# efco chainsaws from Baileys (good/bad) ?



## Arky217 (Mar 1, 2009)

Anyone have an opinion on the Italian made efco saws that Baileys sells, specifically the 80 cc model 181 ?
Seems to offer a long warranty period.

(I already have a Stihl MS290 for felling and firewood and a Husqvarna 395XP for my Logosol mill, and was thinking of a backup saw to serve in either capacity if either the Stihl or Husky went south.)


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 1, 2009)

I believe Efco makes the John Deere saws, they were just dropped by Deere. I've never ran one but they seem to be decent saws. For a 80cc, I would go with something a little more proven, like a 7900 but you may love that Efco.


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## Austin1 (Mar 1, 2009)

Well it's been a year since I bought a new saw! I am starting to twitchI like to try different things and myself have been thinking of a Efco. They look good the paper numbers are good.
One thing kinda worries me though why does Bailey's not have them listed in the Chainsaw parts category they do sell them after all?
One would think if they are pushing a saw they would list everything for said saw?
Maybe I am too much of a skeptic.


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## Former Saw Builder (Mar 1, 2009)

I can't give a good answer on the 80cc Ecfo but the 60cc efco saws are awesome and seem to be holding up well so far. ie... JD CS62 or Efco 962


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## superfire (Mar 1, 2009)

*got the jd cs81*

i have the jd cs 81 wearin a 36 bar and 375 full skip and a Stihl 3/4 wrap.the old series like mine is a rev limited saw. mine with the 36 runs a wot 11500 rpms. it may seem to be slow but the real surprise is how much toque the SOB has. i ran it the other day to buck up a pine snag across the local main road. the center of the tree was like cutting harden steel :censored:. well the forest circus faller had a 441 wearin a 28 and could not even keep up with me i would think 32" is optimum for the Efco 181:greenchainsaw:


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## Grande Dog (Mar 1, 2009)

Howdy,
We have about 12,000 sku's of Efco parts in our system. We base what goes in to print, or on our website by sales performance history. We just don't have much history yet. We can certainly access what you need in a timely manor.
Regards
Gregg


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## Austin1 (Mar 1, 2009)

Grande Dog said:


> Howdy,
> We have about 12,000 sku's of Efco parts in our system. We base what goes in to print, or on our website by sales performance history. We just don't have much history yet. We can certainly access what you need in a timely manor.
> Regards
> Gregg


Well that's great to hear! You should mention that in your Efco ads.
I know you guy's really stand behind your product but it would be a benefit to say you have the parts on hand should anyone need them.


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 1, 2009)

Grande Dog said:


> Howdy,
> We have about 12,000 sku's of Efco parts in our system. We base what goes in to print, or on our website by sales performance history. We just don't have much history yet. We can certainly access what you need in a timely manor.
> Regards
> Gregg



Do the Efco's seem to be as good as husky?


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## bowtechmadman (Mar 1, 2009)

I would like to hear thoughts on smaller efco's 35-45cc's. I see that Menards is now carrying them and local pawn shop has one on his shelf. Wife wants a saw she can handle...want to find her a 242XP but that isn't lookin to be very easy to do.


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## retired redneck (Mar 1, 2009)

Efco saws fine Italian made saws, 2 ring pistons mag cases on larger cc sold under three or four diffrent names in the past olympic, efco, oleo mack. a little heavy but built like a tank,last forever....


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## mountainlake (Mar 1, 2009)

2000ssm6 said:


> Do the Efco's seem to be as good as husky?



Good as Huskys, better than Stihls. Steve


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 1, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> Good as Huskys, better than Stihls. Steve



I know they are not near Stihl, just wondering about huksy...


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## mile9socounty (Mar 1, 2009)

I just wish that I could find a place that sold the 199's here in the states. Or at least in the state of Oregon.

http://catalogue-oleomac.emak.it/database/emak/emak.nsf/WFrame_cat_oleomac_eng.htm


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## Former Saw Builder (Mar 1, 2009)

Grande Dog said:


> Howdy,
> We have about 12,000 sku's of Efco parts in our system. We base what goes in to print, or on our website by sales performance history. We just don't have much history yet. We can certainly access what you need in a timely manor.
> Regards
> Gregg



:agree2:

I can vouch for that I was able to get a new clutch spring for a Efco 962 from Bailey's in about 2 weeks and they don't even carry that model saw.

Bailey's have aways treated me good as far as parts are concerned.


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## aandabooks (Mar 1, 2009)

I took a look at the 4 that Menard's carries this weekend. Everyone of them is beat in what you get for the price by a saw from either Husky or Stihl. Menard's has all 4 models on sale and they still get beat.


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 1, 2009)

aandabooks said:


> I took a look at the 4 that Menard's carries this weekend. Everyone of them is beat in what you get for the price by a saw from either Husky or Stihl. Menard's has all 4 models on sale and they still get beat.



Here is the add. http://menards.inserts2online.com/customer_Frame.jsp?drpStoreID=1


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## mountainlake (Mar 1, 2009)

aandabooks said:


> I took a look at the 4 that Menard's carries this weekend. Everyone of them is beat in what you get for the price by a saw from either Husky or Stihl. Menard's has all 4 models on sale and they still get beat.


 Are you comparing them to Husky and Stihl homeowner saw. Efco's are biult WAY better and have more power per cc than those. Steve


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## parrisw (Mar 1, 2009)

2000ssm6 said:


> I know they are not near Stihl, just wondering about huksy...



LOL, cause Stihl is so much better.:bang:


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## HuskyMike (Mar 1, 2009)

I was wondering if anyone bought those Efco's from Baileys. They seem to be priced well.


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## aandabooks (Mar 1, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> Are you comparing them to Husky and Stihl homeowner saw. Efco's are biult WAY better and have more power per cc than those. Steve



The HP ratings on the tags at the store are a little lower than comparable models. The 20" saw is 56.5cc and produces 3.9hp. A Dolmar 5100 produces more HP at $80 less. The 18" is 3.2hp 51.7cc. You can get a Husky 353, Dolmar 5100 and do better than those numbers.

Not even mentioning that this would be a big boxstore purchase and there is no service after the sale. I would rather support my local dealer.


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## mountainlake (Mar 1, 2009)

aandabooks said:


> The HP ratings on the tags at the store are a little lower than comparable models. The 20" saw is 56.5cc and produces 3.9hp. A Dolmar 5100 produces more HP at $80 less. The 18" is 3.2hp 51.7cc. You can get a Husky 353, Dolmar 5100 and do better than those numbers.
> 
> Not even mentioning that this would be a big boxstore purchase and there is no service after the sale. I would rather support my local dealer.



Before it was Stihl and Husky now you bring Dolmar into the mix, I'd think the Dolmar 5100s is the best buy in the chainsaw world if you know how to tune a saw. Seems like the 353 Husky cost more than the 51cc Efco and is NOT built as good and most likely has less power in real life. Over here my 49.6 cc Echo cuts faster than my 53cc Rancher 55 and we all know Echo's have no power. Steve


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## KarlP (Mar 1, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> Seems like the 353 Husky cost more than the 51cc Efco and is NOT built as good and most likely has less power in real life. Over here my 49.6 cc Echo cuts faster than my 53cc Rancher 55 and we all know Echo's have no power. Steve



Does the 46/51cc Efco have a magnesium case like the 353? I didn't think the cases were magnesium till the 56/62cc series.


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## aandabooks (Mar 1, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> Before it was Stihl and Husky now you bring Dolmar into the mix, I'd think the Dolmar 5100s is the best buy in the chainsaw world if you know how to tune a saw. Seems like the 353 Husky cost more than the 51cc Efco and is NOT built as good and most likely has less power in real life. Over here my 49.6 cc Echo cuts faster than my 53cc Rancher 55 and we all know Echo's have no power. Steve



When you brought only pro saws into the mix, I had to go to Dolmar. Even the homeowner Stihls and Huskies come up with better numbers, even if the build quality might not be the same. I mean for the price of the 20" Efco, you get more power at $80 less in the 310 or the same power with the 455 at the $400 price mark.


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 1, 2009)

parrisw said:


> LOL, cause Stihl is so much better.:bang:



Ah yes.


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## parrisw (Mar 2, 2009)

2000ssm6 said:


> Ah yes.



LOL, one day you will get your head on straight!!!


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## mountainlake (Mar 2, 2009)

aandabooks said:


> When you brought only pro saws into the mix, I had to go to Dolmar. Even the homeowner Stihls and Huskies come up with better numbers, even if the build quality might not be the same. I mean for the price of the 20" Efco, you get more power at $80 less in the 310 or the same power with the 455 at the $400 price mark.



Where did I bring pro saws into the mix, reading back you mentioned the Dolmar 5100s first when the talk was about Husky and Stihl saws and you know that Husky and Stihl pro saws cost way more per cc than Efco saws do. Husky and Stihl homeowner saws might be around the same price per cc as Efco but are not built as good with the 353 and 359 being more mid range but again costing more. The 353 is not to bad at around $400 but I,d take the Dolmar 5100s for around $375 any day over any saw out there. I for sure wouldn't go by Stihl's inflated HP numbers on thier homeowner saws, I don't think Husky inflates them to much but they lower in most cases. Some day someone might explain to me how a MS260 at 3.2 hp cuts almost the same as the MS290 at 3.8 hp without a lot of bs. Steve


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## SawTroll (Mar 2, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> ... Some day someone might explain to me how a MS260 at 3.2 hp cuts almost the same as the MS290 at 3.8 hp without a lot of bs. Steve



Most likely because of a better and wider powerband, even though the 260 isn't state of the art in that respect either.....

The max hp rating is just a "snapshot" of one point on the power/torque curves.

Btw, the 260 still is rated at 3.5hp outside the US - I believe the difference is in the muffler.


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## mountainlake (Mar 2, 2009)

SawTroll said:


> Most likely because of a better and wider powerband, even though the 260 isn't state of the art in that respect either.....
> 
> The max hp rating is just a "snapshot" of one point on the power/torque curves.
> 
> Btw, the 260 still is rated at 3.5hp outside the US - I believe the difference is in the muffler.


 I would think the MS290 should have the better and wider power band as it has more cc, it should have more torque. It's just overrated by Stihl plain and simple. You got the snapshot part right, thats about how long the MS290 3.8 hp lasts. Steve


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## day52 (Mar 2, 2009)

No experience with the larger model, but the 50 cc. is great. Still like the Dolmar 5100 better, but with a very slight muffler mod, my Efco (Cub) came alive. Got it on close out at TSC before Bailey's was selling them or mine would probably not be yellow. Got a bar and a couple chains from Bailey's before they were advertising the saws. A very nice saw--for my money it's on par with Stihl and Husky in that class. Have heard good things about the bigger ones, too.


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 2, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> I would think the MS290 should have the better and wider power band as it has more cc, it should have more torque. It's just overrated by Stihl plain and simple. You got the snapshot part right, thats about how long the MS290 3.8 hp lasts. Steve



Must be why the 290 is the best selling saw out?:monkey:


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## mountainlake (Mar 2, 2009)

2000ssm6 said:


> Must be why the 290 is the best selling saw out?:monkey:


 
One of the main reasons is the inflated HP numbers for Joe homeowner that doesn't know any better. Steve


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 2, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> One of the main reasons is the inflated HP numbers for Joe homeowner that doesn't know any better. Steve



No, it's because they preform well and are built better than box store pos's. Don't forget support after the sale.


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## aandabooks (Mar 2, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> Are you comparing them to Husky and Stihl homeowner saw. Efco's are biult WAY better and have more power per cc than those. Steve



If I have to compare them to a better build quality and can't use the Stihl/Husky homeowner line, then wouldn't I have to go to the pro saws?


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## mountainlake (Mar 2, 2009)

2000ssm6 said:


> No, it's because they preform well and are built better than box store pos's. Don't forget support after the sale.



Homeowner Stihl saws are built better than Poulan, Mac and Homelite saws but not as good as Dolmar, Efco,Shindaiwa or Echo to name a few. Take those orange glasses off . Steve


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## 2000ssm6 (Mar 2, 2009)

mountainlake said:


> Homeowner Stihl saws are built better than Poulan, Mac and Homelite saws but not as good as Dolmar, Efco,Shindaiwa or Echo to name a few. Take those orange glasses off . Steve



I'll accept Dolmar and Shinny as being close but the other 2??? LOL!


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## Grande Dog (Mar 2, 2009)

Howdy,
Our sales on the Efco's isn't anywhere near the Husqvarna sales. The Efco's seem to ship out and stay out. So I'll give them a plus on dependability. We haven't had them long enough to judge durability, but I haven't seen any played out yet. When it comes to performance, they remind me Dolmar's before the Japanese through all the bucks towards R&D. What I mean by this is that the power to weight ratios are a few years behind Husqvarna and Stihl. For instance, the MT 7200 is very similar to a Husqvarna 272. They are more of a "torque" rather than "RPM" type of saw.
Regards
Gregg


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## olyman (Mar 2, 2009)

mile9socounty said:


> I just wish that I could find a place that sold the 199's here in the states. Or at least in the state of Oregon.
> 
> http://catalogue-oleomac.emak.it/database/emak/emak.nsf/WFrame_cat_oleomac_eng.htm



199's???? you mean the 999"s???


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## IchWarriorMkII (Mar 2, 2009)

Good posts Gregg. Very informative.


I just wish some people would take Andreas Stihl's #### out of their mouth before blabbering like fools, for at least a little while. Its very tiring and rarely funny.


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## mountainlake (Mar 2, 2009)

Grande Dog said:


> Howdy,
> Our sales on the Efco's isn't anywhere near the Husqvarna sales. The Efco's seem to ship out and stay out. So I'll give them a plus on dependability. We haven't had them long enough to judge durability, but I haven't seen any played out yet. When it comes to performance, they remind me Dolmar's before the Japanese through all the bucks towards R&D. What I mean by this is that the power to weight ratios are a few years behind Husqvarna and Stihl. For instance, the MT 7200 is very similar to a Husqvarna 272. They are more of a "torque" rather than "RPM" type of saw.
> Regards
> Gregg


 I can never figure why people talk about Husky and Stihl as if they are all the same quality and power to wieght when there is a lot of difference between the pro saws and the bottom of the line. You must be talking about Husky and Stihl pro saws in the above statment. Steve


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## Grande Dog (Mar 2, 2009)

Howdy,
You're right, I should have pre-qualified that statement. I'm talking apples and someone reading might be thinking oranges. Could cause a lot of confusion. You can cherry pick models form any manufactures line up. I'm using Husqvarna and Stihl as comparisons because the preponderance of both their current production models are above what I consider average. I feel this is what makes them the bell-weathers for this industry.


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## Lugnutz (Mar 2, 2009)

I like my CS56, it starts, it runs, and it cuts. Its the same as the 156 Efco I believe. If I was in the market for a general purpose saw I'd get another...but I did get the JD version for cheap on Ebay which might have directed my decision, but not my opinion.


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## mile9socounty (Mar 2, 2009)

olyman said:


> 199's???? you mean the 999"s???


Same saw, just a different sticker on it and different colored plastic.
On the website. If you look under Efco, their largest CC saw is the 199.
Oleo-Mac is the 999 F. Both of them are the same saw. Different Colors and stickers. Black and Red, Black and Orange.


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## The Lorax (Mar 3, 2009)

Lugnutz said:


> I like my CS56, it starts, it runs, and it cuts. Its the same as the 156 Efco I believe. If I was in the market for a general purpose saw I'd get another...but I did get the JD version for cheap on Ebay which might have directed my decision, but not my opinion.



I talked to a mate who sells small *** and bikes, he reckons the CS 56 is one tough saw, he sold one to an old farmer who cuts firewood with it commercially and he has had it for 4 years and a lot of bars and the thing is still running well.
I have a CS52 myself and for a small cheap saw it works well, mag clutch cover and a prime button on the carb.
I use it as a limbsaw in conjunction with my 262 and I have no cause for complaint with it.


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## indiansprings (Mar 3, 2009)

Being a Stihl fan, I didn't know if I would like the CS-56 I bought off ebay, but after having it a couple of months now and cutting approx 10 cord with it, I can say that it is a great saw. I switch which saws I use day to day and I can honestly say I don't hesitate to pick up the EFCO built saw. I haven't had any issue's with it, just fresh gas, bar oil and go. It does seem to have excellent air filteration, it doesn't need cleaned that often. I have switched it from a .325 to a 3/8. Just a good solid little saw, it needs a muffler mod, it's a very quiet saw, probably choked down to the max, also they come very lean from the factory, like most other saws. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.


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