Stihl or Echo top handle saw?

[Hay Dude]

Found a very clean new-looking Stihl 201TC for $400. Seller says “like new”.
Echo is $500 + tax

 

[5030]

be careful with any 'used chainsaw' and inspect it very carefully as used saws, no matter how used or not used they can suffer from a multitude of abuses, most common is the lack of lubrication from being straight gassed. Bars and loops can be easily replaced but internal damage is a different animal. As a rule I don't buy used chainsaws but..

The one thing I'd do before purchasing it is pull it over slowly (ignition off) and feel the compression and pull the muffler off and run the piston up and see if it's scored or has any unusual wear (and if the owner has nothing to hide he should not object to that) as removing and replacing the muffler is easy and won't impact the saw in any way. If he or she is hesitant about that, it will tell you the saw has either been straight gassed or has been abused in some way. The piston won't lie. and if it is scored and you aren't adverse to rebuilding it and have the tools and expertise to do it, that makes the asking price extremely negotiable.

400 bucks is 400 bucks anyway you cut it. Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth and proceed but understand, internal damage will always be a deal breaker in my view and why I never buy a used saw. Chainsaws are usually flogged pretty hard and not maintained properly, generally. if I want to flog on a saw, I prefer starting out with a new one, versus used and internal damage to the piston, rings and the jug always tells the story and observing don't cost anything and can make any asking price negotiable.

of course you won't be able to observe the jug but if there is scoring on the piston, you can bank on the jug having at least some metal transfer from the piston and it only takes a couple seconds of straight gassed or inadequate lubrication to damage any piston.

Just my opinion and you proceed how you want to.

There are always the clone saws (Chinese copies) if you want to go cheap nut be apprised that what may appear to be a bargain may or may not turn out to ne one. I bought one some time back (a Farm Tech) and it turned out to be a rock and I gave it away to a not so close friend. It ran fine but build quality was sorely lacking.

 

[2manyrocks]

If the new saw is only $100 more with a warranty and the assurance that nobody has abused it, why not buy the new saw?

 

[David in KY]

If the new saw is only $100 more with a warranty and the assurance that nobody has abused it, why not buy the new saw?

A new Stihl is $800+. He's just saying he found a great saw for less than a comparable saw from Echo.

Awesome find, Hay Dude!!

 

[5030]

A new Stihl is $800+. He's just saying he found a great saw for less than a comparable saw from Echo.

Awesome find, Hay Dude!!

I know all too well as I ran mine over with the truck so I bought the Echo instead. 800 bucks is 800 bucks.

 

[ultrarunner]

Had a neighbor that bought a brand new Echo brush cutter and right out of the box I could here him cutting on his hill...

He did not speak English and came to find me...

The short of it is the engine seized on his new trimmer because no oil added to the gasoline... the starter bottle of oil had not been opened.

A few days later I learned he had taken it back to Home Depot for a full refund saying no good...

 

[Hay Dude]

If the new saw is only $100 more with a warranty and the assurance that nobody has abused it, why not buy the new saw?

A new Stihl is $800+. He's just saying he found a great saw for less than a comparable saw from Echo.

Awesome find, Hay Dude!!

Seller unresponsive on the Stihl.
Might be back on the Echo. Dealer wants more $ for bar and tiny tooth chain

 

[Oz_Kioti]

I've owned and used a Zenoah G2500 for around 18 years, predominantly in the annual pruning of our olive grove. What a joy to use! Not available down here anymore, but still available in some South Pacific countries. Zenoah was under the Komatsu umbrella when we bought it, subsequently acquired by Husqvarna which then killed it off. The clone of that saw is readily available at the usual online suspects.

I wanted to buy a second one in case the original one wore out, but no joy there. So I bought a nice (slightly lighter) equivalent top handle saw with Makita branding. Makita bought Sachs-Dolmar GmbH in 1991. It's also a fabulous little saw which my wife uses around the property for her pruning jobs.

After reading what you guys have posted, it seems in the states these just aren't available. At the time we bought the Zenoah, we also looked at the Stihl (based on the good run we'd had for years and years with the 026) but their top-handle model was noticeably heavier (and pricier!)

Having said all that, a few years back we bought Makita's battery version (single battery model top-handle saw) which is the go-to saw I use now in the grove. Faster chain speed makes for beautiful clean cuts every time!

 

[5030]

Seller unresponsive on the Stihl.
Might be back on the Echo. Dealer wants more $ for bar and tiny tooth chain

All the smaller saws will come with the 'tiny tooth' lo-profile chain and bar. The PICCO chain is matched to the output power of the saw and I suggest getting a second loop so when the installed one gets dull (a dull chain of any pitch will show buildup on the heel of the tooth when dull), change it out and sharpen the dull loop (if you know how to correctly sharpen it, that is). I always keep at least one sharp loop handy at all times.

Tiny tooth or 'full sized' tooth don't really matter except concerning what a saw can pull efficiently and what it cannot.

Being the 'expert' on stuff, I suggest you purchase a chain grinder and learn how to use it. Vevor has a clone to the Oregon (Tecomec) grinder on Amazon for just over 100 bucks. Buy one and learn how to grind chains. Oregon has a couple excellent vid's on how to use a grinder, how to set it and what to do.

I'm sure you can assimilate that.

My rule is, I never buy a used saw of any make that I need to depend on. Used saws will almost always have issues and most issues are scored pistons and jugs from inadequate oil in the gas-oil mix.

Just on the Arborist website reading about another used saw with a cracked case. Cracked case almost always required a complete teardown and TIG welding the crack. Not something 99% of people can do anyway. Not only is the correct TIG filler rod expensive but it requires a TIG welder to accomplish as well. JMO.

 

[5030]

Besides, you can well afford a new versus used saw or at least I assume you can....