Echo cs-490 vs Makita/Dolmar 5121/510

[tallguys]

Echos are so darned reliable at starting, even with old fuel. Never had an issue starting my blower or pole saw. They just work, period.

The Dolmar 420/421, 510 or 5105 are all good. I find them to be very well built.
The 420 punches above its size but its still 42cc. The 510 has extra muscle but with a weight penalty. I've had them both. I prefer a 510, it just has more.
Now having said all that, I have a 5105. Why? Most power, and weighs not that much more than a 421. Buy the 5105, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[stubnail67]

S

View attachment 638730Like this? 16" 3/8lp perfect limbing setup and it will pull it burried in PA hard woods all day if I need it to. This saw was disappointng till it had 8-10 tanks threw it. I have no interest in the little Domar but a 7900 is on my want list.

So you finally got that rim? i put a 16 inch Nk .325 bar and chain on mine and it really ate through oak....that way i did not have to try and find a 3/8s lo pro rim....

 

[James Miller]

S



So you finally got that rim? i put a 16 inch Nk .325 bar and chain on mine and it really ate through oak....that way i did not have to try and find a 3/8s lo pro rim....

useing a stihl Pico rim modded to fit the small spline echo drum by Homelite410

 

[stubnail67]

how did he mod it? and what was the cost?..thats pretty cool.

 

[James Miller]

It was $12. Looks like the inside was machined to work with the Echo drumb.

 

[stubnail67]

cool how does she cut? i bet it rips....

 

[James Miller]

Right now it's got cheap safety chain on it. It cuts a little better then the .325 setup. I'm working on getting a loop of Stihl ps3. Cutting speed should pick up considerably with the good chain.

 

[James Miller]

I won't need anything that powerful 60cc. I would like to leave the big uns standing clear out the small wood and ladder fuel in between so fire cant spread. Create a park like setting. Won't be cutting anything bigger than I buy my pants.

If you haven't bought a saw yet I'd recommend the 590 or better yet an HD 6421 rental saw if you can find one. The 50cc saws are nice but I think a 60cc class saw makes a better one saw plan. If I didn' have my ported 590 this would have come home last week. Almost did anyway so I could build an 80cc monster lol.

 

[stubnail67]

They had 4 at my depot looked pretty beat up same price i popped the airfilter cover full of sawdust....I dont think they maintain them very well it had a new chain ... im thinking maybe they got beat to hell here from irma.....

 

[stubnail67]

i woulda bough one if it looked that clean... LOL

 

[Wow]

I'll start by saying I live in Canada and our prices may be different than you are used to.

I recently bought some property and I will have to do some clearing and bucking mostly <12" trees about 6-8" average . I don't have the budget for the sthil 260. I have narrowed down what I believe are my 2 best options through my local saw / forestry equip providers. I'm looking for a light but powerful enough "one saw" for my needs and future fire wood gathering.

The Echo cs-490 $400 new (Canuck money)
What I like.... It's lite and maneuverable nice balance. Mag crank case, nice power to weight ratio. Parts readily available. No tool filter cover easy to maintenance. The self catching bar nuts are a nice touch. I have heard great things about the 590 but I think that is more saw than I need and a good bit heavier.
What I don't like.. the choke and kill switch are sticky outy! The chain tensioner pin is on the crank cover and not the crank case though I'm not sure if it makes much difference real world.

The Makita 5121 which I believe please correct me if I'm wrong, is the Dolmar 510? $450 (loony's n toonies)
In any case there is a dealer that carries this saw in town. I know less about this saw. But the people who like it "online" seem to really like it.
What I like... The fit n finish the design seems much more polished as you would expect from a German/Japanese collaboration. Feels like a more expensive saw for whatever that is worth. There's no sticky outy flimsy bits. The vibe dampening seems more robust don't know till I try it though. Its a lb heavier but I believe slightly more powerful I have seen the Dolmar listed with 3.9 hp though the Makita is only listed 3.3 assuming it has been dumbed down for emissions. Spins fast spinning at 13800 rpm can't find the rpm specs on the echo but 13800 I believe is pretty quick for a prosumer saw. The Makita also appears available in 0.05 or 0.058 gauge chain the 0.058 chain is probably what makes it spin not sure which chain real world would be better though.
What I don't like... Its $50 more 1lb heavier considering it may or may not be more powerful and not as common a saw locally as the echos so parts might be trickier. No self catching nuts (nice touch echo)

Anyways I would love input from people who own these saws and what you like and don't like about them. Thanks.

Today I bought an Echo 490 from my favorite dealer. The deal was sweet. Had them adjust the carb to run rich for break in.
On the scales 14.2 pounds.
My 026 Sthil went 14.2 pounds.
The Sthil 026 was 14.0 pounds.
Not broken in yet but in 12 inch wood it seems to cut as fast as the 026.
I've not ran it much but my first impression is this is a super deal on a very good saw.
I'm 70 years old so my guess is this saw will last as long as me.
Google Echo 20% off sale. I saved 69 dollars.
Yesterday I sold my cs310 and added 157.00$ to what I got from the sell and bought my 490. I went from a 3 year old 30cc saw to a new 50cc saw. I think that was a good deal for me and the buyer of my 310. Good day

 

[Wow]

the dolmar 420/421 ...or the 5 series are tough to beat .......I have been wanting to try the 590/620 echo myself ..but have several dol/kitas and love-em

I bought the cs 590 in 2015. Love the saw. See the photo of a big tree it cut recently. Didn't hesitate. Good day.

 

[Wow]

So buy an Echo, modify as required, sacrifice 5 yr warranty, and live happily ever after.

Or live with a doggy saw.

Hmmmm.

My humble opinion and reasoning is this. I've owned my Echo cs590 for 3 years and also a cs310.
Both saws preformed flawless. Both still do. My gut feeling is, run a new saw stock for about a year and if it's still running good, no issues, well mod the muffler. Not long ago I modded the cs310. It made a big difference. Now I'll mod the cs590 soon. In a few months I'll mod the 490. My thinking is also after becoming familiar with the saw I should be able to better judge the results. My opinion of Echo saws is high. I have a great Dealer who gives me sweet deals. It's a family store with parts and service but everyone is very friendly. I hope you are as pleased with your purchase as I am mine. Good luck.

 

[Cope1024]

I rented a power post hole auger from Home Depot last November. The carb was falling off and the plug was loose so I took it back and rented a different model. While waiting my turn I watched their "tech" try to put a bar and chain on a rental Makita. Between that fiasco and the loose carb, no way I'm buying anything from their rental fleet.

 

[Wow]

I rented a power post hole auger from Home Depot last November. The carb was falling off and the plug was looseso I took it back and rented a different model. While waiting my turn I watched their "tech" try to put a bar and chain on a rental Makita. Between that fiasco and the loose carb, no way I'm buying anything from their rental fleet.

Me neither. I buy from Tubbs Hardware NEVER big Box stores. Tubbs has parts and service. The BEST. Those guys know Chainsaws.

 

[holeycow]

Echos are so darned reliable at starting, even with old fuel. Never had an issue starting my blower or pole saw. They just work, period.

The Dolmar 420/421, 510 or 5105 are all good. I find them to be very well built.
The 420 punches above its size but its still 42cc. The 510 has extra muscle but with a weight penalty. I've had them both. I prefer a 510, it just has more.
Now having said all that, I have a 5105. Why? Most power, and weighs not that much more than a 421. Buy the 5105, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The 5105 does not handle nearly as well as the 421. I haven’t run my 5105 much at all yet, and I am not sure if I will like it based on about 1/2 hour of limbing and bucking only. It is FAT. Not heavy, not unbalanced, but FAT (I mean wide). The 421 (mine is a 420) feels much better in a limbing application.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

The 5105 does not handle nearly as well as the 421. I haven’t run my 5105 much at all yet, and I am not sure if I will like it based on about 1/2 hour of limbing and bucking only. It is FAT. Not heavy, not unbalanced, but FAT (I mean wide). The 421 (mine is a 420) feels much better in a limbing application.

Have to agree about the 5105. Also didn’t like the easy start. Sold mine and kept the 490. Nothing wrong with the 5105, just not a fit for me.

 

[AlfA01]

If you haven't bought a saw yet I'd recommend the 590 or better yet an HD 6421 rental saw if you can find one. The 50cc saws are nice but I think a 60cc class saw makes a better one saw plan. View attachment 639084If I didn' have my ported 590 this would have come home last week. Almost did anyway so I could build an 80cc monster lol.

If I could find 6421's for that price, I'd buy a whole pickup load. I bought one of @Dahmer 's 5105s and I'm dying to try it. Its been stuck at customs for a bit, but is supposed to get out next week. Just in time, we're cutting two big pines next weekend. Of course the 7910 will be the flagship of my mix-brand (Makita, Maruyama and Dolmar) Dolmar fleet!

 

[Need2Saw]

I've had my 5105H for a couple years. This saw is a great saw for firewood but it gets heavy for limping.
I limbed ~25 trees last weekend and I started looking for a 550xp to buy lol.
In the woods cutting firewood, I love the 5105, it has a lot of power.

 

[holeycow]

I don't feel that the 5105 is heavy for limbing, just cumbersome. Fat. Centre of gravity too spread out in the crosswise direction. I think it would probably rate among the very best of all time for a 50cc blocking saw. I bought it with that in mind. Certain kinds of power are kinda addictive. Smooth, torquey power does that to me somehow. I expect the 5105 to have that in spades, if the 420 is any indication. I bought it to replace my old jonsered 590's which I want to use more sparingly. The 5105 will never handle as nice, but I am hoping it has a similar kind of power (hopefully a wee bit more). We'll see when I actually use it soon. Most of my work is clearing downed/leaning trees on fenceline, falling dying/dead trees (snags), and general clean-up/pruning.

Damn, I still need a super-nice handling 50cc saw...lol. Maybe a 550xp (with a sidestand), as it would drive me crazy to have the thing falling over all the time. And I hate the orange and grey colour scheme that looks like crap almost immediately. Eventually the autotune will be perfect. Always, every time, every saw. Then I will buy one. Although I would prefer a red version, but there is no further development coming to that line. Unfortunately, another legendary brand will be gone.