Tell me more about dolmar saws

davefrommd · June 20, 2004, 07:26:02 PM

I have never heard of domar chainsaws till I got on this forum. Maybe you all could tell me more about them and which models you like. I recently found out partner made mcculloch chainsaws.. of course never heard of partner before. This area in maryland sells stihl, husky & echo to name a few and of course poulan. dave

DanManofStihl · June 21, 2004, 04:50:07 AM

Yeah I know what you mean here in Virginia all we have is hucky stihl echo and of course the walmart special s i.e poulan homelite mcculoch. I have heard some good things about dolmar chainsaws I know baileys has one of the models on sale it is said they are trying to give the sithl ms 440 and the huisky 372 a run for their money. I dont think they will be able to but you never know. Stihl rules over all competiors in the saws husky is close behind though.

Hunter · June 22, 2004, 09:42:54 AM

The Dolmars are a very strong contender. The 7900 has some strong following and they are a great saw. Stone stock and out of the box the run stronger than the 385Xp and the 046mag. Not to mention they are lighter than the 385 and as light as a 372XP.
The 7900 Dolmars are already starting to be noticed and they are not in box stores.
As for Porting the saws, They take very well to porting and run very well. an 046 mag ported wont keep up with a 7900 ported. this is a woods porting job, not race porting.
I have alot of time on my EHP7900 and it works very well and does not have any drawbacks as I have found yet.
If I can help you out any more, feel free to let me know.
I have the stock PS7900's on sale right now and I have the EHP7900 Woods Ported Powerhead in stock.

If interested let me know
Hunter

incognitive · June 22, 2004, 11:21:31 AM

The PS7900 is stronger (as much as it is) than the MS460 primarily because of its larger motor. They weigh precisely the same (on a digital scale which reads in tenths of a pound) when new, dry, missing only the bar and chain. In that condition the Dolmar hangs by the front handle at a rear-handle-down angle approximately half of what the MS460 does, which may be an indication of balance for those who care much about that.

I took part in a timed-cut comparison between a stock PS7900 and a stock 385XP. The Dolmar did cut faster for everyone, but the difference might result in only one or two extra "cookies" at the base of the log stand after a couple of minutes making them. Real productivity differences between the two probably isn't anything to write home to mom about, except that the 385 is a pound heavier new, dry, with no bar/chain. A 372 wearing some sawdust and with a splash each of oil and fuel also weighed the same as the first two saws mentioned above.

Don't forget that the exact same saws can be had in Makita Blue instead of Dolmar Red, and at this point in time it might be a better way to get them so far as warranty/service work is concerned. That will change as the community presence of Dolmar increases again.

Some people might be concerned by the sole piston ring in the PS7900, but for me the most undesirable characteristic is the opaque fuel tank, followed distantly by the separate controls for ignition and choke.

rmihalek · June 23, 2004, 10:59:36 AM

Also, it should be noted that Dolmar is not new on the saw scene. I have a Sachs-Dolmar model 119 that I bought new back in 1981. I'm a seasonal saw user (heat home with wood) so I'm not that tough on the equipment, but this saw has never broken in almost 25 years of use (5-10 cords per year). My brother lent it to someone who ran straight gas in it and seized it, so it does have a new top end, but that's no fault of the saw.

incognitive · June 23, 2004, 12:22:36 PM

Dolmar and Stihl got started in the "portable chainsaw" business at just about the same time. At the Dolmar website (http://www.dolmarusa.com/) they state they are "the world's original manufacturer of gasoline chainsaws" but that's a bit dubious since they're not talking about what we know as chainsaws. Nevertheless, they've generally made good products through the years and are now interested in improving their marketing skills here.

davefrommd · June 25, 2004, 05:31:45 PM

Thanks for explaining about dolmar chainsaws. I've kept on hearing the name and that's all I knew about it. Now I understand. I don't need a chain saw now but in the future I'm always willing to try new products especially different brands.

Home depot a few months ago was selling a makita rental chain saw with new bar and chain for I think $360.00. I looked a the instruction booklet and I believe it said it would hold a 24" or was it a 28" bar. It looked to be in pretty good condition. Thanks again for everyones response. Dave

rahtreelimbs · June 26, 2004, 08:37:06 PM

I have 2 Dolmar 7900's that are modified by Dan Henry and 2 Makita 7301's. As far as I am concerned these saws are better than the current offerings from Stihl & Husky!!!

RandD · August 31, 2004, 09:24:58 AM

Quote... I have heard some good things about dolmar chainsaws. I know baileys has one of the models on sale it is said they are trying to give the sithl ms 440 and the huisky 372 a run for their money. I dont think they will be able to but you never know. Stihl rules over all competiors in the saws husky is close behind though.

Regarding the ranking, it seems that there will be a change .....

Under the following link you can find a test from the german magazin agrartechnik for professionals. They tested 50 cc an 7x cc machines.

http://www.arboristsite.com/attach/14834.pdf
(Remark: the first page should be the last)

Tested Machines:

50 cc

DOLMAR PS-5000 (Maktia DCS 5000)
Stihl MS 260
Husky 346 XP
Shindaiwa 488

7x cc

DOLMAR PS-7300 (Makita DCS 7300)
Stihl MS 440
Husky 372 XP
Shindaiwa 757

Remark:

The 79 cc Version PS-7900 have with the same weigth 0,4 kW more power output than the tested PS-7300.

rahtreelimbs · August 31, 2004, 07:13:52 PM

QuoteI have 2 Dolmar 7900's that are modified by Dan Henry and 2 Makita 7301's. As far as I am concerned these saws are better than the current offerings from Stihl & Husky!!!

I stand corrected. I just got a Husky 372. Real, real nice saw. As equal to a Dolmar as it gets!

Well, at least I admitted it!

sawguy21 · September 15, 2004, 09:52:31 PM

am a little surprised to see Dolmar back in North America. Makita bought them out in 1990 and that is the only way we will see them for the time being in Canada, according to Makita.. They were a very durable saw, if a little heavy, and I was sorry to see them disappear
In the late 70's they were building large saws for Poulan and Poulan was returning the favour with the Micro 25. A few of our logging customers tried the rebadged Dolmar but the air intakes plugged easily with chips getting lodged under the throttle linkage, preventing idle. The carbs were prone to icing.We stuffed upholstery foam inthe intakes to keep sawdust and snow out. Those loggers simply would not use anything but the Stihl 075 in he big cedar

tony_marks · September 16, 2004, 04:22:45 PM

the blue saws home depo rents are not for sell[in the store] down this way.. which is a good way to rib the rental agents..if they are selling them mabe they getting ready to change again as they did from husk.. during that period ,,u could find some decent prices on the husk saw.. mostly 55s i think..

Clockwork · October 24, 2004, 10:06:54 PM

i dont know, but the van natta bros online logging page speaks highly of them as a real professional saw. -ryan

ehp · October 25, 2004, 09:50:36 AM

Here is the way i see them , the 7900 is a good saw, as good as any 372 , 460, 385. They are a light saw with very good power stock, they had a few little problems but have fixed them like the off and on switch, I have quite a few 7900's out there and have not had any trouble with the motors stock or ported , they are a strong built engine and one of the strongest cranks out there for that cc of saw, so if you were wondering about buying one go ahead and get one they are a nice saw to run

Dolmar_Tech_Mgr · October 21, 2005, 10:20:15 PM

We just got back from the Louisville Expo and for Dolmar the show was a huge success. The Dolmette motorcycle powered by 24 PS-7900 engines was a big draw. See www.dolmette.com for more information on the motorcycle and see www.dolmarusa.com for more information about Dolmar and the distribution network for Dolmar. It was great to have the dealers visit as well as the end-users. Things are changing for Dolmar very fast and Dolmar will again be sold in Canada.