Bailey's

Greetings - It will run both bars fine. If you bury the 28" is could bog down in some conditions, but it will still run the bar. In addition, if you ever need to do a big job with a real long bar the BBN 7900 kit will give you 84ccs.

Every Makita tool is thoroughly inspected and tested before leaving the factory. If you're not satisfied with any Makita tool within 30 days of purchase, return it and we will provide a replacement or refund. Each Makita tool is warranted to be free of defects from workmanship and materials for the

Every Makita tool is thoroughly inspected and tested before leaving the factory. If you're not satisfied with any Makita tool within 30 days of purchase, return it and we will provide a replacement or refund. Each Makita tool is warranted to be free of defects from workmanship and materials for the period of one year from the date of original purchase. Should any trouble develop during this one-year period, return the complete tool, freight prepaid, to us or one of Makita's Authorized Service Centers. For normal maintenance and repairs, Makita has a large network of authorized repair centers all over the United States. You can locate the repair center nearest you at their website or you can reach their free technical support center by calling 1-800-4MAKITA, Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 6:00pm EST.
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See the parts break down for comprehensive part detail.

There is nothing more that needs to be said. You can see from all the previous reviews, that span several years, that this saw goes above and beyond what everyone expects from it. And if you want more power you can upgrade it.

I have owned this saw for a bit over 1 year now, purchased here at Baileys. It has not given one hint of a problem. Starts easy, smooth and powerful. I also purchased some loops of Oregon LGX, the stock chain is still in the box. Only negative I can find is that perhaps it is a tick heavy. Although I owned Stihl products for 26 years, I became somewhat disenchanted with them because of their "flippy" caps and their high prices, which includes the saws and parts. I am so pleased with the 6401 that I bought a second one! Cannot think of a better endorsement than that! Try one, you will like it.

i bought this saw this spring and have run over 20 gallons of gas through it. overall i like it better than the stihls and husqvarnas that i own or have used in its class. it hasn't let me down yet. some things i don't like about it are 1. you really have to reef on the chain tensioner screw to get things tight, 2.the inboard clutch (like stihls) allows for easy drive sprocket changes, but i worry about having to pull the clutch and drum if dirt gets in there (good/bad). 3. the throttle trigger doesn't have a very strong spring in it, which doesn't really affect performance, but i am used to firmer trigger squeeze. 4. the bar oil and gas caps are kind of hard chintzy plastic, compared to husky and stihl; mine are still intact, though. 6. the bar that comes with the saw isn't the best quality (i didn't use the chain that came with it). 7. the oiler adjustment will run the saw out of bar oil before it runs out of gas if it is adjusted for max flow (saw comes with adjustment wide open) The ergonomics are great, low vibration, i love the cutting dogs on this saw, revs high and seems to have good low end power, good power to weight ratio, easy to service and great that you can upgrade it if you want!

My Mac 10's are showing their age and I needed to get a new saw. After checking out Sthil, Husky, Echo and even Tanaka, I decided the Makita was the best value. I ordered one out with an extra Oregon 24" bar and chain, which I mounted when I received it. It made the saw a little nose heavy but that helped alot while bucking. I'm more than pleased, easy to start, great balance and it cuts like an animal through Pine, Ash and Oak. I may never upgrade to the big bore kit, this saw can handle the 36" logs I've tried it on. I heat with wood, so I have seven chain saws, three MAC's, two Sthils and now two Makitas. The DCS 6401 is the best of the bunch. All I can hope for is the same service I got from my MAC 10's. FRED M. in Rural CT.

I purchased the Makita 6401 and a 30 inch Alaskan mill with a 34 inch bar. I was told the saw probably could not handle a 34 inch bar. It not only could handle it but I probably could have used a 36 inch bar. I have cut 28 inch slabs from red oak and hard maple and the saw cut it like butter. I give the Makita (Dolmar) TWO THUMBS UP. Bailey's sells good quality products at great prices. Thank you.

Like many of the other reviewers, I spent time researching the Makita DCS 6401, Makita's rebranding of a Dolmar Chain Saw, hence "DCS." It seems like a bargain to get a 64 cc German-made saw of professional grade for such a price. Dolmar has made chain saws since the 1920s. They are a solid product, well-designed and constructed. I ran it for less than two hours over a few different times, especially to get used to the beast. When it started, I immediately felt the high torque and smoothness. After a few uses, it would just quit on me, eventually having no spark. I changed the gas, tried stihl 2-cycle oil, changed the spark plug and had my more experienced friend look at it. I finally decided to call Makita for warranty service. They were pleasant, helpful and promptly directed me to a contracted service center closest to me in Vermont. After reading about possible problems, I think it is the coil. Experience tells me that electrical components have a tendency to fail quickly if they are defective. I am hoping that is all. It's annoying to get a new saw and see it fail. I accept that this may just be a bad component. The saw cut well when it was running. One bit of confusion I have is the warranty. Everywhere I see that is only one year. The box says three years. Since the box I got it in says three years, I expect it to be three. If the saw ran without the electrical failure, I would easily give it a five-star rating. I am eager to get the saw back and discover that to be true. However, since I shelled out in the neighborhood of $500 for this saw, I didn't expect it to fail. I will give it a five star rating because of the prompt and close by warranty service. From what I initially experienced, the saw is awesome. I take a leap of faith and recommend this saw to others. I'm hoping it comes back soon....

I build custom McCulloch chainsaws. One of the most frequent questions I get is how do they compare to Stihls and Husqvarnas? Well, I decided I'd test them against the most popular saws. I went on a saw buying spree. I purchased a nice used Stihl MS390, a Husqvarna 266SE, and a Makita DCS 6401. I tested them against a McCulloch Promac 655. Let me tell you, the Makita blew the field away!!! It cut faster and felt better than any of the other saws. My custom Promac finished 2nd, the Stihl 3rd, and the Husqvarna was the "dog" of the bunch. All 4 saws had 24" bars and freshly ground chains. They all were well tuned and all had at least 150 lbs of compression. After this test, I highly recommend the Makita DCS 6401 to anyone who needs a great saw. It is reasonably priced, durable, easy starting, and a dream to use. It's now my "favorite" saw!!!

I have used this saw to cut down ironwood trees. These trees are so dense that nails will bend when hammering into one. I had sparks coming off the blade, yet this saw cut these trees down with ease. Its an unbelievable saw.

I have owned Stilh's and sorry to say a Poulan, and this saw is by far the best I have ever owned. It is very well made and cuts like no other saw I have ever owned. I have cut several cords with this saw since purchase several weeks ago and have been very impressed with its performance and quality. I was hesitant to buy this saw at first, but after reading the reviews I took a chance. I am certainly glad I did. I highly recommend this saw. For the money it can't be beat. Boy, those Germans know how to make a saw. If your looking for professional quality at a great price, give it a try; you will be glad you did.

The Makita has been very, very nice for me. I'm a homeowner who is hard on every tool I own, decided to upgrade to a "professional saw", was looking at this and the Stihl 361 or 441; this saw was $200-400 cheaper, still made in Hamburg, Germany, had good reviews. The standard chain and bar are adequate, but try the Oregon LG chain when able, cutting speed is nice with it. I've been bucking 8 huge 36 inch Tulip Poplars with a 24" Oregon bar using .50 LG chain (non skip tooth) with no problems bogging down cutting either poplar or hickory. Word of note on that chain--keep it on the wood and it blazes, hit the ground once and it needs to be sharpened instantly undoubtedly--so really concentrate on keeping the chain 'virgin'/stop 6 inches from any non-wood items. The Makita's oil and gas tanks are good for 30-45 minutes of cutting, about when you should take a break anyway and have coffee and/or water. It's got lots of power in the 64cc alone, hold off the 79cc upgrade until you really need it. Quiet, easy to start, fast and smooth running. No problems as of yet, 10 hours of use. Oh, please someone make a chain saw box for this--Husq's/Stihl's too small by a couple inches. Feel free to email me w/ any questions, bfmdal@comcast.net