Question for Efco 152 Owners

[2lumbarleft]

I have heard really good things about Efco 152 and 156 saws from AS members. Recently, I responded out of curiosity to an ad offering an Efco 152 with a 16" bar for $349.97 (not cheap but not bad either). The saw arrived, and as soon as I picked it out of the box, my suspicions fired up. This thing felt heavy as a boat anchor. The saw was advertised as being 10.7 pounds at the saw head and 3.4 horsepower. That is pretty impressive. Not believing what I was feeling, I put the saw head on two different scales, both were checked with a 10 lb. check weight. The saw powerhead came in at 12 lbs. Thinking there might be a mistake on my part, I selected several other saw heads with known published weights, and they all checked out. I double checked to make sure there were no fluids in the saw. Here is my problem. If someone misrepresents the weight of the saw, wouldn't they just as easily misrepresent the horsepower? I can only argue about what I can prove, and I can prove that saw head is heavier than advertised. Right now, I am questioning if I was accidentally sent a heavier saw that was mislabeled at the factory? Has anybody else taken the time to weigh their Efco 152 saw head empty, and check for truth in advertising? If anyone out there has an Efco 152, I would appreciate it if you would put it on a scale, then report your findings.

 

[CbusRog]

Maybe you ended up with a 156. It's spec'd at 12.1 pounds. I don't have the 152, but do have the 156. I never weighed it, and don't have a scale to do so. It's fairly weighty, but not overly so.

 

[nmurph]

...I selected several other saw heads with known published weights, and they all checked out...

The published weights of a saw are useless. Most underreport by .5-.75lbs. I too use a 10lb dumbbell to verify my scale. The this is the 10lb weight is a couple of ounces off...so much for specs. My 99 cent digital scales from Ebay are consistently accurate to a couple of tenths of an ounce using that 10lb weight.

Maybe you ended up with a 156. It's spec'd at 12.1 pounds. I don't have the 152, but do have the 156. I never weighed it, and don't have a scale to do so. It's fairly weighty, but not overly so.

I've had a 156 and the actual weight was 13lbs.

Chad was doing some hp measurements on his homemade dyno. I haven't seen any reports lately. There is a German organization that conducts testing of saws. I think the hp ratings the find are pretty similar to the mfg ratings.

 

[2lumbarleft]

put it in the wood, the smile will come. The weight difference between a 152 and a 156 is significant. They are both great tools.

The smile never came to my face. It is not that the saw is necessarily underpowered, it is the hate of being lied to. I was promised a 10.7 lb power head, and delivered a 12 lb power head. I called the business place that sold me the saw, and they thought that my complaint over just 1.3 pounds was trivial. They told me of similar complaints that they had in the past, and that with regard to using Pay Pal, I would still have to pay return shipping. (So, suck up) The best they offered me was a $25 adjustment on the price.

Here is the point. I have personally received both a 156 and 152 chainsaw to date , an they were both heavier than advertised. They are reliable saws, so don't get me wrong about their power, but when someone suckers you into a deal with a false advertisement, at least take note, and don't make the same mistake. I feel very stupid for making the same mistake twice. I thought it was a fluke. Go to school on me. Don't ever buy an Efco anything. At least until they finally fess up to the true weight of their products. If you don't care about weight, then buy away.

 

[nmurph]

Every saw is over the factory spec. I do agree that 1.3lb is a little more than most mfg's stretch it. Most underreport weight by .5-.75lbs.

 

[7sleeper]

@ 2lumbarleft
I have never seen a company ever tell the truth about any of their products ever before! How do you handle buying a mobiel phone and their advertised battery stamina, a car and their advertised fuel economy...

For me their numbers, besides never realy paying attention to them, are just approximate estimations. Am I disappointed by my Oleo Mac 962?



The way it behaves not a single second!

7

 

[MRCo.]

. It is not that the saw is necessarily underpowered, it is the hate of being lied to. .

So...the saw performs where you expect? I'd take the $25 and carry on. They are great saws that last ages- I have 2 friends who have them, no problems for 4+ years, they just work. If you don't like being lied to on HP I hope you don't own a generator, tiller, mower...hell, anything with a small engine, because they've been lying on HP for years. B+S just changed the rating on one engine from 27 to 24HP- and all that changed was the sticker and honesty! Hell, I hope you don't vote...

 

[nmurph]

hmmm interesting I never weighed my 156 but the weight difference is very noticeable and it does put a smile on my face when I get the 152 in wood. I am old and gimpy and easily amused. My saw has some oil in it, and the bar and chain. I weighed a similar size bar and chain so when you deduct that, Yup 12 pounds pluss a fuzz. The only thing I have laying around similar in size is the 5020 I got yesterday. It is bone dry. With a little oil in the tank it is probably a full pound heavier than the 152. Those solid metal clutch covers do add some weight. Yup you was lied to. Lot of that going around. Some lies are more significant than others.



View attachment 333387 View attachment 333383 View attachment 333384
"if you like your saw plan.....you can keep your saw plan....period!" (angelo c)

Why don't you re-weigh those saws empty/cleaned without a bar/chain.

 

[Chris-PA]

I am trying to imagine expecting a corporation or any other large organization to tell you the truth. Especially advertising.

In this case, the spec is irrelevant anyway.

 

[7sleeper]

I am trying to imagine expecting a corporation or any other large organization to tell you the truth. Especially advertising.
...

Are you talking now about the honesty of our political parties...

7

 

[Chris-PA]

Are you talking now about the honesty of our political parties...

7

Yeah, along with any large organization.

 

[2lumbarleft]

I wish to thank everyone who responded to this posting. Especially Stephen C., who actually took the time to remove the bar from his Efco 152 chainsaw and weigh it on a scale. I would like to make one last comment addressing a myth that seems to be widely held by some individuals. They believe that all manufacturers fudge the numbers on their published chainsaw powerhead weights. To those individuals, I wish to agree to disagree. I cannot speak for your personal experiences, and certainly not with all saws, only my own. Again, while I cannot speak for all brands, the manufacturers that I have most experience with are Husqvarna, Stihl, Echo, and Poulan. In my testing, I have weighed the following saws and found them all to be very accurate with regard to their published weights. The saws I have weighed are Stihl MS362, Stihl MS-250, Husqvarna 350, 440, 450, 450R, 450E, Echo CS-310, CS-352, Cs-400, CS-450, CS-500P, CS-600P, and all powerbeads were found to be honestly reported in weight. The only two saws that I found slightly"fat" were the Husqvarna 435 and the Solo 643IP. Each of the latter saws were only heavy by about 1/4 lbs as I recall. The Solo came in around 9.3 lbs. and the Husqvarna 435 came in around 9.45 lbs.

Some may think that this is not important, but I believe in fair and honest reporting, especially when the information is used to induce sales decisions by consumers. I can forgive a quarter pound, but not 1.3 pounds as was the case with the Efco 152. That is just plain dishonest. Many on this site hold horsepower to weight as an important factor in saw selection. Anyone who hasn't picked up a Husqvarna 550XP and checked it for balance and weight is missing out. The 550XP is an honest 10.8 pounds. Lets say you observed the Efco 152 advertised at 10.7 pounds, but only .375 hp less, and $200 cheaper. People have said kind things about the power and durability of Efco chainsaws, so you take the plunge. What arrives at your doorstep is a boat anchor. Compared to the Husqvarna 550XP, the weight and balance consideration isn't even close. My point is this. You can trust the weight data from Stihl, Husqvarna, and Echo. You cannot trust Efco. I take no further exception with regard to durability, or performance. The saw is built like a tank. By the way, I just recently weighed an Efco 156 with a 20 inch bar still attached, and it came it at 16.25 pounds. While I am guessing on this one, I would say the powerhead is also heavier than advertised.

 

[nmurph]

MS362 is about 13-4 (OE version)

250 is about 10-5

156 is right at 13lbs

I don't recall ever see a saw that had the weight specs correct.

I verify my scales with a 10lb weight I have checked on the PB postal scales (the scale weighs 0.2oz heavy at 10lbs). I also weigh the packed saw boxes before shipment and they are consistent with the PO scales. I use two 16" bars laid across the scales to make sure the weight is evenly distributed across the scale plate.