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What is the best 30cc and 40cc saw?

Started by smith2bj, April 27, 2009, 03:22:48 PM

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smith2bj


chucker

    ??? how much do you want to spend (your budget) will make the question easier to answer...  cheap box store saw or a dealer ship with a set up saw and not just out of the card board box!!!
respect nature ! and she will produce for you !!  jonsered 625 670  2159 2171/28"  efco 147 husky 390xp/28" .375... 455r/auto tune 18" .58 gauge

Rocky_J

Stihl MS200 (the rear handle version) is the ultimate 30-40cc saw. But I'm sure you don't want to spend $600+. So therefore anything you buy will NOT be the best.   ;)

TessiersFarm

After running pro saws for years my father (61 with bad knees and back, probably shouldn't even be woking in the woods) has moved down to a stihl 180 and he is extremely happy with the saw.  He doesn't cut a lot but he loves the little saw, he insisted on it when my 026 broke down.  I have used it a little for some pruning and fence post work and it is a great value, I think I paid around $200 for it new a year or so ago.
Stihl E14, 180, 026, 036, 361, 045
Husky 266, 372, 394
Dolmar 111

Cut4fun

Not saying the best, but cost is 3 to 1. I picked up a Redmax 3800 for $229 shipped to my door. Some dealers getting 289-299 for them. They are bolt on cylinder and all. Just need to open the muffler up to let them breath. Pretty lite for a rear handle saw too.
Runs as good as my 200T for a 1/3 of the cost.

Troutfisher

I have a MS200T and I don't like it. I bought it for carving, It doesn't oil very well and it's WAY overpriced for what it is. I'd like to sell it.

Rocky_J

I would guess that either you don't have the oiler turned up or else it's blocked. The 200T is one of the best oiling saws on the market. I've never been able to keep any of my 200Ts oilers turned up all the way because they will drown the saw with oil.

And for applications other than climbing, the rear handle MS200 is usually a better choice. Top handle saws are designed to be used one handed, regardless of what OSHA or the manufacturers claim.

Troutfisher

oiler is turned up, rubber hose from the tank to the pump is clear, also clear from the pump to the bar passage. The thing sucks the breather full of sawdust when carving, and I have hit the kill switch several times when using it. I'm just not happy with it. 

GASoline71

That saw is not made for carving... period.  Too much fine sawdust when carving for that small surface area air filter to keep out without getting clogged up quickly.  You need to make a different choice of saw for carving, and I believe you will be happier.

Gary
\"...if ya mess with the bull... ya gets the horn.\"

Cut4fun

The 200T I have oils like a gusher. I love it for bar oiling, not stingy at all. When I got it it had a bad oiler.
Cleared out the chips inside the hose and tank area etc and then installed a new oiler.

Ed

It took me quite a while to get the oiler on my 200t adjusted the way I wanted it, definately no oil shortage.

Ed

smith2bj

how about if i dont want to spend 600 dollars?

beenthere

No one "wants" to spend $600.   ;D ;D

All depends on your wants and needs.

Now, what is the question?  :) :)  You gotta help us out here.

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

chucker

 ???  " WELL " or " WOW " if your considering buying a small 30 to 40 cc saw for 600.00 then you shouldnt worry to much about what it will do or wont do !! you might need a high end horse power saw ?????????
respect nature ! and she will produce for you !!  jonsered 625 670  2159 2171/28"  efco 147 husky 390xp/28" .375... 455r/auto tune 18" .58 gauge

Cut4fun

Quote from: smith2bj on April 28, 2009, 01:55:34 PM
how about if i dont want to spend 600 dollars?

I picked up a Redmax 3800 for $229 shipped to my door. rear handle

and they make 2 top handles under $300.

Al_Smith

 I've seen the Redmax in action .It does well .

The Stihl Ms200T is a climbing saw and most likely the best made but it would not be a good choice for a small ground saw or a carving saw . They do oil very well though unless there are some problems with the oiling system which is impossible to diagnose over the internet .We all try though . :D

John Mc

Quote from: smith2bj on April 28, 2009, 01:55:34 PM
how about if i dont want to spend 600 dollars?

How about telling us a bit about how you intend to use it... what you'll be cutting, how often and how many hours per day.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

smith2bj

well I already have the stihl 361 and really like it.  I am looking for something that is light and easy to start so my wife could use but if I needed to use it, it would still have some power.

John Mc

Quote from: smith2bj on April 29, 2009, 10:29:13 AM
well I already have the stihl 361 and really like it.  I am looking for something that is light and easy to start so my wife could use but if I needed to use it, it would still have some power.

Then it sounds as though you do not want one of the top-handle saws. They tend to be small and lightweight, but with the two griping points so close together, you don't get as much control/leverage. (I'm assuming your wife does not have a lot of experience with a chainsaw?? My apologies if I'm just being a male chauvinist with that assumption).

I had a Jonsered 2141 (41cc, 16" bar). I liked it, but found myself wishing for just a bit more power on a lot of occasions.

I moved up to a Jonsered 2152 (sister saw to the Husqvarna 353). Only 0.2 lbs heavier, but a 22% increase in HP. It's also built more along the lines of a pro saw. Running a 16" bar with .325 pitch chain, it's big enough to pass as an all around saw, as long as I'm not cutting really big stuff. It does get a bit slow when bucking 12"+ hardwoods, but it works OK even at that, if I keep the chain sharp. (I have a Husky 357XP that I pull out if I'm doing a lot of 12"+ bucking.) My 2152 is the saw I lend out to a fairly petite woman who I occasionally cut firewood with. With a 16" bar, she likes it just fine. An 18 or 20" bar will work, but it starts getting less comfortable for her (I like the balance and maneuverability with the 16" bar anyway).

If the prices on the ones mentioned above are a bit steep, you might look at the Jonsered 2150 (I believe now replaced by the 2250?) or the Husky 450. Similar weight (maybe a tad heavier) and HP, but less expensive. The trade-off is that these are tending more towards the homeowner end of the scale. While they'll last a good while if properly maintained, they are not made for day after day of all-day cutting.

I tend to stay away from the 30-40 cc saws. I find the weight savings is not significant over a good saw in the 50 cc range, and the lower power is noticeable. Also, unless you are getting into the specialty arborist saws, you are getting solidly into the home-owner/"occasional use" saws when in the 30-40cc range. From a good manufacturer, these are still decent saws for the money, but ... For me the step up to around 50cc and mid-range to pro type constuction gets me a saw I can get a lot more use out of.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

beenthere

If'n you like your Stihl dealer, pay a visit and see what he/she has to offer.
Being he/she likely wants your business, and would be in direct line to help with the fine tuning, that is what I would do.

Might just have a good used saw there.

And you could try out the new Easy-2-start Stihl saws to see if that would meet with your wife's needs for easy start and yours as an extra saw as well.

MS 180   
MS 192
MS 211
MS 192
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Rocky_J

Ahh, this thread is but one more perfect example of why I need to quit responding on this forum. The initial post asked for the BEST 30-40cc saw. But he didn't want the BEST saw, he wanted a little lightweight saw for his wife to use around the house. Jeez, why not just ask for what you want to know right from the beginning instead of making us play guessing games?
::)

If anybody needs me, I'll be over at the Treehouse.  8)

GASoline71

Hey Brain... you still here?

:D :D :D

Gary
\"...if ya mess with the bull... ya gets the horn.\"

beenthere

Don't fret Rocky_J   8) 8)

Sometimes it takes a bit to get to the bottom of a question.

Not a problem on the forum. Several others reading the thread will get good answers or ideas for their own questions in the meantime.

The short of it, is there is no bad or stupid question. (but I think we knew from the get-go, that there is no one/good answer for the "best" saw).


Now, tell us about that Treehouse... ;D ;D ;D
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

smith2bj

well when I first asked the question I forgot about the stihl 200 and the cost but I do have a good idea of what to look at now. thanks

John Mc

"Best" means different things to different people, depending on their needs & budget. Hard to answer a question like that, unless we're also provided some info on intended use.

BTW... I didn't mean to slight Stihl in my too-long post above... I just haven't used them enough to have much to add to the discussion here.

John Mc
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

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