Another chainsaw question

[Clancy Courtney]

I am considering a Makita chainsaw, http://www.tylertool.com/madcchsaw54c.html

Does anyone have any experience with one?
I know everyone likes Stihl but one of the owners of Got Wood said Makita saws are good so I thought I would ask here.
Thanks, for any help.
Clancy

[Bob Hallowell]

The makita's are dolmars and real nice saws. see if you can get one on ebay and get the 20% rebate from live.com

Bob

[Mike Minto]

I have a 16" crapsman and it's served me well for 5 years now. mike

[Burt Alcantara]

Clancy,
Something to consider is servicing. I have a Sthil and there is an excellent chainsaw only shop about 2 miles from the house. They have helped me with sharpening and general maintenance (it's a real old saw).

Not to be snide but no Makitas in this shop or the other shops I go to. Chainsaws take a pretty brutal beating when they are used and they do require periodic maintenance so check around your area for a good service station.

Make sure the station actually services them and other chainsaws on site and not send them out.

You don't want to hear this:
"Hey Sven, can you fix chainsaws? Come over here after you change those tires."

Burt

[Clancy Courtney]

Thanks to all. There are servicing dealers within 30 miles, so I'm O'K with that part of the deal. I'm still stuck on the choice. Maybe I shoul get the 64cc saw?

[Dale Bright]

I bought the Makita 6401 20" a month ago and it is a great saw. Like someone else said, the Makitas are Dolmars and made in Germany. The have a great reputation.

[Greg Savage]

I have 3 Stihls. One of which is 25 years old....an 028. The others an 044 and an 084 are about 14 years old......never any problems. Do yourself a favor and get a Stihl....You won't regret it.

I notice that the Makita boasts 3.2 hp....I'd say that is very optimistic. Remember, you get what you pay for. A nice Stihl is in the same price range. Besides, if you need a part or service, how many Makita dealers are in your area with a service department?

We just cleared 35 large Oak and Cherry with the 044 and 084.....not a complaint from either one, unless you count the nail that I hit cutting into the trunk of an Oak.


BTW....What Burt said!!!!!!

[Dick Strauss]

Clancy,
That saw seems to be pretty heavy in comparison to the Stihl MS270. The data for the Makita says it weighs 21 lbs with no chain/bar while the Stihl MS270 (about the same size and power) weighs 11.7 lbs. I've heard good things about both the Makitas and Stihls but I don't think I'd want to haul the extra weight around.

Just my $0.02...

[Matt Hutchinson]

If what's been said about the weight difference is true, then I'd say go with the Stihl for sure. I have not done a ton of sawing on a regular basis, but two months ago I was cutting through (crosscutting and ripping) a 32" diam. hard maple tree. It took about 4 hrs to get all the blanks I could handle. Fatigue is a serious consideration! You should definitely double check to see if the saw is actually over 20lbs, cuz if it is don't bother getting it.

Hutch

[Jason Solodow]

I've done a rather large amount of chain saw work (IMHO), and I've used the Stihl, Makita, and the Husqvarna. I liked the power that seemed to be in the Makita, however, it was rather on the heavy side and after extensive cutting, I noticed that the bar/chain oiler didn't seem to output enough oil and the chain started getting really hot. The Stihl saw that I used had the quick chain tensioner on it, and it didn't seem to hold the tension very well. I had to stop sawing every 15-30 minutes to retighten the tension. That was the deal breaker for me, because it drove me nuts. The Husqvarna ended up being the saw that I purchased. It runs smooth and seems to be a little quieter then the other two, and it seems to have plenty of power for the size and weight. The tensioning mechanism locks the tension in really well. I check tension at every gas/oil fill up and very seldom have to adjust it. The main drawback I have with the saw is that there isn't anyone local to service it. At the time of purchase, there were multiple shops, but they stopped servicing them because Husqvarna started selling their saws to general hardware stores (i.e. Lowe's). I don't understand that, but that's what the shops have told me. You can order the parts pretty easy online and there are alot of resources to assist you with any repairs/maintance if you're mechanically inclined. I've had my Husqvarna for 4 years and it has felled many trees, ripped literally hundreds of planks for turning blanks, and cut tons of firewood. The only repair it has needed are the results of an idiot manuever (i sheared off the tensioning pin trying to pull it from a stuck tree). It still starts on the first two pulls and runs smooth. When I go to purchase my next saw, it will be another Husqvarna.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Tyler Tool needs to get their head out of their backside. That entire page is full of bad info. The DCS 510 is 50cc not 54cc, and the dry weight as listed on the Makita site is 12.1 pounds, not the 20+ they list. Fomr some reason Amazon has their info hosed up to.

The DCS 540 is the 54cc saw and is actually lighter at 10.4 pounds with 3.3HP giving it a great power to weight ratio. The Makita saws (Dolmar, hence DCS-Dolmar Chain Saw), as mentioned, are top end and can be had for more competitive prices than Stihl. In fact Dolmar invented the gas chainsaw, so they have a long history and are still made in Germany; Makita simply bought them. The 540 has even better P/W than the Husqvarna 353 (by a tad); the 353 is also a great saw for that size. If you have a Makita/Dolmar dealer nearby for service then give it serious consideration.

The comparable Stihl MS280 retails for $470, well over a hundred more than either of the other two (retail). The 290 is in the same price point but is far inferior to the other two. Stihl dealers must sell at MSRP, the other don't have that restriction, further wideing the price gap.

The fact that HD uses Makita's as their rental saws should say something; they need to stand up to some abuse. Speaking of which, if you want a bigger saw HD sells their 6401 (64cc) rentals with pretty minimal hours.