Stihl MS251 vs. Echo or Husky Equivalent?

[Double Drops]

I'm looking for a new chainsaw. I'll only be using it around the house to clear up storm damage & some downed trees that are long overdue for some attention. I'm a little partial to Stihl products since I have had good luck with my leaf blower and weedeater (both Stihl). But, the more I read the more I think I need to look at some other brands. I'd like to stick to either Stihl, Echo, or Husqvarna.
Betweeen those 3 brands, which would you go with? I've narrowed my Stihl selection to an MS251 based on what the dealer recommended for my uses. What would be the equivalent in the other brands if you didn't go with Stihl?
Also, I'd like to stay under $350, and go with a 16" to 18" bar.

 

[romad10]

Id put a price range you are looking to spend and realistic bar length. That should help get discussions going.

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[Double Drops]

Just edited my original post. Thanks romad10!

 

[romad10]

Np... That should get folks going

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[romad10]

Im a hardcore husky guy buy the warranty that echo offers is hard to beat. Pricing is very fair and OEM replacement parts are 50% of husky or stihl if you have to fix something. But i do know that ordering parts from echo is horrible on waiting times. Its like they cut the piston the day you order them. And ebay does not have much for parts for echos.... What dealer? A stihl dealer recommended his product to you?

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[Double Drops]

Im a hardcore husky guy buy the warranty that echo offers is hard to beat. Pricing is very fair and OEM replacement parts are 50% of husky or stihl if you have to fix something. But i do know that ordering parts from echo is horrible on waiting times. Its like they cut the piston the day you order them. And ebay does not have much for parts for echos.... What dealer? A stihl dealer recommended his product to you?

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What would the Husky equivalent be of the MS251?

 

[romad10]

450 husky. $344.00 on amazon . free shipping and possibly no tax.

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[romad10]

I dont own homeowner saws. So with that i wont comment on my personal opinion on homeowner saws. Echo would be a cs-450.

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[7sleeper]

Echo 490 is the saw of choice. Excelent quality for the price. Would be my choice over the alternativ plastic saws by stihl or husqvarna.

7

 

[svk]

The Husky 450 is a nice little saw and the price Romad quoted is pretty good because I believe MSRP is now 369 or 379 and you would be paying tax as well if purchased locally.

Yep, it's a homeowner saw but many who judge it have never used one. I was very happy with mine. Only sold mine because we were putting together funding to buy a cabin.

Now if spend a few more bucks you could get an Echo 590 which is a substantially more powerful saw.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Look at Maruyama MCV51 on Amazon. $329 shipped. Made by Dolmar, it's a rebranded Dolmar 5105. I own 6 Echos, 490's and 400's, nice saws but the warranty is a joke if you need to use it.

 

[Khntr85]

I own pro saws, and have a garage full of rebuilt. Homeowners that I sell....

If it was me, I would do what I did 6-7 years ago and get a ms250 with 16 or 18" bar....I still use mine and runs great...I have put the saw threw the ringer, and she is still scratching.....never ran echo or husky so can't comment on those yet lol...

 

[grack]

Echo 490 and 590s have been excellent but instead of the 490 i would buy the maruyama.

 

[mountainlake]

Echo 490 and 590s have been excellent butView attachment 574052 instead of the 490 i would buy the maruyama.

Where are they made , I'm not buying made in China. Echo saws are made either in Japan or the USA plus a CS490 500p or 501 are quite a bit lighter. Steve

 

[jd548esco72]

i would say "run" from a stihl clam shell saw---

i do like the echos and the dolmar made saws though

 

[sundance]

Echo's website has a list of shops and dates for a 20% off sale. If somethings close to you could be a pretty good deal. I've only run older Echos but have been happy with them.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Where are they made , I'm not buying made in China. Echo saws are made either in Japan or the USA plus a CS490 500p or 501 are quite a bit lighter. Steve

Made in Germany at Dolmar.

 

[Banshee365]

Echo CS-490 or CS-450/CS450P. The 450 has a metal case, is still clamshell but has a rim sprocket. The CS-490 is a $350 pro saw. It has a split magnesium case and rim sprocket. It's hard to go with anything else in this segment. The CS-490 is on a popular auction site for $319 free shipping. Can't be beat. I personally would rather support a local dealer and pay $20-$30 more but that's just me. Even better, find a 20% off day near you as others have mentioned.

I can't figure out why the 450 is more expensive than the 490 however. Echo's pricing is really weird as, according to a rep of theirs, they are pricing to get some market share back and get more of their saws out there. This is definitely the case with the CS-590. That saw should be $500+ all day long.

 

[jd548esco72]

i would not count on ANY new saw of any brand to NOT have at least some china made parts --even a $1600 one.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Echo CS-490 or CS-450/CS450P. The 450 has a metal case, is still clamshell but has a rim sprocket. The CS-490 is a $350 pro saw. It has a split magnesium case and rim sprocket. It's hard to go with anything else in this segment

I have 2 Echo 490 that have been muffler mod and retuned. The Maruyama MCV 51 out cuts them using the same chain.