Oleo Mac GSH560 review

[jrose]

Hi all,

 

I've been meaning to write a review of this saw for a while, so here goes...

 

In November last year I found myself in need of a new 50cc ish saw. I mainly do utility arb, with a bit of domestic and firewood for myself. I walked into my local dealer fully prepared to spend £600-700 on a MS261, or was going to investigate what the Echo options were. When I saw this beauty sitting on the stand, for £279 all in (currently cheaper at FR Jones, £260).

 

I had a little 35cc Efco (same saw, different sticker) years ago and was pleasantly suprised. So I asked my dealer to change the provided 20" bar for a 15", and walked out the door with it. I've been using it as my main ground saw since - for coppicing, dismantles, firewood and as a chipper saw. Basically as I would normally use a 261/550. It's put up so far with the same amount of abuse, being chucked around a tree, dropped on ground, etc.

 

For the price, it's very hard to beat. Power is not quite at the level of Stihl/Husky etc, but it's really not that far off. Weight, I haven't put it on scales but not massively heavier than the pro saws either.

 

What really lets it down is the anti vibe - it's definitely noticable! I wouldn't want to be putting tank fulls through it every day in the woods.

 

Overall I wouldn't buy one if I was in forestry, or using a 50cc saw a lot. But as a first saw, chipper saw or as a backup I can definitely recommend this one given that you could buy 2 for the price of a Husky/Stihl, and still have some change.

[pleasant]

I sell these, and for a pro user to say they are good given the work he's put it through, which is far and away more than its designed for, is good to hear.

 

My most popular saw is the slightly smaller GSH510 with the 18" bar. A lot of saw for not a lot of money. They are only a domestic use saw with little pro user warranty, and are ideal for a home owner who has had a large tree felled that needs cutting into logs, or has had a delivery of larger than normal diameter logs.

 

Chinese, but with a lot of italian input. I think they are good.

 

 

[Stere]

I wonder why they can't  get the anti vibe  as good on the cheaper saws it seems the main weakness?

 

 

Is it not  just some springs after all asuming its not stlll rubber mounts?

 

Cost or beacause they are based on copies of older designs?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pleasant]

Cost..and they are not based on copies of older designs either.

 

It's cost money to ensure saws pass industry AV standards for pro use, not just in the UK, but also the world market. Not just the cost of development, design and parts but also the cost to have them additionally tested plus the cost of the tests.

 

If you produce a saw for the domestic market, then it's not an issue if they don't meet AV specs for pro use. A domestic user isn't going to be using a saw for 8 hours a day either

Edited March 27, 2023 by pleasant

[lurch_917]

i have run and still run a efco mt3700 as my second saw 37cc 16in bar works well, but as said wouldn't want to run it as a pro all day may be the reason i upgraded to a husky 560xp for the big jobs .

and to the gent that said the the ollly was chinese well all i can say is the efco ones were from italy .

 

[pleasant]

3 hours ago, lurch_917 said:

i have run and still run a efco mt3700 as my second saw 37cc 16in bar works well, but as said wouldn't want to run it as a pro all day may be the reason i upgraded to a husky 560xp for the big jobs .

and to the gent that said the the ollly was chinese well all i can say is the efco ones were from italy .

 

Having been a dealer for efco and latterly oleo mac products for nearly 30 years, i can assure you the GSH range of saws from oleo-mac (which is what we are discussing) are chinese sourced with italian design input. The GSH range are specifically a budget home owner product for those who occasionally need a larger than normal saw.

 

Both oleo-mac and Efco are the same company, selling identical machines under the different brand names in different parts of the world. Oleo-mac products were sold into the uk market In the 80s and 90s, then they re-branded the products (and colour) as efco for the uk and usa. Since covid lockdown the parent company decided to streamline the company and saw no sense in selling the same products under different names across the world. The decision was taken to drop the efco name and everything was re-named oleo-mac in those previous efco branded countries. This coincided with the introduction of the budget GSH range of products, which were introduced as a cheaper option to their solely italian made products,

 

As for the efco mt3700, these are a completely different and earlier product range and are italian......ive been to the production facility in piano italy to see them being made. Again these are a budget home owner range made to compete with the stihl ms171  181 product, so it should come as no surprise that if you purchase one of these as a professional user you 'wouldn't want to run it as a pro all day' because thats noit what its for.

Edited March 28, 2023 by pleasant

[broadsword]

Hi Have a Oleo Mac dealer in my town-southwest garden machinery. I picked up the GS371 35 CC saw for small felling, snedding etc. It is fantastic quality little saw and I'm very happy with its performance. I have a 550xp, 560xp and numerous other bigger saws but find I always reach for the GS if possible as starts on first pull and is light, nimble and powerful for its size. As I understand it the GSHs are Chinese but the GS models are Italian made? I will absolutely buy the bigger 411 or 451 soon as well for thinning and slightly bigger trees. Very impressed.