thoughts on the saw for a beloved older man.

[Dub11]

Would it be blasphemous to mention battery powered? I would even know what to suggest but I know there out there.

 

[7sleeper]

Excelent thought! The brand new makita would be my first thought.

7

 

[Dub11]

Or what would be kinda cool would be a jump start system that Troy bilt uses on some of there ope

 

[Dub11]

I gave my 76 year old buddy a 2145 converted to a 2150 that was all jazzed up. The look on his face was priceless!!

Crap forgot to post @t4driller made that saw not me Iam just talented at taking stuff apart and putting them in boxes

 

[huskyboy]

My grandpa has used a Stihl 024 super for the past 35 years for firewood and it's worked pretty well. Just gave it to me to rebuild and parts are cheap and plentiful. My grandpa has had rotorcuff surgery and he can start it fairly easy. Many came from the factory with close to 200psi. But the small bore makes it easy to start. I'd say an 024/024avs/026 are a great saw for someone older. They can be found cheap in good shape.

 

[Ryan Browne]

One thing that might be worth considering is what the old feller is familiar with to begin with.

I bought my dad a 421 after a rotator cuff injury made starting his 036 painful. He loves it, but since he doesn't use it every week he has a hard time remembering the new switch positions. He's been a Stihl guy his whole life and the Dolmar is totally backwards. A 241 would probably have been easier to transition to, but even those switches are different then what he's used to.

 

[Duce]

Tree Forty Six!

Nice choice. Light, good power, easy to work on. +1

 

[Hinerman]

Nice suggestions, is ported the way to go do you guys think? The positives seem to be there as far as performance.

What is your budget?

 

[Hinerman]

Tree Forty Six!

This seems to be the best answer to everything...

 

[hseII]

We bought my 81yr old grandfather a MS180C for trim work when we weren't around.

It works good for that.

 

[Czed]

329.99 shipped Amazon These are still available nice saws these are and a bargain

 

[Khntr85]

Ms170-ms250......I have a MS211c that I am selling locally and wow is it easy to start....it has the "easy-start" feature and boy does it work....with a 16" 3/8 lo-pro set-up it cuts very good....has spring AV and is also light....I have a ms181, but I have to rebuild it.....as far as the easy-start being reliable, I was worried about it my self...however I have had a Stihl trimmer for 2-3 years, that has the easy start feature, and to be honest it has worked fine so far.....you just have to remember to pull it VERY gently....my woman can start it very easily(now if I could just get her to use it LOL)!!!

I know the ms250 were like $275-300 at my local dealer, I dont know what your price range is.....I have heard a lot of people praise the dolmar 421, I just haven't got the opportunity to run one yet....

Heck you may take him to different shops and see what he feels good to him, he'll be would probably like getting out and looking at saws!!!!

 

[2000ssm6]

I had a 211 that my dad used a lot, after I got a ported ms200, decided to get him a stock 200. The 211 and 026 I was using as a small saw are gone, replaced by the pair of 200s.

I haven't ran one of the new ms201 saws but a nice used 200 will be expensive also.

 

[Chainganger]

Nice suggestions, is ported the way to go do you guys think? The positives seem to be there as far as performance.

550xp needs no porting
it is a beast and lightweight
Just need to know how to start it hot and let the saw adjust itself before the first cut

 

[Dub11]

This seems to be the best answer to everything...

or a 2153 cuz there red lol but yeah very true on a 346

 

[Simondo]

Dolmar PS 421 or the Makita colour version gets my vote .....its light (12.4 lb on a 15" .325 .050 bar and chain) , small, robust , mag case , modern spring AV, Easy starting like you just cant believe !! ..with the primmer bulb ..MPI coil (stores energy for a big spark) , spring assist pull start(not like the Stihl sort) .
Its a saw that has no electrics to bother with and a cat in the S steel muffler that takes 10 mins to remove if you want. The PS 421 is a "Big" small saw that IMO punches a good bit above the 42cc it has . What you get for your $ is just such a rewarding little saw with a long history of german build ethics and "No Nonsense simple design " behind it.
All harvested with the UK version (ps 420 sc) of the ps 421...

 

[fordf150]

Dolmar PS 421 or the Makita colour version gets my vote .....its light (12.4 lb on a 15" .325 .050 bar and chain) , small, robust , mag case , modern spring AV, Easy starting like you just cant believe !! ..with the primmer bulb ..MPI coil (stores energy for a big spark) , spring assist pull start(not like the Stihl sort) .
Its a saw that has no electrics to bother with and a cat in the S steel muffler that takes 10 mins to remove if you want. The PS 421 is a "Big" small saw that IMO punches a good bit above the 42cc it has . What you get for your $ is just such a rewarding little saw with a long history of german build ethics and "No Nonsense simple design " behind it.
All harvested with the UK version (ps 420 sc) of the ps 421...

View attachment 58325

no teal blue makita color version here any longer, they are all Makita branded but.....

 

[Simondo]

no teal blue makita color version here any longer, they are all Makita branded but.....View attachment 58330

I could live with that....not had one of the Mak "UN" Red in front of me.

 

[67L36Driver]

As dearly as I love my large displacement saws, lately I've had to rethink wtf I'm doing to my elbows and shoulders.
I've become more interested in collecting the small fellows.
For example a Stihl 012 and a Husky 335xpt.

 

[Al Smith]

My father passed on at 86 years of age but cut firewood until he was 84 .His old Mac PM 610 got a little much for him .My 024 Stihl was the ticket,he loved it That old Mac resides in my shed now,the last saw he ever owned .