Anybody running Shindaiwa's

Alderman

New to the site and thought I'd check for any Shindaiwa users lurking here.

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Shindaiwa 360
2-Shindaiwa 488's
Shindaiwa 577
Shindaiwa 695
Shindaiwa 757
Shindaiwa C-35
Shindaiwa BP-35
Shindaiwa T272X
Shindaiwa P230

Homelite Super 2
Homelite XL-12
Homelite 300

pomie

yes mate i had a shindaiwa 360 found it good 4 palms as it seemed to have good chain speed found it better than my sthil 026

treekiwi

Yea i run a 490 shindawa, awesome saw with good power.

newguy18

Nope,not sold around here,only husky stihl and tananka around here.I own 2 huskies and a stihl.

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old schooler

Q.Q.

Huh my favorite brand of saw,and my only,same as all of my other gear.
I have the 357 climbing saw,great saw.
I have the 446,Power to weight ratio is unreal,glad I bought it.
And last but not least the 757,the biggest they make,good power to.
have had the big fella since I was 18 and havn't had one problem with it yet.
The only problem I wish they would rectifi is making some biggers saws,I would be the first here to buy one.

Is Shini all the way for me.

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Q,Q's Tree & Garden Maintenance

FAMILARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT

rbtree

I know a good arborist who still uses a 357....likes it, but the specs show it to be heavy and underpowered compared to todays top two saws the 338/2139 and 200T..

The one model Shinny that is very good is the 488, mainly for its weight (Lightest in class) and build quality. It is a bit outdated design, no side access chain tensioner, etc etc.

Of the 3 cube saws, I own it, a 346XP, a Solo 651SP, and two dolmar 5100's. All but one of the 5100's have been fully woods ported. It trails all but the Solo in power and speed. Still a nice saw, and only 10 pounds.

I'm getting a 346 NE really soon, before the price goes up.and will have it woods modded of course....have heard it's a great saw, with the 5 added cc's over the old 346.

chadd

i have a shindi blower. it kicks ass. far beats any stihl or husky i have ever ran. but so many silly problems. easy fixes but always something

rbtree

I've had 2 Redmax blowers, great units....but there's a test video floating around that shows the 4 mix Stihl BR600 to be the most powerful, by quite a margin!!

newguy18

Hey rbtree,i have a jonsered book here showing most of they're saws,no top handle saw in it,can you post a pics of thier top handle saw and maybe a spec sheet?

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old schooler

rbtree

technically, you're off topic....but I'm often guilty of the same.

Jonsered

YouTube - rbtree's Channel look thru my vids...for "climb saw comparison" or something....

you might find a few others of interest....nothing as fancy as Ger's vids, or Reg's...but a helmet cam is on the wish list.

TRI955

Yea, I have a few......Hi Rich!!

stewardship

The Shindaiwa 357 is one of the worst-designed climbing saws ever produced. It works fine for ground work but, for professional climbing (its advertised purpose), it is inherently dangerous and non-functional. Amongst its problems:

1. The tanks are reversed, putting the bar oil vent above the handle when the saw is hung vertically (from a lanyard or in a scabbard). A climbing saw must be suspended vertically in order to climb safely and effectively. One never ascends a tree without filling both tanks, so the oil starts leaking out through the vent as soon as the climb starts. The vent is located at the base of the top handle so the bar oil runs down the handle. A slick saw handle in a tree is deadly. I could not imagine a more stupid design. I wonder how many people have been injured or killed, due to this design. The tank reversal is also inherently problematic because, after sucking two-stroke exhaust for hours, it would be very easy to accidentally put fuel in the bar oil tank or visa versa. This has not yet happened to me but other climbers have told me about damaging saws due to this confusion.

2. There is no lanyard ring. The only way to suspend the saw is by tying to the top handle. There are many instances, such as a swing-away, where the climber must drop the saw immediately upon completion of the cut. I have twice had the lanyard slip up the (oil-slick) top handle and grab the throttle, resulting in a saw running wide open, swinging from the end of a rope. If the lanyard had been secured to my saddle, instead of a separate rope, I surely would have been maimed.

3. On the saw I purchased, the engine floods if the saw is suspended vertically for more than a minute. The saw starts and runs great, so long as it is not used for its labeled purpose. There is nothing more unprofessional than having to yank the starter cord 20 times, while the crew waits below, stopping vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Before I gave up on the saw, I had several instances where the whole neighborhood had gathered, with cameras and lawn chairs, to witness the topping of huge albizias. By the time I got the Shindaiwa started, the crew had to let the traffic move and the spectators had left. What it cost me in bad publicity would have paid for ten Stihl 200Ts. Incidentally, if you earn your living climbing, I have seen no saws that can compete with the Stihl. It will pay for the price difference 100 times during its life. I do not know how long the 200T will last, but I have a 25-year-old Stihl 020 that still starts on the first pull. I only stopped using it because parts became unavailable.

4. The chain brake attachment is not secure and it comes off constantly while working in a tree. This sort of distraction is not acceptable when one is suspended from a rope 120’ in the canopy of a brittle tree.

5. Shindaiwa’s customer service stinks. I took the saw back to the dealer twice within two weeks of purchase and many times subsequently. He did his best to correct the problem. A couple times the saw even worked for a few climbs before the problem resumed. I tried again and again, for more than a year, to get the problem resolved. When it finally became clear that neither the dealer nor the distributor could resolve the issue, I called Shindaiwa Company President George Lazo (1-503-691-4603) on 7/13/09. Mr. Lazo assured me that he would immediately resolve the problem to my satisfaction. I was passed down the chain of command until I got to Victor Grossi (503-691-4619) on 9/16/09. Mr. Grossi heartily corroborated all of the technical issues. When I asked him why Shindaiwa would create such a foolish design, he said “The Japanese do things for strange reasons”. When I told him that these failures are unacceptable, he responded “You will find the same issues with all current climbing saws, of any brand. They just don’t make them like they used to.” As to the detaching chain brake, he said “Most professionals remove the chain brake entirely”. Mr. Grossi assured me that he would resolve the problem to my satisfaction. I told him that I was unwilling to wait any longer and that the only acceptable resolution was an immediate refund of my purchase. He offered to get me a credit for another brand of saw, of my choice. He returned my call, a couple days later, and told me that he had arranged for a $100.00 credit against the purchase of another saw with a local retailer. He had not even bothered to check to see if the retailer had the saw I wanted (an MS200T, of course). I got a bit irate, at that point, and made it very clear that $100.00 was unacceptable. His response… “The saw is out of warranty”

On a saw that is still on its first bar & chain.

Eric Frei

I've always said they're more suited to groundwork and suck aloft. Agree with you all the way.

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Therrin

I cant think of many folks who would have put up with a saw THAT LONG, risking the wide-open throttle problem-from-lanyard TWICE, and put up with all the other shit you mentioned...and kept using the saw.

Your tolerance and patience is astounding. I commend you.

But... maybe you should buy a new F*%$ing saw!!! From what you've said, its amazing it hasnt killed you already.

aldo

I have a 377 and a newly purchased 488. I purchased them for their hoped longevity. I think some of their design is not the greatest but hopefully it's what is on the inside that counts. The choke on the 377 looks very flimsy, the handle locking mechanism for a cold start is also a bit weird. Fuel and oils caps are poor. The fuel one has a cork seal!! but they do start easy, run and cut well. I love the sound of the 377 when it idles, it's a nice sounding saw. The air filter on the 488 is brilliant.

stewardship

Therrin sure busted me on the stupidity of my patience. It is a trait that one acquires living on the most isolated landmass on the planet (Hawaii). I did not want to create problems with my dealer. On a little island in the middle of the ocean, one is careful not to make enemies of the folks on which one relies. I did not consistently use the saw after the problems became apparent. I continued to rely on my trusty old 020. After each time I took the 357 back to the dealer (for correction of the problems), I gave the saw another chance.

Thanks for your feedback gentlemen. I would very much appreciate hearing from more folks who experienced the same problems with their 357s.

I did recently buy a Stihl MS200T. What a sweet machine!

Therrin

wooohooooo!!!!!