I have a farm and need a general use saw for maintaining tree lines and cutting up trees that fall from wind/storms.
I have a had a stihl 041 and a husqvarna 55 rancher die on me over the last two years. I am down to my husqvarna 334t top handle saw I bought for use around my house.
I have it down to the ms261, 550XP, or the CS500P
The echo cs500p looks like a good saw. I have a local dealer that can order it, or one a little further out that has it instock. it is light, considerably cheaper than the other two, but not sure how it will hold up compared to the other two. I have read a lot of positive about the saw on this forum, but a friend of mine says he had an echo saw and says they are 'junk'. Not sure what model he had, but I know he buys higher end stuff. He has replaced it with a ms201T and MS362... so obviously he says to buy the stihl
I have a local stihl dealer on the ms261... my hesitation with this saw is it is going to be MSRP, which is +150 to the echo, and 70+ tax more than the husqvarna (if I buy it online). That and it is the heaviest saw of the bunch. I do prefer a lighter saw.
My local dealer can't get me the 550xp till the end of may, though I can find them at other dealers, not so local and online. with that saw, online they are 70 bucks + tax cheaper. Considering my local dealer can't get it, I am not totally against buying online. not sure if the outboard clutch should influence my decision, but I think I would prefer an inboard clutch.
With the stihl and husqvarna, I think the auto-tune features are a positive
I am not the only one using the saw, so it will be used and abused. I don't expect years and years of service, but would like it to hold up for a 'while'. If I can get that with the echo, even if it isn't the 'best' saw I think I would rather keep the money in my pocket and use it towards its replacement in a few years.
any insight is appreciated.
I have a had a stihl 041 and a husqvarna 55 rancher die on me over the last two years. I am down to my husqvarna 334t top handle saw I bought for use around my house.
I have it down to the ms261, 550XP, or the CS500P
The echo cs500p looks like a good saw. I have a local dealer that can order it, or one a little further out that has it instock. it is light, considerably cheaper than the other two, but not sure how it will hold up compared to the other two. I have read a lot of positive about the saw on this forum, but a friend of mine says he had an echo saw and says they are 'junk'. Not sure what model he had, but I know he buys higher end stuff. He has replaced it with a ms201T and MS362... so obviously he says to buy the stihl
I have a local stihl dealer on the ms261... my hesitation with this saw is it is going to be MSRP, which is +150 to the echo, and 70+ tax more than the husqvarna (if I buy it online). That and it is the heaviest saw of the bunch. I do prefer a lighter saw.
My local dealer can't get me the 550xp till the end of may, though I can find them at other dealers, not so local and online. with that saw, online they are 70 bucks + tax cheaper. Considering my local dealer can't get it, I am not totally against buying online. not sure if the outboard clutch should influence my decision, but I think I would prefer an inboard clutch.
With the stihl and husqvarna, I think the auto-tune features are a positive
I am not the only one using the saw, so it will be used and abused. I don't expect years and years of service, but would like it to hold up for a 'while'. If I can get that with the echo, even if it isn't the 'best' saw I think I would rather keep the money in my pocket and use it towards its replacement in a few years.
any insight is appreciated.