Things to test/look-for when you buy a "floor model" chainsaw? (echo cs590)

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arborjunky
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So when I realized saws were becoming scarce, quickly, I decided to pull the trigger on a long-contemplated purchase, the echo 590, anyway once I realized how scarce things were I immediately went to a store saying they had 3, get there and they have none...find no stores in my area offering them...find that Home Depot will sell me the floor model, thing is in visually-perfect shape, I buy it & a can of echo 50:1 and go outside and start it, thing acted/sounded "as it should" EXCEPT that it stalled-out once (probably my fault anwyay, was while it was still very cold and I've never used decomp valves am used to prime bulbs, after letting it fast-idle for like 5sec after that it was fine, I let it sit at idle a few minutes, revving it a lil here&there*, then left happily)

Thanks for ANY ideas on things to look for, I wanna put this to use ASAP but not until I check for things, and I only know how to check for used-saw problems like compression or bad lines/carbs, never contemplated what could be hurt on a floor-model saw!

(also...kinda an aside, and I know everyone's got a different opinion BUT....What are *your* recommendations on how to 'start use' / break-in this saw? I see all echo's as needing carb-richening right off the bat. I see all saws as being something that, when new, should simply be turned-on to fast-idle, then idle for a minute or two, then off. Repeat several times. THEN begin full throttle usage, with an aim to "go easier" on the unit as you 'bed-in' the block. Any &all insight on your tips/approaches to new saws is greatly appreciated, can proudly say all of my saws are better than they were 1yr ago :D )
 
Make sure the air filter is seated correctly. Oh, and it allows fine debris past. Add a little grease to the mounting post.

break-in?; well there's differing opinions on that.

they are a decent saw, especially for the price.
 
never mind if the air filter is seated correctly- make sure it has an air filter on it-lol
missing parts and damaged parts are the things to watch out for mass merchant display stuff
its amazing how far thieves will take a saw apart for a part so they dont have to pay for it or complain to manager that theirs didnt have it thus rob new unit
 
At least kids can't jump in the seat and abuse the controls like a tractor, atv, etc. I've seen some obnoxious brats jumping on display models while their nose-picking parents stand there or ignore them.
Look for missing parts, make sure the chain is on the right way, haha.
 
At least kids can't jump in the seat and abuse the controls like a tractor, atv, etc. I've seen some obnoxious brats jumping on display models while their nose-picking parents stand there or ignore them.
Look for missing parts, make sure the chain is on the right way, haha.

What he said.

Flippy caps on Stihl saws/equipment.

[emoji2960]
 
Any tips - or would you guys advise returning* - for a unit that cannot stay on Idle?

I have yet to actually use it, job was rescheduled today so I simply went outside to test/play with it, never got past startup (because I came indoors to post this post!) because it starts-up alright but, after 10-15 seconds, it dies-off.....

(*returning seems a poor idea IMO because, IME, w/ Echo's the carbs are usually VERY poorly tuned out-of-box, so my instinct is to simply turn-up the Idle screw......possibly the L screw a lil too.... I do have a tach and plan to properly tune the carb but kinda just wanted to use 'out of box'-settings for the first day yknow!)



never mind if the air filter is seated correctly- make sure it has an air filter on it-lol
missing parts and damaged parts are the things to watch out for mass merchant display stuff
its amazing how far thieves will take a saw apart for a part so they dont have to pay for it or complain to manager that theirs didnt have it thus rob new unit

ROFL touche! I did check and was stoked at the quality of the air-filter unit, am VERY happy to have found I should seal that interface though, a good filter is of little value if poorly-sealed!!
 
Maybe they have changed the filter since I bought mine, cause I would say mine is average to below average, at best. Overall though, a good saw I think.
 
Maybe they have changed the filter since I bought mine, cause I would say mine is average to below average, at best. Overall though, a good saw I think.

It's a 'fine plastic/synthetic meshed box' type, only it's not just the rear-face that intakes air it's a 'box' on the carb's intake throat so it pulls air from behind the filter as well....best filter I've ever had, though I've hardly gone through much high-end stuff...

What do you dislike about it? Aside from the obvious "it needs sealing to the carb-throat or fines get into the engine" LOL (I'm hearing to use grease...i already put marine grease lightly on the edges of my filters....am inclined to use red Permatex to mate the box am not interested in relying on any type of grease no matter the viscosity when in that type of situation IE hot, vibrating and air actively rushing-by! Permatex may be overkill but I use it for some of my saws' seals already it's actually very very user friendly easy on / easy off, just need to let it sit overnight to cure is all)

Curious what you'd prefer to see...I've seen some 'lawnmower type' filters, like large sponges, those seem like they've got great potential (but could also be dog-**** if done improperly, wish I understood microns//filtering better), but aside from those I love the synthetic micron screens and the more surface the better, f'ing hate the felt-pad type filters, even my beloved 355t has one actually so does my 'pro series' or 'x series' I believe polesaw, the husq 125b blower and one of their older mid-sized climbsaws.....hate those filters, I clean them as aggressively as I can with a very stiff brush am guessing I've removed like 1/5th the material from my polesaw & 355's filters :p Both are still feeling great after a *ton* of use, really need to order a compression gauge already..
 
It's a 'fine plastic/synthetic meshed box' type, only it's not just the rear-face that intakes air it's a 'box' on the carb's intake throat so it pulls air from behind the filter as well....best filter I've ever had, though I've hardly gone through much high-end stuff...

What do you dislike about it? Aside from the obvious "it needs sealing to the carb-throat or fines get into the engine" LOL (I'm hearing to use grease...i already put marine grease lightly on the edges of my filters....am inclined to use red Permatex to mate the box am not interested in relying on any type of grease no matter the viscosity when in that type of situation IE hot, vibrating and air actively rushing-by! Permatex may be overkill but I use it for some of my saws' seals already it's actually very very user friendly easy on / easy off, just need to let it sit overnight to cure is all)

Curious what you'd prefer to see...I've seen some 'lawnmower type' filters, like large sponges, those seem like they've got great potential (but could also be dog-**** if done improperly, wish I understood microns//filtering better), but aside from those I love the synthetic micron screens and the more surface the better, f'ing hate the felt-pad type filters, even my beloved 355t has one actually so does my 'pro series' or 'x series' I believe polesaw, the husq 125b blower and one of their older mid-sized climbsaws.....hate those filters, I clean them as aggressively as I can with a very stiff brush am guessing I've removed like 1/5th the material from my polesaw & 355's filters :p Both are still feeling great after a *ton* of use, really need to order a compression gauge already..
Tuning the low is a good start imo. Could be too rich, 'loading up' ans dying after a while.
Tom.
 
It's a 'fine plastic/synthetic meshed box' type, only it's not just the rear-face that intakes air it's a 'box' on the carb's intake throat so it pulls air from behind the filter as well....best filter I've ever had, though I've hardly gone through much high-end stuff...

What do you dislike about it? Aside from the obvious "it needs sealing to the carb-throat or fines get into the engine" LOL (I'm hearing to use grease...i already put marine grease lightly on the edges of my filters....am inclined to use red Permatex to mate the box am not interested in relying on any type of grease no matter the viscosity when in that type of situation IE hot, vibrating and air actively rushing-by! Permatex may be overkill but I use it for some of my saws' seals already it's actually very very user friendly easy on / easy off, just need to let it sit overnight to cure is all)

Curious what you'd prefer to see...I've seen some 'lawnmower type' filters, like large sponges, those seem like they've got great potential (but could also be dog-**** if done improperly, wish I understood microns//filtering better), but aside from those I love the synthetic micron screens and the more surface the better, f'ing hate the felt-pad type filters, even my beloved 355t has one actually so does my 'pro series' or 'x series' I believe polesaw, the husq 125b blower and one of their older mid-sized climbsaws.....hate those filters, I clean them as aggressively as I can with a very stiff brush am guessing I've removed like 1/5th the material from my polesaw & 355's filters :p Both are still feeling great after a *ton* of use, really need to order a compression gauge already..
It's cheap compared to a pro saw. It works, but needs a little help.
I prefer to see wire mesh, a perfect fit, a bale wire retainer. Most pro saws these days have automotive type pleated air filters. I don't like those, personally I prefer mesh.

anyway, have a good look at "high end stuff" as you call it. There's a difference.
 
I been changing the pleated air filters over to the fine mesh. I can’t tell if the pleated is clean or not.
My son is cutting on my land in the wilds up north I purchased extra new air filters so he can change them at the end of the day. I put the clean filters in zip loc bags
 
Tinman has some good videos about that saw on YouTube
Pay extra attention to his part on the muffler. Needs to be gutted if its going to be worked hard. Crazy stupid how big of a rats nest of epa b.s. the thing is. I've got a junk one sitting in the shop right now. Bearings went out on a 90° day after about 2 years of medium use on the saw. Yes they're cheap, but where I'm @ you can get a decent used pro saw (562 xp comes to mind) for a little more than a new big box store saw. Also keep in mind parts and service down the road. We've had 4 echos from HD and hated all but 1. Good customer service from them is nonexistent, and forget about a Echo warranty, as they sidestep just about everything. If I could return, it would be on its way back. Just my .02.
 
Missing parts at a dealer are something to keep an eye out for as well. Small, slow dealerships will "borrow" parts to get another customer running, and the part getting back on the new saw is the hard part. It is a bad feeling when you start working on a saw that was bought at your dealership that had started it's working life without an air filter.
 
anyway, have a good look at "high end stuff" as you call it. There's a difference.
I know there is, I see the echo 620p as a pretty ideal example there, honestly if I'd known places sold just the powerhead I likely would've gotten the 620 instead, thankfully you can swap the carb & limiter from a 620 onto the 590 for most of the difference ;D (But stuck w/ an Echo bar which I hate....my 355t came with a comparable 14" echo bar, it's the only bar I've ever put a crack in, and I hardly used it - its OEM stock chain is still on first sharpening...and that's not to say I'm rough with my gear, as the 16" Versacut I put on it when I got it is still going-strong! Should also note that, when I'd gotten the 355, I weighed that fat 14" echo bar and it was MORE than my 16" versa was!! So am less than happy having one of their bars lol but hadn't found 'sawagain' et al before this purchase)
~~~~~~~~~

I been changing the pleated air filters over to the fine mesh. I can’t tell if the pleated is clean or not.
My son is cutting on my land in the wilds up north I purchased extra new air filters so he can change them at the end of the day. I put the clean filters in zip loc bags
I prefer the mesh by far. They are adequate as filters and the good ones last basically forever.
Same, they also just seem far easier to clean. Wish I knew where to grab the raw material for DIY'ing, thankfully - unlike climbsaws - this thing has more than enough room for me to DIY a copy of the "vehicle style" air filters, have seen "590 filter conversion" kits on ebay so have good templates to go from (sames for the outside-dogs, and bottom skid-plate ;D )
~~~~~~~~~

Tinman has some good videos about that saw on YouTube
That's an understatement :D Funnily enough I was mid-way on his porting-series and, in the recommended-vids at the end of one, saw a 590-vid by him and was hooked from there (had my 590 for like a day at that point was very odd timing as I was on his channel just for the porting stuff :p )

~~~~~~~~~
Pay extra attention to his part on the muffler. Needs to be gutted if its going to be worked hard. Crazy stupid how big of a rats nest of epa b.s. the thing is. I've got a junk one sitting in the shop right now. Bearings went out on a 90° day after about 2 years of medium use on the saw. Yes they're cheap, but where I'm @ you can get a decent used pro saw (562 xp comes to mind) for a little more than a new big box store saw. Also keep in mind parts and service down the road. We've had 4 echos from HD and hated all but 1. Good customer service from them is nonexistent, and forget about a Echo warranty, as they sidestep just about everything. If I could return, it would be on its way back. Just my .02.
Will address your 2 points separately:

#1 - The muffler: He has a video explicitly on the muffler, I agree w/ your disliking of this muffler, honestly I hate that I still cannot tell for sure if a saw is stronger with some back-pressure, or none... My first thought would've been "stupid EPA rules", being my best guess for them making it that way (center baffle, that is only passed by a thin breather-tube, wtf??), but both my 590 and 355t (which is ~1.25yrs old) were made within a ~year of each other and the 355's muffler is literally an empty box, to "muffler mod" you simply remove the deflector / no tools besides the T27 bit to remove the deflector..
That said, since there's a flat wall opposite that breather-tube's entry, it makes an easy spot to put a step-drill bit and start the hole he makes (which is basically negating the muffler, I was expecting it to be more obnoxiously loud and very very happy it was not, I mean obviously it's loud but I've ruined a muffler before & heard a saw really scream :p )
Wish I knew a different muffler - open-can type - that I could bolt-on instead, would much prefer the 355 muff!

#2 - The idea of "we" hating "all but 1 of 4" echo's...Doesn't surprise me even a little bit, the more guys with you the less objective you'll see this stuff. I care about objective #'s, and I KNOW that my money goes farther with echo than stihl. I love my 355t, it's a "pro saw" in any context you care to use the term (I don't care to argue semantics of 'x class' / 'pro class' / etc!), and it's a $350 saw -- Stihl's comparable model (201t) which is basically as-good as a 355t, is 2x as expensive MSRP, that is just insane...yet I know climbers who wouldn't consider anything but Stihl, hell I know (know-of, like have met him but am not friendly-with) of a guy with the Stihl logo tattoo'd on his frickin' neck!! Brand loyalty only hurts the consumer :/
Powersaws are a pretty basic class of equipment, which was all but finished "innovating" decades ago (the husq 266xp came out when?), echo stihl and husqvarna all make some good hardware, few would argue that, but I'd say that that's hardly something to be praised for (at least stihl's 500i is pushing towards innovation, or echo's 2511t, or husqy's 540i), echo's prices seem like fair pricing for the hardware IMO, and it is very solid I wouldn't even consider swapping my 355t for a 201t (unless I could sell the 201 :p ), actually so far as anecdotes I can relay that I bought a 194t, thinking "it's Stihl, I know I'm overpaying for the on-paper specs but that extra Stihl-quality will make up for it", literally thought I was 'treating myself', once I got it home / unbox and realized how chintzy and cheap it felt in my hands my only thought was "I doubt this thing can handle falls...", thankfully they allowed me to return it!


Missing parts at a dealer are something to keep an eye out for as well. Small, slow dealerships will "borrow" parts to get another customer running, and the part getting back on the new saw is the hard part. It is a bad feeling when you start working on a saw that was bought at your dealership that had started it's working life without an air filter.

A compression test would let me assess any possible problems caused by unfiltered air, or improper fuel, right? Any brands/hardware you'd recommend "for a beginner"? ie just need it functional, not triple-beam-accurate ;D So far as the tachometer shows, I cannot get the saw to hit its limiter, but this was also found the case by youtuber Tinman's Saws so am OK with that (plus my understanding is that that is of little importance anyways, only RPM - and HP - that matters, is how much the saw can give you when it's actually cutting!!
 
I know there is, I see the echo 620p as a pretty ideal example there, honestly if I'd known places sold just the powerhead I likely would've gotten the 620 instead, thankfully you can swap the carb & limiter from a 620 onto the 590 for most of the difference ;D (But stuck w/ an Echo bar which I hate....my 355t came with a comparable 14" echo bar, it's the only bar I've ever put a crack in, and I hardly used it - its OEM stock chain is still on first sharpening...and that's not to say I'm rough with my gear, as the 16" Versacut I put on it when I got it is still going-strong! Should also note that, when I'd gotten the 355, I weighed that fat 14" echo bar and it was MORE than my 16" versa was!! So am less than happy having one of their bars lol but hadn't found 'sawagain' et al before this purchase)
~~~~~~~~~



Same, they also just seem far easier to clean. Wish I knew where to grab the raw material for DIY'ing, thankfully - unlike climbsaws - this thing has more than enough room for me to DIY a copy of the "vehicle style" air filters, have seen "590 filter conversion" kits on ebay so have good templates to go from (sames for the outside-dogs, and bottom skid-plate ;D )
~~~~~~~~~


That's an understatement :D Funnily enough I was mid-way on his porting-series and, in the recommended-vids at the end of one, saw a 590-vid by him and was hooked from there (had my 590 for like a day at that point was very odd timing as I was on his channel just for the porting stuff :p )

~~~~~~~~~

Will address your 2 points separately:

#1 - The muffler: He has a video explicitly on the muffler, I agree w/ your disliking of this muffler, honestly I hate that I still cannot tell for sure if a saw is stronger with some back-pressure, or none... My first thought would've been "stupid EPA rules", being my best guess for them making it that way (center baffle, that is only passed by a thin breather-tube, wtf??), but both my 590 and 355t (which is ~1.25yrs old) were made within a ~year of each other and the 355's muffler is literally an empty box, to "muffler mod" you simply remove the deflector / no tools besides the T27 bit to remove the deflector..
That said, since there's a flat wall opposite that breather-tube's entry, it makes an easy spot to put a step-drill bit and start the hole he makes (which is basically negating the muffler, I was expecting it to be more obnoxiously loud and very very happy it was not, I mean obviously it's loud but I've ruined a muffler before & heard a saw really scream :p )
Wish I knew a different muffler - open-can type - that I could bolt-on instead, would much prefer the 355 muff!

#2 - The idea of "we" hating "all but 1 of 4" echo's...Doesn't surprise me even a little bit, the more guys with you the less objective you'll see this stuff. I care about objective #'s, and I KNOW that my money goes farther with echo than stihl. I love my 355t, it's a "pro saw" in any context you care to use the term (I don't care to argue semantics of 'x class' / 'pro class' / etc!), and it's a $350 saw -- Stihl's comparable model (201t) which is basically as-good as a 355t, is 2x as expensive MSRP, that is just insane...yet I know climbers who wouldn't consider anything but Stihl, hell I know (know-of, like have met him but am not friendly-with) of a guy with the Stihl logo tattoo'd on his frickin' neck!! Brand loyalty only hurts the consumer :/
Powersaws are a pretty basic class of equipment, which was all but finished "innovating" decades ago (the husq 266xp came out when?), echo stihl and husqvarna all make some good hardware, few would argue that, but I'd say that that's hardly something to be praised for (at least stihl's 500i is pushing towards innovation, or echo's 2511t, or husqy's 540i), echo's prices seem like fair pricing for the hardware IMO, and it is very solid I wouldn't even consider swapping my 355t for a 201t (unless I could sell the 201 :p ), actually so far as anecdotes I can relay that I bought a 194t, thinking "it's Stihl, I know I'm overpaying for the on-paper specs but that extra Stihl-quality will make up for it", literally thought I was 'treating myself', once I got it home / unbox and realized how chintzy and cheap it felt in my hands my only thought was "I doubt this thing can handle falls...", thankfully they allowed me to return it!




A compression test would let me assess any possible problems caused by unfiltered air, or improper fuel, right? Any brands/hardware you'd recommend "for a beginner"? ie just need it functional, not triple-beam-accurate ;D So far as the tachometer shows, I cannot get the saw to hit its limiter, but this was also found the case by youtuber Tinman's Saws so am OK with that (plus my understanding is that that is of little importance anyways, only RPM - and HP - that matters, is how much the saw can give you when it's actually cutting!!
My dislike wasn't due to brand loyalty, rather specific problems with the saw, and echo's (lack of) customer service. I'm assuming we have different uses for chainsaws, and because of that, have a different viewpoint on this model. You asked for opinions on what to do before breaking it in, and I gave my opinion. Hope it all goes well for you.
 
Pay extra attention to his part on the muffler. Needs to be gutted if its going to be worked hard. Crazy stupid how big of a rats nest of epa b.s. the thing is. I've got a junk one sitting in the shop right now. Bearings went out on a 90° day after about 2 years of medium use on the saw. Yes they're cheap, but where I'm @ you can get a decent used pro saw (562 xp comes to mind) for a little more than a new big box store saw. Also keep in mind parts and service down the road. We've had 4 echos from HD and hated all but 1. Good customer service from them is nonexistent, and forget about a Echo warranty, as they sidestep just about everything. If I could return, it would be on its way back. Just my .02.
Why don't you just fix them? There not rocket science and parts are cheap.
 
Why don't you just fix them? There not rocket science and parts are cheap.
Yes I know its not rocket science, I never said it was. One we traded in, one got smashed by a tree, and two died. The two we have left are on the list of things to fix. Its a long list around here. Kinda hard to find time to put $150 of parts into a saw that's been replaced, and you didn't enjoy running. Plus, the saw is underpowered compared to pro saws of the same cc. So its on the back burner.
 
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