Thought I'd give everyone a heads up on what I consider a great saw for under $250.00 new.
I bought a Stihl top handle P)rofessional Arborists saw from my local Stihl Dealer, always been a Stihl person, I own and use a 075, 028 and a newer MS series, all good, all powerful and all trouble free (the MS got a muffler job right away...)
So I needed a new aerial saw for up in the trees, I have lots of trees on my property and I'm constantly trimming and removing trees (about 60 acres of woods total). I use chainsaws a lot and climbing gear and all the acessories as well. Anyway, I owned an early model Stihl top handle thats been dropped from trees, banged around in the truck and generally abused so I figured I'd get the new Stihl top handle. Big mistake. Completely gutless, in fact, even in softwood, it was unable to pull the 14" loop of lo pro chipper without easing up and letting the revs build. Note, I keep my loops razor sharp, dressing them after every session and sometimes in between so the loop was not dull.
I was very disapointed considering the OTD price of almost 600 bucks. A friend told me about Tanaka saws but I was a doubting Thomas because of the cheap rpice. Usually, cheap means unreliable or junk.
Not the Tanaka. I ordered one from Baileys with a 14" roller nose Oregon bar, extra bar and extra loop, all in it was under 300 bucks delivered, The saw alone was $225.00 or about a third the cost of the Stihl (that went back to the dealer btw).
Tanaka has the best warranty in the business, 7 years residential. It also starts 2nd pull cold and first pull hot everytime and it's easy to start in a tree, a big plus.
It pulls the 14" roller bar again with lo pro oregon chain, in hardwood, no issue, it even rips with the grain no issue. I don't like the outboard chain brake (makes changing loops a PITA) and the non-adjustable oiler is a bit overzealous in delivery but other than those two minor gripes, it's a helluva saw
Comes with a back lanyard ting for a snap line and a chain scabbard.
Don't know how good the bigger saws are but the little one is a winner power wise and has exceptional balance too. I can one hand it no issue in a tree to get an errant limb and it's perfectly capable of full bar cuts aloft and on the ground. While it's not a bucking saw, I find myself using it more than the Stihl's for even ground work.
With a 14" bar and loop, full of 50-1 premix and chain oil, it weighs about 9.5 pounds, which is really light. The Tanaka reminds me of the old McCollugh top handle without the vapor lock hot start issues.
Great saw, great price. I may buy another just for a spare.
I bought a Stihl top handle P)rofessional Arborists saw from my local Stihl Dealer, always been a Stihl person, I own and use a 075, 028 and a newer MS series, all good, all powerful and all trouble free (the MS got a muffler job right away...)
So I needed a new aerial saw for up in the trees, I have lots of trees on my property and I'm constantly trimming and removing trees (about 60 acres of woods total). I use chainsaws a lot and climbing gear and all the acessories as well. Anyway, I owned an early model Stihl top handle thats been dropped from trees, banged around in the truck and generally abused so I figured I'd get the new Stihl top handle. Big mistake. Completely gutless, in fact, even in softwood, it was unable to pull the 14" loop of lo pro chipper without easing up and letting the revs build. Note, I keep my loops razor sharp, dressing them after every session and sometimes in between so the loop was not dull.
I was very disapointed considering the OTD price of almost 600 bucks. A friend told me about Tanaka saws but I was a doubting Thomas because of the cheap rpice. Usually, cheap means unreliable or junk.
Not the Tanaka. I ordered one from Baileys with a 14" roller nose Oregon bar, extra bar and extra loop, all in it was under 300 bucks delivered, The saw alone was $225.00 or about a third the cost of the Stihl (that went back to the dealer btw).
Tanaka has the best warranty in the business, 7 years residential. It also starts 2nd pull cold and first pull hot everytime and it's easy to start in a tree, a big plus.
It pulls the 14" roller bar again with lo pro oregon chain, in hardwood, no issue, it even rips with the grain no issue. I don't like the outboard chain brake (makes changing loops a PITA) and the non-adjustable oiler is a bit overzealous in delivery but other than those two minor gripes, it's a helluva saw
Comes with a back lanyard ting for a snap line and a chain scabbard.
Don't know how good the bigger saws are but the little one is a winner power wise and has exceptional balance too. I can one hand it no issue in a tree to get an errant limb and it's perfectly capable of full bar cuts aloft and on the ground. While it's not a bucking saw, I find myself using it more than the Stihl's for even ground work.
With a 14" bar and loop, full of 50-1 premix and chain oil, it weighs about 9.5 pounds, which is really light. The Tanaka reminds me of the old McCollugh top handle without the vapor lock hot start issues.
Great saw, great price. I may buy another just for a spare.
