Makita EA3201S

Almost my first purchase after the Dec 2019 fires wrecked my place. This Makita was put through 6 months of pretty ugly (sooty, dirty) cleanup work, including dead, fallen and hanging trees were realistically bigger than the spec and remaining structural timber etc. Still working fine!

With the usual maintenance (air filter, de-gunking, sharpening, etc), it keeps on starting fine and working well - we were gifted a slightly bigger H*** saw that has needed a service already (it's pining for the Fjords maybe), while the Makita just keeps on going like Honeybadger

I reviewed this saw approx 3yrs ago and it was about 5yrs old then, apart from 1 small repair 3 yrs ago it’s still going strong and never been serviced. Still on first spark plug .

This saw is very easy to start. It is very well made (as you would expect from a Makita. It cuts through trunks of a size it has no business cutting through. Maintenance and cleaning is very easy. Top product.

Makita is a good brand but this chainsaw is the worst thing they have, the other models without the "special" chain wheel are good. I don't recommend buying this model

Hard to start since new and extremely unreliable. Makita never admit to a LEMON but will always say operators fault. Makita now in the rubbish bin in bits. Will never leave Husqvarna again !

This chainsaw itself when used for normal tree cutting is a good tool. Design however has some issues. 1). The rubber damper on the carburetor on the side of the choke gets cut through and fails intermittently because of the design of the choke - every time it gets moved in the upper position the carburetor assembly gets moved and after 10 times or so the rubber dumper gives up and needs to be replaced. Annoying, but not super critical and can be easily fixed. If left unfixed it increases vibration and overall not a good idea to stress the car...

I have had this saw for about 18 months. It starts within two to three pulls and runs well. The only problem I have with it is that it breaks the e-clip that retains the chain drive sprocket and washer. The e-clip only costs $1, but it is a pain to have to stop the saw, let it cool and then fit the new e-clip, after finding finding where it dropped the chain retention washer. During two days of heavy use, I broke three of these clips. Other than that, it is a great little saw.

I have reviewed two Ozito saws and a 236e Husqvarna. I also have a Huge Stihl saw that I can use for felling any size tree I may need to & it is in a class of its own for quality & performance. I have had many others over the years, and have even owned a McCulloch chainsaw back in the day (when they were good). So, you can see that I use chainsaws on a regular basis.
My Makita EA3201s is without a doubt the best built small saw I have ever owned. Actually to be honest it is the best build "of any saw" I have ever owned. It is light, quiet, s...

Bought this saw cause my other got stolen and Bunnings only shop open on a Sunday. It's been sitting in my ute tool box for approx 5yrs and always starts, I use on average once a week. In 5 yrs never had a service and just last week the pull starter started to slip. $15 later I replaced cam plate and it's been good again.

After 3 years of faultless use, I thought I'd leave a positive review of a product. My little Makita chainsaw has started first time (after choke pulls) every time. (Touch wood - don't want to jinx it). It is used for garden pruning and occasional firewood for camping, not forestry work, but it cuts through logs of 300mm quite well.
I make sure I use fuel preserving additive so that the fuel doesn't go off between uses, and have also been using canola oil for bar lube to be environmentally friendly, and that works quite well too.