Dolmar 5100

woodman55

I was looking at picking up a dolmar 5100. I have been trolling sites to get the scoop on them as they are new to me as I have only used stihl and husky since that was all that was available. I have gathered that they are strong cutting saws but there are some durability issues, specifically filtration issues, does anyone here have anything to offer on these saws? Price wise it seems like the old saying if it's to good to be true it probably is.

JustinM

Hi woodman55.

I have had my 5100 for a few months. So far it has been the best investment in a chainsaw I have ever made. I have always used stihls (from the ms180 all the way up to the 056AV SUPER) and frankly cannot imagine buying a stihl or Husky over the Dolmar these days.

I have not heard ANY issues with durability - in fact, with mostly magnesium and aluminum parts the Dolmar should actually be more durable than the comparable Stihl & Husky - at roughly 30% of their cost.

The BIG issue that many have with Dolmar is Parts & Service. Depending upon where you are, you might have trouble finding the saw and/or servicing it/getting parts for it. Im lucky to be within an hour of 6 places that service/can get parts and 2 that sell them.

Honestly, I would recommend this saw 100 times over & hope you have a chance to take a look at one because its a beautiful mid-level pro saw, for an almost big-box store el cheapo price.

rbtree

I have 2. One is going on three years old....and still runs like a bat out of hell. It has been fully woods ported by Ed Heard. The other has a triple ported muffler and is also very fast.... they are fastest of the 3 cube saws.

Very well built saws. I also have three of the 79 cc 7900's..also best in class.....


you can see videos of the 5100 in action, including three of it running with a pipe here... YouTube - rbtree's Channel and a lot more cool stuff..if ya wanna see some tech tree work, you'll find it....

rbtree

Not that cheap, Justin. I think I could get a 5100 today for $380. My best price on a 346NE is $425....I'm getting one or two soon, before the price jumps Dec 1....Both are better than the 260, which is prolly abut $480.....

The 346NE is just a tad slower than the 5100, I've heard....and a bit lighter...plus, when ported it may be faster....the 5100 does have more torque.

JustinM

Ah, well I guess I should have stated 30% of their cost up here in Canada (Or at least in this part of the country).

I got my Dolmar 5100 for $450

A Husky 346 in these parts sells for $699 - sometimes $625 on sale.
A Stihl 260 is $650 - sometimes on sale for $599

Im not sure if its a case of Husky/Stihl being way MORE expensive up here - or Dolmar being way LESS expensive, but the price difference in this area (for now at least) is substantial. Until I found a Dolmar dealer I was actually going to pick up a 346 via mail order because even with freight etc it was going to save me $100+

rbtree

gotcha, but not to be picky, but, if you say, 30% less, not 30% OF, it will make more sense..(30% of $100 is $30, for example)

Email me if you're looking for more saws....I have a friend who has gotten out of the biz. he has a whole mess of saws, prolly all woods modded by Ed Heard (from your province) that he's looking to sell....

and chain..

and ropes and gear.....

or, if you ever want new Husky/Jonsy stuff, i know a NY shop who is cheap and will ship to me...and maybe across the border. If he won't, I would...

JustinM

OH geez! I thought I wrote "30% OFF" not "30% OF" Lol. - I totally see what you were reading now - sorry for any that misunderstood - up here the cost of a Dolmar is about 30% LESS than a comparable husky/stihl - not 30% OF Whoops!

I'll let you know if i need more...I think my wife already wants to throw out some of my saws (especially the older ones) but I cant go past a garage sale or auction when I see an old saw just crying out for some TLC :P hehe.

SawTroll

The clutch cover is plastic on the Dolmar 5100S - and I can't see how it has less plastic than the 346xp or MS260......

TreeTrim

I just priced a NE346 yesterday for $479 and the Dolmar 5100S was $389. No brainer .

woodman55

Sorry 5100 owners but no sale. I checked out two different dealers and both stories came back pretty close to the same. One sold husky echo and dolmar and as i'm standing in the back room looking at used saws I see 2 5100 new in condition that were back for repair, after getting the story they were in need of a rebuild but luckily under warranty. He told me that the 7900's have been good saws that don't come back much but that tree guys were tearing up the 5100 pretty quick. The next rep didn't have any dolmars in stock as he sold stihl and only special order dolmars, claims that the ones he sold were in constant need of repair for everything from carb repair and replacement to tied up engines. I can vouge personally for stihl and husky and we use these to put food on the table so a few bucks doesn't matter if it pays off. I did run the 5100 and it was a runner I will give it that but I think i'll stick with what works. Thanks anyways for the help.

SawTroll

Imo, for work in the woods, the Husky is worth that difference and more, due to the better handling and trigger response......

Just blocking logs is another story.

coloradotrout

I am not as optimistic about the 5100. I had one for 1.5 years, and used a total of 1 gallon of gas in it. The engine failed. Per dealer it was an air filter mfg defect. Per Dolmar, it was because the dealer told me to use Opti 2 oil which is 70:1. The dealer is saying he has had 6 similar failures.

In the least I'll be using Dolmar or Husq 50:1 oil instead of Opti 2.

Cut4fun

Hey Niko I found something on the net today while searching saw parts and knew you would get a kick out of it. Finally a spray to take care of you nasty ole trolls.


Hope this finds you well and in good spirits for the Holiday season.

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SawTroll

The 5100S has a history as a model that has seized a lot more engines than normal, probably because they came very lean from the factory (to pass EPA testing), and many dealers didn't understand that they had to be readjusted before they left his shop.

The follow-up 5105 comes with coils that are limited at 13,800 rpm now, and lower compression - at least according to the info that has been posted somewhere else. It also comes with a cat muffler in the US, to satisfy EPA.

coloradotrout

See my other post -- but dealer has agreed to replace my 5100 with a 5105. What do I need to do do make sure the engine does not fail again? What oil and at what ratio should I run it? My dealer does not stock Dolmar oil, but rather Opti 2.

SawTroll

Good one, but I have seen it before!

SawTroll

Use a good synth oil at 50:1, and make sure the WOT rpm is set several hundred rpm below max allowed. Keep an eye on the rpm with a tach, specially during run-in (10-20 tanks).

Also get rid of the cat muffler!

KevinE

Does anyone know if the Makita they're selling here (500/45) is a re-badged Dolmar 5100?

Cut4fun

I have no clue on the Makita you are talking about. But a quick search turned this up from a guy in Oz.

tdi-rick = The DCS500 has nothing in common with the PS5100S or the slightly detuned DCS5001 we get here, they are two very different saws separated by nearly two decades in design.

KevinE

Thanks mate, your post sorted that out for me! Makita 500/45 is not at Dolmar 5100! Shame though, because I can buy the 500/45 for $710. The best price I can get for a 5000 (re-badged 5100) is $880.

When you consider that our $ is now pretty much on par with yours, we are definitely getting the rough end of the pineapple! Our $ has sky rocketed lately. Prices haven't come down though!

SawTroll

No, they aren't - they are more cheaply made saws, at different levels (but they are rebadged Dolmars).

The Dolmar 5000 and Makita 5001 are basically the same as the 5100S, but there are a few differences, like different coil and different crank. The p&c is the same. I don't think any of those models still are made.

I believe the Makita version of the 5105 is called 5030, but it is a while since I heard of it, so memory may be off....

wrebelmachine

We run 9 5100's and two 5105's. We have had zero trouble in three years with them. and they are used daily. However I have a dealer who sets them up for me before we start using them. And we use AMSOIL in them. I do not know if the amsoil makes a diffrence or not we were using opti before that and had no trouble either.

Cut4fun

I think what is in bold is the key, not oil brands.

superfire

It does not matter breed of saw. What matters more is DEALER THAT KNOWS THE PRODUCT BEING SOLD AND HOW TO SET IT UP RIGHT FROM THE GETGO.

SawTroll

Yes, but it becomes more critical when they are set (too) lean from the factory, to pass EPA testing...