What did you buy this week?

[ultrarunner]

Years ago most discussions discounted Echo in favor of Stihl and Husky.

Some of the local dealers dropped Echo when the box stores started offering.

In 1980 us kids got together and bought dad a Echo SRM handle bar brush cutter for father's day...

I still have it and the only service part has been the rope start coil spring .

The only routine maintenance is wire brushing the spark arrestor mesh screen...

Keeping the mesh screen clean makes all the difference on 8 hour days cutting back brush.

 

[kenmbz]

I have a 620P and 490 chainsaws, a handheld blower and an extended hedge trimmer from Echo.
All start easy and run well. The 420 has quite a few hundred hours on it.
The Stihl FS110 is the hard starter and is super picky about fuel. Once it starts it will run well all day. Next day, back to the hard start.

 

[Camofurever1]

To make a Stihl start and run, there is a certain mating dance you have to do precisely to get them to start. For my chain saws, it is fully choke them and pull until you hear them pop once. Then you immediately half choke them and pull once. Either they start on the first half choke pull or you have to go back to the full choke until it pops once. In 30+ years of owning Stihls, they have always started if you did the mating dance, unless they were out of fuel.

 

[Hughman]

I bought the Echo srm 226 last winter/spring on TBN recommendation. Best dam weedeater I've ever had. Easiest starting too.

I just bought one of these last week. Haven't had a chance to spark it up yet. Figured I'd better get one before the 2 stroke police outlaw them and n California.

 

[ArlyA]

Buying to much stuff trying to clean out, fix then sell the In-laws home. All the things that the realtor said to remove to the trash station.. Amazing the volume of trips to the hardware store.

 

[kenmbz]

To make a Stihl start and run, there is a certain mating dance you have to do precisely to get them to start. For my chain saws, it is fully choke them and pull until you hear them pop once. Then you immediately half choke them and pull once. Either they start on the first half choke pull or you have to go back to the full choke until it pops once. In 30+ years of owning Stihls, they have always started if you did the mating dance, unless they were out of fuel.

I've had the Stihl for 6 years. Always a pain to start.
Even new air filter/plug changes nothing.
It is finicky on gas/oil mixture, even after tune up.
it hates 40:1 , loves only 50:1 canned gas. even when I mix high test at 50:1 it does not like to start.
I do the choke on until I hear it pop, then off to start. But I have tried every combination that Stihl has posted.
5 2 strokes, and only the Stihl is a pain. Only when sitting overnight.
If I run it in the morning, let it sit for an hour, still is fine.
I can even run it after starting on my own 50:1 mix and it's run with that for hours.

 

[5030]

I've had the Stihl for 6 years. Always a pain to start.
Even new air filter/plug changes nothing.
It is finicky on gas/oil mixture, even after tune up.
it hates 40:1 , loves only 50:1 canned gas. even when I mix high test at 50:1 it does not like to start.
I do the choke on until I hear it pop, then off to start. But I have tried every combination that Stihl has posted.
5 2 strokes, and only the Stihl is a pain. Only when sitting overnight.
If I run it in the morning, let it sit for an hour, still is fine.
I can even run it after starting on my own 50:1 mix and it's run with that for hours.

Interesting. My 40+ year old Stihl 028 that I bought new and still use much prefers Echo Red Armor 50-1 canned fuel and starts right up, cold or warm first or second pull. It also idles better and has better throttle response. Nice thing about canned fuel is it don't carbon up the exhaust tract or the spark arrestor screen either.

All I use anymore and I can let it sit on the saws for months with no issue, unlike the corn squeezed gas that gunks up carbs. Not cheap compared to pump gas but the shelf life is at least 2 years, 3-5 on an unopened can.... and it don't smoke much either and don't stink when burned. I own mostly Echo's but my ancient Stihl is real happy with it.

 

[5030]

I just bought one of these last week. Haven't had a chance to spark it up yet. Figured I'd better get one before the 2 stroke police outlaw them and n California.

I have the Echo straight shaft brush cutter, weed wacker (with the handlebars and the solid steel drive shaft) and it's an excellent running machine and of course like my saws, it gets Echo Red Armor 50-1 canned fuel.

Sold my ancient Stihl FS66 but I kept the tri-cut poly blade head and it fits the Echo just fine. I don't care for string trimmers anyway.

If I put on a carbide tipped circular saw blade, I can cut down pretty good sized trees with it as well.

 

[ultrarunner]

I just bought one of these last week. Haven't had a chance to spark it up yet. Figured I'd better get one before the 2 stroke police outlaw them and n California.

Mentioned before outlawed to use here but CalTrans and Post Office use all the time… I was told city laws do not apply to state and federal… ok.

Today there were 6 men with string trimmers going to town on school district property as June kicks off mandatory fire inspections.

I guess city laws don’t apply to city school property either…

I missed taking a picture because I can see the day having such a picture may be important.

 

[kozal01]

Ive had many Stihl handhelds over the years and all of them have been easy to start, except for one (KM94r) which I sold. My saws start 3rd pull almost always, my BR800 blower (4 stroke) starts second pull always, my KM130 (4 stroke) starts first pull, my freebee BG55 handheld blower is two pulls. My little Echo top handle saw is a few pulls and my Maruyama trimmer is 2 pulls. One thing I have learned on my Stihl's is to not use the primer, only my BR800 likes to be primed.