60cc chainsaw choice

[Evan]

What happened in this world that everyone thinks 60cc saws are made of gold and why in hell do they need 5 bars for that one gold plated saw.

 

[dudz3636]

Owning several makes/models within each class (50-90cc), my personal opinion, which appears to differ from yours, is that 60cc saws are a great bang for your buck and tend to be what I reach for most often. That said, we all live in different areas and do different cutting.

Regarding multiple bars - I think any 60cc saw performs best with a 20". If you don't have a bigger saw to wear a bigger bar better, what's wrong with having a couple bigger bars for it?

Everyone's just at a different place in their use case and what they want to have invested in a saw or saws.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

What happened in this world that everyone thinks 60cc saws are made of gold and why in hell do they need 5 bars for that one gold plated saw.

So, ‘go big or go home’ is your motto?

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Owning several makes/models within each class (50-90cc), my personal opinion, which appears to differ from yours, is that 60cc saws are a great bang for your buck and tend to be what I reach for most often. That said, we all live in different areas and do different cutting.

Regarding multiple bars - I think any 60cc saw performs best with a 20". If you don't have a bigger saw to wear a bigger bar better, what's wrong with having a couple bigger bars for it?

Everyone's just at a different place in their use case and what they want to have invested in a saw or saws.

Bar length arguments have 2 categories, imo.
Long bar for large diameter wood vs longer bar so you can stand up straight and cut most trees up.

if in the first group a bigger saw is the way to go.
If the 2nd group, bar length is dictated my your height.

my .02

 

[Evan]

My opinion doesnt much matter, its just an observation after watching the ass forum for 15 years or so

So, ‘go big or go home’ is your motto?

 

[singinwoodwackr]

My opinion doesnt much matter, its just an observation after watching the ass forum for 15 years or so

Not even gonna comment on that line

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

Glad to hear you bought the 620p since this is a saw I have been eyeballing myself. Keep us updated.
I am inclined to think 28" is much too long for a 60cc but I am no expert. Echo seems to offer bars on the long side with all their saws.

 

[iowa_jim]

Google is saying 24" is max recommended bar for the saw you bought; though it officially supports up to 27"; just FYI.

Echo recommends up to their 27" bar, which uses a 93-tooth chain. The Oregon 28" bar for the saw uses a 92-tooth chain. This is an oddity of design and marketing that I can't explain, but the 28" is shorter than the 27" bar. That being said, there's no doubt that this saw is not up to commercial slabbing. It is good for bucking.

 

[LuDookie]

No chainsaw is up for “commercial” slabbing. Our woodmizer is barely adequate for us hobbyists. Making boards with a chainsaw mill is akin to cutting down a tree with an axe. You better enjoy it, because it’s playing. I’ve milled a board or 50 with a chainsaw and unless you know what you’re doing and really enjoy it, it’ll take all the fun out of it, even with the biggest of saws.

But if I were shopping for a 60cc saw, the 620 would be my first choice.

 

[sean donato]

No chainsaw is up for “commercial” slabbing. Our woodmizer is barely adequate for us hobbyists. Making boards with a chainsaw mill is akin to cutting down a tree with an axe. You better enjoy it, because it’s playing. I’ve milled a board or 50 with a chainsaw and unless you know what you’re doing and really enjoy it, it’ll take all the fun out of it, even with the biggest of saws.

But if I were shopping for a 60cc saw, the 620 would be my first choice.

I agree, since my cousin got a bandsaw mill I haven't used my Alaskan mill. It's just too much work for not nearly enough gain.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Echo recommends up to their 27" bar, which uses a 93-tooth chain. The Oregon 28" bar for the saw uses a 92-tooth chain. This is an oddity of design and marketing that I can't explain, but the 28" is shorter than the 27" bar. That being said, there's no doubt that this saw is not up to commercial slabbing. It is good for bucking.

Apparently they don't know about Kodiak Kid's 170 with an 84" bar

 

[sliceoflife]

I agree, since my cousin got a bandsaw mill I haven't used my Alaskan mill. It's just too much work for not nearly enough gain.

Your next cousin will buy a commercial sawmill and then you can retire the bandsaw!

 

[sean donato]

Your next cousin will buy a commercial sawmill and then you can retire the

Nah, there are too many guys around my area with bigger mills to need to worry about him upgrading.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Here are more details. I'm in the mid-west, and I don't encounter many large trees. But I've got an ash tree in the yard that I need to bring down. I'm limbing her out for starters, then I'll have a 42" diameter trunk that I'd like to saw into 2" thick slabs for my woodworking. I ran into a 36" section at the city yard dump that I would have slabbed out last year if I had a suitable saw, and that's what I'd call an active period for that sort of work. So I don't have any sort of commercial need for this, and infrequent opportunities for milling at best.

I was going to start another thread with this, but there's so much overlap I'll just go for it. The idea of grabbing a 60cc saw is based on the idea that anything smaller is disposable. I'd like to have a saw that is worth maintaining and can run for years. For instance, consider the Echo 590 vs the 620. The 620 has a better build, and a little more power from the reports I've seen, but if the 620 is 'disposable' then the 590 is an easy choice. If the 620 can be maintained, then that's the one I want. In the Husky lineup, I suppose it'd be the 460 vs the 562? Any maybe the 60cc cut-off, no pun intended, no wait, I'll claim it, is wrong, but I hear a lot of hate for the homeowner and 'farm' sized models. I can echo the homeowner-sized saw hate. There, I did it again.

When I say 'disposable', for instance, say I ran a $600 saw for 3 years, and now she's worth $300 and needs a $300 repair. Disposable. So back to my first post, I'd like a saw that can start easily when she's 5 years old, requires little shop time, but it doesn't have to be the biggest / fastest / most fuel-efficient saw on the block. So for the smaller saw, say in the 40-60cc range, what saw am I describing?

And again, I appreciate all the ideas that have come forth. This site is amazing (due to it's contributors of course).

@Modifiedmark is selling a complete rebuilt poulan pro 380 in the classifieds. That would be a great 60cc saw.

 

[Paratrooper76]

The Echo CS-620p has arrived. She's a beast, from my homeowner perspective. I've got 6 or 7 tanks through it, so it should be broken in. I bought a 28" and a 20" bar. I started with the 28" bar, and have enjoyed bucking while standing up. I experimented with slabbing. The biggest issue I had was with the tip wanting to kick back against the far side of the cut. I'll address this by angling the saw back a bit so that I'm making more of a ripping cut. I will try again with a skip tooth chain to see how that goes. It's definitely not the saw to slab with for large or routine projects, as has been suggested throughout the thread, but this will work for my limited project.

The manual suggested not touching the carb until after the 2nd tank. The saw had a different sound through the 2nd tank of gas, so I guess there's the break-in period. I still haven't touched the carb, mostly because I'd like the saw to continue to run.

Great purchase! The CS-620P is a great, pro saw at a farm/ranch saw price. Simple and reliable. I love my pro Stihl’s, but my Echo’s have been right there with them as my favorite saws.

 

[toppers]

The 620p handles a 27” bar very well, I’ve had mine buried in green maple all day long and it just howls through it. Broken in, muffler mod, retune and sharp chain make a world of difference too. The torque of the 620 gives it a huge advantage over any other 60cc saw on the market, the others can’t do this (362, etc). I recommend the air filter O ring kit to seal the filter better.

 

[mountainlake]

The torque of the 620 gives it a huge advantage over any other 60cc saw on the market

A pleasure to run rather than a high RPM saw that falls flat on it's face if you lean on it a little. Sure they cut but you better keep them right in the right RPM range. Steve

 

[dudz3636]

The torque of the 620 gives it a huge advantage over any other 60cc saw on the market

A pleasure to run rather than a high RPM saw that falls flat on it's face if you lean on it a little. Sure they cut but you better keep them right in the right RPM range. Steve

Owning a 555 and a 620PW, I would not say that the 620 has a huge advantage over any other 60cc saw on the market. The 555 is similar in this regard, but is an often forgotten stepbrother with the 562's popularity. I really like my 555's handling over a 620, but truly enjoy both saws.

 

[toppers]

Having owned a 362 I find the torque of the 620p to be a significant difference. You are really only limited by the oiler which is about 28” worth of oiling.

 

[LuDookie]

In the 50cc group of saws, I’d just as soon skip them and get a 590 for a stronger, less expensive, and outstanding saw, but for 60cc, I really enjoy all 3. The 562 is a joy to run altogether. The 362 has always been one of my favorite Stihls, even though many don’t agree, and I’m a big Echo fan so I just like the legacy and build of the 620. Sure wish they would change the air filter design without ditching the whole unit. I’d definitely get the aftermarket upgrades.