Tanaka top handle saw

[New2trees]

Just wanted to give a "shout out" to Tanaka. Bought a TCS33EDTP for $215 to take some limbs of an oak I am removing and take out some limbs on another giant willow oak around my house (62 yr old beginning/home arborist, LOL).
As expected, the saw worked fine to remove and buck a couple of 10" by 45 foot leads even though it was not broke in yet.
However after felling the trunk of a dead oak which is about 28" at the base and 14" 30ft later where it split into two pieces my rented chain saw died.
Well not being one to waste the day I decided to start bucking the top part of the trunk...the little saw did so well I kept going all the way to the base where I was cutting 12" sections to make it easier to split them...the saw with the entire 14" bar buried in Oak would just keep on cutting even engaging the dogs and lifting up on the handle...absolutely amazing for such an inexpensive little saw.

 

[New2trees]

Here is a pic of the tree after bucking.

 

[JeffGu]

I had a couple of those (one with the Tanaka name and the other with the Hitachi name). Price is right. Sold them both to a friend who helps me out on jobs. My only real complaints were the weight and a propensity for them to overheat easily on a hot day. But they had plenty of guts for a saw in that price range! Hitachi was lacking in the small saw range, and bought Tanaka some years back. Tanaka has a good name in Japan, and with Hitachi's size and investment money behind them, both companies seem to have gained benefits from the deal. Sometimes those buyouts work out good, that way.

 

[New2trees]

Yeah me not being an arborist, I never even realized that 12.5 lbs was heavy...till my friend who is an arborist came by and let me pick up his Stihl and ruined my day

 

[JeffGu]

Still, they were good on the ground, cutting stuff up. Just a tad heavy in the tree, though. My buddy just leaves one sitting in the shade on hot days, and switches saws when they get too hot. He likes them a lot, but he's not a climber.