MiserblOF
ArboristSite Lurker
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'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.