Best 6hp class saw? (80cc or 14-15lbs)

weimedog · June 01, 2009, 05:44:31 PM

Did this at another place and wound up leaning towards a Dolmar 7900

What do you think?

Dolmar 7900
Stihl MS460
Solo 681

What ever you think in addition..

ladylake · June 02, 2009, 01:31:28 PM

I'd get the 7900. Steve

Cut4fun · June 02, 2009, 05:28:57 PM

Firewood isn't going to care that the 681 is a tad faster in the cut. So I would go with dealer support on parts. 7900 or 681.
If you get a 7900 make sure it has the new carb covers with the pre-filter screen built in with 3 times the air flow area.

The 681 AV feels softer or sponger. So if they are equals for you on dealer support, you might want to go test drive both to see which one feels better in your hands.

Captain · June 02, 2009, 08:56:10 PM

I own a MS460 and a 7900. The 7900 is the better saw as far as performance and feel. I have no experience with the 681.

Captain

Banjo picker · June 02, 2009, 10:35:22 PM

I have a MS 460 and I just love that saw. But Stihl is King around here. I could not get either of the others you mentioned serviced, little less parts. I have an 084 for the bigger stuff, and a tiny home owners 180 that gets a lot of use at the mill. I have Stihl dealers all around me . Get the one you can get worked on as they all will need service now and again. ;) Tim

SawTroll · June 12, 2009, 05:57:00 AM

Quote from: Cut4fun on June 02, 2009, 05:28:57 PM
Firewood isn't going to care that the 681 is a tad faster in the cut. So I would go with dealer support on parts. 7900 or 681.
If you get a 7900 make sure it has the new carb covers with the pre-filter screen built in with 3 times the air flow area.

The 681 AV feels softer or sponger. So if they are equals for you on dealer support, you might want to go test drive both to see which one feels better in your hands.

The 681 also is quite a bit heavier, in case you care..... ;)

nmurph · June 12, 2009, 07:38:35 AM

Quote from: SawTroll on June 12, 2009, 05:57:00 AM
Quote from: Cut4fun on June 02, 2009, 05:28:57 PM
Firewood isn't going to care that the 681 is a tad faster in the cut. So I would go with dealer support on parts. 7900 or 681.
If you get a 7900 make sure it has the new carb covers with the pre-filter screen built in with 3 times the air flow area.

The 681 AV feels softer or sponger. So if they are equals for you on dealer support, you might want to go test drive both to see which one feels better in your hands.

The 681 also is quite a bit heavier, in case you care..... ;)

why (what is the difference) is this?????

Cut4fun · June 12, 2009, 08:48:38 PM

It's a old inside joke with Ole Sawtroll. If a saw weighed 2 ounces more then another it was to heavy PHO with no fuels or etc.

I still go by how a saw is used for weights ( nobody carries a empty bar less saw to the woods :D), fueled up, full of bar oil and b+c the same. He still wont admit when a 357 and 361 are both fueled up and with bar oil full and both with 16" B+C the same. I have owned both at the same time an know first hand same same.

Al_Smith · June 12, 2009, 09:31:49 PM

I don't know if the word best really describes anything but personal taste .

I've ran 460 Stihls,older 181-281 Huskeys and I think it was a 681 at the Ohio GTG .

If it was in fact a 681 the thing had plenty of power and handled good I thought .

A pound of two in weight really means very little unless you are a midget . For heavens sake I'm not a spring chicken any more and they don't bother me if they tip the scales at over 14 pounds . I hear these guys belley aching about heavy saws .You want to see heavy ,come trot out to my shed some time . :D

Dave Shepard · June 12, 2009, 09:39:06 PM

I'm not scared to look in your shed Al. I'm not afraid of work, I'll sit down next to it any day. :D

nhlogga · June 13, 2009, 03:04:58 PM

i don"t like stihls. i"ve heard good things about dolmar. don't know anything about solo. i'd recommend husky 385 or jonsered 2186 both the same saw. i'd say find a good dealer you got a good saw.

Al_Smith · June 13, 2009, 09:50:06 PM

So ,what's wrong with Stihls other than the fact they cost-a-plenty ?

About any saw of the same cubic inch displacement will run real close to the competition of the other saws .The question remains,how does it feel .Are you comfortable with it .Is it reliable ?

If you can't wrench on it,is there reliable dealer support if needed ? All factors to be considered ,ya know .

chucker · June 13, 2009, 11:37:27 PM

stihl ! is over rated and over publicised.. jonsered is a worthy saw that is over looked in many ways !! huskies are a work horse with no less popularity then stihl !! all 3 saw brands are worth what you are willing to pay for your choice.. my choice is the way of jonsered,husky and then stihl........

Al_Smith · June 14, 2009, 11:54:31 AM

Like I said a zillion times,most times the brand of saw is merely a personal preference .

I suppose you have a choice. Either go with what you've got or shell out 800 bucks or more so you have bragging rights .

There is one praticular fellow that used to pilot the cyberspace airwaves that swore up and down that anybody that didn't run an 066 Stihl to cut firewood with was out of their minds .How dumb is that . :D

chucker · June 14, 2009, 12:31:50 PM

:-\ " Hummmm" is that for real ? must not cut much ,or for vary long!!!! lol

Dave Shepard · June 14, 2009, 01:20:28 PM

It's all about preference. What suits one, may not work for another. I use a 94cc saw for everything I do on the ground. I am impatient, and won't wait on a slower saw. That isn't for everyone, however.

Al_Smith · June 14, 2009, 03:03:31 PM

Righto it's all about what you want or have .

Then again on smaller stuff I have a souped up 72 cc Stihl 038 that has outcut for time over the blocks both a 99 cc 2100 Huskey plus a stock 066 . That little hotrod gets more run time than my other 40 or so saws .If I blow it up ,I'll do another just like it .

It's whatever every floats your boat,nobody is wrong on this one .

chipsfly09 · July 06, 2009, 08:43:56 PM

I had a stihl 046 mag and I would have never cared to change-- It was stolen :'( :'(

I was talked into a 7900 Dolmar and have really been pleased-- I still cannot bring myself to say that it was a good thing my 46 was stolen so I could try the Dolmar but I am getting closer as the years pass.

Bowtie · July 08, 2009, 08:12:09 AM

Is it cheating to call one of my 064's with an 066 topend (massaged), my "80cc" saw? :D

01crewcab · July 10, 2009, 04:59:50 PM

Get the one that feels the most comfortable to you.I started out on Stihls, then switched to Huskys in the mid 70's, because I liked the way they handled vs a Stihl. That's just a personal preference, not a knock on Stihls.

Dave Shepard · July 10, 2009, 06:11:23 PM

Welcome to the Forum, 01crewcab!

Have you tried a newer Stihl? They've changed in the last 30 years.

01crewcab · July 11, 2009, 10:27:53 AM

Quote from: Dave Shepard on July 10, 2009, 06:11:23 PM
Welcome to the Forum, 01crewcab!

Have you tried a newer Stihl? They've changed in the last 30 years.

No Dave I haven't. I'm just used to Huskys. In fact i just recently bought a 372XP with a 32' Oregon lightweight bar. For a complete left turn a guy I work with was mentioning he had a Echo 602vl that he was going to get rid of. $25.00. I said well I'd give you that. What a beast

. I now have to mix up some 20-1 fuel.

Rocky_J · July 11, 2009, 04:26:13 PM

Why would you mix up 20-1 fuel? Are you going to use old 30 weight oil refined back in the 60's as your two cycle mix oil? Motors have lubrication requirements, not mix ratio requirements. When that saw was new, the manufacturer specified a mix ratio based on the oil available at that time. But the purpose was to satisfy a lubrication requirement for that motor. Today's mix oils offer about a hundred times more lubrication than the basic 30 weight oil sold back in the 60's. Why do you need to mix today's mix oil at 20-1?

PS- You can use the same mix that you use in all your other saws. Or do you have separate cans of mix for different saws? Dump them all into one can and use the same mix for everything. If it is mixed properly to provide the correct lubrication for one saw, then it will provide the proper lubrication for them all.

SawTroll · July 12, 2009, 01:16:34 PM

Quote from: Cut4fun on June 12, 2009, 08:48:38 PM
It's a old inside joke with Ole Sawtroll. If a saw weighed 2 ounces more then another it was to heavy PHO with no fuels or etc.

I still go by how a saw is used for weights ( nobody carries a empty bar less saw to the woods :D), fueled up, full of bar oil and b+c the same. He still wont admit when a 357 and 361 are both fueled up and with bar oil full and both with 16" B+C the same. I have owned both at the same time an know first hand same same.

Yep, but the difference between the 7900 and 681 weights is 1.6lbs or so, according to the KWF test lab - so no joke this time..... :D :D

Cut4fun · July 12, 2009, 04:48:53 PM

I dont know how much the bar clutch cover and bar nuts weigh on the 7900. But if you look at their advertised PHO weight it was minus those items, while the 681 included those parts in their PHO weight. I have ran both at the gtg's in Ohio and ready to use weight felt close if not the same.

I wished I would have weighed both at the Racesaws GTG now to just had some fun with the pics for you ;). Take care Sawtroll.