Climbing Saws

I have a cs330 that I bought when I got started, it never gets used its an underpowered turd. For an economically priced top handle I love my husky T435. Not the power of a 540 but a great saw for $300.
 
guymayor said:
The battery life surprises me. There's lots of time between cuts so hard to say how long but Stihl says 25 minutes of use. My helper started to use it on a 12" sweetgum log; It was doing ok till I tore it out of his hands...
If I was doing big removals I'd definitely use it for any wood <8" then switch.
The recent TCI article was incomplete; they did not even try out the others.
It's not that quiet but the eco angle is very appreciated by some clients.
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Guy, the article does quote a user of the stihl products;)....and the husky 536 lixp is the only top handled saw on the market - for now. True, I have not used the oregon model, but all three manufacturers were asked the same questions; the article included their responses. The gist of the article was to make arborist's aware that battery powered saws are viable tools for our industry. I use mine every week at work. I also use battery powered tools for cabling/ bracing. an angle grinder with a cutoff disc works great for cutting hardware up in a tree. just remember to tie in twice;)
Here is a link in case any buzzers don't get the mag:http://tcia.org/digital_magazine/tci-magazine/2015/04/index.htm
 
the article does quote a user of the stihl products;).
Which is something, but not much. Before 'incomplete' I wrote 'biased', but that could have been misinterpreted as a comment on the author and not the article.

...and the husky 536 lixp is the only top handled saw on the market - for now.
So what? The others can still be used. Is this a Z thing?

True, I have not used the oregon model, but all three manufacturers...
Is that all there are?
 
Crimsonking said:
We have a snellorized 150. For a pruning/small removal saw you cant beat it.
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I forgot to add that I personally own the t540 and love it. The only issue I've had with it (and maybe someone can pm me a solution if you know) is that when it's below a half tank, it's harder to start. But the power is what you want. And as for the comments on plastic, I've had a 12" butt of a Bradford pear land on it without any damage.
 
guymayor said:
the article does quote a user of the stihl products;).
Which is something, but not much. Before 'incomplete' I wrote 'biased', but that could have been misinterpreted as a comment on the author and not the article.

...and the husky 536 lixp is the only top handled saw on the market - for now.
So what? The others can still be used. Is this a Z thing?

True, I have not used the oregon model, but all three manufacturers...
Is that all there are?
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Definitely not a "z-thing", a battery powered saw should be treated as any other saw under the z-133 guidelines.
There certainly are other manufacturers of battery powered saw out there, but the article wasn't written as a comprehensive comparison of all the different makes and models available, just an informative piece on the fact that these tools do have their place in the industry. Top handled saws are more commonly used aloft than rear handled saws simply because they are more compact, allowing the arborist to squeeze into tight places and awkward angles.

More and more I am finding my favorite saw to be a Silky!
 
Just bought a second Husky T536LiXP to have near the chipper and back up. Have been using one for a month on prunning jobs with cuts mostly 4 inches and smaller. I won't be without one now.

Also just bought the T540 as I have been too lazy to do repairs on my old climb saws.

The knowledgeable saw guy said if I shut it off wait 5 or 6 seconds before a restart for electronics to reset. Also the way it 'learns' to run I should not let it idle a bunch at first. Start it up, some small to modest cuts for a bit and go to work. But, 6 tanks of fuel before fully "trained" and also rings seated.

Oh.....that T536LiXP is not a saw to take a beating in my opinion. I plan to use it with that in mind instead of bouncing it off wood etc. as I have with older all metal saws.
 
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Have not timed battery usage but 15 min at max power is what I would guess. Fully workable as money making prunning saw for now. And as technology gets better in the future it will just be that much better.
 
1adkarborist said:
Guy, the article does quote a user of the stihl products;)....and the husky 536 lixp is the only top handled saw on the market - for now. True, I have not used the oregon model, but all three manufacturers were asked the same questions; the article included their responses. The gist of the article was to make arborist's aware that battery powered saws are viable tools for our industry. I use mine every week at work. I also use battery powered tools for cabling/ bracing. an angle grinder with a cutoff disc works great for cutting hardware up in a tree. just remember to tie in twice;)
Here is a link in case any buzzers don't get the mag:http://tcia.org/digital_magazine/tci-magazine/2015/04/index.htm
Click to expand...
I own the Oregon model...waste of money.
The chain system they stick on it sucks and the shape is terrible.
It is handy in the shop for building stuff, to make quick rough cuts.

In the realm of battery powered anything these days, in a year or two the tech is very rapid. Look at battery powered motorcycles! They now destroy gas bikes.

I will be purchasing at least one 536 lixp in the near future. The reviews and side by side tests on youtube have all been leaning towards the 536 lixp.
 
I run a Stihl 192t with a 12" for everything I can until it's time for a larger saw in the tree. If I had a battery powered equivalent, I would choose that.

For trimming, I honestly think a 200/201/540, etc are all overkill more often than not. For a removal, that's not the case. May as well carry around the bit of extra power those 3 offer.

It can be hard to make a choice if you're brand loyal or dealer loyal since options can be limited. Keep in mind that if you need a saw and have to buy something you aren't crazy about, you can always sell it on TreeBay if something you've prefered finally becomes available to you.
 
oceans said:
I run a Stihl 192t with a 12" for everything I can until it's time for a larger saw in the tree. If I had a battery powered equivalent, I would choose that.

For trimming, I honestly think a 200/201/540, etc are all overkill more often than not. For a removal, that's not the case. May as well carry around the bit of extra power those 3 offer.

It can be hard to make a choice if you're brand loyal or dealer loyal since options can be limited. Keep in mind that if you need a saw and have to buy something you aren't crazy about, you can always sell it on TreeBay if something you've prefered finally becomes available to you.
Click to expand...

I pretty much use the same thing....192T with 14inch for pruning, T540 for removals
 
"the article wasn't written as a comprehensive comparison of all the different makes and models available,"
more comprehensive would have made it more objective and more useful.

"just an informative piece on the fact that these tools do have their place in the industry. "
was there any doubt?

"Top handled saws are more commonly used aloft than rear handled saws simply because they are more compact, allowing the arborist to squeeze into tight places and awkward angles."
The rear handle rarely gets in the way; maybe the trees are bushier up there, no white pines here. :nocausagracia:
 
Silky first. Then I run all stihl.. the 150 for light pruning love that saw so much ,zouped up 192 for larger pruning ,small kills , 200zoupedt for killing it . 201 sucks ..mine..I won't go there .. keep that on the ground by chipper /limbing saw piece a ...hope new ones better. I'd buy a 540 xp for removals based on some reviews from here and others..for the price of Tanaka's sounds like that's a good all around pruner light takedown saw. The 150 is super sweet i know i said that already though for even the occasional cut taking up more bar its good .. I pulled a few echo's couple years back the 330 and 360 were descent quality ..like a 192 with a little more low end power.. Keep a sharp chain they all cut!!:D
 
Won't touch that one, but they are much easier to move about and position in a tree than a rear handle saw. The balance of the saw is better suited for tree work. Problem is, there's a lot less leverage to control kickback. Hence, the design isn't very safe for bigger saws, so those disappeared from the market many moons ago. Not a big deal for tree work, because by the time you need a bigger saw, you're usually blocking down the spar or at least bucked into the spar, and in a better position for handling the saw.

However, I think you're just poking at the coals to see what flares up. I ain't bitin' that worm.
 
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