Tanaka chainsaws - any use?

bogman_bass

Anybody have any experience of these saws?

viztopia

bogman_bass wrote: »

Anybody have any experience of these saws?

Have a tanaka strimmer and chainsaw. Start in the button every time and never let me down

O.A.P

I have a Tanaka strimmer and its as good as any Husqvarna or Stihl as far as I can see.
If they make their chainsaws as good I don't know but they probably do.

bigblackmug

Tanaka are a good Japanese brand making quality product.
Along with Echo, Shindawia and Komatsu Xenoah it is hard to go wrong with a Japanese saw.

Nekarsulm

bigblackmug wrote: »

Tanaka are a good Japanese brand making quality product.
Along with Echo, Shindawia and Komatsu Xenoah it is hard to go wrong with a Japanese saw.

And Makita are the new name for Sachs Dolmar, so nothing wrong there either.

monkeynuz

Tanaka are supposedly very good chainsaws, my only gripe used to be that their design was always about 10 years behind the other brands i.e. they always looked like saws from at least 10 years ago instead of being more current design, however, that said they have a huge following, although that said you won't find a great difference in price between them and stihl/husky.

Apparently, and this is only what I was told, but avoid the grey top tanaka stuff as it is cheaper/inferior chinese made stuff to be aimed at the domestic market, and this was told to me by a tanaka dealer (and before it is said, he wasn't just trying to sell me a more expensive one, he is a friend of mine)

monkeynuz

Nekarsulm wrote: »

And Makita are the new name for Sachs Dolmar, so nothing wrong there either.

+1 I have also heard a lot of good things about the makita stuff.

monkeynuz

bogman_bass wrote: »

Anybody have any experience of these saws?

Which model were you thinking of?

CJhaughey

bigblackmug wrote: »

Tanaka are a good Japanese brand making quality product.
Along with Echo, Shindawia and Komatsu Xenoah it is hard to go wrong with a Japanese saw.

I think all those brands are Kioritz derivatives, hard to beat the Japanese stuff for reliability.
Always easy to start.
Ama distributors are the Irish agents for Zenoah so no problems with parts either.

vinnie13

the father has a tanaka and its a lovely saw to use,would recommend it
the uncle has a tanaka hedge trimmer and its 10yrs old going great always starts first time

bogman_bass

was asking because I was down in kilkenny and saw there was a dealer down there. Ended up getting a Jonsered 2238 instead.

Cost me 299 blips which seems great value to me

Reindeer

Nekarsulm wrote: »

And Makita are the new name for Sachs Dolmar, so nothing wrong there either.

Makita chainsaws are rebadged Dolmars - a German manufacturer.

http://www.dolmarpowerproducts.com/

Oooh, nice calendar.

Johnnyq79

bogman_bass wrote: »

was asking because I was down in kilkenny and saw there was a dealer down there. Ended up getting a Jonsered 2238 instead.

Cost me 299 blips which seems great value to me

Hey.
How you find the Jonsered 2238?
Looking at one at the moment. This would be my first saw. Recently acquired a small site with plenty of different trees on it. Mostly those dirty evergreens. So going to be used to cut down and up those, and also a few slightly bigger trees too.

bogman_bass

it's grand. You wouldn't fell anything huge with it but it does the job for firewood. I find I do have to keep tensioning the chain after a fill or two of fuel though.

if you are going to knock trees I'd say go up a grade or two