Want to Buy Top handle chainsaw

[chilipeppermaniac]

Owned a Stihl top handle arborist saw for oh, about a month until I ran it over with my truck, fell off the tailgate and I backed over it, quick 700 bucks down the crapper, smashed it pretty flat so it went to the landfill, no useable parts left and I wasn't about to spend another 700 bucks on another so I purchased an Echo top handle CS series (homeowner grade) saw for 1/3rd the cost of the Stihl (I am inherently cheap).

I did modify it even before I started it for the first time, however. I removed the muffler and replaced it with a non-cat muffler (interestingly Echo offers a non cat replacement muffler and so does Forrester), it's 100% bolt on and I also modified the external baffle / exhaust director so it didn't dump hot exhaust gas on the plastic outer cover and melt it (big issue with these saws) if you peruse the Echo website you'll see comments about that. When I modded the external cover, I also removed the baffle that Echo puts in there (did the same deal to my Timber Bear 590, seem as though Echo has some sort of romance with baffles, I don't however.

One thing I always do with ANY new to me saw that is new is I always run the first couple tanks at 40-1, not 50-1 and of course I always run canned fuel now simply because I don't run the everyday and canned fuel for me with it's extended shelf life and no phase separation like you get with Obama gas, I'm good with and I prefer Echo Red Armor but I've used Tru-Fuel (unlike the negative comments on this site, had 0 issues with it) as well with no issues.

The Echo top handle is a bit down on power but I feel that as it gets broken in, it will be equal to the Stihl but at a much better price point and being retired, price point is important, just not when it comes to Chinese price point saws.

Sidecarflip,

After losing $700 on the Stihl, I don't blame you on buying Echo for cheaper.
I went to look at a used 201T last weekend. It seemed like a strong runner, and it fired right up with good compression.

However, the seller ( not bad mouthing) was a Mexican and 2nd owner of the saw. He said it was all gunked up from previous owner and that was why the bottom of the saw had melted plastic. With that said, I had my reservations on the more important parts about the saw than plastics. I had concerns over the condition of the P and C and as it was raining and i brought no tools, I decided to pass on the saw at the price he was asking. Even if he was willing to add in a decent climbing rope that was likely about a $100+ rope. Had he come down in price another $100, I still would have wanted to address the melted plastic issue, and that would have meant roughly $150 for a new gas tank assembly and more for the busted side covers. I felt it is best to find a <$400 new Echo/ Husq, and if a clean 201T comes along at a good price $300 ish, I could always add one later.

 

[Sidecarflip]

As a rule with me, I don't buy second hand saws, I only buy new and the price of the Echo top handle arborist saw is pretty cheap in my book (compared to a Stihl top handle). The only difference I can see between them (Echo versus Stihl is the price) and the fact that the Echo comes with a CAT in the muffler which is easily correctable (the Echo OEM replacement non cat muffler is right around 35 bucks on Saw It Again website or on the Echo website as well. Cheap and worthwhile upgrade as the CAT in the muff is the primary cause of the melted plastic overcover as the existing exhaust gas passing through the CAT raises the temperature to a point where it melts the cover, that and the overcover exit that points directly towards the overcover, both easily fixed.

I opted for the short bar, after all it's an in tree or a limbing saw, certainly not for bucking anything and interestingly the supplied bar comes with a greaseable roller nose with is something I prefer anyway and my noses get greased with high quality synthetic bearing grease prior to every use, always.

I really like Echo's. So much that I convinced my Kubota tractor dealership owner to get an Echo dealership, I have a bad feeling I'm about to be drafted as the Echo tech there...lol Knowing him, I won't get any discounts on Echo stuff but I might get an Echo baseball cap....

You can get an aftermarket set of bucking spikes for them of you want (they don't come with bucking spikes factory) but really no need and all they accomplish is they shorten the actual cut length anyway and it's not all that long to begin with.

I've never purchased a used saw that I can recollect. Always new. Only thing I've ever got was a second hand wife, but then I'm second hand as well.....

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

As a rule with me, I don't buy second hand saws, I only buy new and the price of the Echo top handle arborist saw is pretty cheap in my book (compared to a Stihl top handle). The only difference I can see between them (Echo versus Stihl is the price) and the fact that the Echo comes with a CAT in the muffler which is easily correctable (the Echo OEM replacement non cat muffler is right around 35 bucks on Saw It Again website or on the Echo website as well. Cheap and worthwhile upgrade as the CAT in the muff is the primary cause of the melted plastic overcover as the existing exhaust gas passing through the CAT raises the temperature to a point where it melts the cover, that and the overcover exit that points directly towards the overcover, both easily fixed.

I opted for the short bar, after all it's an in tree or a limbing saw, certainly not for bucking anything and interestingly the supplied bar comes with a greaseable roller nose with is something I prefer anyway and my noses get greased with high quality synthetic bearing grease prior to every use, always.

I really like Echo's. So much that I convinced my Kubota tractor dealership owner to get an Echo dealership, I have a bad feeling I'm about to be drafted as the Echo tech there...lol Knowing him, I won't get any discounts on Echo stuff but I might get an Echo baseball cap....

You can get an aftermarket set of bucking spikes for them of you want (they don't come with bucking spikes factory) but really no need and all they accomplish is they shorten the actual cut length anyway and it's not all that long to begin with.

I've never purchased a used saw that I can recollect. Always new. Only thing I've ever got was a second hand wife, but then I'm second hand as well.....

I wish I could say that I buy everything new, but all my life I was rather poor and came from poor roots. My grandpa was a coal miner in the early 1900's and had 11 children, my dad being about 7th or 8th in line.

I never made much money being self employed and essentially forgoing a career in business world to look after my parents. So, used things are all I can afford. Of the few things I have gotten new, such as my 1994 Stihl 026, and my 1994 Echo SRM string trimmer, they were only new till I started using them and eventually needed service at 20-25 year mark. I believe I wore out the string trimmer top end, and the 026 got fuel line issues from sitting and ethanol.

This is how I learned about the construction of saws, how to test for air leaks, fuel system tests, and spark.

Having said all that, I bought a 2nd 026 used, about 5 years ago. Right around the same time, I got the Echo CS3000 in a pawn shop( I found that I could not adjust chain tension with the bar it had. I found out that they came with bars that come with tensioners in the actual bar. I showed the Echo dealer the parts i needed to make my side side cover like the upgraded version in the parts list.

Yes, time is money, and Used saws sometimes take diagnosing and repair time, but they also teach me how a proper running, no issues saw is supposed to be. So, when my saws do develop a glitch, I know how and when to stop using them and how to fix small problems before they become big ones.

 

[holeycow]

Two at best?

I guess my math was bad. I was talking canadian dollars, so the correct answer is about 3 then.

In the big saws, it's about 5:1

I noticed the little zenoah copies can be had for about 90 bucks or less in the US, which makes your correct answer "4"

And since the little husky is $520 in canada, we are at about 3 here.

 

[user 188535]

Something you aren’t happy with or have had laying around and want to get rid of bad enough to let it go for like 100$ but also the thing won’t try kill me and **** would be cool. Doubtful about it but why not.

I have an old 015 for sale. But not for 100.

 

[John Lyngdal]

For a less than $100 top handle saw, I'd be looking for an old school Poulan Micro XXV.
40cc of reed valve low-end torque.
Sure, it will be a used saw but parts are available if needed and they are easy to work on.
Most of them you find are low hour garage ornaments.
I picked up my last one for $11 including the carrying case.

 

[Howsitgoineh]

For a less than $100 top handle saw, I'd be looking for an old school Poulan Micro XXV.
40cc of reed valve low-end torque.
Sure, it will be a used saw but parts are available if needed and they are easy to work on.
Most of them you find are low hour garage ornaments.
I picked up my last one for $11 including the carrying case.

Nice choice, I have a couple of these saws. I got one free from my dad, and another on Kijiji for 20 bucks. Both weren't running but I got them going with little effort and a few cheap parts.

I believe I saw one on eBay for about $40 and see them come up there once in a while

 

[altatim]

If you were local to me I could give you two Poulan Micro XXV's for $50... Seems like they are everywhere and real cheap. I pass up on them often just because they are so common in garage sales and buy/sells local