Some new saw guidance request..

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

I'd definitely get the Echo cs590 Timber Wolf- the average U.S. street price is about $450-480 depending on bar size chosen ($730 CD = about $504 USD) They haven't been $400 saws, avg. US street price, in 4-6 years.

 

[Valpen]

Not sure if @djmercer1 is quoting CAD$ or USD$ with his prices....

 

[djmercer1]

To clarify a couple comments:
1) $$$ quoted are CAD
2) I did a bit of online checking - another big box store offering free delivery (but not to remote areas) has Echo 620 for $990. what scares me about brands other than Stihl is a lack of support in the region
3) spares are for 170s and 362 - being collected in Goose Bay and air freighted but weather delay has set me back
4) for fuel - no AV, only AV is for airline and there is some drums around for helicopter companies but not for sale. The fuel issue i fear is that the tank farm is 30 100kl tanks of varying ages - so depending on which bulk tank it comes from quality can be variable. I will filter the fuel and let settle before decanting to try and limit contamination as best as possible. Granted I havent personally had issues, but everyone here does at some point.
5) the saws available locally are 271 and 162 - all else flown in. there are some 250s(family saws i can borrow) and 1 291 i know of - 291 is largest in community.
6) i wont be able to demo both unless i make a trip south to his shop - once fueled the saws are then dangerous goods and they cant come out until June sealift, even though my dealer is a buddy, he isnt that good.
7) for my saws coming on sea lift - i got 42cc, 78cc and 89cc - granted a bit dated, none are long in the tooth and will provide good service and i have parts and ability to rebuild any of them
8) typical trip wooding will be a 170 for support and the 362 as the workhorse. my plan is to put all on the ground into 8' sticks and tandem sled back to town for processing.

I appreciated all the help on this.... This might'n seem like a big decision (and wouldn't normally be to me), but the logistics/location of a not running saw(or sled for that matter) make this a bigger decision...

 

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

Tough decision based on the logistics and other considerations you mentioned... You could buy two Echo 590s or two Echo 620p saws, so you'd have spare saw/parts on hand...

 

[holeycow]

Don't get carried away. The echo is in no way, shape, or form a proper pro saw. It handles like a cinder block, its air filtration is marginal and the filter gets filthy fast, it needs the limiters pulled so it can be properly tuned, the muffler needs a little mod, it is a finicky thing to tune at times, the antivibe is average, and it has no top end. I have an original edition ms362 and an echo cs590 and an oe 262xp in the 60cc class. At this point I rarely run the echo.

That being said, the echo is probably the best "farm" saw out there. Oh, and by the way, Echo by their own admission calls their 590 a farm saw. The 620 is a mild upgrade, as I understand it...

 

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

Don't get carried away. The echo is in no way, shape, or form a proper pro saw. It handles like a cinder block, its air filtration is marginal and the filter gets filthy fast, it needs the limiters pulled so it can be properly tuned, the muffler needs a little mod, it is a finicky thing to tune at times, the antivibe is average, and it has no top end. I have an original edition ms362 and an echo cs590 and an oe 262xp in the 60cc class. At this point I rarely run the echo.

That being said, the echo is probably the best "farm" saw out there. Oh, and by the way, Echo by their own admission calls their 590 a farm saw. The 620 is a mild upgrade, as I understand it...

I don't remember anyone here even suggesting the 590 is a pro saw- but it's a very good Farm & Ranch model that's actually available to him and could fill the OP's immediate needs... The 620 is more than a 'mild upgrade'- the list of improvements is decent.

If the OP wants to avoid MTronic, he's got very few saws to choose from that are available immediately.

 

[djmercer1]

So, I am a numbers guy and always keep an eye on prices when shopping. So, as an exercise I checked my local stores vs manufacturer website or box store or dealer for some comparative shopping on various items. Below are some local prices and %age markups(excluding shipping), I also didnt include prices on any product that is regulated by government (medications, alcohol, gas, power etc):
1) 2000w Honda invertor generator: $2000, 0%
2) Stihl MS162 $299, 37%
3) Stihl MS 271 $669, 13%
4) Noco Genius 5 $155, 15%
5) Skidoo ice scratchers $150, 12%
6) 2kg pizza pockets: $14, -10%
7) Smokes ham: $13/kg, 0%
8) Eggs: $6/doz, 100-150%
9) 4 tool Milwakee battery set: $700, 8%
10) potato chips 60g: $2.40/bag, not sure markup
11) sea food (char, scallops, crab): $/lb same as flown in
12) fresh prime rib steak: $10/lb, 0%
13) air freight: $1.75/lb

Some food for thought...

 

[NSEric]

Don't get carried away. The echo is in no way, shape, or form a proper pro saw. It handles like a cinder block, its air filtration is marginal and the filter gets filthy fast, it needs the limiters pulled so it can be properly tuned, the muffler needs a little mod, it is a finicky thing to tune at times, the antivibe is average, and it has no top end. I have an original edition ms362 and an echo cs590 and an oe 262xp in the 60cc class. At this point I rarely run the echo.

That being said, the echo is probably the best "farm" saw out there. Oh, and by the way, Echo by their own admission calls their 590 a farm saw. The 620 is a mild upgrade, as I understand it...

I bought a echo 590 in November for 599 Canadian, this guy is spot on.
I knew this before I bought it and modded the echo.
Out of the box the saw wont rev up, it sucked limbing trees because of it. When bucking it was fine tho, if all you do is buck up logs you'll love it stock with a mild muffler mod and retune.
My modded 590 has an 8 pin sprocket(you need a new clutch to do this), plugged anti lean jet in carb, 4-5 degree timing advance, muffler mod and I mildly ported the cylinder making it kinda close to a stock 620 cylinder. With these mods it runs about 13000rpm with no load and cuts limbs and little stuff way faster, it's a bit faster when the bar is buried but that's where it shined stock so the gains arent big there.
The modded saw is only a little tiny bit slower than my buddies 562xpw now, stock vs stock, the echo isnt close.

 

[djmercer1]

as a follow up on farm/ranch vs pro saws - i watched a utube video last nite on tearing down a 391 saw because a sparkplug electrode came apart... is that level of effort required to repair piston/cylinder damage?

if so, those saws are a waste and effectively throw aways like the box store brands and if scrimping there might as well get a home owner saw....

 

[holeycow]

You would be better off with an amazon china saw...

You could buy two of the blue and white supmix saws for about 350 bux (on sale) plus whatever it costs to get them there. Seal the leaky airfilter seat and go cutting. Then get what you really want later..

They are ingeniously packaged in a wedge shaped box. Two of them take up very little space..

A very unpopular opinion in some circles here.. yet I've been running two strokes for 50 years and I am very impressed with those machines. In fact, I much prefer them over my Echo cs590. Eegads! They would certainly cut your wood this winter without much invested. The blue and white ones have much better plastics than the red ones. I'd be afraid the red plastics would break in the cold. I think with reasonable care the blue one would be fine. Both colours run about the same and cost about the same.

I've been tempted to suggest that option since the very beginning of this thread, but have resisted till now.

 

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

You would be better off with an amazon china saw...

You could buy two of the blue and white supmix saws for about 350 bux (on sale) plus whatever it costs to get them there. Seal the leaky airfilter seat and go cutting. Then get what you really want later..

They are ingeniously packaged in a wedge shaped box. Two of them take up very little space..

A very unpopular opinion in some circles here.. yet I've been running two strokes for 50 years and I am very impressed with those machines. In fact, I much prefer them over my Echo cs590. Eegads! They would certainly cut your wood this winter without much invested. The blue and white ones have much better plastics than the red ones. I'd be afraid the red plastics would break in the cold. I think with reasonable care the blue one would be fine. Both colours run about the same and cost about the same.

I've been tempted to suggest that option since the very beginning of this thread, but have resisted till now.

OMG- Hahahahahaha!