Hmm Ego on the bench

[joe25DA]

This one still functions. The brake doesn’t, unless it’s an electric vs mechanical? I was able to spin the spur in the locked position.

 

[northmanlogging]

Looks like **** to me. Maybe I’m missing something with the battery vs gasoline debate. Nothing about this looks appealing. At the shop where I get my “junk” saws they do sell EGO. I guess when these fail they either warranty or the customer buys a new saw. Not much in the way of repair. This was a warranty saw, they kept the bar and chain and cover. Looks hardly used, 2020 is the mfg year. Made in the finest sweatshop in China too. I think these things are expensive. I’ll sell it for parts, maybe someone smashed a handle. I’m tempted to perform an autopsy and see what’s in there. View attachment 1074732View attachment 1074733View attachment 1074734

This one still functions. The brake doesn’t, unless it’s an electric vs mechanical? I was able to spin the spur in the locked position.

First the brake is electro mechanical, motor shuts off when it perceives kick back, since its direct drive there is no clutch so no need for a clutch brake.
Second, about a year ago my band, and 6 others used the EGO batteries to hold a concert in the middle of a horse pasture, we played for around 12 hours using 2 of the EGO 3000w inverters and about a dozen of the batteries, 4000w of PA 400w of Bass amp, 3 50w tube amps, plus lighting.
still had enough umph to run an electric hot plate for breakfast in the morning. We did it again 2 weeks later in a friends goat field.
We're going to do it again this year, but with 10-12 bands, and more lighting
shameless plug> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-brush-stomp-hootenanny-ii-tickets-470834236877

Bass player is the solar/battery/offgrid guru, had one of the first all electric cars in this state (home built) his house is now about 70% solar (winters are rough out here) and he's sold his Husky 372 and gone with the bigger EGO saw, because its simply works better.

 

[RuralOregon]

Those quick tensioner set ups are terrible. Not a fan.

ditto. When you need to remove the cover, they can be a pain to get back together right.

 

[RuralOregon]

Looks like **** to me. Maybe I’m missing something with the battery vs gasoline debate. Nothing about this looks appealing. At the shop where I get my “junk” saws they do sell EGO. I guess when these fail they either warranty or the customer buys a new saw. Not much in the way of repair. This was a warranty saw, they kept the bar and chain and cover. Looks hardly used, 2020 is the mfg year. Made in the finest sweatshop in China too. I think these things are expensive. I’ll sell it for parts, maybe someone smashed a handle. I’m tempted to perform an autopsy and see what’s in there. View attachment 1074732View attachment 1074733View attachment 1074734

The first thing I noticed, besides the cheap looking case, is the trigger safety. It looks like it would be awkward.
I have 2 electrics and the Echo safety feels like a regular chainsaw and doesn't cause me issues.
The Milwaukee Hatchet saw has the side button safety and is really annoying to use. Every time I use the saw, I curse the designer. It really is that bad. On the other hand, the Milwaukee does not look or feel cheap. It also works pretty well.
The Echo 56v looks like a cheap saw. Not as cheap looking as the EGO but still all cheap looking plastic. It has taken some hard falls and has hit stuff while in the tractor scabbard, without any cracks, so it is more durable than it looks.

Both my electrics will stop mid-cut, if pressed. It seems to me like they are quite premature, in action. The RPMs don't drop enough to warrant the stoppage. The blade is not in danger of kick-back. The saw is not over heating. So why stop it? Sometimes it is just a question of releasing and restarting the trigger. That is easy on the Echo but awkward on the Milwaukee. But more often, on the echo I also have to engage and release the brake.
There is no brake on the little Milwaukee.

 

[heimannm]

3005 008 34XX depending on the length. If I recall correctly 3405 is a 12" and 3409 is a 14".

Mark

 

[joe25DA]

First the brake is electro mechanical, motor shuts off when it perceives kick back, since its direct drive there is no clutch so no need for a clutch brake.
Second, about a year ago my band, and 6 others used the EGO batteries to hold a concert in the middle of a horse pasture, we played for around 12 hours using 2 of the EGO 3000w inverters and about a dozen of the batteries, 4000w of PA 400w of Bass amp, 3 50w tube amps, plus lighting.
still had enough umph to run an electric hot plate for breakfast in the morning. We did it again 2 weeks later in a friends goat field.
We're going to do it again this year, but with 10-12 bands, and more lighting
shameless plug> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-brush-stomp-hootenanny-ii-tickets-470834236877

Bass player is the solar/battery/offgrid guru, had one of the first all electric cars in this state (home built) his house is now about 70% solar (winters are rough out here) and he's sold his Husky 372 and gone with the bigger EGO saw, because its simply works better.

Miracles do happen they say. I’d say swapping a 372xp for a Chinese battery saws counts.

 

[OM617YOTA]

The first thing I noticed, besides the cheap looking case, is the trigger safety. It looks like it would be awkward.
I have 2 electrics and the Echo safety feels like a regular chainsaw and doesn't cause me issues.
The Milwaukee Hatchet saw has the side button safety and is really annoying to use. Every time I use the saw, I curse the designer. It really is that bad. On the other hand, the Milwaukee does not look or feel cheap. It also works pretty well.
The Echo 56v looks like a cheap saw. Not as cheap looking as the EGO but still all cheap looking plastic. It has taken some hard falls and has hit stuff while in the tractor scabbard, without any cracks, so it is more durable than it looks.

Both my electrics will stop mid-cut, if pressed. It seems to me like they are quite premature, in action. The RPMs don't drop enough to warrant the stoppage. The blade is not in danger of kick-back. The saw is not over heating. So why stop it? Sometimes it is just a question of releasing and restarting the trigger. That is easy on the Echo but awkward on the Milwaukee. But more often, on the echo I also have to engage and release the brake.
There is no brake on the little Milwaukee.

Almost all the tools these days run multiphase AC motors, and the power electronics are variable frequency inverters. The days of a simple on-off switch and a DC motor are long since gone.

This also lets the saw sense load quite easily. Maybe the manufacturer determined that at full output power, being loaded to the point the motor slows down causes damage eventually, and built in a software fix to stop that from happening.

 

[northmanlogging]

Miracles do happen they say. I’d say swapping a 372xp for a Chinese battery saws counts.

I mean, I would advise against it... but he's pretty happy with it, and the ride on mower... so?

 

[joe25DA]

I mean, I would advise against it... but he's pretty happy with it, and the ride on mower... so?

That’s what’s important. Get out there and get to work.

 

[RuralOregon]

Almost all the tools these days run multiphase AC motors, and the power electronics are variable frequency inverters. The days of a simple on-off switch and a DC motor are long since gone.

This also lets the saw sense load quite easily. Maybe the manufacturer determined that at full output power, being loaded to the point the motor slows down causes damage eventually, and built in a software fix to stop that from happening.

Yes, my point was that it really seems premature. The motor is going to slow down, by the nature of the work. I have tons of battery powered tools (drills, grinders, CO saws, track saw, impact drivers,... Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt) They all slow down under load but don't shut off unless I really abuse them. I have experimented with that.
But, I still grab the Echo 56v before I grab it's gas equivalent, from the rack.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Yes, my point was that it really seems premature. The motor is going to slow down, by the nature of the work. I have tons of battery powered tools (drills, grinders, CO saws, track saw, impact drivers,... Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt) They all slow down under load but don't shut off unless I really abuse them. I have experimented with that.
But, I still grab the Echo 56v before I grab it's gas equivalent, from the rack.

Chainsaws are a different tool, different beast. Let the saw eat as it wants. Another person had this issue as well.

Maybe it's more of a safety thing than a saw overloading thing.

 

[joe25DA]

Chainsaws are a different tool, different beast. Let the saw eat as it wants. Another person had this issue as well.

Maybe it's more of a safety thing than a saw overloading thing.

Sounds right. I’ve pushed battery drills too far a couple times. You can hear it and smell it

 

[RuralOregon]

Chainsaws are a different tool, different beast. Let the saw eat as it wants. Another person had this issue as well.

Maybe it's more of a safety thing than a saw overloading thing.

clearly an over zealous safety "feature". But it gets in the way of work.
If it was just toggle the trigger, it would be ok, but on the Echo, you have to toggle the chain break.
That can really be annoying if you are up in a tree. It usually involves shifting both hands.
At least the Echo and the Milwaukee don't force you to remove and reinsert the battery. I have read posts where people have had to do that on some saws.
I own a timber farm. I have owned chain saws for almost 40 years. I have also been an electrical engineer since the 70's. So I am reasonably certain neither the saw nor the electronics were under any unusual stress, the last time this happened. I was just bucking a small log of fir, off a stand.
I am trying to mentally log the events in case this saw is getting more touchy.

 

[OM617YOTA]

clearly an over zealous safety "feature". But it gets in the way of work.
If it was just toggle the trigger, it would be ok, but on the Echo, you have to toggle the chain break.
That can really be annoying if you are up in a tree. It usually involves shifting both hands.
At least the Echo and the Milwaukee don't force you to remove and reinsert the battery. I have read posts where people have had to do that on some saws.
I own a timber farm. I have owned chain saws for almost 40 years. I have also been an electrical engineer since the 70's. So I am reasonably certain neither the saw nor the electronics were under any unusual stress, the last time this happened. I was just bucking a small log of fir, off a stand.
I am trying to mentally log the events in case this saw is getting more touchy.

Having to cycle the chain brake would seem to underline the safety idea.

I haven't found the Kobalt safety to be overly zealous, other than the saw turning off if you haven't touched the trigger in 15 seconds or so. What part of Oregon are you in? Maybe we can compare the Kobalt 80v and (edit) Echo side by side. PM if you prefer.

 

[John Bruner]

Almost all the tools these days run multiphase AC motors, and the power electronics are variable frequency inverters. The days of a simple on-off switch and a DC motor are long since gone.

This also lets the saw sense load quite easily. Maybe the manufacturer determined that at full output power, being loaded to the point the motor slows down causes damage eventually, and built in a software fix to stop that from happening.

I know very little about electronics; BUT! I was able to help a mini chainsaw manufacturer with their batteries.
My little 8" saw kept shutting off under a light load. I complained to them; and they sent me a replacement saw; it did the same thing.
It bugged me for a few months; because the saw was a real screamer without a load on it.
Then one day it came to me; maybe it's the battery! I just so happen to have another mini chainsaw from a different brand that used the same form factor battery. I never had a problem with that saw; so I thought I'd try their battery in the problem one.
Mystery solved! I wrote the maker of the malfunctioning unit; and told them what I had found. They asked me for the brand name of the working battery; and they redesigned their circuitry and sent me a couple of them to test.
They did their homework; because I now can really lean on that little saw before I can stall it.
Something to think about.