Finally scored a Makita DCS6421 from HD

[newman7786]

Well after many months of searching I finally have one. I am out of town for some training for work and I got back to my hotel at 4 with nothing to do so I hopped on my computer and looked at all of the HD's nearby. After calling the seventh store, yes that was right seventh store I finally found one that had a rental saw for sale. Picked it up for a cool $300 with a chain cover. I was talking with the sales clerk telling him how I have been looking for one for a while. He told me that they had four of them for sale yesterday and one guy came in and bought the other three! Must have been fate that I had gotten called out of town for work. Cant wait to get home and start taking some trees down! Anybody with some real world experiences feel free to chime in and let me know what I have. Now I just have to save up again for the bigger airfilter and possibly the big bore kit......

 

[ihookem]

Nice saw for 300 bucks if it ain't beat up.

 

[mstoelton]

No need for a big air filter. Use it until it needs a new piston and cylinder, and then buy the big bore kit.

If you have never run a pro saw, you are in for a pleasant surprise. You might want to get a stihl chain for it.

It takes a 3/8ths pitch, 0.050, 72 drive tooth 20 inch chain.

 

[newman7786]

The saw looks clean and I was able to run in out the back door of the store. Started right up on the second pull. I am currently using my FILs extra saw which is an 029 Super with a 16" bar. It gets the job done but working on getting 3 years ahead so the bigger saw will really help. Excited to get back home and use it as long as the weather holds up out here.

 

[Jags]

Even considering the 029 was a heck of a firewood saw, that 64xx is gonna make it look silly. Get a loop of Stihl RS chain for it. You will have a grin that needs to be surgically removed.

 

[zzr7ky]

Congratulations! I got a 2005 Makita DCS 6401 and have run it hard, including cutting with the entire bar under water, and it has been a joy. I also scored a 6420 last month. So the old one got the OEM 7900 Cylinder and Piston, along with a new clutch drum/bearing. I really like this saw in it's 64cc version... It's a beast with the 79cc. I have not had any issues with the stock filter.

If anyone else is looking: I fially learned that the Home Despot stores get a list each month, the first week of the month, telling them what units to sell. Once I learned that I called 3 stores, and found 3 saws. I got a nicer conditon saw since I had 3 to choose from.

Stihl or Oregon LGX chain and you're going to be grinning even bigger!!
Mike

 

[bassJAM]

If anyone else is looking: I fially learned that the Home Despot stores get a list each month, the first week of the month, telling them what units to sell. Once I learned that I called 3 stores, and found 3 saws. I got a nicer conditon saw since I had 3 to choose from.

Stihl or Oregon LGX chain and you're going to be grinning even bigger!!
Mike

If you're lucky they might let you see that list. I was bs-ing with the guy behind counter at my HD about guns, and then asked him about Makita saws. He pulled out the list and showed me what he had for sale. There were no saws, but that list shows them the lowest price they can take for old rental equipment. It was significantly lower than the asking price!

 

[jeff_t]

No need for a big air filter. Use it until it needs a new piston and cylinder, and then buy the big bore kit.

If you have never run a pro saw, you are in for a pleasant surprise. You might want to get a stihl chain for it.

It takes a 3/8ths pitch, 0.050, 72 drive tooth 20 inch chain.

It is a pretty good runner as is. I ran a 28" bar on my 6400 when necessary. It did okay, though I wouldn't want to do it every day. It's a much better match to the 7900.

I like the big air filter.

My 6401 came with a Home Depot logo'd laminated bar and a serious bumper chain. It has a real chain and Husqvarna bar now.

 

[AK13]

Nice score. I bought one last month and finally used it last weekend. I used the crappy rental chain just because I was too lazy to swap on the new Oregon chain that I bought. And I figured I might as well use it up. The only issue that I had was that it stalled a fair amount. It always started right back up again. My guess is that I just need to adjust the idle speed a little bit. Does that sound right?

Yours looks slightly nicer than mine because my bar cover was shredded. So were another 2 of the rental saws. Apparently homeowners who rent saws are too dumb to remove the cover before starting.

Also, I my saw was priced at $300. But then I saw it said $260 on the back of the tag so I asked for it for that price. They hemmed and hawed a bit but then sold it for that. I tried to get them to let me swap the bar cover with a good one but they shot that down.

 

[brant2000]

None of the HD's have tool rentals near me, but this seems odd to me. Wouldn't you expect them to rent out small 14" electric chainsaws instead of these monsters? Do they really trust that the average homeowner (who obviously doesn't own a chainsaw) is satisfactorily going to know how to and use these safely?

Nice score though. I'll have to keep that in mind when I come across any HD's with tool rentals.

 

[HybridFyre]

None of the HD's have tool rentals near me, but this seems odd to me. Wouldn't you expect them to rent out small 14" electric chainsaws instead of these monsters? Do they really trust that the average homeowner (who obviously doesn't own a chainsaw) is satisfactorily going to know how to and use these safely?

Nice score though. I'll have to keep that in mind when I come across any HD's with tool rentals.

Not really when you think about it. I can call a rental place and get a bobcat dropped off and the guy will spend 3 minutes showing me the controls and then leave me to my own devices whether or not I've ever used one before. They make you sign a release when you use these things that you're on your own.

 

[brant2000]

Not really when you think about it. I can call a rental place and get a bobcat dropped off and the guy will spend 3 minutes showing me the controls and then leave me to my own devices whether or not I've ever used one before. They make you sign a release when you use these things that you're on your own.

Very true. I'm also surprised that rental places are willing to do that. I could argue that, in the wrong hands, a chainsaw is more dangerous than a bobcat. It's very easy to damage your own property with a bobcat (no biggie to the rental business), but probably not so easy to injure yourself.

 

[HybridFyre]

i agree completely. I wasn't trying to say a Bobcat was more dangerous. Just trying to say that chainsaws aren't the only example of potentially very dangerous machines being put in the hands of consumers with little to no training. But if you think about it, how is selling vs renting much different? They don't certify you know how to run a big chainsaw before selling either. Only in driving heavy machinery in public places do they seem to certify you can do something before using it.

 

[brant2000]

Very true; however, most people generally go through a progression where they eventually work their way up to a 60+ CC, $750 professional saw. I, myself, haven't got there yet and I've been at this for about 10 years.

 

[splitoak]

What brant said is very true...i have been running chainsaws for a long time..but have just started cutting my own firewood..i bought a ms 290 back in feburary and i am very pleased with it, jus wanted sumthin bigger..so i bought the 441c..and wow helluva power increase the saw just rips...be safe and wear all your ppe...chaps..helmet....gloves, steel toe boots...and get out there! Stay safe....

 

[jeff_t]

Wouldn't you expect them to rent out small 14" electric chainsaws instead of these monsters? Do they really trust that the average homeowner (who obviously doesn't own a chainsaw) is satisfactorily going to know how to and use these safely?

The saw I bought was straight gassed, rebuilt, then sold to me.

It had been marked down twice, and I bought it for $196+ tax. Apparantly everyone was afraid of it. I happen to know the shop that does warranty work for a bunch of HDs in the area, and likely the one that fixed it, and I didn't even hesitate. The saw has been perfect.

 

[AK13]

The rental guys told me the Makita is a terrible rental saw because its difficult to start. I agree that it is not the easiest saw to start. The choke controls are much more confusing than my Stihl. And it is a big saw for someone who doesn't use a chainsaw often.

 

[mstoelton]

2-3 pulls with the cylinder decomp on is not a hard saw to start. Pull choke out all of the way for full choke, 1/2 way for 1/2 choke. I'm not sure it gets any easier.

The 6421 is a little heavy but it rips some serious wood! The weight helps when you are cutting!

My son had some trouble starting one last week. He pulled and pulled for 5 minutes. I took the saw and looked at it and I had to remind him that the on/off switch has to be in the "on" position. Sometimes it is the simple things!

 

[AK13]

My son had some trouble starting one last week. He pulled and pulled for 5 minutes. I took the saw and looked at it and I had to remind him that the on/off switch has to be in the "on" position. Sometimes it is the simple things!

The rental guy did the same thing when I bought mine! He flooded it before he realized. Then my dad started doing the same thing this weekend.

Its not a hard saw, but more complicated than my MS250 for sure. That saw has only one "button" on it. All the way down, couple pulls till it burps, bump the button up a notch, one pull and you're running.

 

[Jags]

I had a back seater in an F14 that called me to plug in for trouble shooting on the flight deck. It turns out that OFF does not stand for On Full Force. His face was the most unique shade of red I have ever seen.