do have both the 6401 and a 361, both purchased new.  I can't put my finger on it but the 6401 is always my go to saw.  I have to make my self use the 361 just so it gets used once in a while.  Both are equipped with the same stihl RSC non-safety chain and 20" bars.  The 6401 has the edge in the power dept and is just smoother in the cut making it more enjoyable to use.  I have not weighed them but suspect the weight is very close, or close enough that I've never really noticed a weight difference.  Perhaps I need to muffler mod the 361 ;-)




			
				burntime said:
			
		

> I come in from changing the oil in my tractor and a new posting for the chainsaw on Craigslist.  I call and he said he just put it on.  Turns out he is 10 minutes away.  Says saw will not start.  He cut 2 trees down with it and now nothing.  Checked and there is mix in it.  I hand him 50 bucks and smile.  I get home and the compression release was stuck in with sawdust.  It runs perfect!  Now I know for $50 with a scabbord and new sharpening file is cheap...but how does it compare to a stihl ms361/ms362.  That is the saw I keep saying I am going to buy.  It actually is more hp, but any real world comparisons?  The Makita hums at 13500rpm.  What does the ms360 series or the ms290 series run at?  I added a pic.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 23, 2010)

Good deal . . . can't really beat a deal like that.

Reminds me of a time I was given a defective 6-cell Maglite flashlight . . . ended up taking it to a local place who told me they could send it to the dealership since it had a lifetime warranty . . . they returned it a few weeks later . . .  worked great  . . . cost me nothing.

As to what type of person uses a saw like this and gets rid of it so cheap . . . there are those types of folks out there . . . they're far and few between . . . but some folks just don't realize the value of what they have or realize how sometimes a very simple and cheap repair can be made to something that doesn't work . . . these folks are out there to counter balance the folks who have something like a 33-year old chainsaw that is rusted and seized up and they expect they can sell it for a little less than what a new saw sells for now. 

I mean to say it's like folks selling woodstoves. You see a lot of folks with these 25-year-old stoves who are selling them at top dollar (or rather trying to sell them at top dollar) . . . and then once in a blue moon you run across someone who bought a woodstove the year previously, decided burning wood wasn't for him and is selling the stove at a big loss just to get rid of it . . . same idea applies.

And then there is my cousin's husband . . . was bucking up wood one day and the saw had vapor lock . . . instead of just waiting for it to cool down and restarting it he went to the local saw shop and bought another saw.


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## burntime (Mar 23, 2010)

Whats your cousins number? :lol:   Does he need any help this summer?  :lol:


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## Tony H (Mar 27, 2010)

Talking about the Maglight reminds me of my Dad and lawnmowers. He bought an old Toro back in 51 or so and must have had 30 since then and never bought a single one. They all came from folks in the neighborhood that were getting rid of them. Most had minor problems bad gas , bad plug, broken pull rope heck the last 10 or 15 years people would just wheel them down to his house instead of putting them out for the trash. 
I bet he gave 1/2 of them away after he fixed them .


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## lextronman (Dec 27, 2010)

Can one of you guys that has a 6401 tell me what case you found to put it in. Just recieved mine today as a Christmas gift and would like to find a case for it. Can't wait to get out in the brush and put this thing to work. 

Slugger


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## jeff_t (Dec 28, 2010)

slugger said:
			
		

> Can one of you guys that has a 6401 tell me what case you found to put it in. Just recieved mine today as a Christmas gift and would like to find a case for it. Can't wait to get out in the brush and put this thing to work.
> 
> Slugger



Never seen a case for one. Usually don't for pro saws.
Welcome, by the way.


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## basswidow (Dec 28, 2010)

Wow!  you got an amazing deal.  That guy was crazy to let it go that cheap!


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## wendell (Dec 28, 2010)

slugger said:
			
		

> Can one of you guys that has a 6401 tell me what case you found to put it in. Just recieved mine today as a Christmas gift and would like to find a case for it. Can't wait to get out in the brush and put this thing to work.
> 
> Slugger



The Husqvarna case will work with some minor mods. As I recall, the person used a heat gun and molded the plastic to fit.

BTW, amazing deal, burntime. You will love the saw! (But not as much as you will with a 79 CC top end!  ;-)  )


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## basswidow (Dec 29, 2010)

I'll give you $ 100 for it.  Double your money!


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## southbound (Dec 29, 2010)

already tried and it was sold.............


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## jlove1974 (Dec 29, 2010)

considering that the only places you can find these saws cheap are Home Depot rental and random deals like this, I would say you done well.
Heck, Tool King is selling a refurb unit for $339 and I was considering one of those since only one Home Cheapo in Charlotte actually rents out chainsaws and they are all new


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