I need to be clear on our standing on Echo. I mean, I did just ask people in the USA for parts, right? You all saw that? Pun intended.
Though I have heard a lot about the 2511's, they aren't available here in Ireland(and at least one dealer did not even know if it's existence!). Well, most Echo's aren't available here. The main supplier for Echo was UK-based until recently. So, in order for us to bring stuff over from the UK, we have to back door it through or from Northern Ireland, or just skip that process altogether and bring it in from the Mainland in Europe, or use a managed importing warehouse. Either way, they haven't really figured out how to go about it, so Echo have languished the last few years here.
I was a dealer before the Irish government really started enforcing Brexit protocols in, uh, 2019? Duty/customs fees, taxes, handling fees, warehousing fees, delays, and then delays. I no longer bother. The worst part of dealing with brexit as far as the Irish customs go is the randomness of the costs. It really makes it impossible to quote a price. The only way to know the exact costs would be to use an importer or be an importer - adding even more costs(usually 10-15% in small batches). Remember, although the EU is one trading block, there are still customs checks between them all. I have had products detained that were legally imported because they came from the mainland and customs wanted to check them. They give you a slip with NO information on it other than why something was detained. There is no one to contact regarding it's status as you are not given a unique number on the detainment slip - just a signature of the agent which looks just like a Doctor's signature. So you will never know when it is freed up until it arrives on your doorstep - which usually means weeks or never. I have had two shipments detained. One delayed by two weeks, the other one never arrived. That's when I stopped importing. And that shipment was from Poland! Not even the UK!
If I need that 1/4inch chain the 2511 takes I have to order it from another country. The cost basically goes up, but most importantly for someone that uses it on a working farm, the time goes up. I can go to my local stihl or husky dealer and get everything from 3/8,Picco up to standard 3/8 there on the spot to fit any Echo. Hell, we do a thing here I haven't seen stateside, at least not on the west coast - .058 chain. How stupid is that? 050, 058, 063. And even better, Stihl chain has no 050 options. So the only two options for standard 3/8 or .325 is 058 or 063. So you choose your saws, or bars at least, based on who your local dealer is, which of course is likely by design. Someone is gonna ask, so I will say, our farm is a Stihl shop. The Echo is an anomaly. I got two Echos at wholesale costs as a Christmas gift from a supplier, and they both live near me still(a 360 Wes and a 390SX).
The warehouse in London claims to have posted me my piston. I'll do a bit of porting on the 360 and slap it together and see how much longer it will last.
That 360 is a magical combination of weight(8lbs!) and power(pulls 3/8 lo pro with authority).
