NEW CHAINSAW RECOMMENDATION

[Bigg_Redd]

I took the time to go back and reread your original post. You certainly don't need an 029 and I'd be willing to bet that if you got one you wouldn't like it. Its not that its a bad saw, its not, its a wonderful saw."Need" is one of those tricky words. He's got by with a craftsman for 10 years so he obviously doesn't "need" a 290, but by that rational he ought to just get another Craftsman. But 3-4 cord per year is right in the 290's wheelhouse. What it is not is a light saw or a svelt saw - it is neither. You said, in essence, that you didn't cut an awful lot and you didn't need a big saw; you asked if 14" or 16" would be best. So its not much sense in suggesting a saw that most folks put a 20" bar on.The 290 is not a "big saw"

That's why I think the 026 would be a better choice. It is lighter in weight and the body of the saw is considerably more compact. The "Pro" model offers nothing worth additional money, something I tried to hint at in an early response. These saws are well sized to 16" bars and well ballanced too. That matters after a few hours use. I believe it is the highest power of the small saws, but others could tell you about that sort of comparison better than I could. I will say this though, I've had more powerful saws, in fact when I first got the 026 I thought it was a bit anemic.

Now about size and needs and all that sort of stuff. Every tree has limbs and the very first thing you do when the tree comes down is remove them. I keep just about everything; if its as big as my wrist it gets cut to length for firewood. In our area and more importanly on our place you could cut down 90% of the trees with an 18" bar with 3 cuts. Few if any saws that would normally be found with 14" bars would be well suited to that sort of work; they could handle the limbs easily - that is what they were made for - but when they got into the bigger wood and across crotches they would be over their head. I'd always prefer a saw power-head that had a bar on the short end of the recommended range than on the long end.

Should it be a Stihl? That's up to you of course. Its good advice to see if there is a dealer nearby and more important to find out if he has a repair facility. They do break or quit sometimes. My local guy (18 miles - next county) turns around repairs in about a week and I've never been shocked by a repair bill. He also does not bill for unfixables. He is a Stihl dealer. I could buy any one of half a dozen other brands from a number of hardware, big-box, or home-improvement stores on the way there and some of them would have a pretty good replacement policy if I bought something defective, but none of them would be interested in seeing me for anything other than a new sale 3 years down the road. That's not to say I couldn't find someone to do repairs that I didn't feel capable to do, but it wouldn't be a dealer with a ready stock of the correct replacement parts of staff knowledgable in my particular model. So those sorts of things would be on my mind.

 

[smokinj]

You can buy a referb or NIB 6401 on ebay for $350 or less. You can't come close to finding a Stihl or Husky pro grade 60cc saw for that price in like condition. I paid $625 for my 7900 with a 20" bar from my local Dolmar dealer... What's a new 372xp or 460 cost from the dealer? And the 7900 will eat both and weighs the same or less.

"I paid $625 for my 7900 with a 20" bar from my local Dolmar dealer"


that must have been a few years ago the 7900 here new goes for 799.00 no bar. Not knocking it,but there price is creaping up to stihl and husky very fast. Just trying to keep the math simple new saw's only is what I am talking about.

list price on 460 with 20 in bar 849.00

list price of 7900 799.00 with no bar or chain

That was in the fall of 2008. I just checked his website and you can still buy the 7900 with a 20 B&C for $649. This is still more saw (IMO) at a WAY lower price than the Stihl /Husky equivalents, which typically sell at close to their suggested retail price. I'm not kncoking either the 460 or the 372 as I own both, but the 7900 is a slightly better saw (again, IMO) and a significantly better value.
(broken link removed to http://www.firstgeartrucks.com/store/home.php?cat=4)


And Goose, I agree and your point is well taken. With that said, I would still buy a referb or NIB 6401 off ebay for $350 before I bought any lesser saw for more money. It's an excellent pro level saw which is capable of handling a lot of different wood, and w/o a doubt about the best bang for the dollar.

just talking list price here, there is always a dolmar dealer doing this kind of stuff. They operate more like a used car dearler.There list price is 799.00 for the 7900

 

[Wet1]

I understand Jay, but at the end of the day we actually buy products at street price, not list price. My point is there's a substantial price difference with the Dolmar, while Stihl and Husky products have street prices which are typically at, or very near, their list prices.

 

[FireaddictSC]

I just bought a Husqvarna 445 46cc 18" bar love this saw. Cut down an 18 " red oak the other day with it. It was like a hot knife through butter. I highly recommend this saw!!

 

[smokinj]

I understand Jay, but at the end of the day we actually buy products at street price, not list price. My point is there's a substantial price difference with the Dolmar, while Stihl and Husky products have street prices which are typically at, or very near, their list prices.

yes and thats a great point, you will get back alot more out of a stihl or husky on the resale...dolmar just needs to get it together.
I like to know where I stand with my investment, not knocking the dolmar but if I ever need to sale for what ever reason I know that it will be close to retail thats a big deal to me. Far as looking at the 3 saws (stihl husky dolmar) "It is what it is" out of the box dolmar will win! This pricing issue with the dolmar is more of a hassle to the everyday consumer and kills them on resale.

 

[Wet1]

Percentage wise, I'm not sure Dolmar loses anything on resale (with the 7900 anyway since it's such as sought after saw), but I completely agree their street pricing varies from dealer to dealer. Although, I'd much rather be able to call around and find a "deal" rather than just have all the dealers stick to the "everyone pays our top dollar fixed price" mentality used by the Stihl and most Husky dealers.

I will say Dolmar's dealer network in general is spotty at best. OTOH, dealers aren't everything (to me anyway), like many of the Stihl cheerleaders will have people believe. In fact, dealing with the Stihl dealers for parts drives my almost insane at times. I'm not the type of person that will bring a saw to a dealer for repair, so local dealer service is completely a non-issue for me. But, I do buy parts for saws I purchase secondhand and many often need repairing. With Dolmar, not only do I have a "local" dealer (although many folks don't), but I can also get any part over the net within 24 hrs if I need it... and that's huge to me. In fact, this is what I dislike most about Stihl more than anything. Yes they have a dealer on every other corner, but they don't stock a lot of stuff and getting parts (at list price of course) can sometimes take more time and require more hassle than I'd like. I love Stihl and I have more of their saws than other brands, but I absolutely hate not being able to get parts from anyone other than my local dealer(s). Some people don't mind driving to a dealer or calling their dealer, sitting on the phone for five or ten minutes while he looks up the part (hoping he's looking at the right item, or arguing about the part number for the IPL your using), takes your CC number for payment, and then having to wait 1 day to weeks for your part to come in. Yes, some Stihl dealers don't do enough volume so your order can sit on a list before an order is ever placed. I'd much rather just look at an IPL online, place my order, select shipping method, and have my part (what I know will be the CORRECT part, not the one some parts kid thinks I might need) delivered to my door in the same time period, or less. Since I buy and sell more Stihl saws than any other, I really wish I could order their parts over the Internet!

Anyway, sorry to get so far OT...

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

If you want a reliable all purpose small saw MS440. Have the MS660 stashed away for the big stuff.

If the Mrs won't let you aquire 2 models, go the MS460.

Yup, more money than the poulan, dolmar and echo combined. But do you wanna know you can go cut wood, or ya wanna mess around. How many guys you know running Pulan.dolmar.echo's that are 20 yers old???

 

[smokinj]

Percentage wise, I'm not sure Dolmar loses anything on resale (with the 7900 anyway since it's such as sought after saw), but I completely agree their street pricing varies from dealer to dealer. Although, I'd much rather be able to call around and find a "deal" rather than just have all the dealers stick to the "everyone pays our top dollar fixed price" mentality used by the Stihl and most Husky dealers.

I will say Dolmar's dealer network in general is spotty at best. OTOH, dealers aren't everything (to me anyway), like many of the Stihl cheerleaders will have people believe. In fact, dealing with the Stihl dealers for parts drives my almost insane at times. I'm not the type of person that will bring a saw to a dealer for repair, so local dealer service is completely a non-issue for me. But, I do buy parts for saws I purchase secondhand and many often need repairing. With Dolmar, not only do I have a "local" dealer (although many folks don't), but I can also get any part over the net within 24 hrs if I need it... and that's huge to me. In fact, this is what I dislike most about Stihl more than anything. Yes they have a dealer on every other corner, but they don't stock a lot of stuff and getting parts (at list price of course) can sometimes take more time and require more hassle than I'd like. I love Stihl and I have more of their saws than other brands, but I absolutely hate not being able to get parts from anyone other than my local dealer(s). Some people don't mind driving to a dealer or calling their dealer, sitting on the phone for five or ten minutes while he looks up the part (hoping he's looking at the right item, or arguing about the part number for the IPL your using), takes your CC number for payment, and then having to wait 1 day to weeks for your part to come in. Yes, some Stihl dealers don't do enough volume so your order can sit on a list before an order is ever placed. I'd much rather just look at an IPL online, place my order, select shipping method, and have my part (what I know will be the CORRECT part, not the one some parts kid thinks I might need) delivered to my door in the same time period, or less. Since I buy and sell more Stihl saws than any other, I really wish I could order their parts over the Internet!

Anyway, sorry to get so far OT...

so your skill level is much highier than most people. Just keeping the chains sharp bar true, and wood to cut is more than enough for me. so far I have had a 290,460,180,260,361 done has never needed anything yet knock on wood in the last 3 years

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

Wet1; We think alike. For me one of the most important parts of a saw is the main bearings & I see lots of failures on 10 to 15 year old Stihls that don't have German bearings. The China bearings do not last as long. This effectively scraps the saw for most people as these are a job to replce & it is too costly to have a dealer do it. If your piston & cylinder goes just about anybody can replace this. I see lots & lots of 40 year old Stihls that have bearings that are as smooth as new, these were high quality to begin with. Dolmar does not have these issues as the cheaper Stihls & I would gladly do a little parts searching for the higher quality, Randy

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

If you want a reliable all purpose small saw MS440. Have the MS660 stashed away for the big stuff.

If the Mrs won't let you aquire 2 models, go the MS460.

Yup, more money than the poulan, dolmar and echo combined. But do you wanna know you can go cut wood, or ya wanna mess around. How many guys you know running Pulan.dolmar.echo's that are 20 yers old???

There are a lot of Sachs Dolmars running like new that are pushing 30 years old. My 111 runs like a brand new one & I got it 2nd hand after it was used commercially for years. I own a MS440 that I am rebuilding. My MS360 I sold with bad main bearings.

 

[smokinj]

If you want a reliable all purpose small saw MS440. Have the MS660 stashed away for the big stuff.

If the Mrs won't let you aquire 2 models, go the MS460.

Yup, more money than the poulan, dolmar and echo combined. But do you wanna know you can go cut wood, or ya wanna mess around. How many guys you know running Pulan.dolmar.echo's that are 20 yers old???

+1 if not the 440 660 combo go 361 460 combo and no need to work on your saw.

 

[Wet1]

so your skill level is much highier than most people. Just keeping the chains sharp bar true, and wood to cut is more than enough for me. so far I have had a 290,460,180,260,361 done has never needed anything yet knock on wood in the last 3 years

You have (or have had) some excellent saws! One of these days you "need" to grab a 066/660 to finish off your collection. Although, I prefer the 064 which will take the 660 P&C or BB P&C with little work... and it weighs about as much as your 460 but have a much better power to weight ratio. Port a bored 064 and do a muff mod and you have as SERIOUS work and play saw!

 

[thinkxingu]

Purely from my research/investigation of saws here and on AS over the last year, I gotta say that I've not seen, LITERALLY, anyone talking about an old Dolmar as their friend (except the guy above!). I've seen tons of stuff about the 5100, 6400/01, 7900, but that's it. I do see lots of people talking about venerable old Huskies and Stihls (mostly Stihls).

Why don't people seem to collect old Dolmars?

As for price, why can Stihl (and Husky, sort-of) get away with selling stuff for retail?

Also, why do Stihls hold their value better than the others (I've been looking for 6 months on eBay and Craigslist)?

These are just some of the questions I ask when people begin to criticize Stihl pricing/value.

S

 

[Gooserider]

Why are Stihl guy's so worried about the level of service they can get from their dealer? Do they need to drag their saws in for repair that often??? (Ducking and Running... :ahhh: )

I also buy stuff to USE, not to sell, so why the big worry about resale value? I'm not planning on needing to sell my Dolmar so I can buy a new replacement...

Gooserider

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

Purely from my research/investigation of saws here and on AS over the last year, I gotta say that I've not seen, LITERALLY, anyone talking about an old Dolmar as their friend (except the guy above!). I've seen tons of stuff about the 5100, 6400/01, 7900, but that's it. I do see lots of people talking about venerable old Huskies and Stihls (mostly Stihls).

Why don't people seem to collect old Dolmars?

As for price, why can Stihl (and Husky, sort-of) get away with selling stuff for retail?

Also, why do Stihls hold their value better than the others (I've been looking for 6 months on eBay and Craigslist)?

These are just some of the questions I ask when people begin to criticize Stihl pricing/value.

S

You don't hit the forestry forums much I take it./ Stihls hold value very well, I sell a lot of them during winter & they help pay the bills. The big Sachs Dolmar sells for more now than it did when new. If doesn't matter if Sachs or Makita owned Dolmar, this is still a Dolmar saw. Most people haven't had the oportunity to use a Dolmar/Sachs Dolmar & it's difficult to judge something this way. I own an 028WB that is one of the finest small saws ever built. There is a difference between venerable old Huskies & Stihls & what is being offered now as homeowner & mid grade saws, Randy

 

[smokinj]

Why are Stihl guy's so worried about the level of service they can get from their dealer? Do they need to drag their saws in for repair that often??? (Ducking and Running... :ahhh: )

I also buy stuff to USE, not to sell, so why the big worry about resale value? I'm not planning on needing to sell my Dolmar so I can buy a new replacement...

Gooserider

Its not just saws for me its anything I buy.with that said if for some reason in my case it just not quite what I was looking for I will sale and move on quickly.Not lost any money on the saws over the last 3 years. some day I will not need to cut wood and it will all be for sale some day

 

[smokinj]

so your skill level is much highier than most people. Just keeping the chains sharp bar true, and wood to cut is more than enough for me. so far I have had a 290,460,180,260,361 done has never needed anything yet knock on wood in the last 3 years

You have (or have had) some excellent saws! One of these days you "need" to grab a 066/660 to finish off your collection. Although, I prefer the 064 which will take the 660 P&C or BB P&C with little work... and it weighs about as much as your 460 but have a much better power to weight ratio. Port a bored 064 and do a muff mod and you have as SERIOUS work and play saw!

next is a 192t or 200t and the 90cc after that 064 is a little hard to come by the 660 I do like alot. The 290 was traded on the 460,180 sold on ebay for list price and the 260 traded on 361 (460 361 I still have)

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Ballcock

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Percentage wise, I'm not sure Dolmar loses anything on resale (with the 7900 anyway since it's such as sought after saw), but I completely agree their street pricing varies from dealer to dealer. Although, I'd much rather be able to call around and find a "deal" rather than just have all the dealers stick to the "everyone pays our top dollar fixed price" mentality used by the Stihl and most Husky dealers.

I will say Dolmar's dealer network in general is spotty at best. OTOH, dealers aren't everything (to me anyway), like many of the Stihl cheerleaders will have people believe. In fact, dealing with the Stihl dealers for parts drives my almost insane at times. I'm not the type of person that will bring a saw to a dealer for repair, so local dealer service is completely a non-issue for me. But, I do buy parts for saws I purchase secondhand and many often need repairing. With Dolmar, not only do I have a "local" dealer (although many folks don't), but I can also get any part over the net within 24 hrs if I need it... and that's huge to me. In fact, this is what I dislike most about Stihl more than anything. Yes they have a dealer on every other corner, but they don't stock a lot of stuff and getting parts (at list price of course) can sometimes take more time and require more hassle than I'd like. I love Stihl and I have more of their saws than other brands, but I absolutely hate not being able to get parts from anyone other than my local dealer(s). Some people don't mind driving to a dealer or calling their dealer, sitting on the phone for five or ten minutes while he looks up the part (hoping he's looking at the right item, or arguing about the part number for the IPL your using), takes your CC number for payment, and then having to wait 1 day to weeks for your part to come in. Yes, some Stihl dealers don't do enough volume so your order can sit on a list before an order is ever placed. I'd much rather just look at an IPL online, place my order, select shipping method, and have my part (what I know will be the CORRECT part, not the one some parts kid thinks I might need) delivered to my door in the same time period, or less. Since I buy and sell more Stihl saws than any other, I really wish I could order their parts over the Internet!

Anyway, sorry to get so far OT...

so your skill level is much highier than most people. Just keeping the chains sharp bar true, and wood to cut is more than enough for me. so far I have had a 290,460,180,260,361 done has never needed anything yet knock on wood in the last 3 years

I have to agree here.

My 290 is well into it's 6th year of "maintenance free" existence (excepting bar and chain maintenance) and it has needed nothing. Not even a new spark plug.

 

[thinkxingu]

Singed,
I'm on these forums every day or so, but I think you missed it: I said Stihls do hold their value, and when I went to buy a saw I kept that in mind--not because I was thinking of re-selling it but because, in my experience, the things that keep their value have ALWAYS been the better quality things. For example: Audi vs. Chevy, Rolex vs. Esquire, Montblanc vs. Cross, Proceed vs. Sony, Hearthstone vs. Englander, Stihl vs. Craftsman, Makita vs. Ryobi, Pioneer Elite vs. Phillips. I've owned all these comparisons and though I'm not sure all were "values" (the Rolex was/is ridiculously expensive for a watch, though not compared to Patek, I suppose) the 'better,' more 'intrinsically' valuable pieces ALWAYS performed more reliably and with less care. Do they perform better? Not necessarily (a watch tells time, a car drives around--though my Audi was a whole lot more fun than my Chevy), but statistically they work. And work.

Just my reasoning.

S

 

[bogydave]

I think bar length is one of the important things to consider. Shorter the bar, the more bending over.
Whatever model, I think a 20" bar is minimum.
Rent or borrow some different models & lengths ones & see what fits you.
Gona have it a long time, & a good one that fits you & your situation will pay dividends.
Mine is 25 years old & a few parts here & there. Still cutting.
IMHO

 

[SolarAndWood]

Singed,
I'm on these forums every day or so, but I think you missed it: I said Stihls do hold their value, and when I went to buy a saw I kept that in mind--not because I was thinking of re-selling it but because, in my experience, the things that keep their value have ALWAYS been the better quality things. For example: Audi vs. Chevy, Rolex vs. Esquire, Montblanc vs. Cross, Proceed vs. Sony, Hearthstone vs. Englander, Stihl vs. Craftsman, Makita vs. Ryobi, Pioneer Elite vs. Phillips. I've owned all these comparisons and though I'm not sure all were "values" (the Rolex was/is ridiculously expensive for a watch, though not compared to Patek, I suppose) the 'better,' more 'intrinsically' valuable pieces ALWAYS performed more reliably and with less care. Do they perform better? Not necessarily (a watch tells time, a car drives around--though my Audi was a whole lot more fun than my Chevy), but statistically they work. And work.

Just my reasoning.

S

You see this in the Craigslist ads as well. The quality pro saws disappear within a day while anything else keeps getting relisted even if they don't want a lot of money for them.

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

Singed,
I'm on these forums every day or so, but I think you missed it: I said Stihls do hold their value, and when I went to buy a saw I kept that in mind--not because I was thinking of re-selling it but because, in my experience, the things that keep their value have ALWAYS been the better quality things. For example: Audi vs. Chevy, Rolex vs. Esquire, Montblanc vs. Cross, Proceed vs. Sony, Hearthstone vs. Englander, Stihl vs. Craftsman, Makita vs. Ryobi, Pioneer Elite vs. Phillips. I've owned all these comparisons and though I'm not sure all were "values" (the Rolex was/is ridiculously expensive for a watch, though not compared to Patek, I suppose) the 'better,' more 'intrinsically' valuable pieces ALWAYS performed more reliably and with less care. Do they perform better? Not necessarily (a watch tells time, a car drives around--though my Audi was a whole lot more fun than my Chevy), but statistically they work. And work.

Just my reasoning. Hi; I understood you. I was just letting you know that I also agree that Stihls hold their value very well. I personally wish that Stihl & Husky would have continued to make the best saw they could, like they did for decades. This is what built their reputations, not the wade into fray of Homelites & Poulans that I believe will eventually damage their reps. Home Dept rental dept. is a large user of saws & I need to believe that they carefully studied price/value before making the decision they did. You bought a Rolex? Now I am jealous, Randy

S

 

[mobetter]

Hi guys - looking for advice for best deal on chainsaw for new member to buck scrounged log length and possibly cut down a few dead standing but nothing too big. Have a good pile out back that I would guess will produce about 2 cords and estimate processing about 3 or 4 cords per year- I have a 10 year old Craftsman that needs some work and rather than sink 50 bucks or more into that baby I am thinkin of upgrading to a Stihl or Husky - or am open to other suggestions (Echo?).......thanks for your expertise - also what size bar should I get - 14 or 16 inch?

I love "what to buy threads" They always escalate to "you need a 440, 660 ,880. People just love to spend others money.

The O.P. said he just needed a replacement for his old Craftsman, instead of throwing good money after an old worn out moneypit.

Check out this little dude, http://www.toolsnow.com/ryobi-gas-chainsaw.html

There is a long thread over at arboristsite about these little bad boys.

I think there is a consensus this is the same as a Redmax 3800.

They are mag cased and come with a 1 year warranty.

They also take well to a little modding or would serve the O.P. well for what he said he needed.

$100 shipped, think I may get one just to mess with.

 

[Danno77]

you need a 440, 660 ,880

mobetter is right, you need an 880. I don't know about needing all three of those, though. Pro'ly wouldn't hurt

seriously, though:

I love "what to buy threads" They always escalate to "you need a 440, 660 ,880." People just love to spend others money.

+1