Decisions... Echo vs Stihl.

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bootboy

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So I've been doing my homework and I've narrowed it down a few choices for a new saw. Echo cs550p vs Stihl ms290. Both weigh about the same and run 20" bars and .325 chain.
In the 3/8 category I'm stuck between the cs600p and the ms311. The Stihls run from $15-50 less. But echo's 5 year warranty is sweetening the deal. Anyone experience with these saws and care to weigh in?

P.s. New guy here...
 
Do not be afraid of the echo saws... I've heard good things about the 550... If reliability is what you're after, the echo's fit that bill... Happy hunting...:msp_thumbup:
 
The most foremost thing I will say is...Don't Fall In Love With Echo's 5-Year Warranty..!!

Having the warranty and having the saw fixed under warranty are two different things.
My local dealer went out of business because Echo would NOT cover warranty repairs.
They always came up with some excuse as to why the warranty claim wasn't valid.
Now no one in this area will start-up an Echo dealership (servicing dealership that is)
knowing what happened to the last one. The dealer was a good guy and did his best..!!
But bad new travels fast in a small region and loss of sales killed him. Echo's fault...not his..!!

I am not bashing Echo products at all...just the warranty coverage..and for 5 years..??

I have an Echo trimmer that is 20+ years old and still runs reasonably well considering it's age.

Sooo..I would recommend Stihl or Husqvarna...as they stand behind their warranty..!!

Just my 2¢ worth..
:cheers:
J2F
 
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The most foremost thing I will say is...Don't Fall In Love With Echo's 5-Year Warranty..!!

Having the warranty and having the saw fixed under warranty are two different things.
My local dealer went out of business because Echo would NOT cover warranty repairs.
They always came up with some excuse as to why the warranty claim wasn't valid.
Now no one in this area will start-up an Echo dealership (servicing dealership that is)
knowing what happened to the last one. The dealer was a good guy and did his best..!!
But bad new travels fast in a small region and loss of sales killed him. Echo's fault...not his..!!

I am not bashing Echo products at all...just the warranty coverage..and for 5 years..??

I have an Echo trimmer that is 20+ years old and still runs reasonably well considering it's age.

Sooo..I would recommend Stihl or Husqvarna...as they stand behind their warranty..!!

Just my 2¢ worth..
:cheers:
J2F

Warranty??? What the hell's a warranty??? Them are out the window as soon as I punch the guts out of the muffler!!!:hell_boy:
 
The most foremost thing I will say is...Don't Fall In Love With Echo's 5-Year Warranty..!!

Having the warranty and having the saw fixed under warranty are two different things.
My local dealer went out of business because Echo would NOT cover warranty repairs.
They always came up with some excuse as to why the warranty claim wasn't valid.
Now no one in this area will start-up an Echo dealership (servicing dealership that is)
knowing what happened to the last one. The dealer was a good guy and did his best..!!
But bad new travels fast in a small region and loss of sales killed him. Echo's fault...not his..!!

I am not bashing Echo products at all...just the warranty coverage..and for 5 years..??

I have an Echo trimmer that is 20+ years old and still runs reasonably well considering it's age.

Sooo..I would recommend Stihl or Husqvarna...as they stand behind their warranty..!!

Just my 2¢ worth..
:cheers:
J2F

i would have to agree echos warranty isnt worth the paper its printed on. i had a cs360t motor locked up echo said it was fuel related even thought we used the same fuel in all our saws. that being said id still say echo. i really like saw just not how they handle things
 
Been running Echo's for 34 years and never needed the warranty...Bob

Bob..(and I do respect you..!!)..come on..!!
You're suggesting you've never had a warrant-able problem in 34 years..Hard to believe..!!
(unless you've been using the same saw for 34 years and thus there was NO warranty..??)
Are you actually a lawyer or politician..?? Just messin" with ya..!!
I expect you just do your own repairs...simply put.

Do the dealers in your area have problems with the Echo warranty coverage..??

I hope "mountainlake" will add to this...as I think he is an Echo dealer or affiliated with one.

Again...NOT trying to bash Echo...just saying the 5 yr. warranty is "questionable" at best.
No other mainline manufacturer offers more than 2 years...so Echo at 5 years..??
I'm just saying that folks buy on 5-yr. warranty "dream"...get "skanked"...leave Echo forever..!!

Bes2ya Bob..!! and hello "mountainlake" should you arrive..(and I respect you as well..!!)
:cheers:
J2F
 
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Of all the saws I owned, the only ones that needed service under warranty were stihls. That was three out of the seven stihls. I don't know what Echo charges for parts, but I do know that stihl parts can be spendy.
 
I haven't had an issue yet with my Echos and I use them commercially where the warranty is for 2 years, not 5. If it's a occasional use saw, it should go 5 years without an issue no prob. Remember, a warranty covers their mistakes with it, not yours. By the way, my 600 absolutely buries my helpers 311 with chips.
 
i ran the crap out of a cs-370 for a few years,, never had 1 minute trouble,, if its going to be used occasionally the echo is a good buy
 
Bob..(and I do respect you..!!)..come on..!!
You're suggesting you've never had a warrant-able problem in 34 years..Hard to believe..!!
(unless you've been using the same saw for 34 years and thus there was NO warranty..??)
Are you actually a lawyer or politician..?? Just messin" with ya..!!
I expect you just do your own repairs...simply put.

Do the dealers in your area have problems with the Echo warranty coverage..??

I hope "mountainlake" will add to this...as I think he is an Echo dealer or affiliated with one.

Again...NOT trying to bash Echo...just saying the 5 yr. warranty is "questionable" at best.
No other mainline manufacturer offers more than 2 years...so Echo at 5 years..??
I'm just saying that folks buy on 5-yr. warranty "dream"...get "skanked"...leave Echo forever..!!

Bes2ya Bob..!! and hello "mountainlake" should you arrive..(and I respect you as well..!!)
:cheers:
J2F



I'm starthing to like to like you you 2fat, I've been runnig Echo saws for 10 years now and have had to to replace 1 AV mount for $12 on my CS6700 . Other than that I've a quite a few saws off Ebay burnt up due to lean tuning real cheap , the only reason I got inside one to find how good or bad the quality was. I am the last person you want to talk about as far as warrenty. Steve
 
Echos are evil and dangerous. I've heard they explode and injure the operator with flying shrapnel etc.. be careful
 
I can only give advice on what I know first hand. I do not run Echos, not because I don't like them but because I like Stihl and Dolmar. Out of the Stihls and the Dolmars I have owned and or ran, I think they are comparable to each other in performance and in price. Both machines are very durable if buying the pro grade and as far as a mid range saw, I will take the Dolmar any time. Their mid grade saws seem to have more pro-like qualities than the Stihls do and the pricing is pretty close. I have heard good things about the newer Echos but that is as far as my experience with them goes. I also agree with a 1 to 2 year warranty for manufacturing defects, even if you are an occasional user problems should show up in that time frame. A five year warranty doesn't do you much good if there is trouble honoring it.
 
I have a hard time believing someone going out of business because of warranty. I'm inclined to believe that he was a bad businessman more than anything. If Echo had so many warranty issues that warranty is what kept someone in business, Echo would've been bankrupt a long time ago. 99% of the time when someone comes in barking about warranty, its user stupidity. There's no money in warranty! Just buy what you like and don't worry about the marketing schemes.
 
In my limited experience with 3-4 different saw brands, I honestly think Echos are the most consistently easy starting and most user friendly. I would not hesistate to buy or recommend one. I'm also very pleased with my Stihl MS-261, but it's definitely a little more fussy than my Echo. The 550P is a good saw.
 
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