QuackAddict
Yearling... With promise
Id also say a MS170 price wise. At work I was running a MS201t-cm and I didn't want to put that thing down!
Chainsaw Recommendations
- Thread starter Teeder
- Start date
MRBB
5 year old buck +
I'll second this, I got my 355T 6 yrs ago now, and its almost my go to saw for almost everything, 14 inch bar and it eats thru things faster than some of my larger saws, its light easy to handle and starts easy if I had to pick a flaw with it, I would say its got too small a fuel tank, but then again, It was n't designed for all I use it for, so, it was made to be light and for up in a tree workTuff to beat a top handle for limbing
Echo CS-355T Chainsaw with 14in bar
Shop for Echo CS-355T with 14-inch bar, built to tackle the toughest jobs, from TreeStuff.www.treestuff.com
and not a go to saw for all things as I do!
add in the fact it comes with a 5 yr warranty , over what the other guys(stihl and husky have just 2 yrs on MOST saws, I own a few of each been mostly great saws too so not brand bashing here)
to me its a win win deal
I have read some folks have had issue's with cracking on its plastic case, but I have never had any issue's even after some hard drops and abuse, but if your not super abusive I don;t see any real problems here
its a out performer of a saw IMO! I will never be without one , as a fact I'm debating on adding a second one now to the collection just cause its been my experience, when you find something that works GREAT, its good to buy a spare, cause typically when the one dies, they already stopped making it and your back to gambling on what your getting next! HAHA!
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
There are a couple items I don't love about the 355T - I have cracked some of the plastic paneling (will snap a pic later) but IIRC it was my fault for letting it hit the ground pretty hard after getting it freed from a pinch. Function isn't impacted by the crack.
The other thing is the gas/bar oil caps are small and tougher to get on/off than the stihl ones and the fill openings are smaller.
I can overlook those with how nice it has worked out otherwise.
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Dont know about others on here but I dont climb trees and limb. Trees are always laying on ground and even though my saw has 16 inch bar, sometimes wish had just a bit longer to reach without having to reposition or bend over too much. Not sure that 14 inch bar would be direction I would want to go. I have rocky ground and debris all over so sometimes have to position feet so stable not just closest reach to what I'm sawing. Just something else to consider. Also when limbing and repositioning, try to not carry full weight of saw but slide along on top of the log if possible. Tip I picked up from a youtube vid.
MRBB
5 year old buck +
all I can say is I never really felt I wanted or needed a small;l top handle saw till I had one, and ever since I am amazed how often I garb that over my other saws
I just find its way easier to use and handle on most things
But if I am cutting a lot of larger stuff, say 12+ inches, I will normally use a larger saw made more for that work, why kill a smaller saw is my view, not that the small saw cannot do it
I just have other tools that work better for bigger stuff
but I do love the this Echo 355T saw,
has been one of the better things I can say I have bought!
and in today's world of things that don;t seem to last, so called disposable world we live in now a days, its not that easy to say about many things anymore! IMO!
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I will say to size your saw to the wood you are cutting.
I have a ms361 with a 24” bar that barely gets used, since I bought the ms261 with a 18” bar, but if I am cutting a lot of 16” + wood, the ms 361 makes easy fast work of it. I can cut twice as fast with the 361, then with the 261. But if I am just cutting a tree or 2, that is 18” or less, I grab the 261 every time.
I have a ms361 with a 24” bar that barely gets used, since I bought the ms261 with a 18” bar, but if I am cutting a lot of 16” + wood, the ms 361 makes easy fast work of it. I can cut twice as fast with the 361, then with the 261. But if I am just cutting a tree or 2, that is 18” or less, I grab the 261 every time.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
MS261 2nd vote. Magnesium parts instead of plastic, but weighs less than the farm boss. My only minus is it's a loud saw. but, they might be all loud.
It comes with a 20 or 16 inch bar, I went with the 16, but have a 20 bar around incase. rarely if ever put it on.
It comes with a 20 or 16 inch bar, I went with the 16, but have a 20 bar around incase. rarely if ever put it on.
Angus 1895
5 year old buck +
My next saw is gonna be electric
i love my E-Go weed trimmer. Gonna get the saw next.
i love my E-Go weed trimmer. Gonna get the saw next.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
It all comes down to the LI battery size. Certainly if you use multiple batteries they can last, but the battery is a high percentage cost of the saw. As I said, I love my dewalt for carrying around in my UTV to unblock trails and such. I have cut down and cut up an entire large hickory with 1 battery. When the battery dies, it is sudden. It would be great for bucking downed trees. Very maneuverable and safe. Chain stops immediately when you let go of the trigger. I would not recommend one as a primary firewood saw. You may be able to use one that way with multiple batteries, but I'm not sure it would be practical.
Angus 1895
5 year old buck +
I have the E GO electric weed trimmer. Love it. It came with a 2.5 amp hour battery.
I bought another E GO weed trimmer that had more options than the one I use plus a 4 amp hour battery. I only have used the battery. The trimmer was on sale 4 $279 I think. A 5 Amp hour EGO battery sells for $250 plus I believe.
The chain saw is under $500 I believe and I would imagine will have a 4 or 5 amp hour battery. I would imagine 3 batteries would get you through a full day of clearing brush, but not sure.
Google review says the saw will work about 60 minutes on a battery. They sell 4 about $250 w/o batteries.
I bought another E GO weed trimmer that had more options than the one I use plus a 4 amp hour battery. I only have used the battery. The trimmer was on sale 4 $279 I think. A 5 Amp hour EGO battery sells for $250 plus I believe.
The chain saw is under $500 I believe and I would imagine will have a 4 or 5 amp hour battery. I would imagine 3 batteries would get you through a full day of clearing brush, but not sure.
Google review says the saw will work about 60 minutes on a battery. They sell 4 about $250 w/o batteries.
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MRBB
5 year old buck +
from what I sen on them, run time varies by both brand of saw and battery and battery size
a M18 chain saw 14 inch bar, and a 12 amp battery they list it at like 150 cuts thru a 6x6 timber
when we were doing trail work, a few guys had them, and they IMO< got about 30 minutes of RUN time out of a battery and had to switch, cutting a wide rage of both different types of wood/tree;s from hard to soft wood, and from twigs to 12+ thick stuff
OK deal for small yard work I would think but it wouldn't be a tool I would take out into the forest for a bunch of cutting duty!
then again, I gather I fill a fuel tank about every 30 minutes of run time too
but fuel even at its crazy prices, IMO< is cheaper than buying a dozen 12 amp batteries, to run a few hours off them!
nicest thing about the E saws to me is the almost instant stopping of the chain when you let off? safer maybe? and going from zero to full power is instant as well almost too!
Other wise I still like smelling 2 stroke fumes to stick with a gas saw!
a M18 chain saw 14 inch bar, and a 12 amp battery they list it at like 150 cuts thru a 6x6 timber
when we were doing trail work, a few guys had them, and they IMO< got about 30 minutes of RUN time out of a battery and had to switch, cutting a wide rage of both different types of wood/tree;s from hard to soft wood, and from twigs to 12+ thick stuff
OK deal for small yard work I would think but it wouldn't be a tool I would take out into the forest for a bunch of cutting duty!
then again, I gather I fill a fuel tank about every 30 minutes of run time too
but fuel even at its crazy prices, IMO< is cheaper than buying a dozen 12 amp batteries, to run a few hours off them!
nicest thing about the E saws to me is the almost instant stopping of the chain when you let off? safer maybe? and going from zero to full power is instant as well almost too!
Other wise I still like smelling 2 stroke fumes to stick with a gas saw!
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
An electric saw is a fun toy, or a decent saw for yard work. I wouldn’t even think about one for fire wood. I had used a Milwaukee saw for a day, batteries last less then an hour, you need at least 3 to stay working while the others charge. I am old (50’s) and I got ahead of the 3 batteries and needed to take a break to let battery charging catch up. 1 more battery would have worked great. To be fair, I was only limbing with it, I wasn’t felling or bucking logs. The batteries wouldn’t last very long bucking all day.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
I've got a battery powered Stehl. It's the only saw I take with anymore when doing habitat related tasks. 14" bar adequate power and lasts as long as a tank of gas would. I have a second battery so if I get through two batteries im ready to call it quits anyway.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I would not call electric a "fun toy". That is like calling a sledge hammer a tool and a claw hammer a toy. They are just different tools that each do better at certain tasks. I found a combination to be perfect for me. I got tired of having to run the gas out of new saws and even then having carb issues between the new pollution control and e-gas. I ended up buying an old Stihl 028 off ebay and complementing it with the dewalt electric. That combination works well for me. I carry the electric with me in the UTV for small tasks like removing fallen trees across trails. When I got out to do habitat work, I take both. I use the 028 for felling trees and cutting firewood. I like the dewalt for bucking limbs. It is light and safe by comparison.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
OK, let me define "TOY"
more fun to cut with, if you are cutting up "a" tree. If you are cutting a lot of trees for a day, you will find the electric saw holding you back.
When I cut fire wood, I will drop about 5-10 trees, then go back limb them, then go back and buck them, when I am cutting by myself. If I have someone else running a saw, I drop them, some one limbs them, and then someone bucks them after they are limbed. By myself, the electric saw held me back with 3 batteries for limbing, it forsure would hold me back with someone else helping.
Habitat work, and an occasional tree on a trail, an electric saw would work great, cutting firewood, it isnt the saw of choice.
more fun to cut with, if you are cutting up "a" tree. If you are cutting a lot of trees for a day, you will find the electric saw holding you back.
When I cut fire wood, I will drop about 5-10 trees, then go back limb them, then go back and buck them, when I am cutting by myself. If I have someone else running a saw, I drop them, some one limbs them, and then someone bucks them after they are limbed. By myself, the electric saw held me back with 3 batteries for limbing, it forsure would hold me back with someone else helping.
Habitat work, and an occasional tree on a trail, an electric saw would work great, cutting firewood, it isnt the saw of choice.
DrDirtNap
5 year old buck +
I have the Echo 2511T also and can’t say enough good things about it. Extremely light weight and plenty of power. A great little limbing saw!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
At my job, they 120 volt powered chain saws. Might be an ok firewood option. I dont heat with firewood anymore, probably should. $1200 to fill the fuel oil tank a few weeks ago............
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
I've owned 2 Stihl saws for a number of years - an MS 390 with a 20" bar, and an MS 180C with a 16" bar. I use full-chisel chains on both saws. I bought the 180C about 6 years ago and I have to say, it's much lighter and it cuts most of what the 390 does with less weight. The 180C (the C designates it's an "easy-pull" start type that eliminates engine torque yanking back on your fingers) is one of the best purchases I've made on chainsaws in my life. I used to own a Homelite saw back in the 1980's that weighed a ton. After seeing several friends cutting with Stihl saws - I bought the MS 390 for felling firewood trees of good size. As I tacked on years, handling bigger wood was getting old, and the 390 saw would wear out my shoulders after several hours. The 180C Stihl saw has been a dream to start & run. It's much easier to run for long periods of work than the 390, and it has plenty of power for my needs - and I cut a lot of oak, hickory, and maple firewood.
I had a pro tree service thin out our huge pin oak in our front yard a few weeks ago. He used electric saws for limb-thinning. He told me he's tried several brands and he switched to all Husqvarna electric saws for long battery life and performance. FWIW. I have no personal experience with electric saws.
I had a pro tree service thin out our huge pin oak in our front yard a few weeks ago. He used electric saws for limb-thinning. He told me he's tried several brands and he switched to all Husqvarna electric saws for long battery life and performance. FWIW. I have no personal experience with electric saws.
