Ok I pulled the trigger and got a new CS355T about 2 weeks ago and decided to post a thread on my first thoughts and review. First of all I have to say I am impressed with the build quality of this saw, it feels real solid and not flimsy at all. The first thing I did when I got home was to pull the muffler screen to see what was inside and I was surprised to find an empty can no restriction at all. No need to mod the muffler here.
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The next thing I noticed is that it has an actual metal bucking dog it's not big but is more than you get on other brands and more than enough for this size saw
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Another feature I really like is the interchangeable hand rest for the handle. It came with 2 grips and a plug if you prefer it without the grip, personally I liked the orange one. This reminded me a lot of the new Glock pistols and allows the user to custom fit the saw to their hand somewhat
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I also really liked the air filter setup, on the back where it should be, easy to access and clean, and made of a durable material that will do a good job of cleaning the air without being too restrictive.
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I know this is a small thing but it's another thing about the saw that I noticed and liked. The fill caps for the fuel and bar oil have male threads on the saw and female on the cap and as always the cap has a keeper to keep from being lost, but can easily be removed if nessary.
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Ok on to putting it to work, I took it out for the first time with the factory chain and quickly found that the chain was like most factory safety chains and cuts but not as well as it could, a quick change to some Oregon 91 vxl and all was good. I found the balance to be great. The weight is a touch heavier than other top handle saws but not by much and I would much rather have a touch more weight than a flimsy saw. With the new chain it chewed through 6"-10" hardwood like it was nothing and wanted more the only time I could get to bog was with a good amount of pressure in some 14" red oak. Throttle response was good and snappy actually surprising for a bone stock saw.
There are only two minor things that I wish were different. First I wish it had a rim sprocket instead of a spur on a pro style saw I would like to see a rim, but that's small and can be easily fixed. The other thing is even more minor an that's the controls are backwards from Stihl, the choke position is forward and stop is back where stihl is just the opposite and I find myself putting it to stop and trying to start it, but I will get used to it.
All in all I have been very impressed with the saw and can tell that they put a lot of thought into performance and making the best saw possible. I think that this is a strong contender to take over as the king of the top handles now that the ms200t is no longer made. It has great balance, low weight, great performance stock, excellent fit and finish, and a great price. So if your in the market for a top handle don't overlook the Echo CS355T
