Opinions on Echo saws, especially cs-400.

[TreeClimber57]

We have four Echo 360 T's and they have held up well so far with pretty heavy use, like them better than the 192's.

Agree there..

 

[TreeClimber57]

Echo saws come with real clogged up muff and tuned lean, both need to be taken care of. Bring your 260 over and we'll run it against any of my 510 0r 520 Echo saws, I already know the the results of that one, unless your 260 is ported. Or any 40cc Stihl against my CS400. Steve

Well this got going down the road of "pro" saws.. which the original poster did not need nor want. However, to go back to above, Stihl does not make a pro 40cc saw that I am aware of. The 260 is not a saw that I would use as a primary saw, a reliable one, and a good saw when working aloft - fairly small and light. On the ground would grab the 361 ahead of it any day.

 

[mountainlake]

I agree.. they are excellent saws for the casual user. Reliable and not terribly expensive.

Where does this casual user bs come from? Sound like Kodiak and others use the snot out them when properly tuned. A saw that would fit the casual user bill would be a Stihl 192t, low on power and built cheap . Steve

 

[TreeClimber57]

I agree with Steve. My 530 easily runs with a 260pro stock vs stock and my 600 absolutely buries a 311 with chips.

What you know as the 260Pro is what we have as the 260 (we only have one 260 in Canada). What you have as the 311 does not exist here.. but would like to see it run against a well tuned 361.

 

[motohead]

you will be fine with that cs 400 for what you want it to do. if you want a little bigger go with a cs 440, always starts within 5 pulls cold, one pull hot. get someone to richen it up a bit, they are too lean from the box, and you will be good to go. mine is 2004, never had anything but normal maintenance and strong as the day I bought it.

 

[ktriebol]

I have been using a CS-400 for about a year now. Before I even tried to start it, I removed the limiter caps and I think that was a good move because it runs great. I did not perform a muffler mod, but may do that at some future time if I feel the need. What I especially like about this saw is that it is very easy to start (pulls easy and starts on first pull when warm). I also appreciate the light weight. No cons so far.

 

[mountainlake]

you will be fine with that cs 400 for what you want it to do. if you want a little bigger go with a cs 440, always starts within 5 pulls cold, one pull hot. get someone to richen it up a bit, they are too lean from the box, and you will be good to go. mine is 2004, never had anything but normal maintenance and strong as the day I bought it.

With that nk chain my CS400 saws cut quite a bit faster than my CS440. Steve