For Husqvarna, i'd look a the 543 XP. For Echo, id look at cs-501 or cs-620pw.
These are pro grade saws and will last.
These are pro grade saws and will last.
Chainsaws Echo vs. Husqvarna
- Thread starter Tdbo
- Start date
Oops, i just saw the budget of $250. Either of the Echos you mentioned should work. The 3510 is 8.2lbs dry.
Avoid the Husky 120 / 240 models. They are complete junk and most dealers will not repair them after warranty. They are considered disposable like the poulan models.
The 130, 135, and up to th 450 rancher are good saws. Yes they have plastic crank cases but they are ok for the most part. Not a lifetime design but if you do not operate with a dull chain they run very well. Then of course you have the 5 series which are commercial. In my opinion, I will now be avoiding the husky brand moving forward as they have moved to electric now, and will most certainly no support their current lineup much longer than 5-7 year if that.
Echo on the other hand, owns the Shindaiwa line as well, and they are both pretty rock solid (for now). They have always supported their products all the way back approx 20 yrs. I can buy just about any part for my early 2000's era PB-200 or GT-200r/SRM-200 with no issues. Their chainsaws are not quite on point for power / weight ratio with relation to the huskys, but overall I think their longevity will be the deciding factor for me moving forward.
I ended up buying a husky 555 tripple nickel last fall after comparing it against the Echo CS-590 timber wolf, and the CS-680 all metal true old style japanese work horse. The reason for me was simple......price$$$$$$. And it has excellent power to weight ratio. It was a $789 dollar saw I got the $400 with a warranty.
The 130, 135, and up to th 450 rancher are good saws. Yes they have plastic crank cases but they are ok for the most part. Not a lifetime design but if you do not operate with a dull chain they run very well. Then of course you have the 5 series which are commercial. In my opinion, I will now be avoiding the husky brand moving forward as they have moved to electric now, and will most certainly no support their current lineup much longer than 5-7 year if that.
Echo on the other hand, owns the Shindaiwa line as well, and they are both pretty rock solid (for now). They have always supported their products all the way back approx 20 yrs. I can buy just about any part for my early 2000's era PB-200 or GT-200r/SRM-200 with no issues. Their chainsaws are not quite on point for power / weight ratio with relation to the huskys, but overall I think their longevity will be the deciding factor for me moving forward.
I ended up buying a husky 555 tripple nickel last fall after comparing it against the Echo CS-590 timber wolf, and the CS-680 all metal true old style japanese work horse. The reason for me was simple......price$$$$$$. And it has excellent power to weight ratio. It was a $789 dollar saw I got the $400 with a warranty.
Hopefully Husky will support the pro saws. I have the 88cc Husky 390 , not really a way to make a battery saw like that.
I'm sure they will support the pro saws, as there is still a large market for that. Dropping that kind of support would just give their market share to their competitors until a suitable battery saw fills that gap.
I lucked out at a local auction last week and won an Echo CS-3510. Going to put it through a few trials this Saturday, then hoping it will do further land clearance this fall/winter. Glad to see some folks here who have had luck with it. Will post back my impressions later.
May I ask you why ? So far mine performed pretty well... ok I am not working full time with it only around the house its not bad, but what would I know I never had another brand in my hands
Yes echo parts seem easier to get even pre-plandemic in the days before build back broke.
Echo's definitely start easier.
And husky is making a big electric push so if you buy a Husqvarna lower end saw you may not be able to get parts in a few years.
Husqvarna going green/woke:
Close US plant that makes gasoline powered stuff, move to Asia and make electric garbage. Also leave people who bought a Husqvarna mower hanging for up to a year because they stopped making parts for 2 year old mowers.
I never disliked Husqvarna till they gave me a reason to dislike them.
If you have a working Husqvarna say sell I and get an echo or Stihl before it breaks, can't get parts you throw it away and still end up with an echo or Stihl.
Echo's definitely start easier.
And husky is making a big electric push so if you buy a Husqvarna lower end saw you may not be able to get parts in a few years.
Husqvarna going green/woke:
Close US plant that makes gasoline powered stuff, move to Asia and make electric garbage. Also leave people who bought a Husqvarna mower hanging for up to a year because they stopped making parts for 2 year old mowers.
I never disliked Husqvarna till they gave me a reason to dislike them.
If you have a working Husqvarna say sell I and get an echo or Stihl before it breaks, can't get parts you throw it away and still end up with an echo or Stihl.
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May I ask you why ? So far mine performed pretty well... ok I am not working full time with it only around the house its not bad, but what would I know I never had another brand in my hands
I've explained this in depth several times on the forum, so I will give the abbreviated version.
I have two pieces of Stihl equipment, a string trimmer and a blower.
The trimmer is the hardest starting piece of gas powered equipment that I have ever had in my 60+ years.
At least until I bought the !@#$%^&* blower.
It was my fault that I went back for seconds.
I made a grave error in assuming that the issue was the dealer, as they sucked as much as a 20 year old Hoover.
So I drove out of my way to go to a dealer that according to the Stihl website had a master tech.
Arrive there. Look at and agree to buy the blower.
They go to the back and bring one out in the box and set it up in front of me.
They can't get it to start.
I should have left right then.
They bring a second out in a box. They can't get it to start either.
They putz around with it for 20 minutes, until they finally get it to start. It runs horribly.
They putz around with it some more until they get it to run acceptably.
I take it home. It is harder to start than the string trimmer.
Over the course of three trips to try to get it squared (and the techs had the same issues,) their expert tutelage led them to inform me that "They are all that way."
This pile stumbles when the trigger is engaged, and idles roughly, despite efforts from the dealer and myself to rectify it.
My $79. Craftsman ran better until it broke.
I'll use these up because they are paid for and I'm stuck with them.
That is why I will never again own a piece of Stihl equipment.
I'm 0-2 with Stihl, and 2-0 with my Echo straight shaft trimmer and chainsaw.
They are easy starting, and are just plain pleasurable to use.
All the pros around here use Sthil or Husqavarna.
The stihl or husqavarna entry levels we garbage, the pro series are good.
Never seen a pro use echo.
The stihl or husqavarna entry levels we garbage, the pro series are good.
Never seen a pro use echo.
A lot of the pros who use Stihl around here are switching to Echo. I no longer work on Stihls unless it is for a close family member, too many issues getting parts, since all the parts now are either dealer only or China stuff from Amazon. My local dealers have taken advantage of this, and it is very hard to walk in and get parts, they want you to schedule service with them or buy a new machine by making parts crazy expensive.
I used to have a lot of Stihl stuff, now I have none. I have one Echo saw, two Echo blowers, Echo hedge trimmer, and the rest is a mix of Jonsered (Husqvarna) pro grade stuff, and Makita (Dolmar). They all start easier and are less finicky than the Stihls. I liked the build quality of the Stihls, but I grew to hate them when even after a carb rebuild they took 8 pulls to start. My Echo stuff admittedly feels cheap, but it's hard to argue with how easily they start, even when I needed the saw in below zero weather.
I love my CS-3510, mine has a 14" bar. It is very light for how much power it has. I have other saws (Jonsered CS2171, Makita DCS5200i) but find myself grabbing the Echo for the small quick jobs most often.
This is the route I went. I have a 16” Makita 36v that does really well with limbing and other small/medium sized homeowner jobs. It has enough power to cut through 12+ inch oak, but putting that much load on it will drain the batteries very quickly.
So, to handle the larger jobs, I got the Echo CS-590 with 24” bar. It will cut anything I’ll ever need it to. The one thing I learned is when starting the engine cold, you might only need one pull of the cord with choke on. I’ve actually started it with 3 pulls with the choke completely off from dead cold. These saws are easy to flood with the choke on. Ask me how I know. lol
I think this 2 saw solution will work very well for me for a long time.
I agree with the assessment of Echo Vs the lower end Husquvarna. I have 3 Echo machines that range in age from 25-15 years and they all start easily. 2 have needed new coils but at 10+ years, and on one I had to replace the carb. Parts are easy to find. I have a Husquvarna 235 that I bought right before a hurricane was due to hit us. I’ve got it running well now but it’s always been more temperamental than the Echos. New coil & cleaned carb with new diaphragms and it’s running well….for now! I was able to see on various websites that nearly every part is still available for these but who knows for how long. Next saw will be Echo.
Small saws echo, big saws husky. I just bought an echo 1125t. It's super light, supposed the be the lightest commercial saw. I'll use it for limbing.
Here it is next to the echo cs-450 18 inch , and the husky 390 32 inch.
Here it is next to the echo cs-450 18 inch , and the husky 390 32 inch.
I have a CS-310 Echo and another small Craftsman, both with 14" bars. They do the small work, but the old monster 044 Stihl comes out for the big stuff. 28 inch bar, rapid super half skip chain. A little hard to get started, but it can really make a pile of wood chips when running!
Since I just purchased an Echo 4910 (50cc) (mid grade saw) and own a Husqvarna 346XP (50cc pro saw) with the Muffler mod, I can make some comparisons.
The Echo 4910 is built better, but note, it's on closeout, (new Echo replacement, the 4920, is not built better) The echo is slightly smoother, idles better, and heavier than the Husqvarna. The Echo does not leak out all it's chain oil overnight.
Both make just over 3.5 real world HP in stock form, with the Husqvarna making 1/10th more HP.
But, that's kind of where the comparison ends. The Husqvarna with muffler mod is a 4.5HP saw, and it shows. It's a rip-snorting, ultra fast revving, 14,000RPM joy to use.
Now to do the muffler mod on the Echo.
The Echo 4910 is built better, but note, it's on closeout, (new Echo replacement, the 4920, is not built better) The echo is slightly smoother, idles better, and heavier than the Husqvarna. The Echo does not leak out all it's chain oil overnight.
Both make just over 3.5 real world HP in stock form, with the Husqvarna making 1/10th more HP.
But, that's kind of where the comparison ends. The Husqvarna with muffler mod is a 4.5HP saw, and it shows. It's a rip-snorting, ultra fast revving, 14,000RPM joy to use.
Now to do the muffler mod on the Echo.
I don't really have any experience with Husqvarna but I can say that I've been very pleased with every piece of Echo equipment that I own which includes a leaf blower, chainsaw, tiller, and string trimmer. Thus far, they have been the most trouble free and easiest starting pieces of equipment I've ever owned. Most are around 5 or 6 years old now.
This is a slightly older thread, but why not go with Stihl? I have an old (2010-ish) MS170 that has been through everything.. abused, tossed around, and stored with ethanol gas.. still have zero issues. I also have an MS271 (purchased in 2021) which has been wonderful for larger, but still manageable trees.
I’ve owned Echo before and never had any luck. My SRM225 seized up and Echo blamed it on my fuel. Funny thing is that my BR600 and MS170 ran on the same fuel (regular 87 with stihl’s synthetic 2 stroke oil) without issue.
Never touched Husqvarna, but I’ve heard a lot of great things about their pro-line. I’ve heard “craftsman-like build” for their homeowner line.
Really think the Stihl is the best option and bang for the buck.
I’ve owned Echo before and never had any luck. My SRM225 seized up and Echo blamed it on my fuel. Funny thing is that my BR600 and MS170 ran on the same fuel (regular 87 with stihl’s synthetic 2 stroke oil) without issue.
Never touched Husqvarna, but I’ve heard a lot of great things about their pro-line. I’ve heard “craftsman-like build” for their homeowner line.
Really think the Stihl is the best option and bang for the buck.
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