Echo Chainsaw - Never again will buy one - poor quality and poor customer service

[CJ-8_Jim]

I have/had saws by Hitachi, Dolmar, Efco, Husqvarna, Solo and Stihl and I can't ever remember seeing screws secured with lock washers. But then again with your vast experience of 50 IC pieces of equipment I am bewilderd that you didn't check beforehand and replace immediatly to satisfy your quality criteria.

7

I did check... that's how I found 1 loose and 3 missing after a days worth of use.

Based on your multiple replies to me on this and other threads, I can see your just trying to agitate/pick a fight with me (see TOS).

(I.e., Rather than letting an equipment owner new to Echo brand (me) post first hand experience that is contrary to your brand loyalty.)

 

[CJ-8_Jim]

The good thing about all the replies to this thread is that it will get good visibility and awareness to newcomers to the Arboristsite.com seeking feedback on Echo.

 

[HarleyT]

What about unsold stock of Echo CS-510, 520 and 530?

This was from an old thread that you posted on.Was this where you bought it? I was wondering, I thought the 520 was an old model.

 

[mountainlake]

I've been running Echo saws for 20 years including CS520 which are great saws and have never had a screw come loose on the cover but I tighten them properly, no matter how you treated the oiler screw someone horsed on it. Years ago I bought a brand new Stihl 044 that the bar nuts came loose right from the dealer, I didn't cry about it I just tightened them plus a couple of other screws. Steve

 

[HarleyT]

Do you get so worked up over everything?
Just curious....

 

[LittleLebowski]

Agree that he has a dealer problem.

 

[CJ-8_Jim]

I've been running Echo saws for 20 years including CS520 which are great saws and have never had a screw come loose on the cover but I tighten them properly, no matter how you treated the oiler screw someone horsed on it. Years ago I bought a brand new Stihl 044 that the bar nuts came loose right from the dealer, I didn't cry about it I just tightened them plus a couple of other screws. Steve

Over the past 20 years, have more brands entered the saw market or have the # of saw makers diminished?

I suspect over 20 years, more brands are competing with one another, saws are lighter (power to weight ratio) and that saw prices adjusted for inflation have come down.

It costs money to redesign ICE equipment/parts parts to be lighter and cheaper.
The cost savings offsets have to come from somewhere (e.g., cheaper assembly labor, cheaper metallurgy, etc.).
Some brands will do this well, others not so well.

My conclusion is that my hometown Echo is not keeping up.

 

[GrassGuerilla]

Agree that he has a dealer problem.

Maybe... But we're talking a saw that's what, 4-5 years old at least that seems to have shaken a couple screws out. And the OP seems quite miffed about it.

And sorry Jim, but three top cover screws missing doesn't sound like a manufacturers issue YEARS down the road. Sure, in the first few days maybe... Again, how old is this saw?

 

[HarleyT]

Well looking at all of the posts, the energy he is waging in his mini war on Echo, he may have lots of problems.....

I am guessing that he pissed off his local dealer early on, and has not gotten much help from him.

It sounds like he bought it at a deal on "old unsold stock" of that model, and I am curious on those details.

 

[HarleyT]

And if the usual warranty applies on discontinued models, who knows. I asked for some description of the failure,
as he was obviously putting some torque on the screw, but he hasn't offered any.....

 

[HarleyT]

The loose cover screws are immaterial, and discussing those is really silly.

 

[CJ-8_Jim]

Do you get so worked up over everything?
Just curious....

Just posting my collective 5 year first time Echo owner experience on Echo product quality and post purchase Echo customer service experience for prospective owners.
See OP.

What surprises me are all the posts among chainsaw users who accept and/or expect what I experienced in a new Echo saw from an Echo dealer.

I would have thought professionals who daily rely on equipment to run their businesses to have higher expectations than me, a residential user.
Perhaps my past engineering/manufacturing experience has made me more sensitive to product ICE equipment quality.

 

[CJ-8_Jim]

And if the usual warranty applies on discontinued models, who knows. I asked for some description of the failure,
as he was obviously putting some torque on the screw, but he hasn't offered any.....

It wasn't discontinued when I bought it new.
Can I share that all new equipment (discontinued or not) comes with original manufacturers warranty regardless of the manufacturer.

Based on the # of adverse replies to me, I can see your just trying to agitate.
Glad i can help you vent via qwerty.

 

[HarleyT]

We had a customer come in once screaming warranty on a broken crankshaft, snapped off at the clutch. I called our
regional distributor, and talked to the tech dept. He laughed, and said, "Hell no" on the warranty.

 

[7sleeper]

(I.e., Rather than letting an equipment owner new to Echo brand (me) post first hand experience that is contrary to your brand loyalty.)

Well sorry that you feel offended if I allow myself to critisize your vast experience in this brand and chainsaws in general. Personally I have absolut NO brand loyalty, and most people here would have recognized that easily by my above listing.
And that you feel offended by my critisism, of your posting in threads that have absolutely NOTHING to do with your model and it's problems, well I feel that comments should have something to do with the topic.

....My conclusion is that my hometown Echo is not keeping up.

If you believe that, then any brand is NOT keeping up! Every brand out there, as evidenced by complains in this and other forums, have produced lemons! You name it they did it.

Good luck!

7

 

[CJ-8_Jim]

Well looking at all of the posts, the energy he is waging in his mini war on Echo, he may have lots of problems.....

I am guessing that he pissed off his local dealer early on, and has not gotten much help from him.

It sounds like he bought it at a deal on "old unsold stock" of that model, and I am curious on those details.

Harley T... your post count is rapidly approaching mine on this thread.... How am I supposed to keep my post count ahead of yours??

Lesson #1 I have learned on Arboristsite.com: chainsaw owners expect screws to loosen/fallout/break during a single day's residential use.
Lesson #2: On Arboristsite.com, brand loyalty runs deep
Lesson #3: Even though the Echo was bought from an Echo dealer, I should post product feedback on Amazon.com and elsewhere as a "non-verified purchaser (don't post on Arboristsite.com).

 

[HarleyT]

It wasn't discontinued when I bought it new.
Can I share that all new equipment (discontinued or not) comes with original manufacturers warranty regardless of the manufacturer.

Based on the # of adverse replies to me, I can see your just trying to agitate.
Glad i can help you vent via qwerty.

No, you are the one trying to agitate. What were you doing to that poor screw? And why?

 

[CJ-8_Jim]

Good luck!

7

7sleeper - Thanks for all your posts from Austria in just the past hour or two.

I'm impressed with your persistence given that it is the middle of a Friday night now in Austria.

In the States, that is "Miller Time"

 

[GrassGuerilla]

Harley T... your post count is rapidly approaching mine on this thread.... How am I supposed to keep my post count ahead of yours??

Lesson #1 I have learned on Arboristsite.com: chainsaw owners expect screws to loosen/fallout/break during a single day's residential use.
Lesson #2: On Arboristsite.com, brand loyalty runs deep
Lesson #3: Even though the Echo was bought from an Echo dealer, I should post product feedback on Amazon.com and elsewhere as a "non-verified purchaser (don't post on Arboristsite.com).

I'm hardly brand loyal as I currently don't even own an Echo saw. I've had several however as well as several blowers and a hedge trimmer, and several string trimmers. Out of hundreds and hundreds of hours running Echo equipment I don't think I've lost one screw. And certainly never three. Most here would likely agree that build quaility of Echo stuff is very solid. Reliability is TOP shelf. Generally the quality of fasteners etc has been excellent in my experience.
So... Still waiting on an answer. How old is this saw?

 

[HarleyT]

So what were you trying to do to that poor little screw?