Steve, I've never ran those two saws with a stopwatch. Both currently have .325 chains with 18" bars on them. I opened up the muffler on the 510 and Husky 55. The power of both saws is very close, with the Husky making more power in the upper rpm's, and liking to run there. The Echo engine doesn't rev up as much in the cut, and "grunts" better than the 55. I can tell you for certain the engine rpms drop off more with the Echo saw when cutting big logs, which we seldom do with either of those saws. They spend most of their time in wood no more than about 10-12" diameter. If I start working on the trunk of the tree, or big limbs, I'll grab the 262XP with the 18" bar. It will save you a lesson in humility, cutting WAY faster than either the 510 or 55.
I don't like to spend all of my free time cutting firewood, but still enjoy the experience. I load up no less than 4 saws for any outing, with sharp chains and full tanks of fuel. I start out with the CS-360T, then quickly move on to the larger saws for bigger limbs/logs. The instant a chain gets dull or starts cutting slower, or a saw runs out of fuel, I grab another one and keep going. Since we cut mostly tops, the CS-510 and Husky 55 get the most use, not to mention I'm getting old enough to enjoy running light/fast saws more these days!
I can't fault any of my Echo chainsaws in any area. I would mention that the chains they show up with are JUNK, and without exception all of them have been set too lean for my liking. I'm sure the safety chains they put on those saws are to help keep novice homeowners out of trouble, and the lean settings to please the EPA. Both items no doubt would cause them some customer complaints, and they probably get back a few saws with cooked P/C's under warrantee?
My contact at Echo is very knowledgable, and admitted that being EPA friendly is at the top of the priority list for that company, and that they factor in a certain amount of engine failures based on their equipment putting out the fewest possible pollutants. Anyone who works on these small engines knows full well that the fuel blends and air quality varies considerably across the entire country. It would be impossible to set up a saw to cover the entire spectrum, custom tuning is nearly manditory with any of this equipment........Cliff
I don't like to spend all of my free time cutting firewood, but still enjoy the experience. I load up no less than 4 saws for any outing, with sharp chains and full tanks of fuel. I start out with the CS-360T, then quickly move on to the larger saws for bigger limbs/logs. The instant a chain gets dull or starts cutting slower, or a saw runs out of fuel, I grab another one and keep going. Since we cut mostly tops, the CS-510 and Husky 55 get the most use, not to mention I'm getting old enough to enjoy running light/fast saws more these days!
I can't fault any of my Echo chainsaws in any area. I would mention that the chains they show up with are JUNK, and without exception all of them have been set too lean for my liking. I'm sure the safety chains they put on those saws are to help keep novice homeowners out of trouble, and the lean settings to please the EPA. Both items no doubt would cause them some customer complaints, and they probably get back a few saws with cooked P/C's under warrantee?
My contact at Echo is very knowledgable, and admitted that being EPA friendly is at the top of the priority list for that company, and that they factor in a certain amount of engine failures based on their equipment putting out the fewest possible pollutants. Anyone who works on these small engines knows full well that the fuel blends and air quality varies considerably across the entire country. It would be impossible to set up a saw to cover the entire spectrum, custom tuning is nearly manditory with any of this equipment........Cliff