I like the looks of the Dolmar, my only reservation is distance to a dealer for repairs ~2 hr each way. I have a husky dealer about ten minutes from home and a home depot right across the street from work...
Question regarding the Dolmar. How important is pitch? Thoughts on Dolmar 510a?
By pitch I assume you are asking about chain pitch. On a 50cc saw ( really any saw under 60cc ) I believe a .325 pitch bar and chain is your best option. The reason is because .325 chain is lighter than regular 3/8 pitch chain. The idea is to not rob the saws power too much just to spin the chain since 50cc saws produce less power and torque. You can run regular 3/8 chain on a 50cc saw more so with a shorter bar say 16 inch or less. However on my 50cc saw I run .325 pitch chain. It just cuts faster.
Most if not all of your 50cc saws will probably come with .325 The Dolmar 5105 is a very strong saw and I'm not sure but perhaps they are fitted with a 3/8. You can run either.
On the echo, because it's a 60cc saw, you could run either .325 or the larger and heavier 3/8 pitch regular chain. I'm guessing the 60cc echo comes fitted in 3/8 though.
Both pitches of chain cut fine when sharp. If dull then no chain in the world will cut good.
If your looking at small says around 40cc or less, they usually run what's called a low profile 3/8 chain which is smaller and lighter yet than .325.
As for Dolmar ya that's a far drive to a dealer. And dealer support is important especially if you don't do your own maintenance. The Dolmar 510 is also an excellent saw. To the best of my knowledge it still uses commercial grade construction. It's basically a bigger Dolmar 421 which uses commercial grade construction but is smaller at 42cc. I know this because I've used one before ( 421) and was very impressed.
If you go handle the Dolmar, compared to the Jonsered 2250 and Husky 450 anyways, I think you will sense the overall quality feel and looks of the construction on it as just simply being better put together. Hard to describe but should be obvious when you handle them.
That said though the Johnsered 2250 and Husky 450 are excellent saws too and I know a couple guys who have processed a lot of firewood with them.
If you like the Jonsered 2250 like I mentioned it is a Husky 450. So if you have a husky dealer that could be an option. Also if you sell the saw later on, you might have an easier time selling the Husky than you would the Jonsered just because of the better brand recognition. Although that probably depends on what's big in your area.
You could also look at the Stihl 271. I don't know pricing but it's probably around the same as the ones your looking at. It's a nice 50cc homeowner and farm saw. Same type of construction as the Jonsered and Huskys your looking at. Seems like a good saw but I don't have any experience with it.
