60cc Awesomeness, who is king?

[holeycow]

I don’t. But based on my 590 I think I know what it could be with a few updates.

My biggest gripes with the 590 are the lacklustre throttle response and the Mickey Mouse airfilter that needs grease and an o-ring to finish the job. Lots of saws have Mickey Mouse air filters tho. I have others..

I have a few saws that go from “0” to wide open in a split second. The cs590 is not one of those.

It is a torquey lazy kind of a saw. Which is nice too, in a way.

 

[Andyshine77]

At one time or another I've ran all the saws listed by the OP except for the 6421. So my comments are based on direct experience not regurgitating something I read someplace.

Echo hit the 60cc market pretty hard, CS-590, CS-600P and CS-620. Leaving my brand loyalty behind and the fact that I work on power equipment for a living my vote for the best 60cc offering currently available is the CS-620PW. It may not be the most powerful as I've not timed tested it against any of the competition, but power to weight is excellent, ergonomics, smooth/broad/flat power curve, runs longer bars with good authority (tested it clear to 30"), fuel efficient and to date 100 percent dead solid reliable. I'd also add that the CS-620PW is very easy to work on, and one can remove the carburetor in less time than it took to type this.

For the average guy who needs a dead solid reliable 60cc offering and under $400 to spend get a CS-590. It sports many of the features of the Pro versions and a very well made saw. Just remove the limiters on the mixture screws, grind off the tabs, put them back on and give it some fuel. I like to remove some of the deflector on the muffler as well. Nothing out there in that CC range will cut as well for the money.

The "brand loyalty" thing will never let any Echo saw join the ranks with the commercial industry so don't expect to see them on too many job sites. I've introduced quite a few to folks in this area who do tree removal and/or cut a lot of tops, firewood, outdoor boilers for heating, etc, and to date they absolutely LOVE the CS-590 as a daily firewood saw.

One of my customers uses one as a ground saw for his crew, over 2 years now getting totally abused on a daily basis and working just fine.

Stihl and Husqvarna offer excellent 60cc Pro saws so they have the market covered pretty well and their offerings are good enough to keep out intruders. As for the "king", it will be one of those and not an Echo or any other "off brands".....IMHO......Cliff

You hit the nail on the head! People like putting their heads in the sand.

 

[holeycow]

Omg.

In what way are people putting their heads in the sand?

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

I don’t. But based on my 590 I think I know what it could be with a few updates.

My biggest gripes with the 590 are the lacklustre throttle response and the Mickey Mouse airfilter that needs grease and an o-ring to finish the job. Lots of saws have Mickey Mouse air filters tho. I have others..

I have a few saws that go from “0” to wide open in a split second. The cs590 is not one of those.

It is a torquey lazy kind of a saw. Which is nice too, in a way.

I'm not sure if the 620 would snap either. It wasn't bothersome but I did the filter spacer and muffler fairly early so I don't know if it just needed more breaking in/tune. With those two mods it's snappy though, as snappy as anything else I own. It also doesn't seem to be a slacker in the RPM department like most think, least with those mods. It doesn't seem much off from the 562 in terms of rev but just pulls through a much greater spread. That last opinion is with those two mods.

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

Also, I would agree on the air filter. Someone should make a high top auto style filter for it. With both the spacer inside the stock filter and the filter cover being a proven flow restriction, it would be a sweet addition for sure.

 

[holeycow]

Does that 620 have the snap of the 562? The 590 does not.

Husky mid/small size xp ported saws have never been known for midrange. That is not their point.

And how about an air filter that is not an ugly high top thing?

The 262xp air filter appears to me the best I have, and it is from 1990. And mesh. And the easiest to get at. And durable. And not an ugly hi top

The auto style filters don’t last forever like the mesh ones. They “look” pretty effective. But I don’t think you can beat a good mesh filter, imo.

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

Does that 620 have the snap of the 562? The 590 does not.

Husky mid/small size xp ported saws have never been known for midrange. That is not their point.

As I said above, I did the filter spacer mod and muffler really early. I don't remember it being super sluggish nor have a great snap to it. It's pretty snappy now.

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

As I said above, I did the filter spacer mod and muffler really early. I don't remember it being super sluggish nor have a great snap to it. It's pretty snappy now.

At this point I think it's close enough to the 562 that I would have to run them side by side, so thats pretty good regardless I would think. Next time I'm running the 562 I'll do a side by side.

 

[holeycow]

Does it snap like the 562?. you know, like lightning? That’s what I would like to know.

It is ported differently, so it’s gotta be different than the 590, which I would say acts a lot like the little Dolmar 420 in that respect.

My ms362 is lightning. Sweet. Especially when there’s some torque there too.

You beat me to it smellypiratehookersawz

 

[Andyshine77]

My ms362 is lightning.

The 362 is a dog![emoji13] But it has Stihl written on the side, so it must be "LIGHTNING" [emoji23][emoji23]

Yeah the filter on the Echo isn't the best to say the least, but it works well enough and doesn't seem to have an impact on durability.

I've owned a bunch of 60cc saws, 036, ms361, ms362, 6400, cs590, 262xp, 359, 562xp, and others, mostly old school Poulans. They all cut wood! but for a new saw the Echo is unmatched in too many aspects to be overlooked. The 362 is a reliable tool, but pricey for the average firewood cutter. The 562xp is not a reliable platform IMHO, epically in certain environments, and is more complicated and harder to service without a top notch dealer, and quality is also hit and miss.

Fact is the Echo cs590, 600 and 620 are simple, reliable, well built saws that are priced right.[emoji111]

 

[mountainlake]

Omg.

In what way are people putting their heads in the sand?

The way you are. Steve

 

[Andyshine77]

At this point I think it's close enough to the 562 that I would have to run them side by side, so thats pretty good regardless I would think. Next time I'm running the 562 I'll do a side by side.

Does it honestly really matter? A good chain is much more important than a fractional difference in power/chain speed. I can cut enough wood to fill the back of pickup truck in about 15 minutes with just about any saw, as long as it has a good chain.

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

Not to be a pick, and snap is cool and all, but it has nothing to do with cutting performance. Just saying.

 

[mountainlake]

Some on here think a micro second matters, it doesn't. What I and most people like about Echo saws is the wide power band not a finicky high speed power band that falls flat fast. Steve

 

[Franny K]

No because when tuned right they cut good, handle great and have a wide power band, and yes they are the best value saw made. Steve

Echo I believe in theire 620 model can have a wrap handle and double felling spikes. Consider the double felling spikes necessary to be king like a crown. Best as I know you are stuck with the standard spine or spur so can't play in .325 unless 9 tooth dreive.

As for the handle great if one thinks the 60cc class isn't worth the extra noise, weight,etc over the 50cc class not sure any of these things get the handle great rating.

 

[Andyshine77]

Echo I believe in theire 620 model can have a wrap handle and double felling spikes. Consider the double felling spikes necessary to be king like a crown. Best as I know you are stuck with the standard spine or spur so can't play in .325 unless 9 tooth dreive.

As for the handle great if one thinks the 60cc class isn't worth the extra noise, weight,etc over the 50cc class not sure any of these things get the handle great rating.

The outer dog can be had cheaply. The 600 comes with a rim setup. Running .325 on a saw with that much torque makes no sense IMHO.[emoji111]

 

[RandyinTN]

The outer dog can be had cheaply. The 600 comes with a rim setup. Running .325 on a saw with that much torque makes no sense IMHO.[emoji111]

What is an outer dog and why wouldnt a .325 make sense?

 

[Andyshine77]

What is an outer dog and why wouldnt a .325 make sense?

Dog is another name for a felling spike. .325 is smaller chain that works best on smaller saws with less power and shorter bars.

 

[holeycow]

Not to be a pick, and snap is cool and all, but it has nothing to do with cutting performance. Just saying.

Snap is what it’s all about for pros who fall, limb and do a little bucking. Snap is what gets the job done quicker for those guys who have the talent to use it. Why do you think the midsize huskies still sell like crazy in spite of their (somewhat recent-ish) historic issues? Because they handle and have snap. Lazy trigger fingers with poor timing need not apply.

Bucking firewood is an entirely different deal, which is what many of yous have your heads in the sand about.

I think the cs590 is probably an exemplary firewood saw. The 620 probably similar, as a guess. And I have been seriously considering one. I am not a pro. I can’t really take advantage of the snap. But it is fun to have! I have worked closely with hundreds of pros in most of western Canada for nearly 40 years. Hundreds and hundreds. Some of them are the best in the business. Highly trained with vast experience. Guys that do all kinds of chainsaw work in many applications. They almost to a man like SNAPPY saws with SUPERIOR ANTIVIBE that HANDLE for most of the work they do. Stihls. Husky’s. Jonsereds. Very occasional Dolmars. They don’t run Echos. Sorry, they don’t.

If the ms362 is so bad, why does mine handle better and run smoother and have better power than the cs590 (just as much mid to upper mid AND then TOP with snap) if the echos are so good? Btw, I don’t consider the ms362 to be a particularly good handling saw.

A dog. Ha! Right. Current internet propaganda. There are tons of them out there making money for guys all over the world. I haven’t heard too many complaints, even about the oe ‘s. I quite like mine. And so do many folks I’ve worked around. Unfortunately for me a slight majority think it is a step backwards from the ms361. And many don’t.

King of best value, good quality, decent enough handling 60cc firewood saw; Echo Cs590.

King of 60cc saws? Not the Echo.

 

[holeycow]

Some on here think a micro second matters, it doesn't. What I and most people like about Echo saws is the wide power band not a finicky high speed power band that falls flat fast. Steve

Pretty sure you can’t take advantage of snap..