chainsaws

[SLlandscape]

my neighbor has a poulan pro 655 i think it about 100cc, it has a 32 inch bar on it, i have used this saw and it cuts like an animal, it is an older saw but he didnt use it much it still has the original chain that came with it it is still on the saw and has about 75% wear on it, it has been well maintained and starts every time on two or three cranks with the pull style choke, he told me he would give it to me for 425$, just wondering if i would be getting a deal, cant find any info on this saw, any input appreciated, thanks.....

Personally I would not pay that much for a used saw. But I don't know what some of the other guys on here would think.

 

[Taxmantoo]

We are running the 360 T as a trim saw. This is the saw we are running each time we are cutting. An excellent little saw for the money.

I suppose you can get by with that until Stihl comes out with the 361T.

 

[farmer]

I bought an echo 3400 about 10 years ago. I did do some research before buying it and sevearal people spoke highly of it. It is still working, but it is underpowered and carb/fuel line has been troublesome. I took it to the dealer when still on warranty and I have worked on it too. Seems to vary or surge somewhat on power. Not like an air leak where it screams. It dogs out. I wouldn't buy another small echo. I don't know much about the bigger ones.

 

[TKO-KID]

Hey Nails,

There's a Gander Mountain (smaller version of Bass Pro Shop) an hour form where I live, and they have a Stihl 192t for $399.99 before tax and a 200t for $599.99 before tax. A local store in the same city has both saws, but each is $80 more in price. No one else in my area sells Stihl saws or anything Stihl related. That's why I ask if anyone knows where I can get one a little cheaper. As I said before, if I can get some of my reptiles sold I could buy 2 or 3 of them. By the way I have been landscaping for the past 4 years. Last year I started doing tree care work, because I saw an opportunity. Only 2 other people in my town do tree work. But these 2 use extension ladders or they go rent a scissor lift. Even then they still turn down most of their calls because of location or the size of tree. I know for a fact that neither one of them is ISA certified, and if you were to see some of the trees they have trimmed you would have a heart attack and smoke would come out your ears.

SNAKES RULE! ​

Go here and you can check out the prices of stihl locally in your area. SOme places mark the price up on their show room floor but the real price is on the site. http://stihlusa.com/chainsaws/

Just click the type of saw you want and put in your zip code to find a dealer and it will tell you the price there depending on bar size.


Hope this helps.

That site is why I wonder so many people try to sell their used stihls for more then they cost newon craigslist or ebay, and they don't think you can just go check out the price on stihl's website.

 

[trouba]

I love my Echos although the chains that came on the 306 and the 370 leave a bit to be desired, just toss the safety chain and don't look back.
As far as being under powered the 306 with a 12in bar is what I like to use, had it buried in some very hard oak this weekend with no trouble bogging or keeping up with my buddies Stihl. On a side note my arms were a lot less tired than his.

 

[Octane]

Theres absolutely nothing wrong with an Echo chainsaw. I used my neibor's 35cc Echo a couple months back and it would run head to head with my Stihl 021.
Not to mention that the Echo started way eaiser than my Stihl ever has. Whereas I have to pull my Stihl 5 or 6 times to get it started, that Echo started on 2 pulls every time.
IMO, a lot of people are so hung up on brand imagine on this site, that they mindlessly think Stihl or Husky and dont even consider anything else.
Stihl and Husky definetly make good stuff, but its not as if they are the only ones who know how to make a good chainsaw.
We've owned a couple Echo trimmers, both of which never gave us a moment of trouble. I havent hadnt any trouble with my Echo leafblower and when my 021 is dead it will be replaced by a 35-40cc Echo chainsaw.
Echo makes good stuff. Always has and hopefully they always will. Anyone who says otherwise either doesnt know what they are talking about or is so hung up on their Stihl/Husky that they cant stand to admit that there are plenty of companies out there that make great chainsaws.

 

[woodchuck247]

I am mostly familiar with stihl and when i went to the gie expo i went around to all the saw dealers and talked to them just to see what there products were like and how they compared. when i went to the echo booth they told me that all there saws from the 50cc and on down beet any stihl 50cc and down in overall aspects.(power to weight and etc..). Never really looked into it more than that convo but i would not mind giving them a test run.

 

[Climbing Cutter]

I picked up a cs330 a month or so back while my 200t and 192 were in the shop. I thought that i liked it at first, it seemed to have the same power as my 192. Within the first 3 tanks of gas the air filter cover fell off twice. Today i dropped it about 15 feet, well now the chain tensioner no longer works. The saw is just not made to hold up to everyday professional use. IMO

 

[windthrown]

Theres absolutely nothing wrong with an Echo chainsaw.

Well... :monkey:

Except for the outboard clutches... :monkey:

And the cheaper plastic and more of it... :monkey:

And the tiny bar nuts... :monkey:

And the cheap bars and chains that come on them... :monkey:

And the fact that most of the small ones have crappy air filters right at the front where all the sawdust is... :monkey:

And the observation that I have made using them that they do not hold up as long as the orange saws do. :greenchainsaw:

And the fact that they tend to gunk up faster than the orange saws do with crud in the clutch, and the brake handles are more flimsy.

They are cheaper though.

 

[SLlandscape]

I agree windthrown, the echos do have a flimsy brake handle. That was part of my decision to go with stihl. I bought a 192t about 2 weeks ago. So far I'm pretty happy with it. only complaint is it takes awhile to warm up and not shut off when cutting.

 

[windthrown]

Well, if it is a new one, it will take about 10 tanks of gas to break in and run right. Good choice though. Looks like a tough little saw. Use super gas and full synthetic oil in her, and she will run for a long long time.

I no longer have any top handle saws. Though I one-hand my 361s now and then, I tended to cut one-handed way too much with the Echo 3000 TH. I also sold my Stihl 020AV which was a TH. Heavy all-metal saw that one was. Ran and cut good though. It will last forever (though they are no longer carrying parts for it at the Stihl shops, and so I figured it was time to unload it).

 

[propliner]

655

webberm249, buy that PP655 and rest assured that you'll never need a more powerful saw, and sleep soundly knowing you paid less than half of the cost of a 395xp, and that your grandkids will be cutting with it when they are old and grey.

 

[webberm249]

webberm249, buy that PP655 and rest assured that you'll never need a more powerful saw, and sleep soundly knowing you paid less than half of the cost of a 395xp, and that your grandkids will be cutting with it when they are old and grey.

haha, thanks for the advice man, i already bought it like two weeks ago, i figured i wasnt gonna get a 100cc saw for less than 425$, it still has the original chain on it that came with the saw, i modded a oregon 24' bar for it, and went to 3/8 chain instead of .404 o n the original 34' bar, the thing is just an animal, dont know any other way to describe it, its friggen awesome, it laughs at anything i put in front of it, i saw a pp225, i think? on craigs list, i am trying to get that one too, the older poulan pros are the shi#, even when the 34' bar with .404 was on it, it sailed through a 28' oak log, finished up and was panting for more log action, like "thats all you got for me?!? haha"

 

[webberm249]

haha, thanks for the advice man, i already bought it like two weeks ago, i figured i wasnt gonna get a 100cc saw for less than 425$, it still has the original chain on it that came with the saw, i modded a oregon 24' bar for it, and went to 3/8 chain instead of .404 o n the original 34' bar, the thing is just an animal, dont know any other way to describe it, its friggen awesome, it laughs at anything i put in front of it, i saw a pp225, i think? on craigs list, i am trying to get that one too, the older poulan pros are the shi#, even when the 34' bar with .404 was on it, it sailed through a 28' oak log, finished up and was panting for more log action, like "thats all you got for me?!? haha"

heres my new baby

 

[Bigus Termitius]

heres my new baby

It's missing something...needs a paint job.

 

[arbor pro]

I don't know how anyone who does tree work full-time can justify NOT having the best top-handle saw out there - whether that's the stihl ms200t or something else. This is the saw that's your bread and butter - at least for me. I agree that they're expensive but there are certainly good used units available. People buy used vehicles all the time, why not a good used chainsaw? A local stihl dealer of mine just happens to be the biggest and oldest dealer in the midwest. They participate in a stihl trade-in program where you can trade in your ms200t every year and get a new one with a full one-year warranty (not the standard 90-day commercial warranty). Then, they go completely through the traded-in ms200ts and get them running as good as a new one again and sell them for half the price. I bought one of their trade-in units last year as a backup to my other ms200t for $350. They had three others available for $300 but the one I wanted was just like new and had the composite bar plus ported out. Well worth the extra $50 as now I use that saw as my primary and my other ms200t as the backup.

My point is, I'd rather buy a good refurbished used ms200t over a new Echo any day. That's just my general equipment philosophy. I'd rather run an older ariens snowblower than a new mtd or yardman. The cheapos just aren't built to last. In the long haul, there's a reason why the good stuff costs more - generally, it's built to last.

 

[Scots Climber]

The only Echo product I own and have used is the PPT265ES Pole Pruner. So far I'm pretty impressed although at full extension it is a little unwieldy. The motor etc. have been fine so far, revs well, idles properly without needing constant adjustment like other brush cutters and similar tools I've used in the past. The saw and hedge trimmer attachments are pretty solid too. When it comes to chainsaws I personally stick to Stihl as the really are the mutts nuts.

 

[propliner]

655

webbern 249, that 655 looks like the twin brother to mine, a fantastic saw indeed, and the best sounding of any I've ever heard. I'd be wary of the non-Pioneer designed Poulan Pro saws, they are basically light duty homeowner plastic junk. Stick with the 405, 455 525 and 655 (if you can find them) and you will not go wrong.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Purchase a "Husky 3120" & your cutting problems are solved. Nothing bigger or badder !!!!!!!!!!!!!!:deadhorse: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[webberm249]

webbern 249, that 655 looks like the twin brother to mine, a fantastic saw indeed, and the best sounding of any I've ever heard. I'd be wary of the non-Pioneer designed Poulan Pro saws, they are basically light duty homeowner plastic junk. Stick with the 405, 455 525 and 655 (if you can find them) and you will not go wrong.

so basically anything 405 and up? yeah they are hard to find, but i would love to stumble on some more, never know when a yard sale gem will turn up...