Echo cs680 vs echo cs620 vs stihl ms362

Rugged made
Wesspur
Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Eli Meyer

Eli Meyer

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Mar 14, 2018
Messages
14
Reaction score
35
Location
West Virginia
Hello all,

I currently have a Stihl MS261 and am happy with it except for in bigger wood. I am mostly cutting hardwood from 12-26" diameter. Since I cant find a ton of information on echo's saws and their posted HP specs seem low, I figured I could post here and maybe get some help.

Which saw would you guys recommend between echo's cs620 and cs680 and stihl's ms362. The echo saws are around $100 cheaper but I am happy with my current stihl. There is local dealer support for stihl and echo but no real husky dealers which is why I left the 562xp and 365 out. Thanks for any help.
 
What is your budget like, buying new? I am a stihl person so im not familiar with echo specs.
I would recommend looking for a used 440 or 460. I got a running 460 for 400, all it needed was a muffler and i got an AM dual port for 20.
It would complement your 261 nicely and do all the big stuff no problem.

Ps, it would be a carb saw, no electronic crap.


Sent from my magic box using Tapatalk
 
My budget is $800 or below mostly. I really like the ms441 and ms461 but just cant justify spending $1000 or above on a chainsaw at this moment in time.
 
Eli Meyer said:
My budget is $800 or below mostly. I really like the ms441 and ms461 but just cant justify spending $1000 or above on a chainsaw at this moment in time.
Click to expand...

I would still suggest going used. Maybe someone reputable on here. It would already be broken in and ready to rock. And you’d be able to get something bigger with your budget.


Sent from my magic box using Tapatalk
 
Im more of a Husky guy then anything, but I just went Echo cs620p for a mid size saw. 3 reasons, first being price. If the Stihl or
Husky out performed the 620 by any amount i would have reconsidered, but cutting time test say they dont. The big reason for this is echo managed to get their HP close to the other two, but with a much smaller bore and much longer stroke. This means if all three are putting out close or same HP, the one with the longer stroke will be more powerfull due to more torque. Most likely much more. So that .1, .2 or .3 Hp more the other two list is nothing in this case. Along with this, not too many would question Echos durability on its high end stuff. So thats basically my first and second reason bundled up. The third reason is I didnt want auto tune carbs and the cs is a dream to do light mods to, which ive already done to mine. The only down side I see so far is you really need to take the limiters off the mixture screws, but you should be doing that to any saw that doesnt have auto tune. You can buy new caps if you are worried about bringing it back.
All in all im am extremely pleased. My go to saw for everything was a husky 288xp with many mods. I was looking for something to do small stuff with and work as a backup. As it turns out, im probably going to save the 288 for showing off and use the cs for everything now. Its not the same power level by no means, but its powerfull enough to make me like it.
The cs680 is a old design and the 620 will out perform it. Echo has said its working and a new model to replace it.
As always im a huge fan of finding a good pro saw from the big 2 from the 90s if you can do your own work.
 
If you already have a good 50cc saw I would go to 70-80cc. I'd forget the 680 as the 620p and 362 will both outperform it unless your running bigger then a 24" bar all the time. The 620 will oil better with a bigger bar there not stingy at all with the bar oil when opened up. Don't know anything about the 362. The newest 60cc stihl iv run is an 036.

Just get a good used 7910 and be happy :yes:.
 
Thanks for the helpful replies. I was a bit worried about the cs680 as I've not heard many rave reviews on it, so I'm glad I checked here before purchasing. I think I may try stretch my budget a bit and try for a new ms441 or ms461. I like the idea of buying new mainly to support my local dealer who I have dealt with in the past and I'm not yet real adept at repairing any problems that I may run in to with a used saw.

I'd be better off getting the saw I want now rather than buying something else and ending up buying a ms441 or 461 in the future anyway. Again, thanks for all the help!
 
I would look those two Stihls over carefully. The word on my street is that the 461 is the better saw in spite of the inferior antivibe.

This opinion is secondhand from trusted sources. I wouldn’t know.
 
I would NOT recommend the CS-680. I've owned three different CS-670's and a CS-6700, pretty much "turds" by modern standards and they lack the Professional features of the much better CS-620. I bought a CS-620PW for my brother to replace with aging Husqvarna 266SE.

Excellent saw, good power to weight, nice features like an inboard clutch, full wrap handle, excellent anti-vibe, removable drive sprocket, and clutch driven oiler. We removed the limiter caps and modified the muffler deflector a tad and good to go. It really wasn't all that far off for carb adjustments like we see with the CS-590's and 600P's. Just a little tweak on each adjustment screw and it's been running flawlessly ever since........Cliff
 
holeycow said:
I would look those two Stihls over carefully. The word on my street is that the 461 is the better saw in spite of the inferior antivibe.

This opinion is secondhand from trusted sources. I wouldn’t know.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've handled them both in store before but didn't look at either of them real closely. The 461 having a little more power might make up for its inferior AV.

Hopefully I'll get some time to head to the local shop and play around with both of them and come to a conclusion.
 
The CS680 is a very well made, incredibly reliable saw, but is also an old design and boy does it feel like it if you use it for more than thirty minutes. A used Stihl 046/MS460 is a better choice and a used MS461 an even better choice.
But...
Ask yourself if you really need a 70cc saw. Modern pro-grade 60cc saws are amazing saws regardless of brand. I have a MS362C-M myself (M-Tronic, hence made in Hades by Lucifer Himself) and honestly I haven't felt the need for anything bigger since. Amazing saw, albeit it is incredibly noisey (the EuroII-spec muffler is completely empty as stock) so buy the best earmuffs you can find. :)
But you'll be fine with an Echo/Shindaiwa, a Husqvarna or a Dolmar/Makita. They are all amazing saws.

What sets saws apart is not the brand but the dealer selling them. I do not own three Stihl's because I am a fan of the brand (all the rest of my equipment is of mixed origin) but because my local dealer is so good, always a pleasure dealing with them.
 
372xp and you will not need a dealer. Buy lightly used in nice condition, save money and easy to do your own repairs if needed.
 
If you've already got a 261, I will echo the advice to skip the 60cc saws. Yes, they will run a 20" bar cutting firewood all day very comfortably, but unless it's ported it's not gonna be fast or exciting.

I cut a lot of hardwood too and for wood under 16" I don't mind bucking with my 261. After that though, I'm gonna grab a bigger saw. Right now I reach for a ported 60cc saw, but if I had a 461 instead that's what I'd grab. For firewood I like a 20" bar on the bigger saw and keep a 28" around for when it's needed.
 
Ryan'smilling said:
If you've already got a 261, I will echo the advice to skip the 60cc saws. Yes, they will run a 20" bar cutting firewood all day very comfortably, but unless it's ported it's not gonna be fast or exciting.

I cut a lot of hardwood too and for wood under 16" I don't mind bucking with my 261. After that though, I'm gonna grab a bigger saw. Right now I reach for a ported 60cc saw, but if I had a 461 instead that's what I'd grab. For firewood I like a 20" bar on the bigger saw and keep a 28" around for when it's needed.
Click to expand...
Cs620 can burry a 24" bar all day. A cs620 with muffler port can do it extravagantly.
 
SmellyPirateHooker said:
Cs620 can burry a 24" bar all day. A cs620 with muffler port can do it extravagantly.
Click to expand...

Well sure, it CAN. My first saw was an ms361 that I bought out west with a full wrap, big dogs, and a 24" bar. When I moved back to the family farm dad had his 036 sitting on the shelf, so I decided to upgrade the 361 to something bigger. I bought an ms460 and opened up the muffler.

Yeah, that 361 would pull a 24" bar buried in oak. No problem. But the 460, now instead of being able to do the job, I was able to do the job and have a lot more FUN. After I got the 460 I set that 036 up with a 16" bar and left the bigger bars to the 460.

For walking around in the woods, sure a 60cc saw with a lightweight 24 or 28" bar might be just the ticket for some situations. But for cutting firewood I'll stick with saws that are overpowered for the job. I think it's easier on the saw and it's faster and more productive for me. Plus, more fun, and that may be the most important part.

Currently for firewood I'm running:

Ported 261 with either a 16" 3/8 setup or 16" .325,

Ported 346 with an 18" .325 bar

Ported 036 with an 18" 3/8 bar

Ported 262xp with a 20" bar

Muffler modded 440 with a 20" bar

I've got a couple bigger saws if I need a bar over 20". My 036 is on camera pulling a 36" bar in oak after getting ported. It'd be fine with a 24", but if you want to see a saw pull a 24" bar "extravagantly" try putting it on a ported 395xp with an 8 pin. And don't forget to hold on. :)
 
A 60cc saw with a 20 is a good all around firewood saw. I ran a 24 on my ported 590 when it was needed it did fine. Then I picked up a 7910 that came with a 24. Didnt take long to put a 20 on the 590 for good because even ported it wasn't catching the 7910 in big wood.
 

Similar threads

S
New Echo 620PW
Replies
15
Views
2K
Squidward
S
L
Echo CS 501P vs Stihl MS 260
6 7 8
Replies
146
Views
14K
REJ2
REJ2
cuttinstihl
288 vs 385/390 opinions?
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
davidwyby
davidwyby
M
Echo cs 2511tes vs Stihl ms150tc
Replies
3
Views
2K
oldfortyfive
O
O
Wanting decent small cheap saw.
2 3
Replies
41
Views
5K
Sidecarflip
S

Latest posts

Back
Top