Small duty saw rear or top

Scotty Overkill ust bought a 355t and he likes it
my CS 346 is a nice little Saw

 

Are you talking 10" diameter branches or limbing a 10" diameter oak tree? Cause thats not big and will have many small branches

 

I have a ms210 that I really like. Weighs nothing and the pico chain is nice for smaller branches that aren't attached to the tree. The pico chain is a lot less grabby on the small stuff.

 

Up to 10" I use it to buck up 10" trees lol
I probably over work the little bugger but it is just so smooth and light it is hard to put down. Fun little thing.

I bought it because it was so light I did not expect it to cut as well as it does.

 

I briefly had a rear-handle 192, and used it to limb and buck a maple that was about 10" DBH. It had fallen across a small ravine, and the 192's light weight made climbing up and down the steep slopes much less of a chore.

I think most of the reason I sold it was that I didn't care for the primer bulb, easy-start recoil and separate choke lever. I wanted a smaller version of my other Stihl saws, and in that sense the 192 didn't do it for me. I have an MS200 rear-handle, and the only think I don't like about it is that it's worth so much that I feel like an idiot for hanging on to it.

 

The rear handle ms 200 is one sweet saw. I would love to have one but wow they pricey and very hard to find. That is where I think the new echo 361p would be a nice saw.

 

I usually use a 70 or 80cc saw so when I grab the 011 which is 40cc I love how light it is. And it can actually cut pretty good! I usually get I'm patient with small saws as they cut so slow to what I am use to.

 

My small rear handle saw is a Husky 339xp. Got it set up with a 56dl, 325 bar and chain





.

 

How do you like it?

 

Hows the husky 543xp? Isnt that theeir smallest xp?

 

I'm thinking the one the guy just posted a 339xp beats that one and is smaller

 

It's over sized handles and light weight makes the 339xp a blast to run.
I use it when we are roping down a tree and need to make a quick cut to drag a limb away from the work area. The saw restarts very well.
When I'm out mowing with the tractor I carry the saw to cut limbs that would smack me driving by.

I'm not a big fan of using a top handle saw on the ground.

 

I'll leave specific brand up to you, but I would vote for rear-handle. I owned a top handle Stihl 191T for many years. It rarely saw service up in a tree and was used mostly as a limber on the ground. Over time I moved to a Stihl 024, an 026, and a 241C selling the 191T for a nice chunk of change. The rear handles gave me significantly greater control, plus more leverage in the cut. Get something that you can run .05 picco on (bar availability), and I'm sure you will be quite pleased with the setup.

 

I'd LOVE to find a rear handle MS200 someday, but I'd doubt I'd want to pay the price for one if I ever came across it. I used to lust for a top handled saw, but I don't think they're practical (or safe) for most people except arborists for whom time is of the essence. I bought a Corona folding pruning saw for those times I need to make cuts when I'm in a tree or a ladder, and it's pretty impressive for a hand powered saw (and I have a scar on my finger to prove it!).

So I vote rear handle. The safety and leverage of a rear handle for the 99% of the time you're using it as a limber, more than makes up for the 1% of the time a top handle might be desired.

 

In the past couple of years I've lucked into two of them on Craigslist -- one locally and one when I was out of state for a wedding. Both were in excellent condition and priced far below what they go for on eBay. Of course you probably shouldn't hold your breath while waiting for one to show up.

I sprang for a nice folding Silky hand saw earlier this year, partly with the idea that it would make it easier to sell the 200. It's a fine tool, but I still have the 200...

 

Would a 2014 Stihl 261C interest you?