I got to get my hands on a new 500P today, didn't get to run it. Echo has come a long way imho with this design. It's weight and small frame size kind og reminded me of slightly enlarged MS 211. To be perfectly honest I was impressed with the little saw, just from the improved ergonomics/handling/weight. I have not been overly impressed with echo saws in the past, always have respected the quality of trimmers and blowers and have been a big Shinny string trimmer fan, having bought a couple in the last two years.
Echo has greatly improved their line up according to my dealer who was at the point of dropping them, he usually only carried the minimum inventory required, usually just a couple of saws, lots of string trimmers and blowers, today he had at least 10/12' of saws. I wish I had been able to cut with one, it appeared to be every bit as well built and constructed as the 346xpne. Kudo's to Echo/Shinny for reacting to the market.
If I were a person needing a saw for personal use, I'd sure consider one. The dealer thinks they clearly outperform any of the previous models in the same cc class. His only concern is the back end support from Echo on reembursing the dealer, he said in the past it has been horrible, the warranty has not been worth a damn, he seems to think they are going to improve this as well.
Imho they are introducing a a very competitive line of saws that is going to give the box store huskies a real run for their money. Total perspective change just based on what I saw today, I don't see them impacting Stihl's pro line up any, but I'm looking forward to running a 500 just to see how they compare to others in wood. Good stuff, echo dealers needed a revamped line up.
