What size bar should i get?

Since it seems there is going to be a hold up on the $2,000 and just the soon coming $600, i have given thought to my needs of non powered saw's, have noticed at both in videos at tree services August Hunicke and Westside Tree Works where good quality hand powered saw's are being used.
So after doing some research on had saws i plan on getting a Silky Sugowaza 16.5 inch curved blade handsaw.
Silky SUGOWAZA 420 ( XL teeth ) | Silky Saws

 

$600.00 will still get you what you need you just have to find a good used one.

 

The house just approved raising the $600 to the 2k

 

Stihl gotta make it through the senate, but Stihl enough for a new saw.

 

Remember they will get it back with interest. Like a deal with the mob.

 

Get the 25" bar if you already have 18" set up. 20" is just not a big enough step. 28" is a good combo on that saw too.

 

I have been experimenting with different saws and bar lengths, and chain types, etc., lately. And I have about decided that it all works, it's mainly personal preference that wins out, and a good argument can be made for both long vs. short bars, standard weight vs lightweight bars, and full chisel vs semi-chisel, and skip tooth vs. full comp.
I could take any of those combinations and get by just fine.

I like to have different weight and size saws, with different bar lengths and even different types of chain on them. When I go out to cut, I will often use 3 different saws before I am done for the day. But in reality, I could of just picked one saw, any saw and done everything I needed to do, but the saw might not have always been the best choice but still workable for about all of it. I might not have been as happy, but I would have still gotten it done.

As an example, today, I tried some new stuff out. I had a full chisel, full comp chain on my 362 with the 25" lightweight bar on. This chain was still cutting good but getting down on the tooth as it had been sharpened numerous times. And I wanted to try a skip tooth full chisel chain out on it, but was a little apprehensive about it, because I had heard they are not a smooth as full comp and more grabby on small limbs, and I was also bucking up some various wood ranging from 6" up to about 22 inches or so, and would need to do a bunch of under cutting, and I had a big stump to cut off down close to the ground, and I like to cut them off very close to the ground, so I can't hit them with machinery, brushhogs, etc. even at the risk of trashing a chain, or dulling it really bad. And I had a bunch of noodling to do of some stubborn rounds that were hard to split. That skip tooth chain was Stihl brand, if it matters, and brand new out of the box. It worked great on all of it, and wasn't grabby on the small stuff, and for noodling it was probably the best chain I have ever tried out. And it was still cutting fine, after several tanks of fuel, although I could tell it could now benefit from a sharpening job.

And I also wanted to try out a brand new 28" Tsumura Lightweight bar on my 462, and that bar balances out the saw, quite well, with only the very slightest nose dip when holding the saw by the handlebar. This bar is an 0.63 gauge and I only had one choice locally for a chain. It's a full chisel, full comp chain. It also worked just fine for both bucking up a 20 plus inch trunk and also cutting up and de-limbing multable limbs at a time. It worked great. No complaints.

On those two saws, I really like these combinations of bar length to saw. I guess you could drop down to a 20" bar on either one of those saws, but I don't think I would be all that happy with the shorter bars on either one of those saws. I have the 261 for that. Although, in the right wood, I guess a 20" would really fly.

 

I guess these dealers set up these saws differently depending on what sells locally, or something. Like in my area, the biggest Stihl dealer, puts the 462's out on the shelf with 20" bars, and they don't even keep a lightweight bar in stock of any length. I made them pull the 20" off of mine, and put a 28" standard weight on, because they didn't have a Lightweight bar in stock. What I probably should have done was just bought the saw with the 20" on it and ordered a Lightweight bar like I wanted, since I had to order one, anyway. Nothing like hindsight.

 

You did good by getting a spare bar. If your going to run a 28" . Get the same size LW bar. That way all your chains fit.
If you get hung up ( when you get hung up )
Just pull the power head off, put on your spare bar and one of your spare chains. Pause for a bit and get your head right.
Trust me on this.
Then cut out the b+c that's hung. Easy Pie !

 

A few people not on this forum have told me it might be a better choice, to get the Stihl 500i, money wise it's not a really big jump from the cost of a 462.
And it is would have no problem with from a 25" to 38" but think starting with a 20" then 25" if needed.

 

I ran a 046 with a 24 bar for years. I forget the reason but I put a 20 inch bar on it and it runs great. I still put the 24 inch for special projects but the 20 is a screamer.