Petrol or electric chainsaw?

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Russell

Well-known member
Ok thanks I will have a look and I will also pop in mole valley tomorrow to see what they have. Toolstation and Screwfix only seam to stock the real cheap rubbish saws.
 
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Stubota86

Stubota86

Well-known member
Any scoring on the bore? The cut off saws struggle with that a lot.

I think if you take the exhaust off you can normally look straight into the chamber and see if it’s picking up any deposits
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
Finally got round to fitting the new carb and coil. It's still not right, when you run it flat out the revs go up and down. It also bogs a lot and doesn't want to rev up cleanly. I pulled the fuel filter off but It's no better. Every job I do lately I seam to have to buy a new £200 tool and every other quote I do there is some idiot that will do it for nothing:rolleyes:
what's the exhaust and port like ??? ..... my Husqy strimmer is very prone to losing the plot when the exhaust port cokes up ... and only needs a little around the port edge to piss it off ... just won't rev out ...... quick de-coke and it's like a new 'un (y)
been a bloody good tool aside from that odd idiosyncrasy :mad::rolleyes:

the in carb filter blocking issues, I've had a loooong time with me Sthil, are still yet to be resolved .... but I have gotten so used to having to clean the damned thing every 2-3 hrs, I can do it in minutes .... just bloody frustrating ...
 
Gunners

Gunners

Well-known member
The 18v saws will frustrate the hell out of you. A utility belt is required with spare batteries they run out that fast. The higher voltage "flexvolt" stuff or Makita equivilent is surprisingly good and having used one, it makes me wonder if its worth running 2 stroke again for the odd time I use a saw. However if you're on it day in day out, I dont think anything will beat the 2 stroke engine. But they do need fettling regularly.
Looking back I think you said it was an MS 170 saw. They sell online for £150 inc vat. Arguably, is it worth fixing? The great thing about Sthil stuff is there is always some idiot on ebay looking to give £50 or more for a broken one so buying new might not be as expensive as you think.
 
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Smiffy

Well-known member
The 18v saws will frustrate the hell out of you. A utility belt is required with spare batteries they run out that fast. The higher voltage "flexvolt" stuff or Makita equivilent is surprisingly good and having used one, it makes me wonder if its worth running 2 stroke again for the odd time I use a saw. However if you're on it day in day out, I dont think anything will beat the 2 stroke engine. But they do need fettling regularly.
Looking back I think you said it was an MS 170 saw. They sell online for £150 inc vat. Arguably, is it worth fixing? The great thing about Sthil stuff is there is always some idiot on ebay looking to give £50 or more for a broken one so buying new might not be as expensive as you think.

Some of the new Stihl stuff is absolutely garbage more and more plastic and lighter and lighter construction the saws don't seem to be as bad as some of the kit but if you go on atbtalk there are daily posts of kit falling apart in people's hands
I think the Makita and echo stuff is worth looking at
Makita is dolmar painted blue for the UK market and both seem to feel a lot more robust certainly heavier than Stihl
But only played with them in the shop
 
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Russell

Well-known member
I like the idea of Makita cordless but I would need a twin charger and another couple batteries for it to make sense. I may hire for this job and get a Makita petrol or cordless for the next decent job. Although if mole have a ms170 for the £130 online price , that would be hard to turn down.
 
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Steve

Well-known member
To me, it's still looking like the fuel line is letting air in.
Either this ^^^^^^ or I have had the fuel pipe collapse where it exits the tank & starving it from fuel.
 
Gecko

Gecko

Well-known member
What sort of 2st oil are you guys using?
Are you just making a few cuts each time or working it hard enough to get the engine to full temp?

I've never had cokeing problems like those described here. Perhaps a full synthetic oil from a scooter shop is worth trying.

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(now you know why it's called Red Gum!)
 
M

Monkeybusiness

Well-known member
We only use green Stihl oil and never have issues in any 2-stroke engines, no-matter which brand.
To the OP - I still think you should chuck that little saw away/stick it on eBay and either replace with a brand new one (as they cost buttons) or get the 36v makita. Don’t waste more time and money on a worn out saw aimed at the domestic market.
 
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Steve

Well-known member
Problem is if you replace it with a budget Stihl or budget Husky you are likely to be in the same boat again.
My small saw is a Husqvarna 435 which is a mid range saw fairly reliable only issue is the brake band has broken a couple times & it doesn't rev as hard as the husky it replaced but it's cheaper than a battery alternative.
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
171 is bottom of range. 181 not much more and a reliable saw. Husky 135 also as good and cheaper. I have both and they are used fairly hard.

put your hand in your pocket mate, it’s a couple of hundred quits and good tools are always worth the money!
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
Bit more info now I'm at a desktop machine-

MS170s are the cheapest saw, aimed at getting DIYers to buy a Stihl. They are weak, especially in the oil pump. The anti vibtration is awful. Don't be tempted.

The MS171 is not much better- just springs rather than rubbers for the anti vibe IIRC.

The MS181 is a good all rounder for small stuff and the odd larger cut on site. Reliable and pleasant enough to use, £187.50+VAT at FR Jones. I've had loads over the yearsw- run them for two years, then flog them for £120-£150 to a DIYer. Pretty much a free chainsaw. Don't waste your money on the C-BE version- the Ergo Start is not needed unless you are built like Bruce Jenner, and tooless chain tensioner is worse than useless (seriously)

The Husky 135 I bought as they didn't have a MS181 one day. Very surpised by it. It produces noticeably more power in the real world (despite similar specs on paper), and is dirt cheap at £150 plus VAT, FR Jones. Resale probably not as good, reliability can't comment as it's my first Husky and little used. I find it very nice to handle, probably a bit nicer than the Stihl but that's personal preference. I HATE the outboard clutch- but that's Stihl vs Husky, all Stihls are inboard and all Huskeys are outboard. I did replace a Stihl polesaw with a Husky version, and wish I'd done it years ago- twice the machine in terms of comfort and ergonomics for less money. I will certainly consider Husky when it comes time to replace the larger saws, but that'll probably be ten years yet.

Whatever you do, if you buy new then buy the Husky 135 rather than a MS170!

If you're really tight and want a cheap Husky, you can have mine at two years old for £100 plus VAT- I'll just pay £50 more and have a shiny new one!
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
This may help
he just pressurized the tank though and it leaked fuel around the grommet, from what I could see there .... can't see how that'd allow extra air into the line??
 
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Rob 210

Well-known member
best saw stihl made was the 200t,just love mine the rest are Husky.357xp is an animal!
 
R

Rob 210

Well-known member
he just pressurized the tank though and it leaked fuel around the grommet, from what I could see there .... can't see how that'd allow extra air into the line??
possibly no help at all,but just threw out a marker showing there's loads of help(with instructions)how to eliminate probs and help sort things if needed.
 
R

Russell

Well-known member
Well mole don't have any saws in stock so it looks like nowhere on the island will have a quality saw, only Chinese rubbish from Screwfix. I only use the saw for fencing so only need a little one. Think I'll hire for this job and get a battery one for the next job as I like the idea of it being ready to go at the touch of a button. 90% of its use would be 4x4 posts , cant rails and trimming the top of the feather edge.
Also I've ordered a fuel hose and crank seals. I don't mind a bit of a gamble at less than £10 for them and I think the coil and carb were around £25 for both.
 
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Smiffy

Well-known member
Well mole don't have any saws in stock so it looks like nowhere on the island will have a quality saw, only Chinese rubbish from Screwfix. I only use the saw for fencing so only need a little one. Think I'll hire for this job and get a battery one for the next job as I like the idea of it being ready to go at the touch of a button. 90% of its use would be 4x4 posts , cant rails and trimming the top of the feather edge.
Also I've ordered a fuel hose and crank seals. I don't mind a bit of a gamble at less than £10 for them and I think the coil and carb were around £25 for both.

My mates a fencer and uses a cordless skil saw for most of his work only bringing out a chainsaw for bigger stuff should that be an option as cheaper than the cordless chainsaws
 
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