New Saw Recommendation

[Runner]

Interesting how many Stihl saws are stolen

Mine was 25 years old when stolen.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have 2 John Deere saws (50V and 80EV) and they have Echo engines in them.
They run and sound great. Start easily, too.

 

[4570Man]

I would also recommend a 60cc saw its simply the best of both world... I have the discontinued 359 husky and it is all I could ever ask for... the new replacement for it would be the 562XP or the STIHL MS 362 .... the price tag could be hard to swallow but get anything your comfortable to pay but I would not want anything less then 3.5hp (around 60cc).

My 60cc saw sees the least use of any of my saws. It’s quite a bit heavier than my 261 so I usually use the 261 for carrying around and it cuts considerably slower than my 500i so i usually use the 500i for cutting. But you’re right it does offer a good mix of light enough to carry around and still cuts pretty good.

 

[Rockbadchild]

My 60cc saw sees the least use of any of my saws. It’s quite a bit heavier than my 261 so I usually use the 261 for carrying around and it cuts considerably slower than my 500i so i usually use the 500i for cutting. But you’re right it does offer a good mix of light enough to carry around and still cuts pretty good.

I guess we are not the same… I do own a smaller saw, I have only used it once or twice but it’s been over 10 years I don’t even remember the size of it, but it is in the 30 to 40cc range. I simply always carry and use my 60cc saw, life is too short to use the other one.

 

[John_Mc]

I would also recommend a 60cc saw its simply the best of both world... I have the discontinued 359 husky and it is all I could ever ask for... the new replacement for it would be the 562XP or the STIHL MS 362 .... the price tag could be hard to swallow but get anything your comfortable to pay but I would not want anything less then 3.5hp (around 60cc).

I agree that a 60cc saw makes a good all-around saw, especially for the size of hardwoods I'm mostly dealing with here in Vermont. Of course, it depends on what you are regularly cutting. It might be overkill for someone who mainly is cleaning up limbs which blew down in their yard/driveway, and just not enough saw for someone working in the Pacific Northwest.

For years, my 357XP was the saw I always grabbed first for a day of working in the woods. As I got older and wasn't cutting as regularly, I realized that this sort of work had a tendency to aggravate some old neck and back problems from a college wrestling injury. I now tend to grab my old Jonsered 2152 (50cc), unless I know I'm going to be working in a lot of wood more appropriate for a larger saw.

I'd say the Husqvarna 555 is a closer successor to the 359. Both are saws with pro type construction, but not tweaked as high as Husqvarna's "XP" line of saws. The 562XP replaced the 357XP.

 

[rumwrks]

I guess we are not the same… I do own a smaller saw, I have only used it once or twice but it’s been over 10 years I don’t even remember the size of it, but it is in the 30 to 40cc range. I simply always carry and use my 60cc saw, life is too short to use the other one.

I think that depends a lot on what you're doing... And I'm not discounting what you're saying here because we all do have different needs I think.

I have a 32cc that I use a LOT for limbing standing trees and general trail work. I like it because it's super light, easy to control, and cuts fast enough for what I'm cutting there. In that work I'm mostly working in very tight spaces (I have a lot of trees that need limbing with dense limbs from the ground up - unmaintained timber lot) so the shorter bar in that case is a feature not a bug because it lets me actually get in there and maneuver. It's basically the handheld equivalent of a pole saw (which I migrate to once the limbing gets high enough.. but the leverage of a pole saw is a lot more tiring for a full days work..). For actual tree thinning/cutting.. in a pinch.. it works.. if I'm not in a hurry.. and it's not to big a stuff but it's not my first choice by far.

OTOH if you're cutting firewood or doing meaningful falling/bucking it is certainly annoyingly slow and not something I'd reach for.

For lighter falling/clearing I often use a 50cc saw (CS501P) which, again .. is plenty good for medium/light work more than small limbs but smaller than big firewood logs.. and it's small enough to ride nicely on the tractor without sticking out to much in the way. It's not a "getting LOTS of stuff done in a hurry" kind of saw, but it's a great "I just need to cut a tree or two or some medium limbs off of the trail to get the tractor through" kind of saw. And in a pinch it can certainly do a lot more than that.

Once I get to bigger stuff.. I'm preferentially reaching for the 70cc saw (or larger - but larger starts getting heavier fast..). I'd agree that a 60cc is a decent compromise between the 50cc and the 70cc for general use.. Although I'm not sure if I was doing it again I'd bother filling the gap between the 50 and the 70 with a 60cc .. The basic fact though is that my old 372xp cuts way faster than the stock CS620P (I still need to muffler mod that) so ignoring the economics (price performance wise the echo 590/620 is a screaming deal).. if you're looking for speed.. I'm not convinced the jump from 50->60cc is super compelling. If you have a 30cc or a 40cc saw then yeah the jump to a 60cc saw is imho definitely meaningful. I've been using the CS620P for some medium falling and I'm kind of on the fence.. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice saw and I don't regret having it.. but it's not nearly as much saw as the old 372. But as John_Mc noted the 372 will also rattle you around a lot more so again.. it depends .. do I really need to get that project done in a hurry.. or not.. and is raw cut speed the limiting factor in that project.. or not (it's not uncommon to spend more time picking limbs than it is cutting them if I'm not in a chop & drop scenario.. at which point minimizing overall fatigue becomes more important long term).

If I was climbing.. I'd more likely be using a 25cc top handle.. (like the 2511 clone which is also a fun little saw for under a hundred bucks...), and I do use that for some orchard work and such simply because.. again that small saw is super maneuverable.. which matters there.. but wouldn't in other use cases.

It's not uncommon for me to take two or even occasionally three saws out to a project, and pick up the one that's going to be easiest to maneuver/will cut the fastest/will get me in the least amount of trouble for a specific part of the project.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I think that depends a lot on what you're doing... And I'm not discounting what you're saying here because we all do have different needs I think.

I have a 32cc that I use a LOT for limbing standing trees and general trail work. I like it because it's super light, easy to control, and cuts fast enough for what I'm cutting there. In that work I'm mostly working in very tight spaces (I have a lot of trees that need limbing with dense limbs from the ground up - unmaintained timber lot) so the shorter bar in that case is a feature not a bug because it lets me actually get in there and maneuver. It's basically the handheld equivalent of a pole saw (which I migrate to once the limbing gets high enough.. but the leverage of a pole saw is a lot more tiring for a full days work..). For actual tree thinning/cutting.. in a pinch.. it works.. if I'm not in a hurry.. and it's not to big a stuff but it's not my first choice by far.

OTOH if you're cutting firewood or doing meaningful falling/bucking it is certainly annoyingly slow and not something I'd reach for.

For lighter falling/clearing I often use a 50cc saw (CS501P) which, again .. is plenty good for medium/light work more than small limbs but smaller than big firewood logs.. and it's small enough to ride nicely on the tractor without sticking out to much in the way. It's not a "getting LOTS of stuff done in a hurry" kind of saw, but it's a great "I just need to cut a tree or two or some medium limbs off of the trail to get the tractor through" kind of saw. And in a pinch it can certainly do a lot more than that.

Once I get to bigger stuff.. I'm preferentially reaching for the 70cc saw (or larger - but larger starts getting heavier fast..). I'd agree that a 60cc is a decent compromise between the 50cc and the 70cc for general use.. Although I'm not sure if I was doing it again I'd bother filling the gap between the 50 and the 70 with a 60cc .. The basic fact though is that my old 372xp cuts way faster than the stock CS620P (I still need to muffler mod that) so ignoring the economics (price performance wise the echo 590/620 is a screaming deal).. if you're looking for speed.. I'm not convinced the jump from 50->60cc is super compelling. If you have a 30cc or a 40cc saw then yeah the jump to a 60cc saw is imho definitely meaningful. I've been using the CS620P for some medium falling and I'm kind of on the fence.. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice saw and I don't regret having it.. but it's not nearly as much saw as the old 372. But as John_Mc noted the 372 will also rattle you around a lot more so again.. it depends .. do I really need to get that project done in a hurry.. or not.. and is raw cut speed the limiting factor in that project.. or not (it's not uncommon to spend more time picking limbs than it is cutting them if I'm not in a chop & drop scenario.. at which point minimizing overall fatigue becomes more important long term).

If I was climbing.. I'd more likely be using a 25cc top handle.. (like the 2511 clone which is also a fun little saw for under a hundred bucks...), and I do use that for some orchard work and such simply because.. again that small saw is super maneuverable.. which matters there.. but wouldn't in other use cases.

It's not uncommon for me to take two or even occasionally three saws out to a project, and pick up the one that's going to be easiest to maneuver/will cut the fastest/will get me in the least amount of trouble for a specific part of the project.

Yeah for sure I get it.... I do about 50/50 fire wood and trails and for me the issue is I am against carrying multiple saws and even if I did I would still be using the 60cc saw I guess I am not that bothered by the weight... That being said I also never know what king of jackpot I am going to get myself into when I do trails, the 60cc might be ''overkill'' for 60% of the task but when I encounter a big dead fall I am happy I have it. I have now forgotten about my 30cc saw. I actually should sell that little saw, its just collecting dust, I am just mad it's brand new and I will pretty much have to give it away.

 

[John_Mc]

Once I get to bigger stuff.. I'm preferentially reaching for the 70cc saw (or larger - but larger starts getting heavier fast..). I'd agree that a 60cc is a decent compromise between the 50cc and the 70cc for general use.. Although I'm not sure if I was doing it again I'd bother filling the gap between the 50 and the 70 with a 60cc

I agree that it may not make sense for most people to own a 50, a 60, AND a 70cc saw. If you already own a 70cc and a 50 cc saw, there is not a whole lot of incentive to fill the gap. When I say the 60cc saw is a good all-around saw, I'm assuming someone does not already own multiple saws (hence the need for an "all around" compromise).

In my case, my 60cc saw is a 44% increase in HP over my 50cc saw, so I definitely notice the difference in power. It's less than a 15% increase in weight, which helps not aggravate my upper back issues. It helps that I am not trying to make a living at this, so I can afford to be a little patient.

 

[MarkMac]

I have an Echo 620. It is easy to start, old school tech, and more capable than my knowledge & experience can utilize. I really like it.

I also have a Milwaukee M-18 electric. The battery saw’s achillies heel is cold weather. If snow is on the ground then the batteries are pathetic.

Also, I do my own truck, tractor, and motorcycle repairs. I don’t ever see myself going to a dealer to have my chainsaw serviced. My 60cc chainsaw is basically a kid’s dirtbike without handlebars, suspension, or wheels.

I’m not ashamed. I’m an Echo fanboy. Any landscaping crew I see here in Phoenix is loaded up with Echo equipment. They are pros, they use their weed wackers and blowers hard, all day every day. Echo is what they choose. Echo is the old school Toyota Hilux of Lawn care equipment.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Chinese of course
Walmart online
Mine runs great, I gave my $550 Stihl away.

 

[Jstpssng]

I know most people only talk about Stihl and Husky, but the guy who owns our local saw shop convinced me a couple of years ago to get an Echo Timberwolf CS-590, and it's my new favorite, over the Stihls I own. He said when guys go out cutting firewood together, it's always the Echo owner who keeps cutting while the others are fussing around, trying to get their saws running, or fixing an issue. That appealed to me. It starts faithfully in 3 or 4 pulls, max - one, if it's warm. I have a 24" bar on mine, and it hogs through trees like crazy. I recently felled a couple of newly-dead firs that were 36 inches in diameter at the stump, in just a few minutes, each. I'm a convert.

I have a 590 and a 490. They came with 5 year warranties, which have since run out. Like most of my small engines, neither has ever had ethanol. The 590 likely needs new springs as the engine races every time that I pick it up. Still, I'll be using it this AM to drop a couple of maples. Hopefully I will pick out a couple of veneer logs. Then I can get the saw fixed.

The 490 was a nice little saw for doing boundary lines, cutting small brush and carrying for a truck saw. It also was my yard saw. After about 2 years it started running like crap so I returned it to the dealer under warranty. They put a new carb on it,which apparently is NOT under warranty. It hasn't run right since, and I've spent more than the original cost taking it to various places trying to find out why. Most likely they put a Chinese carb on it, trying to save me a few dollars. It still has the tag from the last time it was in the shop and barely runs. After spending all of that money it isn't even worth trading.

I've been following this thread as I'm looking for a new saw also. It likely will be another Echo, as I can't justify the price of a Stihl or Husky. I'm drooling over the 346s that another member has been writing about. I bought one in '04 and it was the best saw I've owned... until it lost the crank.

 

[sd455dan]

My newest now running old saw- It's Alive! After four years sitting in a box in pieces, the G 660 Clone Kit is finally assembled. I substituted a pop up piston and caber rings and cylinder from Hi way

Fired it up at 9 PM in the dark. Neighbors probably Love me- "muffler mod." The OEM Stihl chain adjuster showed up so installed it as well.

Saw sounds Good. Somehow the new chain ended up getting wet and rusting badly at opposite ends, having never been used. -better the chain than the actual kit, 28 inch bar for now and also going to swap in an extra tooth / 8 pin primary for more chain speed.
Will pick up a name brand 92 link in the AM. Ordered a Husky de comp to swap out the Farmertec, as well. Definitely need to use the decomp. I can start the other saws without it, but this one is a bit much for the arm, also my guess is those cheap starter pawls won't last long without using a decomp.
had to snap a pic it is the cleanest this saw will ever be.

 

[thclimer]

That is a big saw!

 

[sd455dan]

That is a big saw!

Yeah 92 CC , Got a real Stihl semi skip chain this morning and did some more break in heat and cool run time and then cut the first cookies with it.

I just couldn't defame Stihl anymore with the fake Farmertec MS 660 plaque so I modified it to "MY 660"

Do like the Orange/White Stihl colors though.