Choosing a saw...

[john87]

Here is a bit of a link from this very forum..

john..

[MattyF]

Having owned over 20 electric carbed saws from all stables over the last ten years I would describe them all as very reliable .. I don't think I've had one problem tbh....

[john87]

28 minutes ago, MattyF said:

Having owned over 20 electric carbed saws from all stables over the last ten years I would describe them all as very reliable .. I don't think I've had one problem tbh....

That is good to hear!! Like i said, i would imagine most problems are down to idiots with shitty fuel, but it is nice to hear the experiences that people have had before i rush out and buy anything!!

 

john..

[tim361]

If you after a 60cc saw you could always buy a ms361 from Robin on here. Great saw and none of the electric stuff

[PDUANECORK]

Hi all, brillant trend.

I'm currently in a very similar scenario.

 

I have a Echo CS-4510es with a 18" bar, runs, starts, cuts etc like the day I bought it.

I treat it well and the only time I take it back to my dealer is to give it a tune (I'm afraid to touch the mixture screws). 

I have about 10/15 large beech trees dying and as you can see from the photos Im suffering with the 18" bar, plus I dont want flog the CS-4510es to death. 

Is a 60cc/70cc saw with a 24" bar over kill for a second saw. I tried to find a used saw but gave up on this idea. 

In addition to the size of saw & bar would I be better off getting a saw with "auto tune"??? Thanks. 

IMG_2457.HEIC IMG_2446.HEIC IMG_2445.HEIC

[john87]

35 minutes ago, PDUANECORK said:

Hi all, brillant trend.

I'm currently in a very similar scenario.

 

I have a Echo CS-4510es with a 18" bar, runs, starts, cuts etc like the day I bought it.

I treat it well and the only time I take it back to my dealer is to give it a tune (I'm afraid to touch the mixture screws). 

I have about 10/15 large beech trees dying and as you can see from the photos Im suffering with the 18" bar, plus I dont want flog the CS-4510es to death. 

Is a 60cc/70cc saw with a 24" bar over kill for a second saw. I tried to find a used saw but gave up on this idea. 

In addition to the size of saw & bar would I be better off getting a saw with "auto tune"??? Thanks. 

IMG_2457.HEIC 1.59 MB · 4 downloads IMG_2446.HEIC 4.63 MB · 3 downloads IMG_2445.HEIC 3.5 MB · 3 downloads

Number one consideration is go and handle a few and find one you like the feel and balance of Worry about the make second as they are all much of a muchness really.

 

Cannot see why you need the thing "tuned" as the carb settings should not change over time unless you have the modern unleaded in it.. Granted, one with "autotune" would be good if you never want to have to fiddle with carb settings, but i have not had to touch the carbs on mine. My brand new husqvarna hedge trimmer carb was MILES out though so i had to sort that..

 

john..

[Dan Maynard]

1 hour ago, PDUANECORK said:

Hi all, brillant trend.

I'm currently in a very similar scenario.

 

I have a Echo CS-4510es with a 18" bar, runs, starts, cuts etc like the day I bought it.

I treat it well and the only time I take it back to my dealer is to give it a tune (I'm afraid to touch the mixture screws). 

I have about 10/15 large beech trees dying and as you can see from the photos Im suffering with the 18" bar, plus I dont want flog the CS-4510es to death. 

Is a 60cc/70cc saw with a 24" bar over kill for a second saw. I tried to find a used saw but gave up on this idea. 

In addition to the size of saw & bar would I be better off getting a saw with "auto tune"??? Thanks. 

IMG_2457.HEIC 1.59 MB · 7 downloads IMG_2446.HEIC 4.63 MB · 3 downloads IMG_2445.HEIC 3.5 MB · 5 downloads

Personally, I think an 18" bar is too much for a 45cc saw as that's only 2.3kW so it will struggle especially in beech.

 

I call it the @Stubby rule, sure he didn't invent it but anyway divide cc by 3 is a good rule of thumb for the bar length it will run confidently. 20" is enough for a 60cc saw, if you are determined to have 24" then better get 70cc but it's a much bigger and heavier saw to handle. I can't open your pictures but a 60cc saw on 20" is a massive step up in power and  cutting ability from 45cc. It's tempting to get drawn in to a bigger saw just in case you need it but really you want to be using the smallest saw which is productive, lighter is less tiring and easier to control therefore safer.

[PDUANECORK]

 

Thanks for the replies.  The need for a large saw and 24" bar may be arising from the lack of power fron the 4510es. 

 

Plus I'm 6'4" so a longer bar wouldbe nice for bucking. 

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by PDUANECORK

[Pete Mctree]

1 hour ago, john87 said:

Number one consideration is go and handle a few and find one you like the feel and balance of Worry about the make second as they are all much of a muchness really.

 

Cannot see why you need the thing "tuned" as the carb settings should not change over time unless you have the modern unleaded in it.. Granted, one with "autotune" would be good if you never want to have to fiddle with carb settings, but i have not had to touch the carbs on mine. My brand new husqvarna hedge trimmer carb was MILES out though so i had to sort that..

 

john..

Performance, balance and power delivery vary massively between brands and models as does reliability and availability of spares - bigger picture thinking is required 
 

Carbs need adjustment. When you buy your saw it will be set to run a little rich for the break in period and then needs retuning. As the machine further breaks in and reaches full power it requires more fuel - retune again. Change altitude drastically - retune    Saw gets a little worn - need more fuel usually- retune (this is why solenoids on mtronics need changing as the replacement has larger fueling apertures) etc etc etc
 

 

[john87]

Hi All,

 

Ok, so what did i do...

 

Well, first off, i listened to what all of you said. One thing learnt was the rule about whatever bar length you want, requires about 3 times the cc's to pull it, properly and it had been pointed out that it is best to go with the "middle size" bar of the options you get, so i had something to go on now..

 

It was explained by your good selves, that a 60cc saw with a 20" bar would be a good combination.

 

With the make i chose [more on that later] the 60cc saw was less than a pound lighter than the 73cc version, so that gave me more to think about too..

 

So, what did i decide to do??

 

Well, i was torn between Stihl and Echo. I handled an MS50I and very nice it was too, but a bit expensive for a saw that i will not see use much anyway.

 

Remember, i only do what i do, out of well, not a debt to society, [i have not been to jail or anything!!] but what i do does benefit others, greatly i suppose and society in general too, so call it charitable work.

 

Anyway, I had a look at a Stihl MS462 as well, and these were just as nice and the price was not bad either for the quality of saw, so it came down to what did i think i would have the least trouble with..

 

Now, i have three Echo saws already, and these have all been faultless. Another thing i noticed that was if i googled "problems with Stihl MSXXX" there were loads of posts, and a LOAD of people saying that the Stihl warranty service was not good with them mostly not wanting to help.

 

On the other hand, you google "problems with Echo CS-XXX" and there is next to nothing.. I would think that most of the Stihl fuelling or starting problems you here about are people putting mucky fuel in them, but there was still a general sense that Stihl are not too interested once they have sold you the thing. There are loads of posts on this forum concerning that sort of thing..

 

I had also read posts on this forum about people that had broke the bar stud on CS-2511's and the Echo dealers it seemed, did all they could to help.. So based on my own experiences and the reputation of Echo looking after you once you had bought one, Echo it was.. But which one??

 

I had taken on board the idea of say, a 20" bar needs 60cc, so i was going to get a CS-621SX, indeed, members of the forum had said that a 24" bar on a 60cc saw might be a bit much, so when i saw that the bigger 73cc model was less that a pound heavier, than the 60cc, i thought that for such a small weight difference, i might as well get the bigger saw, as that would pull a 24" bar [which is what i wanted] no problem at all.. Soooo...

 

I checked, and "Forest and Arb" of Winchester told me that they had A CS-7310 in stock with a 24" bar, so off i went 120 miles to get it. They did say that they did next day free delivery and could do this no problem, but i thought i might as well have a day out!!

 

I got there and i saw one on display, but it turned out to be a 28" one. They went to get the 24" one they had, but someone had taken the bar out of the box, and not told the chap i had arranged all this with [i think they were the manager] who was not best pleased at all..

 

So, as i had come a long way, they tried their best, they really did..

 

They gave me a very good discount on the 28" one, and they are going to order a 24" bar for me, and do it at not much more than cost, so you cannot say fairer than that. I might see if i can get the 20" bar instead though, might as well if i already have a 28"

 

They were very very helpful and their shop is very well stocked too with PILES of climbing stuff, definitely well worth a look..

 

So, the saw itself?? Well, a big heavy thing as is to be expected, with a very solid and sturdy feel to it too.

 

A 25" Stihl MS462 felt lighter overall, but there was not much in it [about 1.5 pounds according to the spec sheets] although the Echo felt slightly front heavy too compared to the Stihl, but then, it had a 28" solid bar on it, instead of a 25" lightweight one, so i suppose you would expect this.

 

The Echo build quality seems very good though, a well solid feel to it as i say. You get the impression that you will not break it in a hurry..

 

So, what does it run like??

 

My saw had never been run before it seems, as no traces of petrol smell or oil in it at all, and, as i had fuel with me, and oil too, so i checked it over, adjusted the chain, and filled it with fuel and oil in a layby on the side of the road to "try it out" as it were.

 

It fired up after about 5 pulls, which i thought was very good for something that had never even run before.

 

I JUST managed to resist the temptation to cut down some trees on the side of the road for fun, but the saw sounded great, just revving it gently up and down to help run it in, with the chain oiler working fine too. After a few minutes i thought i would see what it is like to start hot. Once again, easy, one pull and it fires up.. Whether you hold it with the saw between your legs [you know what i mean!!] or drop start it, it starts very easily..

 

If you want a very solid feeling saw, with bags of power, no funny electronics to go wrong, AND a great reputation for reliability and dealer backup, you could do a LOT worse than buy an Echo..

 

So, in the next week it will have its first outing, sawing up a 2 foot diameter silver birch, so i will be sure to post back and tell you how the thing performed!!

 

john..