New chainsaw…Recommendations please

[Oracle]

Stihl MS 180 which is very reliable for the bulk of the work around the shoot, however I was treated to a Stihl MSA 140 battery powered jobby which is brilliant.
Lightweight, 40-45 minutes run time, quiet, no fumes (although I do run the others with Aspen 2 ). Found it ideal for small jobs on the shoot and at home.

 

[Swedish]

Another vote for Stihl MS180, I've had one for years, great little saw and not too big.

 

[Skogsmannen]

Be careful with Stihl if you don’t have a local dealer as they won’t sell parts online.

Unless it's changed again just recently, Stihl parts can be bought online - they soon realised their mistake when they brought that only through the dealers policy in.

This is the same with a 365, it’s essentially a 372, all you need to do is grind out the fin on the transfer port covers.

regards,
Gixer

Fantastic saws, the last of the proper saws. I still have a pre X-torque 372 thats going strong and it's 20 years old this year. It has however been ported and is a bit of a beast....

 

[Skogsmannen]

I mean basically you need a husky or a stihl I was told by an old forester never buy under 50cc as they can’t handle the work really.. works for me ! I’ve a stihl 260s

He'd never tried a husky 242xp then - even now, by far the best handling little softwood thinning saw. ever. 15,500rpm too.

 

[Vrlorcanm]

Used a Husky 455 for years, then got a 550xp what a difference, much lighter and a lot more grunt

 

[David N]

I have an Echo and more than happy with it

 

[gixer1]

I only have stihl chainsaws,I’ve got 5, + stihl hedge cutters stihl pole saw and a stihl concrete saw,never had any problems ordering parts for any of them,usually next working day

They may have changed the policy as it was killing their market share…and with a Stihl you’ll need spares…

 

[countrryboy]

A lot of large heavy saws have been recommended above. Personally I would stick to light 35cc for small trees and hedges. An electric saw might be OK for branches and hedges but not really for tree felling. You get 30 minutes max per battery with an electric saw.

Best advice so far.

Think wot size of branch log ur most likely to cut?
And how long do u regularly use it for when dowen the shoot?

Personally i dont think battery power is there yet in chainsaws, would be nothing worse than having just a couple more trees to do and batteries pack in.
Bad enough when u rum out of petrol and have to walk back to ur combi.
Also dont know how long batteries will hold there charge in the future yet

I'd imagine a 35cc- 40cc saw should be plenty, no need for expensive 50 and 60cc pro grade saws for wot ur doing.
I have a van full of pro grade saws from 50cc upwards, but for small stuff or shoot work i would bring out a small saw, far nicer to handle and a fill last longer, my wee ms231 does almost an hour on a fill
A saw of that size will run a 13-15" bar so thats u capable of cutting up to 30", and being honest a 30" stem is getting into a decent sized tree if u dont know wot ur doing it will hurt u or damage stuff,
Also windblow is actually the most dangerous thing to cut so sticking ur saw into a 30" butt can be very dangerous if u dont know ur tension and compression lus side bends/twists.

The seceret with any saw but esp small cc saws is keeping the chain sharp, bar dressed and looking after it ( not cutting soil stones etc) sounds obvious but some folk are terrible for hitting dirt

As for brands, id buy of a local company even if slightly dearer so u have the after sales back up.
I'd go with wot ever they advise, also look to echo, efco or mittox, ive hard the small cheap huskys are rubbish and just got the sticker on them.
A lot of local fencers all use small stihls 171s, 181s and they get some abuse but seem to last well.

The final thing depending how often u use it, but 2 stroke will go off after 1 month or so so dont mix too much if u dont use it regular, possibly even worse with the petrol change, either add a stabiliser and empty ursaw out and run it dry.
Or run it on aspen or similar can leave it in saw long term and it doesnt damage it

 

[Mike_E]

I've had a 211 for 5 years or so and have a 16" bar. its great, nice and light and reliable so far. I've felled everything from small saplings to large hedges, all the way to 60ft high spruce that are 24" across the base. I did 6 spruce and also chopped it all into 12" lenths for splitting for the long burner.

a 261 would be nice for the bigger jobs but its twice the price and to be honest if you take your time on the bigger stuff its amazing what the little saw can do. I can use it all day and its not tiring.

What I would say is whatever you buy - run it on Alkalate fuel (Stihl motomix / aspen2) as its so much nicer than standard fuel. Lasts 2 years once open, 10years sealed so for normal round the house use its actually cheaper than throwing uot stale 2stroke premix. machines run so much cleaner and sharper on the throttle than standard 2stroke.

 

[countrryboy]

Mike he will be doing well to find a 261 in the country, i was waiting on 1 since feb till last month, ending up buying another f@cking husky (550) and the next week stihl shp phones up with a 261 in stock

 

[Toller]

I had issues with a husky 455 that had a niggly intermittent fueling problem for ages. It ran fine once that was finally fixed, but I was sick of the sight of it by that point and it had to go.

Replaced with a 550xpg. It's a wee beast. More power, a bit lighter, and lovely to use... and a heated handle for my delicate hands!

 

[Nick703]

Mike he will be doing well to find a 261 in the country, i was waiting on 1 since feb till last month, ending up buying another f@cking husky (550) and the next week stihl shp phones up with a 261 in stock

I’m surprised at that, I’ve had a 261 from Jones about may-June time

 

[Alantoo]

I replaced a stolen 30 year old Stihl 010 with a Husqvarna 445 and use it with a 20" bar.

99% of the work I do could be done with a 14" bar but the long bar has been really useful for a couple of big trunks which the 14" just couldn't have done. The long bar is also great for reach and means I am not having to bend down as much!

Alan

 

[slider]

Lots of good advice here but I reapeat, for relativly lightweight jobs - brashing, hedges, small trees - don't rule out a decent quality (i.e. Stihl) rechargable electric saw. They really arenquite capable and very convenient to use.

 

[Rake Aboot]

I have a STIHL 170 and a171
Both are superb and would cope no issue
I have a Husquvarna 555 for big stuff.
The 171 is super capable and does far more than you would imagine

 

[John Gryphon]

STIHL..nearly every pro tree feller uses them here. My own are both orange.

 

[Pointer]

Thanks for all replies. Very helpful.

 

[gixer1]

STIHL..nearly every pro tree feller uses them here. My own are both orange.

View attachment 221768

His saw did a sh*t job….that tree came out at the root!

 

[Devon Stalker]

Further recommendation for Stihl MS211. I bought one with a 12 " bar to take down the odd tree and for firewood - its better than good and its v light compared to the 361 which I have for bigger jobs. After a lot of research, I rejected the husky (bit temperamental) for this and have no regretted it. My son uses a husky and they are I feel rather too high revving but the 211 with ergostart is a good sturdy saw.

Here here, I bought the Dewalt flex volt recently and am very impressed.

 

[Wildlife Watcher]

Stihl ms251 I have is great, not too heavy and big enough for most firewood.