DOLMAR!!!!!

[carbon neutral]

I just traded in my Husky 359 for a 7900 Dolmar. No time for a full run down right now but I did have time to cut some 18" oak rounds and cannot believe the difference in power over the Husky! These saws are in different leagues and I should be comparing the Dolamr to a Stihl 460 or Husky 385XP but they cost way more than the Dolamr (also weigh a lot more!). Some quick stats on the 7900:
Power 6.3HP
Engine Size 79CC
Weight 13.6LBS
Cost $639
By the numbers Husky and Stihl cannot match what Dolmar is offering. I would strongly reccomend anyone in the chain saw shopping mode look into Dolmar.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Wow that was fast, nice people down at Curtis eh?
That saw is taking over the planet!


WoodButcher

 

[carbon neutral]

As far as my experience with the dealer. I walked into the dealership and wasn't sure if it was a dealership or grave yard for olds saws. This is not the type of dealership that has spotless showcases with pimple faced kids wearing freshly pressed collard shirts and will tell you all about their financing plans but know nothing about logging, in fact I met the owner and he wasn't wearing a shirt at all. He could tell me more about chainsaw design and history than I could ever remember. No pressure at all to buy. He went over all the features of the saw gassed it up and we ran the saw up to full speed so he could fine tune it. Then we went to the wood pile and he ripped through a couple pieces of wood the entire time he didn't have a shirt or any other protective gear on. Then he lectured me on what he says are the three most important things to know about saws to protect their longevity. I must have spent over an hour with him the whole time I am thinking I gotta get going so I can put this new orange saw where the old orange saw lived before my wife gets home. Overall the experience with this dealer was great and I would reccomend him to anyone, he knows a lot about saws and seems honest plus he has all sorts of parts on hand for this saw.

 

[TruePatriot]

Clarkharms,

Congratulations! Man, those are some bigtime numbers on that saw, in terms of size and output, IMO. I hope you enjoy it.

But I gotta ask, re: your "teaser":

Then he lectured me on what he says are the three most important things to know about saws to protect their longevity.

What are THE THREE THINGS?

I'm actually serious--I wanna know. I too know a dealer who's shop resembles a graveyard for OPE, but who is nevertheless a backwoods genius with saws and related equipment.

I can totally appreciate the feeling you get when buying from someone like that, because I did so too, and never regretted it.

So tell us! LOL

 

[mayhem]

Overall the experience with this dealer was great and I would reccomend him to anyone, he knows a lot about saws and seems honest plus he has all sorts of parts on hand for this saw.

Well we can't go to him wihtout your telling us the name of the business, the guy's name or anyhting about your location.

 

[carbon neutral]

The dealer is in Brooklyn CT. Here is his web site I found out about him through wood butcher. If you want to do business with him please call him first. I am being somewhat evasive here because it is a somewhat sticky subject buying a chainsaw mail order.
(broken link removed to http://www.firstgeartrucks.com/store/home.php?cat=4)
Also I want to add Dolmars are a bargain right now in the US because Dolmar is trying to get the word out about their saws. The dealer I bought my saw from sells almost as many saws to Germans as he does in the US! He said it is $80 to ship them back to Germany another $65 for duty and it is still cheaper than buying the saws in Germany where they sell for prices that are closer to what Stihls sell for. It is obvious from this that Dolmar is under pricing their saws to get into this market.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Any word on Dolmar reliability? I'm thinking about a 7300

 

[carbon neutral]

OK the three things the dealer reccomended:
1. Fuel
A. Use fuel with low methanol. Methanol breaks down the lube oil on the cylinder walls. IHO Exxon/Mobil is the best fuel avoid Gulf, Cumberland farms, and Safeway. 89 or higher octane.
B. Use Husky XP premium lube oil. The XP oil has a fuel stabilizer in it and will keep the gas fresh longer, if not available stihl or dolmar oil should be used but that is the only other oils he would reccomend using. Mix the gas 8/10th gas to one 2.6 OZ oil bottle. This will end up being about a 45:1 ratio, he thinks 50:1 is too little oil for these high output saws.
C. Do not use Stabil, it will break down the seals
2. Only use sharp chains as these saws with lots of power can easily be over revved with dull chains, be sure to back off on the throttle when the saw cannot be kept loaded.
3. Never adjust the HI/LO jets. The engine is set to run as lean as practical at the factory so it can meet emmissions, going any leaner will burn up the motor.
A final word was never let someone barrow your saw, they will violate one or all of these things.
I have lots of experience with all kinds of engines and am an engineer. I will follow his advice because after seeing his shop he is obviously a nuts and bolts kind of guy with lots of experience with all sorts of chain saw brands.

 

[carbon neutral]

I asked about Dolmar reliability, I was concerned because up to yesterday I had never even seen one. The dealer said they are as good as anything else IHO. Yes that is the dealers opinion but he also sells Husky and Jonsored and feels the Dolmars are as good if not better than those saws. They come with a one year warranty, same as Stihl. I was looking at the 7300 as well but the 7900 was only a little more money and weighed the same so I went for the big Dawg.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Ya, I'm 5'7" and 185# when I'm soaking wet- I'd worry about a 7900 throwing me around.

 

[carbon neutral]

Honestly the saw is not much harder to handle than the 359 it replaced, I just have to get used to how quickly it gets through wood. My mind is having trouble grasping the signal my eyes are sending. I certainly am not used to the speed, other than that the saw is very smooth and well balanced so it doesn't take any special skill to operate.

 

[savageactor7]

Clark what size bar did it come with? I went to the web site but...nada.

 

[carbon neutral]

2O" I think it is $20 for each up size 24, 28, or 32.

 

[savageactor7]

Thanks Clark...a 20" bar is perfect for me.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

OK the three things the dealer reccomended:
1. Fuel
A. Use fuel with low methanol. Methanol breaks down the lube oil on the cylinder walls. IHO Exxon/Mobil is the best fuel avoid Gulf, Cumberland farms, and Safeway. 89 or higher octane.
B. Use Husky XP premium lube oil. The XP oil has a fuel stabilizer in it and will keep the gas fresh longer, if not available stihl or dolmar oil should be used but that is the only other oils he would reccomend using. Mix the gas 8/10th gas to one 2.6 OZ oil bottle. This will end up being about a 45:1 ratio, he thinks 50:1 is too little oil for these high output saws.
C. Do not use Stabil, it will break down the seals
2. Only use sharp chains as these saws with lots of power can easily be over revved with dull chains, be sure to back off on the throttle when the saw cannot be kept loaded.
3. Never adjust the HI/LO jets. The engine is set to run as lean as practical at the factory so it can meet emmissions, going any leaner will burn up the motor.
A final word was never let someone barrow your saw, they will violate one or all of these things.
I have lots of experience with all kinds of engines and am an engineer. I will follow his advice because after seeing his shop he is obviously a nuts and bolts kind of guy with lots of experience with all sorts of chain saw brands.

Before I walked out with my 5100s he wrote most of that short hand on the cover of my manual.......

WoodButcher

 

[carbon neutral]

He wrote it on the cover of my owners manual as well!

 

[lobsta1]

OK the three things the dealer reccomended:
1. Fuel
A. Use fuel with low methanol. Methanol breaks down the lube oil on the cylinder walls. IHO Exxon/Mobil is the best fuel avoid Gulf, Cumberland farms, and Safeway. 89 or higher octane.
.

I don't think methanol is used anymore. If you are in NY, CT, MA,or southern NH as well as many other areas, you cannot buy gas without ETHANOL. Doesn't matter if it's Exxon, Safeway or any no-name, it ALL gets ETHANOL mixed in at the distributer.

What I have seen recommended is to only use hi-test in your mix.
Al

 

[carbon neutral]

I think you are right that it is ethanol not methanol, maybe that is what he meant. Anyway he has a test kit and goes around testing the different stations to check the percentage of alcohol in their gas. In his experience the gas stations listed had percentages that varied a lot. All gas is supposed to have about 10% MAXIMUM, he said he has found gas as high as 18% alcohol. The lowest and most consistant alcohol content gas came from Exxon/Mobil and that is why he reccomends using their gas. Either that or he just bought stock in Exxon/Mobil.

 

[lobsta1]

He probably is right about Exxon/Mobil. They are so large that they may have better quality control when blending in the ethanol.
Al

 

[carbon neutral]

Wood butcher asked for a picture of the new saw. Here is a link to a video I posted on youtube. I ran both my Stihl 180C and Dolmar 7900 through the same piece of wood to show the relative difference in speed. The Dolmar is about 3 times faster!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBqgrDlJgS8

 

[savageactor7]

Good vid Clark...I like that Dolmar.

 

[Gooserider]

I have a Dolmar 7900, that I purchased earlier this year - fantastic saw... I got it with a 20" bar for most use, and a 28" bar to swap in for the occasional BIG log. Earlier this summer my next door neighbor wanted to get rid of some ~40" maple logs that he had been given - I put on the 28" bar, and could bury the bar full depth in the log and not even slow down the engine. With the 20" bar I was going through red oak and maple logs like they weren't even there -put bar on log, pull the trigger, catch saw as it falls out log on other side...

It is claimed to be the best horsepower to weight ratio in the business, and I can believe it.

It is also a very smooth running saw, the engine is isolation mounted in the cradle and does a little bit of the V-8 style "rumpa rumpa" rock at idle, but when you pull the trigger it smooths out so that it's like the only way you can tell it's running is the engine noise... My 36cc Pull-on shakes far more.

The air filter is easy to get at (and doesn't seem to get dirty) and supposedly you can completely disassemble the saw with the supplied Torx wrench. Starting is extremely reliable once you've got the drill down - I've never had it take more than 5 pulls cold, or 2 pulls hot, (unless I forgot the ignition switch :red: )

I haven't used mine enough to have an opinion on reliablity, but it's worth noting that on Arboristsite, there are lots of tales of woe about both Husky and Stihls, but the ONLY gripe I see about Dolmars is the lack of a dealer network...

A couple of other notes - the Dolmar 6400, 7300, and 7900 are IDENTICAL saws, built on the same chasis, with the same parts except for the piston and cylinder. Thus you can change one into another by doing a parts swap (approx $200)
You can purchase the Makita 6400 at a bargain price in some shops, and it is a common rental saw (so can be sometimes had as a used rental saw), and the Makita saws are Dolmar saws with blue paint jobs...

Bottom line, I think the Dolmar 7900 is one of the better saws out there, and I'm very glad that I purchased it.

Gooserider

 

[carbon neutral]

Hey Goose,
I agree with your evaluation, thus far I am happy with the 7900. I am having trouble with the stop switch as it is opposite of my Husky so I am trying to start the saw with it off. The dealer offered to flip the switch around but I figure I will get the hang of it. The 7900 does have the best power to weight ratio of any saw I could find and by a good margin. I had suspected the 6400, 7300, and 7900 shared the same parts as they weigh the same amount and physically looked the same. One thing that I feel needs to be emphasized aside from the power to weight ratio advantage is the price of the 7900 is considerably less than a comparable saw from Husky or Stihl. The dealer told me it takes about 40 hours to break the saw in at which point the saw will get a bit stronger have you noticed this?

 

[zzr7ky]

OK! Y'all :coolsmile:

I went out to find a blue Dolmar 6300 at HomeDespot... Nice lady said she just sold the one I had my eye on... I swhould call around to othe local stores. I get home and neighbor reports he's got 10 trees laid down, contractor is grinding brush. If I take the wood he saves some cash...

I located a Makita 6301 with very little use and a brqnd new bar and chain for $250. I ended up cutting the trees, 16-24" Ash, and one 40"+ Red Oak in style. Even with the sorry safety chain. New Stihl chain goes on tonight!

I'm so happy with it now I'm seriously thinking of putting off the 7900 kit. I suppose I could wait until it's paid for itself.

Thanks for the reviews.
Mike P

 

[Gooserider]

Hey Goose,
I agree with your evaluation, thus far I am happy with the 7900. I am having trouble with the stop switch as it is opposite of my Husky so I am trying to start the saw with it off. The dealer offered to flip the switch around but I figure I will get the hang of it. The 7900 does have the best power to weight ratio of any saw I could find and by a good margin. I had suspected the 6400, 7300, and 7900 shared the same parts as they weigh the same amount and physically looked the same. One thing that I feel needs to be emphasized aside from the power to weight ratio advantage is the price of the 7900 is considerably less than a comparable saw from Husky or Stihl. The dealer told me it takes about 40 hours to break the saw in at which point the saw will get a bit stronger have you noticed this?

I haven't had the stop switch problem - my pull-on has the switch going up/down and the Dolmar has it left-right, so no problem... I do think the Dolmar switch is a bit more awkward to use as it's a fair stretch of the thumb to reach it, where the Pull-on was much easier to hit. (The Pull-on also automatically turned the switch on when you pulled out the choke...) It isn't a big deal though, as Dolmar uses the brake as the main stopping mechanism.

I agree on the price - I didn't do a lot of price shopping for Husky / Stihl, but checked a couple of dealers that posted prices on the web, even though they didn't do web sales. The 80cc Dolmar was in the same price range as the 60-70cc H/S models, and if you went online (this was just before Dolmar shut off the online sales through places like Amick's) it was more the price range of a 50-60cc model... The only problem is the dealer network, it seemed several of the factory website listed "Dolmar dealers" didn't stock the saws and didn't know jack about the line... It appears that one of the major distributors in my area has a typo in their catalog where they list the 7900 as a 73cc engine - I found this out when asking my local OPE repair guy (who is NOT a dealer) if he could get me a good price, and we started comparing his book with the Dolmar website... Several of the "dealers" were telling me the same thing! (thus presumably using the same distributor) I only found about 3-4 dealers out of the 10 or so that I checked who seemed to know as much about the line as I did from reading the company website... NONE stocked the 7900... I ended up getting it from Amick's - took about the same time as it would have taken the local shop, delivered to my door, tax free, and with freight over $100 cheaper than any local shop... Discussion on Arboristsite by some of their dealer participants said that several were comparable to Amicks though they only dealt to local customers...

I will also say that I found that it was far easier to figure out what I wanted with Dolmar - their entire lineup is shorter, and it is easy to figure out the models - 3 digit numbers are "home-owner" grade, 4 digits are "pro-grade" and the first two digits are the approximate engine size... They don't have umpteen different models that have only subtle differences between them, and model numbers that don't seem to relate to the size of the saw in any consistent manner. I still feel like I need a decoder manual to figure out what the H&S;saws are - and never did feel like I had a complete understanding of which models I was interested in when I was shopping. Not a big deal, but something that a marketing person might want to think about...

In terms of the parts interchange on the 6400 / 7300 / 7900 - I found definitive proof - you can look up the parts list for the entire saw online, or it's in the owners manual, and they give you one picture with a table of part numbers for each of the saws - the ONLY numbers that change are the piston and cylinder, all the other part numbers are the same...

I can't comment on the "getting stronger" aspect - I haven't run that much gas through the saw as of yet. Since I got the saw, I think I'm on my 3rd gallon of pre-mix, which I share with the Pull-on and the weed-whacker... I'm also not sure how much I'd notice it getting stronger - if it got much better the logs would have to start cutting themselves before I got the bar to them :coolgrin: Right now, if it's less than 12-14" diameter I feel like I'm not able to push the saw through the logs as fast as it is able to cut them - how much better can it get?

Gooserider