Wanting decent small cheap saw.

[Old Grunt]

I've been cleaning out old overgrown milkcow lane through hayfield that hasnt been used in 20 plus years,its about 1/4 mile long by 10 yards wide,its full of little trees 3"-6" diameter,crapload of wild roses and other brush, looks like original fences was hogwire then once that got shot a barb wire fence was built on both sides couple feet inside original fences so there is wire all over the place hidden in underbrush and grown into trees I try to be carefull but I keep hitting the crap.
Since its mostly small stuff I want a small light saw that I'm not overly worried about trashing,I have a Stihl MS391 and MS660, the 660 definite overkill, I was using my 391 with a pretty much junk 16" hard nose bar and a handfull of chains that are shot but I've kept for just this type of cutting.
The 391 be fine except my left shoulder has two ripped tendons so its pretty much just a guide cant lift much or anything with it thats why I need light saw,I've always been Stihl fan and we have a Stihl 170 that is almost perfect for what I'm doing, I bought it for my Wife couple years back and she loves it for yard use,its in perfect shape so I don't want to trash her saw,the 170's are no longer available or I'd just get another 170 to trash.
Doing little looking online I'm thinking Husqvarna 120,or Echo MS310-MS3410, the Echo 3410 has me confused it has same specs as 3510 but $80.00 cheaper ?? I'm kinda leaning towards Echo since little lighter, and $20.00 cheaper. I've also heard Echo parts are more reasonable.
Is my thinking reasonable or am I totally off base?
Is there other under $250.00 saws I should be looking at?
Does anyone know what the deal is with Echo 3410 with same specs as 3510
I have a very good Stihl dealer about 12 miles away,there is a Echo dealer (not box store ) about 15 miles away I don't know anything about him but I do like supporting small town businesses, I don't know where closest Husqvarna dealer is that isnt a box store.

 

[toppers]

I can't speak on the 3410 but I own the 3510 and it's been rock solid for years. Also really responds well to muffler mod + retune, and walks all over the Stihl equivalent saws in that range. It looks and feels like a toy but is unstoppable.

 

[Jay Hansen]

If it were me, I'd definitely look into some carbide chain no matter which saw I settled on.

 

[jblnut]

Definitely not a chain saw suggestion but do you have a skid loader ? If so a brush puller would do wonders on that smaller stuff. I have removed 10” trees with mine before. Takes a little work with something that large. A big bonus is the radio and heater work better in the skid loader than the chainsaw lol

You can also grab onto wire and pull it out along with pulling fence posts. I’ve done those things with mine and it worked very well.

 

[Brushwacker]

Echo CS400 is a nice saw or i like most the Stihls, ms170 to ms250. Some 250's are a bit hard pulling over to start if that's an issue. Echo CS400 has a nice pulling recoil starter and plenty of power for 10 inch and smaller wood. If u want light weight I don't think I would go bigger then that in ECHO . I had a cs490 and the power to weight and ease of starting wasn't as nice as the cs400. They sell good used on ebay, last I looked some were not much over $300 new there. Am currently using a 400 myself and have another couple small Echo's aiming to repair for sale soon.
For what you are doing I would go with the shortest bar u r comfortable with as chains are easiar to keep sharp and cheaper to replace. My experience with lo pro or Picco carbide chain, the cutters will break if u hit something hard and they are expensive to replace. If u are bound to cutting dirty wood they hold an edge great but the rivets wear out so chain life isn't necessarily superior.

 

[echomeister]

The echo 3410 /3510 thing is strange. My theory is that the 3510 is over priced. $279 here. Rather than drop the advertised price they just produce a new model with better pricing.

If so the 3410 would be an excellent choice based on 3510 reputation.

 

[NSEric]

25cc chinese top handle.
The proyama and neotech ones are getting good reviews right now, the newest ones have 2 bar nuts and are better because it's a lot quicker/easier to get the chain off and on. They're been around for close to 10 years and had a ton of different names.
This is not ok safety wise with some guys but I use mine one handed and toss the brush/tiny trees with the other hand. I find the top handle makes this type of work easier, im really careful not to drive the tip into anything and use safety chain with the big shark fins between the depth gauges on it.

 

[Old Grunt]

I dont have skid steer,but I do have couple tractors with loaders,I've took down some decent sized trees with Olly, ( Oliver 1655 old school heavy Iron Horse ) I also have a little Case 350 dozer so I can clear mechanically, my reasoning for cutting is they are so thick they are tall and straight my wife wants them to buld a rustic log cabin looking chicken Coop for her 30 some hens,and around here not a lot of long straight trees,especially in the 4"-6" diameter stuff, I'm going to go visit with Echo dealer next time I'm in town the 3410 Echo with a 12"-14" bar,sounds pretty good for what I want.

Thank you to all who responded. I'm still open to other ideas, I have week or two of other cleanup before I get serious in the old milk cow lane.

 

[Old Grunt]

Just stopped in to visit with Echo dealer,,I asked about difference between 3410 and 3510,,his answer was we don't know,he said he'd asked Echo rep couple times and rep didn't know either .
He also said he's heard a couple times from guys that have both,the 3410 actually runs better then 3510.

 

[Old Grunt]

I was pretty impressed with with the people at Echo dealership,and for being in a small town in just the 10-15 minutes I was in store,there was probably half a dozen customers came and went.
I had did some research and knew at that particular location they have a 30% off sale in 2 weeks, I decided to spend extra 30 bucks since I need/want small saw now,plus kind of cheap way to check on dealers honesty.
I was kind of disappointed when he didn't mention sale,I gave guy credit card and he rang me up,when he handed me back card he said,total is $201.76,Echo is having 30% off sale in 2 weeks so I gave you that price.
I'm still a Stihl fan and will continue to go to the Stihl dealership nearby,for farm repairs and Stihl equipment,but the Echo guy got him a new customer for small stuff.
I have been running wife's Stihl 170 couple hours a day every day for about a week, I'll post again after I do a little cutting with the Echo 3410,I did notice the Echo felt smidge heavier to me,possibly just balance and not really enough difference to even mention.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

I was pretty impressed with with the people at Echo dealership,and for being in a small town in just the 10-15 minutes I was in store,there was probably half a dozen customers came and went.
I had did some research and knew at that particular location they have a 30% off sale in 2 weeks, I decided to spend extra 30 bucks since I need/want small saw now,plus kind of cheap way to check on dealers honesty.
I was kind of disappointed when he didn't mention sale,I gave guy credit card and he rang me up,when he handed me back card he said,total is $201.76,Echo is having 30% off sale in 2 weeks so I gave you that price.
I'm still a Stihl fan and will continue to go to the Stihl dealership nearby,for farm repairs and Stihl equipment,but the Echo guy got him a new customer for small stuff.
I have been running wife's Stihl 170 couple hours a day every day for about a week, I'll post again after I do a little cutting with the Echo 3410,I did notice the Echo felt smidge heavier to me,possibly just balance and not really enough difference to even mention.

Well you've already gotten it but I was going to say you're mainly just abusing the chain hitting metal, abusing the bar some hitting dirt, but you're not really abusing the saw the way I see it. Hell, I did some trenching with one of my 455 Ranchers, dulled the hell out of some chains but cleaned and sharpened them right back up. No lasting damage to the bar or saw that I've ever been able to notice, but all of it was already well used. I would have just stuck with your wife's 170 and bought a bunch of cheap go to hell chains for it. I can't believe my MS361 is a 59cc saw when I compare the weight to lunky Husky 359/460's or Echo CS-590's.

 

[Old Grunt]

I ran the little Echo pretty hard intentionally tonight when I got home, the dealer had actually topped off gas and chain oil that also impressed me, when I was Stihl Tech from 1990-2002 we just filled tanks 1/3-half full, now the owners son where I worked is pretty much taking over and when I bought the 170 he just but in a few dribbles of gas and oil, just barley to start and run saw at dealership,not big deal but something I did file away in brain pan.

Just looking at at and handling the 2 saws,the Echo just feels and looks cheaper built, I'm not overly impressed with Echo choke-high Idle switch it feels cheap and mushy like something that could easily be broken riding in bed of PU or Polaris, Echo was also harder starting, I ended up flooding it first time I started it, (that is 100% my fault) The Echo chain was set up way to tight, but I also understand the mechanics theory for that,I'm sure 99% of you know a new chain stretches fast, then settle's down, and we had several new chainsaw people bring their new saw back griping because it threw the chain after just a few hours use, the Echo wouldn't stay running at Idle and I really want to richen high speed,i did speed up idle speed a hair to keep saw running,both High and low mix screws was full rich with the limiters still in place so I didn't adjust, I'll probably break limiters off pretty soon and richen carb.
I was cutting lot of small crap and shutting saw off to pile brush,after a bit saw was starting much better, after about half a tank of gas in 2"-4" stuff I sunk her into some 10 plus inch limbs and pulled her fairly hard,she started coming to life ,power jumped up and was starting better.
The 170 Stihl is really just broke in, has a 16 bar with that funky .043 gauge chain,the 3410 Echo has a 14" bar .050 guage LP chain that does cut a wider kerf, I think right now the way they they are set up they are pretty equal in cutting speed with Echo a wee bit faster, I'm betting with another tank or two in Echo she'll leave 170 in the dust.
Like I've mentioned I am a Stihl fan and the little Echo feels and looks cheaper built then the little Stihl to me,however the Echo is growing on me, if I could choose between a brand new Stihl 170 and Echo 3410 within $25.00 out the door I am starting lo lean towards Echo, the more I ran it the more I was liking it.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Like I've mentioned I am a Stihl fan and the little Echo feels and looks cheaper built then the little Stihl to me,however the Echo is growing on me, if I could choose between a brand new Stihl 170 and Echo 3410 within $25.00 out the door I am starting lo lean towards Echo, the more I ran it the more I was liking it.

Can't argue with it if you like it, and was relatively low cost for a chainsaw these days. I'm not impressed with the MS171 handle design, tree service guy brought me one with handle molding and trigger parts missing, guess it broke apart. Most times you buy a whole new handle assembly, this is designed with a separate piece on the top side of the handle suggesting it's made to break. I'm exasperated by everything about Stihl's way of doing business these days, though I love their saws. It was a great model for 30 years ago or more. It's archaic now. Dealers used to be way more about service, as was likely your experience. Now they're stocking the least parts they can and being as cheap as possible, and since they're the only option for getting parts, you're entirely dependent on their poor service for keeping your saws going. Now I know there are some great Stihl dealers out there still, but in so many places (like here) they're less than mediocre. The furloughs at the Virginia plant suggest they're losing more and more business to Echo and other competitors all the time. But that's more the poor quality of their dealers than a problem with Stihl itself, but at some point they're going to have to recognize the increasingly low quality of their dealers at providing pro service is costing them business and start selling parts online direct or through other outlets.

 

[Old Grunt]

Coralillo, I glanced at the 171 couple times on shelf,from what I've read and heard its not a real well liked saw,if 170 was still available I'd of just bought another 170, I do like that little saw.
I have noticed in last 3 or 4 years shop I worked at has changed, I think a lot has to do with owners son taking over more and more, the owner is a few short years older then me so pushing 70 or possibly hair past 70 and slowing down a little, its still my go to place for farm equipment parts,machine work,or just stuff my rickety old bones tell me not to do anymore.


Normally I'd just use my Stihl 391, with the almost shot 16" bar and big handfull of crap chains I've collected over the last 35 plus years,but according to VA doc I'm not to use left arm,I have tendon that lifts arm at shoulder totally torn off,tendon from shoulder to bicep totally torn off,few other tendons messed up,then the actual rotator cuff issues, but I have been loafing long enough waiting for surgery,so I started cleaning up brush and crap trees,I figured out fast the heavier saw wore my fuzzy butt out quick with just one decent arm,I could run wifes little saw 3 or 4 hours before I've had enough, so I wanted a light reasonably priced small saw, that if it gets trashed,ran over or whatever I dont have to worry about screwing up wifes saw that she is so proud off, $200. is cheap for peace of mind.

 

[NSEric]

Coralillo, I glanced at the 171 couple times on shelf,from what I've read and heard its not a real well liked saw,if 170 was still available I'd of just bought another 170, I do like that little saw.
I have noticed in last 3 or 4 years shop I worked at has changed, I think a lot has to do with owners son taking over more and more, the owner is a few short years older then me so pushing 70 or possibly hair past 70 and slowing down a little, its still my go to place for farm equipment parts,machine work,or just stuff my rickety old bones tell me not to do anymore.


Normally I'd just use my Stihl 391, with the almost shot 16" bar and big handfull of crap chains I've collected over the last 35 plus years,but according to VA doc I'm not to use left arm,I have tendon that lifts arm at shoulder totally torn off,tendon from shoulder to bicep totally torn off,few other tendons messed up,then the actual rotator cuff issues, but I have been loafing long enough waiting for surgery,so I started cleaning up brush and crap trees,I figured out fast the heavier saw wore my fuzzy butt out quick with just one decent arm,I could run wifes little saw 3 or 4 hours before I've had enough, so I wanted a light reasonably priced small saw, that if it gets trashed,ran over or whatever I dont have to worry about screwing up wifes saw that she is so proud off, $200. is cheap for peace of mind.

You need a 100 dollar top handle saw so you can run it with one hand. I use mine with one hand most of the time clearing brush.
The 25cc ones will run neck and neck with a 30cc echo, stihl or husky.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

I figured out I've had enough, so I wanted a light reasonably priced small saw, that if it gets trashed,ran over or whatever I dont have to worry about screwing up wifes saw that she is so proud off, $200. is cheap for peace of mind.

I get that. I got rotator cuff issues out of the blue 18 months ago. Hasn’t slowed any of my work much cause it’s just overhead rotation but can’t really swim without pain now. Even at my strongest, my mid size saws seemed light til I used them for overhead work on tangled trees to clear trails on my dad’s property and then they wore me out quick. Getting a pole saw for any more of that kind of work.

 

[Sidecarflip]

Decent and cheap are 2 words not synonymous with each other though people like to equate them as partners.

Having said that, I'm weaned off Stihl and now run Echo's. Nice Japanese designed (and some built in Japan) saw. I like mine just fine.

Of course I do get them at dealer cost as I work part time (delivering tractors and working in the shop) for my tractor dealer who also sells Echo power products).

Stihl's are just too expensive today and I'm inherently cheap anyway.

Good saws with some minor modifications to the intake and exhaust.

 

[Sidecarflip]

In reality, what got me running Echo's more than anything else was the fact that I purchased a new Stihl 'Professional' top handle arborist saw to the tune of almost 700 clams and promptly destroyed it under the duals of a loaded chipper truck. I was devastated and was about to buy another one but I was perusing my dealer's saws and spied a CS and tried it (the dealer I work at let me road test it) and I was kind of impressed. Was a bit down on suds but I read that they are until after a few tanks are burned so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and found out that removing the Cat helped as well as removing the plastic shutter-lid over the carb throat also helped so I did both and I have to say, the little bugger makes some suds now and why I bought 2 more and those got 'breathed' on a bit as well. Nothing internal, just external stuff. Not into porting and all that stuff anyway. All 3 of them run very well are easy to start and I'm growing fond of the orange shrouds as well.

IMO, Stihl is plain overpriced and there are no good dealers around here anyway and I have no desire to fiddle with an electronic saw anyway and certainly no battery powered saw either.

 

[Seachaser]

In my experience, you basically get what you pay for. Most people get frustrated with a cheap saw or they up grade in a hurry. I know there are exceptions, but I wish I had bought a pro saw from the get go.

 

[Sidecarflip]

I'm an occasional user so I don't require a 'pro' saw whatever that is... Why I only use canned gas as well. I can leave it in my saws all winter and not be concerned at all. Echo's are as 'pro' as I need to be.