Best 80cc saw old or new

Whats everyones opinion on the most beastly 80-89cc saw, the stihl 064 is supposed to have some of the best power to weight ratio of all time. Or how bout an old mac sp81. The dolmar 7900 needs no introduction! Lets not forget the old meen green poulans either! I have never owned a saw in this class, and i find the 90cc plus saws to be kinda heavy.

 

The 064 is an awesome saw but some of the parts can be a little harder to find as Scotty Overkill can attest. A good 066 or ms 660 would be the ticket you can find some for a pretty reasonable price on ebay, you just have to keep an eye out.

I myself have a ms 661 the power head only weighs 16.2 lbs. It's not that terrible to handle, it's quite balanced and handles nicely with a 25" to 28" bar, but that's just me.

Iam not too familiar with some of the older Poulan's and McCullough saws.

Good luck in your hunt for a big saw!

 

I'm partial to a husky 288 maybe not the best power to weight ratio but they are pretty much bulletproof.

 

I'd put a healthy Poulan 5200 with a 30" bar and full comp up against any of them.

 

I think the older saws in this class are flat out mean sounding. I like the husqvarna 281 also, and have always wanted a 2083 jonsered or its poulan pro brother the 505.

 

+1 on the 288


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064s--- the oilers are hard to find but they share a lot of parts with 660s. Meteor pistons are $40. Some smalls are nla but a lot are still available from Stihl.
They're older saws. Many were pro-owned. If you're handy with saws and can handle a rebuild, then go for one.

The 661... well that's a new saw with a warranty. Good saws from what I've seen.

 

A couple of my favs.... My Poulan 5200 isn't finished yet & the Homie XL-924W isn't no slouch either.

 

Wow love that 288! The mac and pioneer sound great also.

 

I will plug my Poulan 5200. Best 80+cc I have ran (it is the only one). Great power to weight, great tourque and superb sound! They were well ahead of their time.

 

I will have to go with my Poulan / Partner designed saws. I have 2 of the 505's and one Jonsered 2083. 83cc saws. I also have the Poulan/ Partner designed 475 and Jonsered 2077. 77cc saws.
I was still able to get them at a decent price and they are easy to work on. The only problem is that some parts are now becoming NLA.

Then there is the Poulan 5200 reed valve saw that have that torque.

Then there is also the Husky 2100 I believe is 99cc. All good stuff in my book.

 

It maybe a little on the heavy side but the Stihl 075 at 105cc has plenty of grunt and low end torque to cut just about what ever you want. I ran one with a 4ft bar sharp chain and it didn't want to bog down!

 

Why did poulan quit making quality pro saws and go to only box store saws?

 

Another vote or 288 - ran one about a year ago on a large sugar maple butt running a 28" bar - they are mean machines! Tried to buy it from the owner, but no go.......Cheers!

 

Probably the same reason McCulloch & Homelite did in the 80's before they went belly up - Economics.They wanted to go after the growing DIY/homeowner/consumer market so they abandoned the professional user.Pro saws last longer,even with heavy daily use/abuse, compared to consumer models,thus they aren't being replaced as often & sales of new units/repair parts are less over time.

 

Electrolux! They phased out the US brand and favor Husqvarna.

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Since my 064 is the only saw in the 80-89 CC range that I have ran it gets my vote!

 

The 064 is an all time great model, with a a great power to weight. Poulan 5100 has most saws in this class beat when it comes to all out power, way more grunt than an 064.

Of the modern saws yes the 7900 and 385xp are hard to best.

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I hope to see one at a gtg or better yet yard sale someday!

 

My choice. Of course it is a tree monkey model

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