[Mac102004]

Since saws are one of my other 'addictions' ... LOL ....

Lots of good words here, so I'll keep it short.

I'll leave $$ out of the picture.

The buyer must recognize the task at hand and also take into account the capability of the machine. They don't need a firewood saw for occasional trimming. Conversely, trimming saws (the lower-priced models) are not well suited to cut firewood.

IMHO, one of the best new saw purchases you can make these days is to get an Echo from a servicing dealer. A good dealer will assess your needs and size the saw appropriately. The Echos are well made and you can't beat a 5 year consumer warranty.

If you don't mind used equipment and are comfortable doing your own work, I'd suggest a Husqvarna 51/55/61. Good design, well made and parts are plentiful.

Just my $.02 .... YMMV

10-4 on the Husky 51/55/61 they are excellent landowner saws that will last for decades.

Personally I think with the newer saws your money is well spent on a pro grade unit. Husqvarna XP series. Probably a 543XP would be good enough, I like the 550XP too but I'm not so sure of the autotune on them.

 

[SmokeEater2]

Yet Echo only sells one grade of saw no matter if you buy it at home depot or a Echo dealer. 5 year warranty for home owners use. The other company's will not match that even on a pro saw for a home owner.
Used my CS400 yesterday and can't believe how much wood I can cut up on one tank of fuel.

If that's the case, Only a fool would pay more for the exact same thing at a dealer.

Wonder how much longer there will be any dealer's that carry Echo if they have to try to match the Big box stores bulk buying power?

 

[Warped5]

If that's the case, Only a fool would pay more for the exact same thing at a dealer.

Wonder how much longer there will be any dealer's that carry Echo if they have to try to match the Big box stores bulk buying power?

Reasons to buy from a servicing dealer:
- You're supporting local a local business that is probably family owned.
- You can usually walk in at any time with a question or small issue and get it looked at in short order.
- Your saw will be tuned before being handed to you and you'll get correct answers to any questions you may have.

PLUS, the all the Echo dealers around me have the same pricing on the same models stocked at the big box store .... some will even give you a discount for paying in ca$h!

 

[404625]

Sorry to rain on your parade but the MS291 is considered a non commercial saw due to it's clam shell design case.

The real value if you are trying to save money is the Echo CS-590 which is a pro line 60cc saw for under $400.

didn't want the commercial line as stihl commercial is $$$$ , I wanted a good dependable saw that will out last me like my grandfathers ( when I went looking they discontinued the farm boss ) , and I take down hardwoods with it on the farm ( black walnut , oak , cherry , ash ( done 6 trees this year ) poplar . and dead cottonwood ( like cutting steel once dried ) we have some soft wood but not much .

and when I buy a high dollar item , I do not big box store buy it , as I know how big box stores are for service , they ship it out to a depot for repairs or to a local shop who doesn't give a crap . my stihl dealer has my parts and takes care of my needs .

 

[SmokeEater2]

Reasons to buy from a servicing dealer:
- You're supporting local a local business that is probably family owned.
- You can usually walk in at any time with a question or small issue and get it looked at in short order.
- Your saw will be tuned before being handed to you and you'll get correct answers to any questions you may have.

PLUS, the all the Echo dealers around me have the same pricing on the same models stocked at the big box store .... some will even give you a discount for paying in ca$h!

Actually, My Zero turn,Tiller, chain saws and trimmer all came from dealers and I buy from them mainly for the reasons you listed.

But, I don't see how a small dealer can keep competing with Home Depot, Lowes and Amazon and my local Orscheln store (like TSC) who can buy in large quantities and apparently get better prices going by the sales I've seen.

If Echo is selling the exact same saw through the large outlets there is little reason for the average homeowner to make a trip to a dealer when he can buy the same saw on his weekend trip to HD. I would be surprised if small dealers stay with Echo.

 

[c5rulz]

Surprising the comments of the advantages of buying at big box stores rather than a servicing dealer to save small amount of $$$$$.

Well virtually all 2 cycle saws irregardless of manufacture come set extremely lean from the factory in order to comply with EPA regulations. The same EPA also mandates that the carburetors cannot be adjusted by the normal backyard mechanic due to the limiter stops and special screwdrivers needed to make adjustments. Well the average guy does not run enough fuel through them to cause self destruction before the warranty is out. So your big box store saved you a few bucks but in all likely hood the saw is going to become a throw away item when it melts down after the warranty is out.

Even a cheap clamshell saw properly tuned will last a few hundred hours. It is amazing at just how little time saws will last if proper tuning is not done. At the chainsaw shop I helped out at saws were intentionally set very rich, (1,000 rpm under max) then the customer was instructed to come back after 10 tanks of fuel and the carb would be reset to make more power. This was of course free of charge. BTW, the chainsaw shop I mentioned was sold and the new owner has it up for sale after one year and in all likely hood will go out of business. It had been around since the 60's.

The new auto tune saws are exempt from the above discussion.

 

[gt275]

I have an Echo CS-352 with a 14" bar and has been muffler modded and tuned to run 12,500 rpm's at no load. It's a screamer. I have been told to use 40:1 fuel mix and have been using premixed Truefuel. It has a stabilizer already in it, so no need to worry about it sitting for any length of time. The shorter 14" chain also helps it to run better due to less drag and friction. The CS-352 only weighs 8.8 lbs and is easy to use for longer periods of time.

 

[rudedawg]

Yea I buy only from dealers; my Echo saw & trimmer came from a local dealer but he has recently dropped them because they went to the "Big Box" stores. He honors warranty on units he sold though and can still get parts if needed.

 

[SmokeEater2]

Yea I buy only from dealers; my Echo saw & trimmer came from a local dealer but he has recently dropped them because they went to the "Big Box" stores. He honors warranty on units he sold though and can still get parts if needed.

Yeah, Dealer's dropping brands that have gone to the mass market is the side effect.

We had two Toro dealers, A Simplicity dealer and a John Deere lawn equipment dealer.

When Lowes and Home Depot came to town things changed. The Toro dealers dropped the Toro line with one switching over to Gravely, The other sells wood stoves now. The former Simplicity dealer just carries Grasshopper and Hustler mowers and Shindawa equipment and a few Echo saws now. The long time John Deere dealer ( since the early '60's) closed the doors.

I've read here that the box stores have a genuine dealer come in to set up the John Deere lawn tractors but there's no dealer here anymore to do that or handle warranty work.

So, If there is no dealer around do the Lowes/Home Depot employees do the initial assembly? Who does warranty I wonder?

 

[MF283]

Betcha can't test drive a mower at the Big Box or have a saw fired up either.

 

[vavet]

Yeah, Dealer's dropping brands that have gone to the mass market is the side effect.

We had two Toro dealers, A Simplicity dealer and a John Deere lawn equipment dealer.

When Lowes and Home Depot came to town things changed. The Toro dealers dropped the Toro line with one switching over to Gravely, The other sells wood stoves now. The former Simplicity dealer just carries Grasshopper and Hustler mowers and Shindawa equipment and a few Echo saws now. The long time John Deere dealer ( since the early '60's) closed the doors.

I've read here that the box stores have a genuine dealer come in to set up the John Deere lawn tractors but there's no dealer here anymore to do that or handle warranty work.

So, If there is no dealer around do the Lowes/Home Depot employees do the initial assembly? Who does warranty I wonder?

The JD riders at our local HD stores have a sticker with the name and phone number of the local JD dealer. Not sure of the logistics flow - employee comes to the store or equipment goes to the dealer, then to the store...or something else.

 

[stihlmania]

If you really don't want the hassle of owning a gas saw then rent one. Use it then take it back, no worries. Only purchase one if you have the need as all saws, battery, electric and gas, need service!

I have and use this stuff- Stihl pro85 trimmer with HT chain saw attachment, Stihl 009, Stihl ms 180 ez [ this is the only thing my wife can start so she loves it!] , Stihl 044, Stihl ms 660. I can service them all as needed. The 044 and 660 run carbide chains, expensive but I do cut lots of dirty wood, no need to stop and sharpen every hour this way. When a carbide chain does need service it is expensive also!

Lots of good advice on this post, good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[rayjay]

I too agree with renting. If the OP will plan ahead he should easily be able to do all his cutting in a 1/2 day or full day. Then return the saw and come home and start doing the clean up , chipping - burning or whatever he plans on doing with the wood he cut.

I'm big on owning but we once needed to till a small section and renting was definitely the way to go.

 

[Alleyyooper]

I the Orginal poster said

We don't use the wood to heat the house. I don't plan to cut a lot of wood, but I wonder if I'm being naive about how much I'll use it. If I rent one for $50/day or I can buy one for $200, it only makes sense to rent it for one day...beyond that I can sell it used and recoup most of my money. I worry about the upkeep on a rental saw...will the chain be sharp?


So spending the money for a battery powers saw may be way cheaper to own that rent in the long haul. Were he to get a small gas saw he would also be better off buying the caned fuel.
Nothing else said means nothing really.

 

[matt167]

I'm still an advocate of the china chainsaws.. I've had mine for over a year, took a chance on it figuring it only had to last 2 days ( and it cost same as 2 days rental )..

I don't worry about it too much. It's there if I need it and if it breaks, it paid for itself at 2 days old.. yes I store it without fuel, but I mix up cheap gas with cheap oil and that's what I run at 32:1.. Never fails to start in a few pulls and it does have enough power to pull it's 18" bar through hardwood. It's not a pro saw but is priced $30-40 less than a tiny Poulan... I do only need a saw a few times a year at most. Sometimes I just cut stuff up because I'm bored..

The downfalls to the saw. It's pretty thirsty, and the .325x.58 chain is a bit hard to find local. A simple bar swap with a small mount Husquvarna bar and .325x.50 is available almost anywhere.. The chains they come with are ok though. It's a decent semi chisel they come with. I opted to install Oregon full chisel. I got some NOS loops dirt cheap

Commercial 22 Inch 52CC 2 Cycle Gas Chainsaw CDI Chainsaw Tree Wood Worker | eBay

 

[Ct44233]

I purchased an Echo 18" chainsaw from home depot after returning the cheaper Ryobi i bought hours earlier. I love the echo, starts first pull everytime. I only run trufuel as others have said. Stihl is more than i need, echo fills the gap. I also have echo trimmers/edgers & soon to be a backpack blower.

 

[vavet]

OP here: I went out this morning with the intent of buying a chain saw. I was pretty much convinced I was going to buy one of the small Stihls.
I took my son to Y for swim lessons, then to HD for the kids workshop - he got to build a helicopter, a nod to Veterans Day coming up.

We looked at the Echo chainsaws there, but I decided I'd rather buy a local equipment place.

Next stop: a regional equipment dealer. They sell construction and forestry equipment, riding lawn mowers, all kinds of tractors from JD, Honda walk behind mowers and Stihl chainsaws, blowers, etc. we walked in, the young lady at the desk asked if she could help. I told her we wanted to talk about chainsaws. She pointed me to the back. We hovered in that area for 5 minutes. no one else acknowledged us. I'd drifted away from the chainsaw aisle to let my son sit on a riding mower.. I started to walk out when a person with the dealer logo-ed shirt asked if he could help. I told him I was interested in a chainsaw. He pointed out the chainsaw aisle and explained he worked in the parts department. I should also point out that none of the chainsaws had prices on them. This is the place that had a huge event a few months ago for kids- inviting anyone to come in, let kids climb on any kind of equipment they wanted, bounce house, pedal tractors, hay ride, gator rides from the parking lot, snow cones, were basically shut down that day, except for the novelty toy items they sell...which I think they sold a lot. It was a huge turnout and they do this every year. They'd basically earned my business that day, but then threw it away today.

We left.

I stopped at another place, this one is a cub cadet dealer inside an ace hardware store. They also sell Stihl. No one ever approached us in this store. They had a sign posted with their service hours for the power equipment entity within the Ace. 8-4 M-F. I leave my house at 630 and get off at 4 during the week. Part of the draw of patronizing a small business is personalized service. This does not help me.

Now, perhaps I should've been more aggressive about getting someone to help, but I don't think I should have to do that. I left the second store muttering something about the death of the small business in America having nothing to do with the big box stores.

After my son wakes up from nap this afternoon, I'm planning to go back to HD and buy the Echo.

 

[Alleyyooper]

For me when I don't want help just brows is when the sales people are all over me. If I want more information and buy I can't hardly find any one.

You will like the echo saw read the owners manual Ya I know there are 3/4 full of warnings but there is good information in there too. Like you have to loosen the bar nuts to tighten the chain and not strip out the adjuster screw seems a common complaint.

 

[Whirly]

For me when I don't want help just brows is when the sales people are all over me. If I want more information and buy I can't hardly find any one.

You will like the echo saw read the owners manual Ya I know there are 3/4 full of warnings but there is good information in there too. Like you have to loosen the bar nuts to tighten the chain and not strip out the adjuster screw seems a common complaint.

OMG.. does that really happen.. I guess some people don't think ahead.. when it's tight.. it's NOT supposed to move..

also when I make the chain tension I put the nose of the bar on a 2 x 4.. (3 1/2 up & down).. this locks the bar in the 'pull up' position.. my chains usually do not loosen up then..

 

[vavet]

I bought the 16" Echo CS CS-352 from HD Saturday evening.
I cracked open the box when we got home to get out the instructions and manuals and read them before going to bed. I got out the chainsaw for about an hour yesterday morning. A few thoughts:

The anti-kickback device on the front of the bar is a great idea, but the instructions do not match the bar itself. It includes a 1/4-28 screw and nut and a 8-32 (I think) screw and nut. It also has a dimple that engages with a hole on the bar. I did not have a smaller hole line up between the bar and the guard, so I aligned the dimple and installed the larger screw. Seems weird.

In the box, the chain and bar are covered by a thin, clear, plastic scabbard. After you install that anti-kickback guard on the bar, you no longer use this scabbard. For now, I have the chainsaw setting on the top shelf in my garage to make sure no one accidentally touches it, but I'm little disappointed they didn't think that through. The plastic cases are not cheap ($50?) and I wasn't planning to buy one, but now I feel like I need to.

The saw has plenty of power for how I'm going to use it. I probably would've been fine with the smaller saw with a 14" bar, but I think it'd be rare to wish I had less power. The engine started after just a few pulls with my homebrew gas/oil mix with Echo oil that I'd already had for my leaf blower and weedeater. Before I put the saw away for the winter I will drain the homebrew fuel, add in a little of the canned fuel, and let that run through the engine for a few minutes until it is exhausted. I did the same thing with my weedeater and blower yesterday morning because I think I'm done with them for the year.

It feels like a nice tool, but I don't have much for comparison. It's been 18 years or so since I used a chainsaw. That was my Dad's Craftsman model that he bought is 1982-ish. I remember having to pump the bar chain lever as I was using it where this Echo does it automatically.

I'm not planning to fell trees, except a few small Hollys and pines- mostly just cleanup of already downed stuff. I have lots of work to do in the yard and I feel good about having a chainsaw in case we have a tree come down during a storm.