ECHO 361WES and 390ESX quick review

[Rob D]

Thanks for posting Wes - good in depth review - I may pinch a few bits and make up a write up to go on the website with your permission.

 

 

[James Atkinson]

Thanks for posting Wes - good in depth review - I may pinch a few bits and make up a write up to go on the website with your permission.
 
 

Sorry to hijack this thread mate. Been trying to contact your company today regarding an order. I also sent a WhatsApp like your website suggests. It’s seems that the delivery driver can’t find my house all week and I wanted the delivery number. Again sorry for the hijack

[wyk]

1 hour ago, Rob D said:

Thanks for posting Wes - good in depth review - I may pinch a few bits and make up a write up to go on the website with your permission.

 

 

I'll try and get some video in the future. I think I've lost my go pro in the field

[Rob D]

On 01/12/2018 at 23:19, James Atkinson said:

Sorry to hijack this thread mate. Been trying to contact your company today regarding an order. I also sent a WhatsApp like your website suggests. It’s seems that the delivery driver can’t find my house all week and I wanted the delivery number. Again sorry for the hijack

Hi James - ok will chase up and see what's occuring on that one. Rob

[wyk]

Howdy, Folks. Wes here again for a follow up review on the Echo CS361WES and CS390ESX saws I purchased from @RobD at Chainsawbars.co.uk now that I've got a bit of work out of them. It's been three months now and I have to say that I am impressed. Most of the work I do with these saws is firewood or land clearing and clean up on a large estate in Waterford, Ireland.  Both saws have had their exhausts modded a bit and retuned. I was intending to port both saws after they broke in, but they both perform so well, I haven't yet bothered.

 

One of the things I noted earlier on was how tight the saws were out of the box. They didn't seem to want to rev as eagerly as some other saws do. After a bit of break-in, the CS361WES is as responsive as any saw, and pulls surprisingly strong. I'm not used to such a lightweight saw having so much power. This saw replaced an MS180 in use here, and it's just so much better in every way. In fact, I prefer it to my MS241CM. It recently handled a gunky laurel removal job with ease, which also had us removing a few good sized pine and larch along a fence line.

 

At first I thought the 15" bar might be asking a bit much of it on either saw, but it's been nothing but a joy to use, and both saws pull them with authority.

 

The CS390ESX punches above it's weight cross cutting. It cuts side to side with my MS241, even though it gives up 3cc's to it. I think the trick is the coil advance curve on the CS390, the porting(not much exhaust timing with stunningly little blow down due to how low the exhaust is at opening, which grants a lot of scavenging at mid RPMs), and the fact the stroke is the same as many other 50cc saws(33mm vs the MS241's 30mm).  This is not a nervous high revving snedder like the 242xp or the 444se were. This is meant for replacing a 40-50cc saw in felling and cross cutting, which is does rather well. Don't get me wrong, I am never snedding with this thing and thinking I am wasting my time. It's just not a crazy high revving machine like some might be used to in a sub 40cc saw. It acts more like a 50cc saw, but weighs much, much less.

 

As far as robustness, I haven't had any issues yet. No failures or factory born issues. The fuel cap issue I saw mentioned a few years back with it sticking on occasion seems to be remedied. The plastics are all PA6-GF/30 like both STihl and Husky(and a great many others) use. Both have professional chassis construction. No exhaust burning anything it isn't supposed to. And no odd wear or tear on the bars or chassis. For how light these things are, I am very impressed with how robust they are and and well they work.

 

 

[wyk]

So, I completely forgot to dig up this footage and post it as my original review. I only just found it on my computer. Very dark out, so the video went a bit poor on me. But this gives you an idea what the saws are about. Wood is very dry oak or maybe Spanish Sweet Chestnut. 390 is wearing a 15" 325NK bar and the 361 has a 15" 3/8 LoPro set up. Both have had their cats removed. These are their first cuts out of the box and first tuning. The 361 still ended up a bit rich, but she pulls strong, as did the 390. If the 361 sounds louder, that's because it is. I gutted the muffler, but I also drilled through the baffle, and then opened up the external cover to match the bolt on exhaust flange/cover thing. So, basically, it is nearly a straight through exhaust. And it sounds like it.

 

 

 

[coppice cutter]

@wyk Excellent reviews and very relevant to my own buying needs at present.

 

Firstly, almost two years later, how are both saws doing?

 

Secondly, there is a huge price difference with the 390 more than half as expensive again compared with the 361, having owned both saws for a useful period of time now, have you any idea why that should be?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by coppice cutter

[Stere]

Are  thesee echo saws on rubber or spring av mounts?

[wyk]

1 hour ago, coppice cutter said:

@wyk Excellent reviews and very relevant to my own buying needs at present.

 

Firstly, almost two years later, how are both saws doing?

 

Secondly, there is a huge price difference with the 390 more than half as expensive again compared with the 361, having owned both saws for a useful period of time now, have you any idea why that should be?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Thanks for the reply. They are still going strong. Not sure I mentioned it earlier, but they live on two large estates that are basically big farms that also have forestries and legacy trees. The 361 stays on the estate I work, and the estate owner is rather enamoured with it and treats it relatively well. It is used very often, in terrible conditions. Never skipped a beat. It's on it's third bar. It was dropped in to the River Suir last winter. Completely submerged, but fortunately not running. I wasn't there, but they showed me photos. They just removed the plug and let it sit by the fire for a few days, occasionally turning it over,  and it went back to work later that week! I wanted to tear it down when I showed up, but they had some trees down and couldn't wait. So one day they just told me 'Hey, it's working again'.

 

The 390 is on a friends farm. He is not a professional, just the owner. And he abuses the hell out of the thing. I work between WIcklow and Waterford. Mainly go to Waterford during the late spring and summer and stay up here in WIcklow most the rest of the year. Every summer he hands me that 390 looking like a tractor made love to it, asking for a tune up. I have to spend about an hour sprucing it up. But she just works. She's also on her third bar.

 

I run them both a little rich as I often see they do not clean the air filters regularly. Or sharpen the chain regularly. Or clean them of anything regularly....

 

@Stere - these little Echo's are rubber AV. Vibration isn't bad.

[coppice cutter]

55 minutes ago, wyk said:

Thanks for the reply. They are still going strong. Not sure I mentioned it earlier, but they live on two large estates that are basically big farms that also have forestries and legacy trees. The 361 stays on the estate I work, and the estate owner is rather enamoured with it and treats it relatively well. It is used very often, in terrible conditions. Never skipped a beat. It's on it's third bar. It was dropped in to the River Suir last winter. Completely submerged, but fortunately not running. I wasn't there, but they showed me photos. They just removed the plug and let it sit by the fire for a few days, occasionally turning it over,  and it went back to work later that week! I wanted to tear it down when I showed up, but they had some trees down and couldn't wait. So one day they just told me 'Hey, it's working again'.

 

The 390 is on a friends farm. He is not a professional, just the owner. And he abuses the hell out of the thing. I work between WIcklow and Waterford. Mainly go to Waterford during the late spring and summer and stay up here in WIcklow most the rest of the year. Every summer he hands me that 390 looking like a tractor made love to it, asking for a tune up. I have to spend about an hour sprucing it up. But she just works. She's also on her third bar.

 

I run them both a little rich as I often see they do not clean the air filters regularly. Or sharpen the chain regularly. Or clean them of anything regularly....

 

@Stere - these little Echo's are rubber AV. Vibration isn't bad.

Good man, thanks for that.

 

What about the price difference, would you see it in them?

 

Do you think the 361 would have stuck the abuse that the 390 got?

Edited January 11, 2021 by coppice cutter