Mitox 515CSX Premium Petrol Chainsaw

I've always used Stihl and Husqvarna pro saws and have years of experience in tree surgery, both ground work and climbing.

This is my first experience with Mitox as a brand. Out of the box the saw looks and feels well put together. Slightly heavy in the hands but not overly so.

The manufacturer claims durability and the body and plastics seem like they can easily put up with a few knocks. There is a solid magnesium crank case which is normally the mark of a pro saw and very reassuring. It's let down a bit by the plastic clutch cover, apart from that there is a quality feel to it all, not quite on par with Husky or Stihl but trying very hard. Decent size and strength dog teeth. If I was blindfolded and asked who made it I'd have genuinely gone for Stihl apart from the clutch cover and off switch.

I filled up the saw with bar oil and fuel/oil mixture and started it up. I don't like the pull cord, not sure what they've done with the recoil starter but it's weird. I guess I'm more used to pulling starters without the gadgetry. It will take some getting used to. Anyway I struggled starting the saw because of this, I think if it had a normal starter it would have been first try. Warmed up the saw for quite a while on idle before revving it up slowly to check the oiler, all working ok. There definitely isn't the quick "snap" to high revs like with a pro saw but this is a third of the price and after warning up properly it will scream a little and first test cuts in ash were good.

The supplied 20" inch bar is, well, ridiculous. Not sure what Mitox are trying to achieve here; maybe a "look at me I've got a massive guide bar" appeal. They really didn't need to. That said I have been persuaded by the American ethos of having a longer bar, purely for reach. It makes a huge difference when limbing, with not so much reaching or bending over (very important as we get older!). But if you're running a longer bar you need the extra KW/cc that a pro saw gives you.

I suspect power and acceleration would be muchly improved by fitting a shorter bar, 15 or 16" max, I ideally paired with a narrow kerf chain. I'll do that next and give a follow up review.

So it's good to look at, doesn't feel cheap or rushed. Feels good in the hands and is very capable. You can't really argue with the price, sure we all want to pay less for things but given the cost of everything these days it's very reasonable and you are getting a lot of saw for your money.

Well done Mitox but if you're listening: The bar, and plastic clutch cover let it down slightly, and it's a touch on the heavy side.

I think it will be quite rugged. At this stage I would recommend. Will follow up after a bit of hard use.