Echo CS2510/Shindaiwa 250T

[Conquistador3]

I don't know if this top handle saw is available on other markets than the European one, but I had the occasion to fiddle with a Shindaiwa branded one this week and I was mightily impressed.

Great power for such a ridiculously small engine and, what's more critical, even with bar, chain etc it felt like it weighed nothing. Perfect balance as well.
Intriguingly enough it's available both with 3/8" (low profile) and 1/4" chains as standard.

The 3/8" version will set you back at 480€ which is... a lot of money considering leftover Zenoah G2500's can be picked for a full hundred less. Still when handling it I got the same feeling it's "right". Throw on top Yamabiko's five year warranty (two year for commercial customers) and excellent dealership backup and I am strongly considering it, albeit any final decision will have to wait a couple extra months due to other commitments.

PS: that Japan sticker is no merely for looks. It's truly Made in Japan.

 

[airframefixer]

... it leads the pack in the "micro top handles" same style of vertically split crankcase as the 150, and better specs.

The 2510 was discontinued due to an exhaust related recall and will be replaced by the 2511, which is rumoured to be out in the fall... the "tiny echo" thread on arb talk sums it up.
... when it comes to NA, it will be my next "new" saw. ‎
Cheers

 

[CR888]

Awesome little saw on paper as far as specs go. But there not cheap here either, msrp $799, but I do want one. I have a CS-2510tes box from when I bought a little shinny.

 

[Conquistador3]

... it leads the pack in the "micro top handles" same style of vertically split crankcase as the 150, and better specs.

The 2510 was discontinued due to an exhaust related recall and will be replaced by the 2511, which is rumoured to be out in the fall... the "tiny echo" thread on arb talk sums it up.
... when it comes to NA, it will be my next "new" saw. ‎
Cheers

We only got these saws last Winter and, to be honest, they aren't exactly flying off the shelves due to price. Even professionals want dirt cheap these days and you can have a Chinese top handle (your choice of an Echo or Zenoah clone) for as little as €80.
I was thinking about a larger top handle but, to be honest, for what I'd need it a micro makes far more sense. I was seriously thinking about a leftover G2500 when I had the occasion to try this one out. Unless I can find a second hand MS200T at a right price (nor cheap, right), it will be one of these micro's.

Awesome little saw on paper as far as specs go. But there not cheap here either, msrp $799, but I do want one. I have a CS-2510tes box from when I bought a little shinny.

From what little I was able to test, it seems the specs aren't just on paper. It's an outstanding little saw.
AU$800 is about €540. Not much more expensive than here, but at least here you can haggle like there's no tomorrow. The market for decent saws, top handle or otherwise, large or small, is clinically dead, albeit given how much second-hand Stihl and Husqvarna prices are quickly climbing in a few months it will make far more sense buying new...

 

[7sleeper]

I have had a Zenoah for a few years and an VERY happy with it.

7

 

[CR888]

I have a Makita 231t (Yamabiko Japan) & it was the worlds lightest gas saw when it was released several years ago 2.5kg. Amazing little TH saw, makes my 200t/201t feel like heavy bricks. But at 23cc's & 0.74kw of power, the 2510tes is much better. For small limbs up to 10" it does great with good torque. Plastic case on 231t has its advantages/disadvantages but the day I find a good priced 2510 I will probably buy it. Price is the only thing holding this saw back. Like my makita I am not sure the echo will meet EPA regs and enter the US market.

 

[Conquistador3]

I have had a Zenoah for a few years and an VERY happy with it.

7

I used to be on a full Zenoah lineup, everything bar the chainsaws. Then everything bar the hedge trimmer got stolen.
They are great products but Husqvarna is terminating the brand here. The local Zenoah dealership didn't want to become a Huskie one so they dropped it altogether and picked Shindaiwa instead. When I needed a new blade for the hedge trimmer I had to order it from a dealership 60 miles away which now, you guessed it, doesn't carry Zenoah anymore because they had no intention of becoming a Huskie dealership.

I have a Makita 231t (Yamabiko Japan) & it was the worlds lightest gas saw when it was released several years ago 2.5kg. Amazing little TH saw, makes my 200t/201t feel like heavy bricks. But at 23cc's & 0.74kw of power, the 2510tes is much better. For small limbs up to 10" it does great with good torque. Plastic case on 231t has its advantages/disadvantages but the day I find a good priced 2510 I will probably buy it. Price is the only thing holding this saw back. Like my makita I am not sure the echo will meet EPA regs and enter the US market.

That Makita used to be sold here as well and was a bomb due to pricing. Again, people these days want cheap and don't care about anything else. They may have a point as Stihl and Huskie have long sold their bottom line saws at ridiculously inflated prices and with Stihl attempting to corner the market by opening a dealership in every town and village it won't end well.
Nothing to say about the saw itself, it was basically a better Zenoah G2000T.

 

[midwestguy1]

Looks like good replacement for my 192.

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