Echo CS8000 experience

[Cliff R]

We had an 8000 for a couple of years. It's simply and OK saw. It's relatively heavy, and doesn't have the automotive style air cleaner of the smaller saws, and I hated having to remove a cheap ars rubber plug to access the mixture screws.

Not overly impressive anyplace for power, just decent. The 670 we have is a much better saw overall, well balanced and decent power to weight ratio. My favorite Echo in our line-up is the CS-510, followed closely by the CS-360T. I actually used the 360T yesterday to cut down a maple tree about 18" in diameter. Ripped right through it without a grumble, it's very impressive for a top handle climbing saw......Cliff

PS: my opinion, if looking at a CS-8000, at that price, I'd look at a Husqvarna 372XP instead, lighter, faster and just a better all around saw...FWIW

 

[Oldsawnut]

I like my 670 great workhorse but a little boring... Boring is a good thing at times because it always performs the same old reliable way... Not fond of the outboard clutch brake system or av buffer longevity. But I can always depend on it. There was an 8000 that went for about 200 bux out here the other day that I almost decided to try out. :greenchainsaw:

 

[pgg]

Echos - groan... look, with chainsaws it's always only the saw you're using that you know about. It's ALWAYS a case of ignorance is bliss when using a chainsaw. Run an Echo chainsaw, any Echo, (or any brand actually) you'll likely think it's fine and you'll think all the criticism from raving lunatics like me is totally unjustified I know. I bag the hell out of Echos because their marketing ploy is based on cynical mis-information and plain lies directed to the unsuspecting Joe-learner public. With the Echo brand it's a case of being content with mediocrity, nothin' wrong with that (I suppose) BUT pick up the equivalent cc huskyXP or pro-stihl and run that for a while - you soon realize there's no comparison between cheapo chainsaws and 'real deal' chainsaws.

PS don't stress out Echo owners, if you like your Echos then good luck, and bollocks to anyone like me who doesn't

 

[Cliff R]

I own a few Echo's, and have actually owned/operated nearly every model in their line-up in the past 5 years. They are decent saws, much improved over the older models they sold for decades. I do NOT like their top handle reed valve engine saws, unless you have hours to piss away trying to get a 8' limb cut up.

I have owned, worked on and operated just about every saw make out their. I have developed a liking for the Husqvarna XP models. They simply offer unsurpassed power to weight ratios, and are very well built saws. All of ours have given us dead solid reliability, to go with outstanding power for the size/weight. I absolutely love the high rpm cutting power and upper mid-range power their engines provide. Running our 268 or 262XP then grabbing up the Echo 670 is like climbing out of a new Corvette and jumping in a Plymouth Neon. It'll certainly get you there like the Vette, but the trip will be uneventful!

Of all the Echo saws we own, the little CS360T is the most impressive of the bunch. Once we cut the muffler in halve and removed the catalyst, and opened up the port some, it found new life. That saw runs as fast or faster than any of the big name top handles, at 1/3rd the price. I was told that they are "junk", and will quickly develope a "death rattle". Not so. We have put several hundred hours on it, and it just keeps going. I actually attacked a big pile of tops last Sunday with it, and limbed out the entire pile on one tank of fuel. It ran close to an hour before shutting down in the last one......Cliff

 

[pgg]

Cliff, we both sound like broken records with our 'poles-apart' 360T impressions. hehe. OF ALL FOUR 360T's I've seen used in commercial forestry pruning, NONE lasted more than 100 measly hours. Scoured cylinders and horrendous clattering rasping sounds coming from within. TOTALLY USELESS!! When you see FOUR blown Echos whilst the surrounding huskys and stihls are still running sweetly regardless, after THOUSANDS of hours, well, you'd label the 360T as junk too! While the 360T has good bark and bite for an echo, run a 200T for a few hours then swap back to the Echo - you'll find the 360T is in fact unrefined, coarse, flexy, and WAAY down on chainspeed and plain simple horsepower - by a big margin .. they're 1/3rd the price for a reason..

 

[DanMan1]

So everyone agrees the cs8000 heavy in the cc/lb ratio.
Where is the extra weight? it thicker engine casting?
I may be the only one on this site, but I don't judge a machine solely on it's
lb/hp spec, be it a saw, boat, snowmobile, or handtool. To me it's the sum.
Anyone had any quality issues with a cs8000?

 

[SawTroll]

Troll Do numbers float in front of your eyes when you go to bed? Steve

No, but my educated guess is that the true CS8000 power is just about 5 hp.....

 

[mountainlake]

No, but my educated guess is that the true CS8000 power is just about 5 hp.....

Well if thats the case my 385xp has 5.2 hp. It cuts a little faster but nothing to write home about. Steve

 

[parrisw]

You not going to find many people around here to have anything positive to say about Echo stuff.

 

[Cliff R]

One thing to keep in mind when you talk Echo saws, is that every single one we've got in here, without exception has been WAY, WAY off for carburetor setting(s).

I have a point of contact at Echo, he tells me that Echo is dedicated to pleasing the EPA, first and foremost. This means that they are going to set their saws up right on the edge of lean, to get thru emissions with flying colors. For the consumer, this means that you may experience P/C damage. Even with all the technology available to us today, it is impossible to set up a carburetor to work well in Miami, and in Denver, without re-adjusting for fuel quality, DA, etc.

I'm not sure at what altitude or weather conditions Echo uses for their initial settings from the factory, but NONE of the saws we pulled out of the box would run at WOT without hesitation, stumble, and even bogging out in the cut. Before we go to the woods, the first thing we do with every one is go to the log pile and custom tune them.

We've logged hundreds of hours on our CS-510, and now the CS-360T, no issues. The CS-360T in particular has a rev-limiting module, and is the most difficult to tune saw I've ever owned. It took me hours to find the ideal setting(s), as the rev limiter fools the tuner into thinking you have enough high speed fuel. Just from what I know about consumers and saws, I can see a high percentage of those saws burning up pistons/rings in short order. We ran about a dozen tanks of fuel thru ours then removed the catalyst from the muffler, which immediately allowed us to tune it for more power. So far, no problems with it developing a "death rattle", or doing anything else. It was also the only saw in our line-up that didn't give us troubles when we cut in 90 degree weather a few months ago on hot restarts.

If/when we start blowing up the Echo saws that we use, we'll run threads on the subject before the saw(s) cool off. I'm NOT an Echo fan, and not really brand specific, I just keep and use what works the best and provides the best long term service. You may notice that there a quite a few Husqvarna's in our line-up, and we have owned other legendary name saws as well.

Anyhow, on the CS-8000, it sat most of the time, and we ended up finding it a new home. Of all the Echo's we've had in here, pound for pound it was the worst of the bunch......FWIW.....Cliff

 

[DanMan1]

One thing to keep in mind when you talk Echo saws, is that every single one we've got in here, without exception has been WAY, WAY off for carburetor setting(s).

I have a point of contact at Echo, he tells me that Echo is dedicated to pleasing the EPA, first and foremost. This means that they are going to set their saws up right on the edge of lean, to get thru emissions with flying colors. For the consumer, this means that you may experience P/C damage. Even with all the technology available to us today, it is impossible to set up a carburetor to work well in Miami, and in Denver, without re-adjusting for fuel quality, DA, etc.

I'm not sure at what altitude or weather conditions Echo uses for their initial settings from the factory, but NONE of the saws we pulled out of the box would run at WOT without hesitation, stumble, and even bogging out in the cut. Before we go to the woods, the first thing we do with every one is go to the log pile and custom tune them.

We've logged hundreds of hours on our CS-510, and now the CS-360T, no issues. The CS-360T in particular has a rev-limiting module, and is the most difficult to tune saw I've ever owned. It took me hours to find the ideal setting(s), as the rev limiter fools the tuner into thinking you have enough high speed fuel. Just from what I know about consumers and saws, I can see a high percentage of those saws burning up pistons/rings in short order. We ran about a dozen tanks of fuel thru ours then removed the catalyst from the muffler, which immediately allowed us to tune it for more power. So far, no problems with it developing a "death rattle", or doing anything else. It was also the only saw in our line-up that didn't give us troubles when we cut in 90 degree weather a few months ago on hot restarts.

If/when we start blowing up the Echo saws that we use, we'll run threads on the subject before the saw(s) cool off. I'm NOT an Echo fan, and not really brand specific, I just keep and use what works the best and provides the best long term service. You may notice that there a quite a few Husqvarna's in our line-up, and we have owned other legendary name saws as well.

Anyhow, on the CS-8000, it sat most of the time, and we ended up finding it a new home. Of all the Echo's we've had in here, pound for pound it was the worst of the bunch......FWIW.....Cliff

Thanks Cliff. Sounds like echo needs to update it. I guess I'll look elswhere for a larger saw than my 670.

 

[mountainlake]

Thanks Cliff. Sounds like echo needs to update it. I guess I'll look elswhere for a larger saw than my 670.

A 7900 Dolmar would be my choise, the power of a 385xp and the wieght of a372xp. Steve

 

[orange fever]

Bigger, better, faster

If you want a replacement for your CS670 I don't think you'll do any better than a 372xp/2172. Incredible power, fair price, fair weight, great antivibe. If you want a more "moderate" saw like your Echo then go with the 365/2165. I have ran both of the Jred models and for an Echo guy you might like the 2165 better (unless you ever run a 2172). Seriously, these are the best saws in their class, regardless of brand preference.