so I got myself a little arborist saw (14" Echo CS341)
wow! what a pleasure to do trimming and light cutting with this. Sharp chain goes through small stuff like butta but it's light enough that it's a pleasure to hold for a long time... And small enough that I can use it for cutting off 1/4" shoots off the branches to clean things up.
Also much safer than a bigger one where your arms might get tired and beg for an accident, especially if you have to do some high overhead cutting (I know, not a good idea in the first place...) I think this is an underrated advantage of the small saws.
the right tool for the job!
I would venture to say that a 14" is plenty big enough for 95% of the work done by homeowners out there... I could even go 12".
I got to use my BIL's saw that size, several months back....you're right on about all the positives.
Another saw I got to use at the same time was a trimming pole saw connected to a weedwacker...I'd love to get my hands on one of those babys! How nice it was to clean in and around some pine trees!
yes, I was quite pleased actually at the difference in handling of the smaller saw. Much of it has to do with the different grip configuration - not having the extended rear handle- I think. Obviously some of it is the weight and that's not surprising, but the difference in maneuverability was a pleasure to experience. Some of it is also the shorter bar which helps when you're in a thicket as I was yesterday.
One of the reasons I brought this up is that with chainsaws I would think the natural tendency is to think that bigger is better ("Powah!" ), but that is obviously not always true.
You're right about the pole saw too, in fact I bought a Stihl wacker with a solid shaft in part for that expandability potential. Having 8' reach is a godsend for trimming jobs.
I got to use my BIL's saw that size, several months back....you're right on about all the positives.
Another saw I got to use at the same time was a trimming pole saw connected to a weedwacker...I'd love to get my hands on one of those babys! How nice it was to clean in and around some pine trees!
one of the advantages i've always liked about the stihl string trimmers was the adaptability of the attachments. I'm not fond of the split boom trimmers (where the trimmer breaks in half in the middle to put on different attachments) because of all the added parts to the drive line than can break and strip out.
with the fs80/85/90/110 you can put the chain saw/hedgetrimmer/edger and even blower or sweeper attachments on to the trimmer by just removing the trimmer head and bolting the differnet attachment right on.
so instead of buying a $500 pole saw you buy a $199 attachment to make your trimmer a pole saw
yes, the kombi tool does have a little longer extension than a normal trimmer with just the saw on it.
However you have less parts to break! I don't care what brand split boom trimmer there is on the market, i don't like any of them
If you need more reach stand in the back of your truck.
The weight is not that bad, if your going to use it for long periods of time you can get a shoulder harness to help with the weight. The 4mix engines are heavy compared to the old fs80/85 engine. The chain saw attachment weighs about the same as the 0-90 deg hedge trimmer attachment
the real weight is when you get the HT 101 pole saw...that is a beast to carry around for more than an hour or so.
I have the km130 with blower, string trimmer and the 135deg. hedge trimmer. Best investment I have made so far (still too early to tell if the JD2520 is as good as I hope it will be) ... the trimmer gets a workout on everything that I can't drive over with the brush hog including trimming the willows.
I won't kid you and say it doesn't get heavy after 5-6 hours of heavy brush and weed cutting .... and holding it upside down to trim the willow branches on 5 or 6 trees at 7ft plus is going to save you the cost of a gym membership BUT nothing I have used does as neat a job on so many things. And for its real intended purpose - hedge trimming - its a joy ... but I have been pushing it into some nasty thick stuff AND it works great.Too bad the operator can't see all the steel pegs that seem to grow in the underbrush .
The blower is great - works very well on leaves, general cleanup and I have found it is the quickest way to clear tractor rads and all the nooks and crannies around the machine and mower of grass, weeds,seeds and dirt. .. this is a "man" broom!!
), but that is obviously not always true.
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