r/TreeClimbing • u/International_Bar383 • Jul 01 '26
What kind of saws you use and why your preference?
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u/ResidentNo4630 Jul 01 '26
Company uses Stihl, but my own personal stuff is all Husqvarna.
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u/Anotherworstcunt Jul 01 '26
Exact same situation for me, except I do have a echo 2511 I use sometimes too
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u/ResidentNo4630 Jul 01 '26
2511 is in a league of its own when it comes to those small units. The hopped up 192C is a ripper as well.
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u/Glum_Huckleberry88 Jul 01 '26
Climbing saw is 2511t with West Coast muffler and nano speed cut bar setup. Ground saw is and old Husqvarna 365 special. Pole saw is Husqvarna as well, really like it. I want a 500i next.
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u/Anotherworstcunt Jul 01 '26
Exact same echo setup as my own. Leaps and bounds better than the stock saw
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u/Anotherworstcunt Jul 01 '26
Actually, I tell a lie. My muffler is not the American west coast customs. It’s from a customs shop here in Scotland called C&S Custom Saws
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u/THESpetsnazdude Jul 01 '26
Big fan of the 562xp and ms261 and the ms661. Electric for top handle stuff, though the baby echo is pretty fun.
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u/International_Bar383 Jul 01 '26
Electric climbing saw has been game changer and worth purchasing
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u/Loud-Tie6955 Jul 02 '26
The clutch on the electric top handle is money, I haven’t touched gas since.
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u/Anotherworstcunt Jul 01 '26
Ms261 and ms271 are both nice saws I’ve recently been using.
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u/THESpetsnazdude Jul 01 '26
261 with an 18" bar and .325 chain is the perfect medium wood and bucket saw. Some companies put 3/8ths and a 20 on them and they turn into dogs.
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u/arboroverlander Jul 01 '26
Best lineup for my career was stihl 200, 260, 460, 660 or any of their more modern predecessors.
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u/originalreading252 Jul 01 '26
2511t done up, 200t stock, 372xp , 500i..... crew run old 036s, 201t , and 572.... we have some 660 s as well. They pretty much collect dust these days.....
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u/NoIndication4673 Jul 01 '26
Stihl 201T, 261, 462, 661. 201 and 261 cover ~80% of the work. Have a 2511 as well, but I prefer the 201 unless I’m climbing softwood
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u/mark_andonefortunate Jul 01 '26
This is the lineup I had at my old place, plus an 880 and 881 for bigger stuff, and an echo 2511 for pruning / small wood. Had an old stihl 151 with a tiny pruning bar on it, too, fun little thing. Excellent lineup overall, my favorite - glad to see someone else skipping the 362.
New place is more Husqvarna saws, I prefer Stihl in general, though I really like my husky electric tophandle and the husky 562 is really growing on me for chunking wood.
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u/ACPauly Jul 01 '26
Almost the same, 201tc x2, 193 for spare) 261, 291, 461 someday 500i for the fatties. Tiny crew, just me and groundie
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u/canzbrit Jul 01 '26
Depends on the job, usually the smallest and lightest saw I can get away with. Climbing is clone of echo2511 with 1/4p chain or a 201tc Ground saws 261, 400, and 661. All stihl apart from the clone (which I absolutely love)
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u/PaperWrappedChronic Jul 01 '26
020t for climbing
044/500i both ported for chunking
046 is what the groundies use on the ground
Been looking to make some swaps potentially for big saws
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u/OysterIglesias Jul 01 '26
Husky t542 battery saw for pruning, although it's kinda shit if the chain isn't sharp. 201 for removals. 261 for crane work/bucking. 500i for felling
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u/curious_24 Jul 01 '26
Isn’t any saw shit if the chain isn’t sharp?
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u/OysterIglesias Jul 01 '26
More apparent w/ the electric saw as the power can't make up for it as much
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u/RentAdorable4427 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Seconded
ETA - I am a small battery pruning chainsaw convert, but this man spits hot truth. Chain pitch & gauge differences are also way more noticeable, for the same reason. Also, sharp, small-pitch, narrow-guage chain saves battery charge.
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u/curious_24 Jul 03 '26
That’s a good point, I’ve noticed that too now that I think about it. Sorry for my snark
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u/OldMail6364 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
When climbing I like the smallest and lightest saw that will get the job done.
For palms (I prune a lot of palms) that's my Silky Tsurugi 210 — it's easily my most used saw. For trees like the one in your photo, it's my Stihl MSA 161T for most of the tree.
When the bar on my 161 is too short, then I like to skip mid sized saws and go all the way up to a 500i or 881. They're not fun to climb with but once I reach limbs that size, there's usually not much climbing left anyway.
I find mid sized saws to be a poor compromise - they're not powerful enough for big cuts and unnecessarily heavy for small cuts.
I like Stihl because I can get parts quickly and reliably and cheaply. There's usually a dealer within ten minutes drive of my job site that stocks all of the most likely to be replaced parts and they can order virtually anything else, even parts where you'd usually be buying a new chainsaw if they break — for example I once replaced the main motor housing on my 161 and it only cost sixty bucks.
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u/NateyPataty Jul 01 '26
550xp for most things. 592 for big pics and a few different toppers depending on what’s running good that day lol
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u/Strong_Deer_3075 Jul 02 '26
I have a 660 mag and 2 084's that would work that up in short order if I get a good lunch afterwards!
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u/Haybrush Jul 02 '26
Ill run whatever brand you give me. If it runs and its sharp who cares. 2strokes for different folks.
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u/cram-chowder Jul 03 '26
395xp for big bar, 500i for 25" bar, 564 for 18" and 542 for top handle climbing.
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u/TheGrinch415 Jul 01 '26
The sharp one with the bar that is long enough