Looking for midsized saw recommendations

[Dave2500]

Hello,
Just looking for some recommendations on a new/used midsized saw.
Current saws are a stihl ms660 and echo 355t
I use to have a Husqvarna 359 as well as a stihl 026

Just looking for a food midsized saw for land clearing (14 -25 inch diameter trees (ash and oak mostly..ONLY a couple acres per year)

I'd like to run about a 20 inch bar but I'm just looking for something lighter than
A 660 ( yes I'm soft haha)

I'd really like something that is known to start easy (was thinking possibly a 6100 but they seem old..not sure if that's a big negative)

I'm not brand loyal..just looking for suggestions
Thank you
DAVE

 

[Mad3400]

A standard carb MS 261 for a 50cc powerhead,

Or an Echo CS-7310 or standard carb Stihl MS 462 if buying new.

Mad3400

 

[timberslayer]

Try an ms400 and you'll be picking up that 660 a lot less. There's no stopping that saw with a 20" bar. Light, lots of power, and they start and run really smoothly.

If you're on a stricter budget, get an Echo 590. It's not as fast or refined as the 400 but it's never failed to start and run under any conditions I've put it through. Or you can roll the dice on a used 044 or 372

 

[JKNW]

Echo CS620P is another contender in that middle weight class.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

MS261 runs a 20" bar with authority and is pretty light

 

[jltrent]

You didn't say used or new. One of my favorites is a MS440/044. Not much heavier that a MS360/MS260, but a powerhouse. It just seems the balance and feel to me is right.

 

[echomeister]

CS-4910. It's light and can take a 20 inch bar. They are discontinued but a lot of home depots still have them.

 

[damifino]

My vote is Echo cs-590 (60cc) or cs-4910 (50cc). Best bangs for the buck IMO.

 

[fields_mj]

Need a little more info. Are you wanting to buy new or used? What's your budget? What size wood do you find yourself cutting 80% of the time? You have the extremes covered. Do you use both of your current saws quite a bit, or do you favor one over the other? Do you find that you leave the 355t is only good for limbing, or do you find that the 660 is just too heavy to bother picking up unless you have to?

If you've had an 026 and a 359, what were your thoughts on those saws? Why did you get rid of them. This should be an important consideration because they would have filled your current gap VERY nicely.

Personally, I would be looking at 2 more saws, with one being a 261 wearing an 16" or 18" bar, and the other being an MS400 with a 20" or 25" bar. Having said that, even if you're okay with used saws, that's a lot of $$ to drop. Which one I would buy first would depend on what I spent most of my time cutting. If most of what your cutting is in the neighborhood of a foot across, the 261 would be my first pick. If most of what your cutting is closer to 18" or more, I'd pick the 400. Personally, I'm wanting to rebuild my 064 and put a 20" or 25" bar on it to use for bucking firewood in the 18"-24" range. A 400 would probably be a better choice, but I already have the 064

 

[Rich 07830]

Here's another vote for Echo! I have a CS-620P with a 24" bar and it starts easily, has plenty of power to cut 20"+ oak, and is a great value!
I would love to have a Stihl MS400C-M and I'd really enjoy having a Mercedes E-class awd station wagon instead of my Subaru Outback. However for the price of the Stihl, I bought my CS-620P and a CS-355T with money leftover. They have 5 year warranties for homeowners. My dealer tells me that over the past several years he's only had two warranty claims. One claim was likely operator error but he asked his Echo rep to push the claim through because it was a good customer with many Echo units.
Echo power saws are an excellent value!

 

[damifino]

Here's another vote for Echo! I have a CS-620P with a 24" bar and it starts easily, has plenty of power to cut 20"+ oak, and is a great value!
I would love to have a Stihl MS400C-M and I'd really enjoy having a Mercedes E-class awd station wagon instead of my Subaru Outback. However for the price of the Stihl, I bought my CS-620P and a CS-355T with money leftover. They have 5 year warranties for homeowners. My dealer tells me that over the past several years he's only had two warranty claims. One claim was likely operator error but he asked his Echo rep to push the claim through because it was a good customer with many Echo units.
Echo power saws are an excellent value!

Thats what I'm talking about.

 

[fields_mj]

Honestly, when it comes to having 1 or 2 saws for cutting your own firewood, or doing general property maintenance, and you're buying new, I don't see how anything can compete with an Echo and I don't even own one. If you're wanting the most power at the lightest weight, and you want something you'll be able to rebuild a couple of times once its worn, out, then the Stihl and Husqvarna pro saws make sense, but they come with a pretty high up front premium. If it were not for Stihl's pro saws, nobody would ever buy any of their homeowner grade saws.

 

[Hirdatron]

Here's another vote for Echo! I have a CS-620P with a 24" bar and it starts easily, has plenty of power to cut 20"+ oak, and is a great value!
I would love to have a Stihl MS400C-M and I'd really enjoy having a Mercedes E-class awd station wagon instead of my Subaru Outback. However for the price of the Stihl, I bought my CS-620P and a CS-355T with money leftover. They have 5 year warranties for homeowners. My dealer tells me that over the past several years he's only had two warranty claims. One claim was likely operator error but he asked his Echo rep to push the claim through because it was a good customer with many Echo units.
Echo power saws are an excellent value!

I'm in UK and looked at echos when I got my ms400 about 12 months ago. I think different echos are available in UK Vs the US but I think you'd need the Echo 7310 as the closest ms400 alternative, with the Echo 621 being a direct alternate to the ms362. I found a good deal and went for an ms400 with a 25" es light bar in the end as it offered 70cc performance at 60cc size for not much more money than an ms362, maybe only £120 more if I remember. As for the echos each one is about £150-175 cheaper than the equivalent stihls I mentioned. Are echos cheaper or stihls more expensive in your neck of the woods? I don't think the echos are much cheaper here, certainly not significantly enough to buy a second saw with money left over! The echo bars do look nice though!

 

[John Lyngdal]

My two favorite saws in that class are the Husky 357XP and the Stihl MS361

 

[muddy42]

Personally I wouldn't treat a 35cc one handed saw as an "everyday" ground saw. Every collection should have a 50cc saw, so that would be my vote, stihl MS261 would be excellent.

 

[Lmalterna1]

Great thread and solid advice. My son is looking for a new purchase small to mid sized homeowner saw. Sounds like the Echo CS400(4010) or 3510 would be a decent purchase.

I have advised him on better chain, tach(to maintain tune) and safety gear. He has helped me many times so he understands the handling and sees me in my chaps/helmet and visor.

I used to be "lmalterna" here so not really new, just returned(refurbed?).

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Mid-size to me is 70cc class (26-120cc being the general production CC range). If it's just an occasional use thing, I'd go cheap and get a farmertec 372 clone. If you're going to work it hard, a real 372.

 

[Lmalterna1]

Good point, "mid" is definitely relative. As a homeowner who does not burn wood, even a battery powered saw can work for the pruning or occasional limb that might fall. For him, he has enough trees to have storm damage to consider so he needs something to run a 16" bar. Anything more, he can call me.

Someone working for a living might us a 50cc for smaller limbing. 50/70/90cc perhaps. I never needed more than a hot 70 but I also did not tackle big trees.

I grabbed one of those CS-400s at Home Depot on clearance 246.00 OTD and will switch the bar/chain to a 16" chisel for a new limbing saw for myself. My 435 is getting tired.

 

[treeclimber1990]

Buy a 550xp.
I use my 261 with an 18” bar for 80% of my work in the northeast. The 261 cuts great and does what it’s supposed to but I
bought a new 572xp for larger trees with a 28” bar. The saw cuts absolutely wonderful. And the feel of it is so smooth, no vibration, the saw always starts first pull. After using my 572xp and then the 261 it’s like holding a smart phone for the first time. Obviously the 572xp is a much bigger saw but I’m not talking about the power or how fast it cuts. I mean the feel of the saw is so smooth. Husky came a long way. When I buy a new 50cc midsaw, I will absolutely buy a 550xp. The 550xp is cheaper and cuts right with the 261 if not faster without all the vibration the stihls have. The husky also starts right up in the heat where the stihls you’ll be waiting for it to cool down before it starts again, non ethanol gas or not.
Best Wishes!

 

[dankas]

Hello,
Just looking for some recommendations on a new/used midsized saw.
Current saws are a stihl ms660 and echo 355t
I use to have a Husqvarna 359 as well as a stihl 026

Just looking for a food midsized saw for land clearing (14 -25 inch diameter trees (ash and oak mostly..ONLY a couple acres per year)

I'd like to run about a 20 inch bar but I'm just looking for something lighter than
A 660 ( yes I'm soft haha)

I'd really like something that is known to start easy (was thinking possibly a 6100 but they seem old..not sure if that's a big negative)

I'm not brand loyal..just looking for suggestions
Thank you
DAVE

Dave, lot of good recommendations posted...noticed your shown in Washington N... - you're in a fine area for saws per owned - I just returned from visiting kin in that area & took some travel time to look at craig s list sea to find TONS of chainsaw listings!! and the $$$ looked quite reasonable.

I like the Echo line for value plus I prefer cutting with a fullsized 3/8 chain...590,620 works for me.
Good luck in your new cutting...