Buying a 60cc saw Echo CS600P ( new $500) - Want 20 years of easy starting - 5hrd/yr

[MiserblOF]

I've been considering a CS600P for a year now, and still debating in my mind. My CS 500 VL is about 30 years old now and in great shape (I spent an entire day last fall with solvents and car wax, taking off a bunch of miserable spruce tar and accumulated junk and making it look new again,) but it has no chain brake and I would dearly love a 24" bar. I have a CS 300 about 10 years old for the small stuff and it's a great saw. When I bought my CS 500 there was a tree surgeon in the shop and he told me the single most important thing to him wasn't the quality or power of the saw, it was quick starts. Time is money and a balky starter costs time, money and fatigue - he mentioned that when he worked he was usually on a cherry picker with a helper on the ground, both of which cost money and he had no time to be fooling with an obstinate saw while 50 feet in the air. He claimed the Echos were the easiest starting saws out there. Both my Echos have been very reliable and usually start without a lot of argument, though the 300 is much easier starting with the primer bulb.

I'm thinking of possibly converting the CS 500 to be the power source for a capstan winch. I am a little concerned, though, about the overall quality of the Echos. I have seen some in the big box stores that look like they're made pretty cheaply. Is the 600P a solid machine? I'm 61 years old and no athlete, and I think this is about as big and heavy a saw as I dare attempt. I did hold a Husky 372 XP in my hands last year and it felt very nice, but I think a little smaller and lighter on the wallet might be a good thing.

 

[justme23005]

I've been considering a CS600P for a year now, and still debating in my mind. My CS 500 VL is about 30 years old now and in great shape (I spent an entire day last fall with solvents and car wax, taking off a bunch of miserable spruce tar and accumulated junk and making it look new again,) but it has no chain brake and I would dearly love a 24" bar. I have a CS 300 about 10 years old for the small stuff and it's a great saw. When I bought my CS 500 there was a tree surgeon in the shop and he told me the single most important thing to him wasn't the quality or power of the saw, it was quick starts. Time is money and a balky starter costs time, money and fatigue - he mentioned that when he worked he was usually on a cherry picker with a helper on the ground, both of which cost money and he had no time to be fooling with an obstinate saw while 50 feet in the air. He claimed the Echos were the easiest starting saws out there. Both my Echos have been very reliable and usually start without a lot of argument, though the 300 is much easier starting with the primer bulb.

I'm thinking of possibly converting the CS 500 to be the power source for a capstan winch. I am a little concerned, though, about the overall quality of the Echos. I have seen some in the big box stores that look like they're made pretty cheaply. Is the 600P a solid machine? I'm 61 years old and no athlete, and I think this is about as big and heavy a saw as I dare attempt. I did hold a Husky 372 XP in my hands last year and it felt very nice, but I think a little smaller and lighter on the wallet might be a good thing.

you are welcomed to try my CS600's (20&24), cs400, cs440, or 330T, if you would like.. My mom lives about 10 minutes from you, in Roxbury. I'm there quite often.

They are built pretty solid. There's a reason why they have a 5 year warranty.

 

[zogger]

I've been considering a CS600P for a year now, and still debating in my mind. My CS 500 VL is about 30 years old now and in great shape (I spent an entire day last fall with solvents and car wax, taking off a bunch of miserable spruce tar and accumulated junk and making it look new again,) but it has no chain brake and I would dearly love a 24" bar. I have a CS 300 about 10 years old for the small stuff and it's a great saw. When I bought my CS 500 there was a tree surgeon in the shop and he told me the single most important thing to him wasn't the quality or power of the saw, it was quick starts. Time is money and a balky starter costs time, money and fatigue - he mentioned that when he worked he was usually on a cherry picker with a helper on the ground, both of which cost money and he had no time to be fooling with an obstinate saw while 50 feet in the air. He claimed the Echos were the easiest starting saws out there. Both my Echos have been very reliable and usually start without a lot of argument, though the 300 is much easier starting with the primer bulb.

I'm thinking of possibly converting the CS 500 to be the power source for a capstan winch. I am a little concerned, though, about the overall quality of the Echos. I have seen some in the big box stores that look like they're made pretty cheaply. Is the 600P a solid machine? I'm 61 years old and no athlete, and I think this is about as big and heavy a saw as I dare attempt. I did hold a Husky 372 XP in my hands last year and it felt very nice, but I think a little smaller and lighter on the wallet might be a good thing.

--I liked mine a lot until I toasted it running it too hard with the stock carb settings. I'm 60 and a small human, it started incredibly easy for me..well, until it didn't. You MUST get it tuned properly before using it, IMO. They are EPA borked right out of the box. Besides that it was a fair good saw, cut strong, started easier than any other saw I have ever run. Or two stroke anything, only exception is I have a tanaka trimmer which will start and run on one slow pull. Being a 60cc they fall right in the middle of a 50-70 two saw plan, so should suffice for a one saw plan, adjusting your cutting needs accordingly.

Were it me, again, dealer setup and verification and warranty setup, document my purchases of their brand mix oil, etc, just to cover yourself in case of warranty issues as you go through a breakin period, which a small personal firewood getter might not even hit for a coupla years maybe. Might take ten twelve tanks to hit that level, so it just depends on how much you need to cut. Guys here who own them who are more knowledgeable than I and tuned correctly at first seem to like their's a lot.

Mine has a 20, 24 to me, just guessing now, would be pushing it for full time use, 27, although they say it will fit..I don't think so. You need 3-400 bucks more saw at that level.

 

[MiserblOF]

Justme, thanks for the kind offer. I finally got to the Echo dealer in Walton the other day, and I've pretty much settled on the 600P.

Zogger, It's not a one saw plan. I have an Echo CS300, 10 years old and runs like new for my small saw. That saw gets about 75% of the use and hasn't missed a beat yet. Eight pounds is about what I can swing around all day without getting tired, and I actually cut a lot of stuff with it that I should be using the larger saw on. The 600P would be only for the big stuff. Only two reasons I want a new saw to replace the CS 500 VL are longer bar and chain brake. I just would feel safer with a chain brake, and with the longer bar, the nose would be totally clear about 90% of the time. I'm not overly fond of jumping back and forth on both sides of a log while bucking.

It amazes me that the saws today have so much plastic (the CS 500 VL is all metal and though the little CS 300 has plastic, I just didn't realize they were putting so much on the bigger saws.) but aren't really any lighter than the old ones of comparable displacement.

Until I bought the CS300, my small saw was a 34cc Remington mighty mite weekender, which I had for 22 years. It was all metal and I bought it in a bubble package at the Margaretville Agway for $74.99. That saw was amazing. It was so good I bought my Dad a Remington (newer model) a few years later. His was a piece of junk, sadly. When I brought my Remington to the transfer station in CT, the guy working there asked a bunch of questions.. I told him it still ran, but needed new fuel line, and a few other things, and he took it. Saw might still be working today, for all I know.. I was reaching for the manual oil pump on my saws for several years after I replaced it, lol.


What do you think of the idea of a 32 inch skip chain and bar on the CS 300?? (no, I'm not serious..)

 

[zogger]

Justme, thanks for the kind offer. I finally got to the Echo dealer in Walton the other day, and I've pretty much settled on the 600P.

Zogger, It's not a one saw plan. I have an Echo CS300, 10 years old and runs like new for my small saw. That saw gets about 75% of the use and hasn't missed a beat yet. Eight pounds is about what I can swing around all day without getting tired, and I actually cut a lot of stuff with it that I should be using the larger saw on. The 600P would be only for the big stuff. Only two reasons I want a new saw to replace the CS 500 VL are longer bar and chain brake. I just would feel safer with a chain brake, and with the longer bar, the nose would be totally clear about 90% of the time. I'm not overly fond of jumping back and forth on both sides of a log while bucking.

It amazes me that the saws today have so much plastic (the CS 500 VL is all metal and though the little CS 300 has plastic, I just didn't realize they were putting so much on the bigger saws.) but aren't really any lighter than the old ones of comparable displacement.

Until I bought the CS300, my small saw was a 34cc Remington mighty mite weekender, which I had for 22 years. It was all metal and I bought it in a bubble package at the Margaretville Agway for $74.99. That saw was amazing. It was so good I bought my Dad a Remington (newer model) a few years later. His was a piece of junk, sadly. When I brought my Remington to the transfer station in CT, the guy working there asked a bunch of questions.. I told him it still ran, but needed new fuel line, and a few other things, and he took it. Saw might still be working today, for all I know.. I was reaching for the manual oil pump on my saws for several years after I replaced it, lol.


What do you think of the idea of a 32 inch skip chain and bar on the CS 300?? (no, I'm not serious..)

--well, cool, I hope you like it, and it should do you well for years to come.
I'm looking forward to running mine again sometime next spring or late winter when I buy the parts for it and get it back together again. *With* a properly tuned carb this time, and taking it easy for some tanks.

Plastic..as far as I know, all new saws are plastic wherever they can get away with it, at least for the covers. It's just much cheaper for them to do it that way, and it is strong and durable enough. If it was any kind of cost effective or practical to make all metal saws again, seems some company would be doing it, but I certainly haven't heard of any "new" manufacture of all metal saws. Might exist, I am just not aware of any.

 

[fearofpavement]

Are some saws hard to start??

Reading this thread and the talk of people buying Echos because they are easy to start has me wondering. Are some saws hard to start? I have mostly Stihls and they all start reliably (ie, I never wonder if they are going to start or not) We also have a couple Huskies and they always start, the Echo of my son's that I just sold started fine. I even have a neglected Poulan 2055 truck saw that has a broken off primer bulb and even that starts every time.

Soooo.... What saws out there don't start? And it is something wrong with the saw or operator error? If I owned a saw that I couldn't depend upon to start every single time I wanted to use it, it would be gone!

 

[mountainlake]

Stihls start Echos start easyier. I buy Echo for the value, reasonble online parts, good power, nice handling, light wieght. My Echos can sit for a hour and start on the 1st pull with no choke, that can't be said for my Stihls, good starting is just a bonus. Steve

 

[justme23005]

Justme, thanks for the kind offer. I finally got to the Echo dealer in Walton the other day, and I've pretty much settled on the 600P.

Zogger, It's not a one saw plan. I have an Echo CS300, 10 years old and runs like new for my small saw. That saw gets about 75% of the use and hasn't missed a beat yet. Eight pounds is about what I can swing around all day without getting tired, and I actually cut a lot of stuff with it that I should be using the larger saw on. The 600P would be only for the big stuff. Only two reasons I want a new saw to replace the CS 500 VL are longer bar and chain brake. I just would feel safer with a chain brake, and with the longer bar, the nose would be totally clear about 90% of the time. I'm not overly fond of jumping back and forth on both sides of a log while bucking.

It amazes me that the saws today have so much plastic (the CS 500 VL is all metal and though the little CS 300 has plastic, I just didn't realize they were putting so much on the bigger saws.) but aren't really any lighter than the old ones of comparable displacement.

Until I bought the CS300, my small saw was a 34cc Remington mighty mite weekender, which I had for 22 years. It was all metal and I bought it in a bubble package at the Margaretville Agway for $74.99. That saw was amazing. It was so good I bought my Dad a Remington (newer model) a few years later. His was a piece of junk, sadly. When I brought my Remington to the transfer station in CT, the guy working there asked a bunch of questions.. I told him it still ran, but needed new fuel line, and a few other things, and he took it. Saw might still be working today, for all I know.. I was reaching for the manual oil pump on my saws for several years after I replaced it, lol.


What do you think of the idea of a 32 inch skip chain and bar on the CS 300?? (no, I'm not serious..)

Who is the Echo dealer in Walton? If its Delaware Sport Center, you might want to find someplace else to deal with. The owner, Earl, is a complete loser. I used to work for him, about 15 years ago. I've seen how he does business. Your best bet would be to find one on ebay. You can get a 600P for around $400-$450. Just richen it up a little, & you are ready to go.

 

[KYXR600]

echo 600p

I have 2 of these saws for sale new with 20 inch bars. I bought them off ebay. WARNING!!!!!if you buy one that is not purchased from an authorized echo dealer there is NO! warranty. Thats why i bought a new cs 680p from wise equipment sales in IL for 529 shipped. Like i said i have a new in box 600p and another that was a display model at a dealer. both come with a 20" echo scabbard and a 6 pack of oil for 450 each.

 

[In The Weeds]

If I had an echo dealer near me (Only Stihl and Husky here) I would own a 600p by now.

 

[KYXR600]

600p

Look up wise equipment sales in illinois they have really good prices and lightning fast shipping and honestly i dont think you will need the dealer. I have a dealer that is 5 miles down the road that sells the 600p that what i bought a 680p from wise equipment sales in IL. needless to say the dealership local is terrible, good luck.

 

[wyk]

You could always go with 50 years of easy starting:

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[MiserblOF]

Wow, Justme, and I was so overjoyed to find a dealer and one that close! There was one in Windham, don't know if it's still there after the flood, but they didn't have the 600P when I called last fall.

Maybe just order direct from Echo?

Got into the woods a little while today, and had fun. Love this weather, but I know it's not going to last.. It'll snow and that's the end of it :-(

 

[MiserblOF]

wyk, that's beautiful. I have had 30 years of easy starting with my Echo CS 500 VL, but I just don't feel comfortable anymore using a saw with no chain brake. The plastic handguard broke off and that is no longer available, either, and I'm really concerned about safety. Further, local dealers here in NY say it's not wise to even sell an old saw with no brake because of liability issues.. was also told that in the state of NY it's illegal to even use it on property that is not your own, which I don't often do, but there is always the tree falling across the road type of thing..

 

[justme23005]

Wow, Justme, and I was so overjoyed to find a dealer and one that close! There was one in Windham, don't know if it's still there after the flood, but they didn't have the 600P when I called last fall.

Maybe just order direct from Echo?

Got into the woods a little while today, and had fun. Love this weather, but I know it's not going to last.. It'll snow and that's the end of it :-(

I got mine off ebay. $just under $400 for the one with the 20 inch bar, and just over $400 for the one with the 24 inch bar. I'm going to muffler mod the one with the 24 inch bar. I'm not sure who the dealer in Windham is, but if its Windham equipment, they only have Stihl stuff on the shelf. I was there a couple weeks ago, when I was taking some trees down in that area.
I just picked up another Echo saw.. A CS370, the other day. It has only been used a few times. its basically still new, except for some wear on the chain. I can't wait to sharpen it & cut with it. I'm expecting it to cut like my CS400. :smile2:

 

[MiserblOF]

Wow.. thanks for that info. Tried to order one from Bailey's and now they are out of everything except the 20". Since I believe I can swap my current 20" over, I wanted a 24 or 27." Just last nite they had the 24 and 27 listed on their site. Now gone and I called and they are out.


KYXR, I ordered it from Wise. They have the 24 and 27" in stock, and the 27" was only $10 more, and after wavering a bit, I stayed with the 24. I doubt there will be many times I'll be wanting the extra 3 inches. Saved about $60 from local price and from the 20" direct from echo price. Thanks for the info. They are sending by fedex.. hope it gets here in one piece. From what I've read, they're packed pretty carefully..

Quite a bit more expensive than the EBAY price, but I just don't trust EBAY dealers all that much, and the warranty is void if not bought from authorized Echo dealer, though I hope to not need that warranty. This marks the end of a year of shopping and thinking about it, lol. Not close to the five years I sweated over tractor specs, but pretty unnerving just the same, lol.

Echo600, the 40 cc class Echos are very good saws, and unless you are cutting really big stuff, they will do a great job. I don't cut all that much really big stuff, but when you do have a 30" log to cut, it's nice to have a long bar. When you have a 23 inch log to cut, it's nice to be able to do it in one shot, from one side with the nose out of the wood. And, when those big pieces are split, you get a very large pile of wood out of them very quickly.

 

[justme23005]

Wow.. thanks for that info. Tried to order one from Bailey's and now they are out of everything except the 20". Since I believe I can swap my current 20" over, I wanted a 24 or 27." Just last nite they had the 24 and 27 listed on their site. Now gone and I called and they are out.


KYXR, I ordered it from Wise. They have the 24 and 27" in stock, and the 27" was only $10 more, and after wavering a bit, I stayed with the 24. I doubt there will be many times I'll be wanting the extra 3 inches. Saved about $60 from local price and from the 20" direct from echo price. Thanks for the info. They are sending by fedex.. hope it gets here in one piece. From what I've read, they're packed pretty carefully..

Quite a bit more expensive than the EBAY price, but I just don't trust EBAY dealers all that much, and the warranty is void if not bought from authorized Echo dealer, though I hope to not need that warranty. This marks the end of a year of shopping and thinking about it, lol. Not close to the five years I sweated over tractor specs, but pretty unnerving just the same, lol.

Echo600, the 40 cc class Echos are very good saws, and unless you are cutting really big stuff, they will do a great job. I don't cut all that much really big stuff, but when you do have a 30" log to cut, it's nice to have a long bar. When you have a 23 inch log to cut, it's nice to be able to do it in one shot, from one side with the nose out of the wood. And, when those big pieces are split, you get a very large pile of wood out of them very quickly.

Glad to hear that you found one. You will love it. I've only ran my 600P with the 24 inch bar a little, so far. I'm going to muffler mod it as soon as its broken in. I think the muffler mod will give it that little bit of extra power it needs to turn the longer bar. You will want to richen it up slightly. i'm sure you've already read about how lean they are from the factory. I'll be in Roxbury Saturday, if you want to try one out, or use it, until yours shows up.

 

[MiserblOF]

Glad to hear that you found one. You will love it. I've only ran my 600P with the 24 inch bar a little, so far. I'm going to muffler mod it as soon as its broken in. I think the muffler mod will give it that little bit of extra power it needs to turn the longer bar. You will want to richen it up slightly. i'm sure you've already read about how lean they are from the factory. I'll be in Roxbury Saturday, if you want to try one out, or use it, until yours shows up.

I'm not one for muffler mods, at least until the five year warranty is up, lol. I don't think I'll have problems with power. I do things at a retired old fart pace anyway. My saws get heavy use when they're used, but only when its cool/cold (no danger of wasps or snakes) no big snow, not too windy and so forth. December has been a great month for weather so far, but I've been occupied with other stuff. The CS 500 VL had no problems with the 20 inch bar in the short time I used it on it. I don't like to fool too much with carb settings, but it appears I should with this saw under current practices, richen up the mixture some, but it's probably locked by stops on the screws, no?

Would you say that goes for the oil mix too? I normally run about 50-1 with Echo oil in all my two cycle machines, though I might mix just a tad less gas than that mixture most of the time. Probably, I'm running an actual 45 to 48 to 1.

Just downloaded and printed the owners manual, so I'll be read up when it gets here. Made fun of my bro-in-law who got a new snowblower this year, telling my sister he's probably going out to the garage and going VROOM VROOM behind it when she's not looking.. Have this running thing going too with Sis about the color of my power equipment and whether or not it coordinates. I think she's onto the fact that it's a joke by now, but I keep it going. She is expected to handle the disposition of all the power equipment when I croak, lol.

 

[zogger]

I'm not one for muffler mods, at least until the five year warranty is up, lol. I don't think I'll have problems with power. I do things at a retired old fart pace anyway. My saws get heavy use when they're used, but only when its cool/cold (no danger of wasps or snakes) no big snow, not too windy and so forth. December has been a great month for weather so far, but I've been occupied with other stuff. The CS 500 VL had no problems with the 20 inch bar in the short time I used it on it. I don't like to fool too much with carb settings, but it appears I should with this saw under current practices, richen up the mixture some, but it's probably locked by stops on the screws, no?

Would you say that goes for the oil mix too? I normally run about 50-1 with Echo oil in all my two cycle machines, though I might mix just a tad less gas than that mixture most of the time. Probably, I'm running an actual 45 to 48 to 1.

Just downloaded and printed the owners manual, so I'll be read up when it gets here. Made fun of my bro-in-law who got a new snowblower this year, telling my sister he's probably going out to the garage and going VROOM VROOM behind it when she's not looking.. Have this running thing going too with Sis about the color of my power equipment and whether or not it coordinates. I think she's onto the fact that it's a joke by now, but I keep it going. She is expected to handle the disposition of all the power equipment when I croak, lol.

Take it to a dealer and have him adjust it properly. Small change for peace of mind on an expensive good saw, pay them their minimum 1/4 or 1/2 hour fee. They didn't sell you the saw, but if they can make a few bucks on it, and you get it adjusted properly..it won't hurt, especially if you do need warranty work. Then after some tanks and it is broken in, go back, they will readjust it.

And ya, use the echo brand oil, at 50 to 1 or close to it, again, peace of mind and warranty issues.

 

[MiserblOF]

Zogger, you think that's really necessary? I've adjusted my share of carbooberators in my time, though not too often on my saws. Just read the owners manual and they recommend it being adjusted for height anyway over 1200 feet, I think, and I'm quite a bit over that, and dealers are in the valley.. I thought I'd see how it runs at the factory settings and then maybe just rich it up a tiny bit.. I'm assuming that's the high speed jet I'd want richer, no?

I would think the 1800 feet of altitude would richen it up a little naturally, no? Or isn't it enough height to do it?

I have no qualms about plastic. It's an amazing material these days, but it just makes me feel old, lol. Still, it would seem the saws made with it should be lighter.. And I doubt it will look as good as my old Echo 30 years from now, but I won't be here to see it, so it's all good..

Still looking for an assistance in getting the Spanish or whatever changed out of my Arborsite buttons and headings.. can't find any control for it.