Makita XCU08/09 (14"/16") vs. ...?

Got mine today and tried it out. It definitely bogs less and cuts more quickly than the factory chain. Not much room for debate. As to whatever downsides a small pitch chain might incur, I don't know yet. But so far this seems like a worthwhile mod.

Thanks for the word, mac.
 
macrocarpa said:
Were you able to return the stihl bar?
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Got it from eBay. Started the return process and it was approved by seller. Will ship tomorrow. That was painless!

About the conversion...

First of all, shipping from the UK was unbelievably fast - I ordered the bar and chain combo in Monday and it arrived midday today!!

Second, the Panther chain it ships with doesn't have the anti-kickback humps; awesome! The site required $80 for free shipping (before tax), and the combo was $82, so I just went with the combo (an extra chain won't hurt, right?). Glad I did.

Using it on a heavy pruning job tomorrow...
 
Another modification, Ive been digging a ring attached to the saw directly. Works smooth with the shembiner.
 

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LordFarkwad said:
Worked awesome on the pruning. Didn't have any cuts over 3", and most were 1.5-2" (ash, elm), so it was hardly a test of the saw's abilities. But, it was buttery.
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So what's the word on the Makita? Have you had time to find its capabilities?

I pruned some massive pin oaks Mon-Tues this week and used the 18V for the most part until removing some 10" branches over the house where I had the 36V sent up.
 
macrocarpa said:
So what's the word on the Makita? Have you had time to find its capabilities?

I pruned some massive pin oaks Mon-Tues this week and used the 18V for the most part until removing some 10" branches over the house where I had the 36V sent up.
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It is my preferred saw now. I pretty much always start with this saw until 14" isn't enough - and that goes for hard woods, too. Love it.
 
I just ordered a Panther 12" bar and one chain for my Makita 18V saw. I went to with the 12" instead of the 10" because my Echo 2511 has the same conversion and I can share chains. What I can't understand for the life of me is why the bar and chain ordered from the UK was $81, while the exact same bar and chain from Monkey Beaver was $30 more? Does that make any sense?? I ordered from overseas, needless to say. All I can guess is that chainsawbars.co.uk is selling stuff at wholesale prices.
 
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