Echo CS280T or Stihl MS193T

[Conquistador3]

I have been trying to find a decent used top handle saw since May with no luck so, as the pruning is building up, I have pretty much decided to buy new.
The budget allows either an Echo CS280T (basically an Euro-spec CS271T with a 10" bar) or a Stihl MS193T. I plan to buy local as I have an excellent relationship with both the local Stihl and Echo dealerships going back a long time: the saws are exactly the same price, so this is not a case of "Stihl POS costing three times as much as Echo". I buy local when local businesses deserve it.

I am not a professional arborist so I don't need a hot rod, but I cut enough and I have had enough bad experiences to be ready to pay a bit more for a bit more quality and better aftersale service.

If somebody has any experience with either saws I am interested to hear about them, especially vibration levels.
Thanks.

 

[rd35]

I talked to a guy this past weekend who has the CS280T....and he loves it.....especially for doing climbing work! He is a bit biased toward Echo products seeing that he has a brand new CS280T, (2) new CS450P's, and a new CS620P. He also has Echo T-shirts and Hats!!! An "Echo" man for sure!!!

 

[backhoelover]

Echo.

 

[d1hamby]

Check Echo for handle repairs and cracks, they have issues.

 

[7sleeper]

Check Echo for handle repairs and cracks, they have issues.

Never heard of that before either here on this site or on a few other sites in the us or germany! Can you clearly say where this information comes from.

@Conquistador3 ,

Personally I would choose the Echo. I know a few arborists who choose Echo over Stihl.

7

 

[Conquistador3]

Never heard of that before either here on this site or on a few other sites in the us or germany! Can you clearly say where this information comes from.

If you have seen how people treat their equipment, this should not come as a surprise to you. I've seen an "arborist" intentionally drop a brand new Husqvarna top handle from about 25ft up in a tree. And i think we've all seen (and heard) saws run way too hard due to dull chains.
You can buy the sturdiest, most reliable piece of equipment but if you treat it like that it's not going to last long.

I think I'll go and buy this new saw either on Saturday morning or next week after I am back from Munich. I will keep you posted.

 

[Cope1024]

If you have seen how people treat their equipment, this should not come as a surprise to you. I've seen an "arborist" intentionally drop a brand new Husqvarna top handle from about 25ft up in a tree. And i think we've all seen (and heard) saws run way too hard due to dull chains.
You can buy the sturdiest, most reliable piece of equipment but if you treat it like that it's not going to last long.

I picked a friend up at his apartment to take him to Dialysis. A tree crew was cutting down some trees in the project, and one guy was up in the trailer cutting smaller branches into small pieces using a chainsaw. I don't know how he kept from cutting the floor (if he did).

 

[7sleeper]

If you have seen how people treat their equipment, this should not come as a surprise to you. I've seen an "arborist" intentionally drop a brand new Husqvarna top handle from about 25ft up in a tree. And i think we've all seen (and heard) saws run way too hard due to dull chains.
You can buy the sturdiest, most reliable piece of equipment but if you treat it like that it's not going to last long...

Sounds like the typical question who is paying for the equipment? Kind of reminds when I look at auctions from small factories/building companies after recent bankrupt. The equipment they have is very often some chinese economy stuff. I am uncertain if the good stuff has already "disappeared" or the bosses are simply pissed because they have a bunch of ignorants on their payroll and are not willing to pay for the "good" stuff.
I see quite often comments from timberjacks that they have to pay for their own equipment. Might be a reason for this...

7

 

[Conquistador3]

I picked a friend up at his apartment to take him to Dialysis. A tree crew was cutting down some trees in the project, and one guy was up in the trailer cutting smaller branches into small pieces using a chainsaw. I don't know how he kept from cutting the floor (if he did).

I think he was working on saving fuel and improving performances by cutting large slots in the trailer floor. Think how much fuel it costs to move around all that metal.

Sounds like the typical question who is paying for the equipment? Kind of reminds when I look at auctions from small factories/building companies after recent bankrupt. The equipment they have is very often some chinese economy stuff. I am uncertain if the good stuff has already "disappeared" or the bosses are simply pissed because they have a bunch of ignorants on their payroll and are not willing to pay for the "good" stuff.
I see quite often comments from timberjacks that they have to pay for their own equipment. Might be a reason for this...

7

I could write a month and a half about this. Suffice to say my experience in the field tells me most business owners either buy whatever's available at the nearest store or the damn cheapest stuff they can find.
My grandfather was very lucky in having an Echo dealership nearest to his farm, which later also started to carry Zenoah. That's where he got most of his stuff from. I still buy Echo from them despite the distance: they are not local by any means but it's a great dealership.
At one point the FIAT Agri dealership he had bought two (extremely temperamental) tractors from started carrying Oleomac and selling them for a song, so he obviously bought a brushcutter and a chainsaw. I literally dreaded those two things. They never ran right, most fasteners shook lose and was only too happy to see the brushcutter go for a Zenoah. The Oleomac was actually survived by the old Echo it had been bought to replace, which I broke up for spares just a few years ago. Worth far more in parts than as a whole.
Anyway if tomorrow morning I have a couple hours the new saw will be in the house, otherwise it will be next week.

 

[Rockjock]

Dealer relationships are important IMO. I am biased because I never see any professionals using echo so the impression is they are just not up to the task. 3 weeks for a tank vent under warranty is just a joke. Once Echo sold out to the big box stores the dealer service is just gone. It might be different in the EU but I doubt it.

 

[7sleeper]

Over here, at least in my region in Austria, I know a few arborists using echo stuff. Even my Stihldealer sell's Echo stuff and is very convinced of their products.

7

 

[Conquistador3]

Dealer relationships are important IMO. I am biased because I never see any professionals using echo so the impression is they are just not up to the task. 3 weeks for a tank vent under warranty is just a joke. Once Echo sold out to the big box stores the dealer service is just gone. It might be different in the EU but I doubt it.

Yamabiko here has a different policy. They have two lines: a homeowner one, which is actually rather nice considering the price, and the pro one, which is the excellent stuff we are familiar with but as sad is also as expensive if not more expensive than Stihl.
The old dealerships sell both lines and do business as usual, while the homeowner line is also sold in rural shops and agri consortia which have no service. Big box stores here carry Wing Kong Import-Export specials as their standard fare and either Hitachi or McCulloch as their "top of the line". Yamabiko is deemed too expensive for the average person shopping there... and this is despite the immense markup on chainsaws, brushcutters and the like. You can find exactly the same stuff with different colors on eBay and save yourself a ton of money.

Apart from that old and excellent Echo dealership I mentioned before, there's also a Shindaiwa dealership about 15 miles from me. I've bought spares from them a couple of times but decided if I ever need more I'll just drive that extra mile and go to another one. The owner is, how can I put this?, more fit at being a used car salesman than at running the only Shindaiwa dealership in the province. Into the ground. Stihl thanks him and laughs all the way to the bank.

 

[Conquistador3]

Big German fellow bringing home the small German fellow:

I should really wear a condom...

I only managed to prune a small tree before darkness fell (the afternoon was taken up with cleaning the Big German fellow and using the leafblower) and it seemed to be doing fine. There will be more occasions to use it soon.
I know I shouldn't be complaining but the Stihl dealer filled it with their vegetable-based oil which is one of the foulest things in existence... I hate that stuff, seriously.