best top handle saw

[stihlmadasever]

Oh Christ, that's a throwback of an argument! Were you not impressed by how much plastic the 020 had?

 

020av was a great saw,its only fault was it was a bitch to service

[spudulike]

My take is tha tthe MS200 is a great machine, has a few little foibles but pulls cleanly through the entire rev range with decent low down torque.

 

The early MS201s were shocking and reminded me of bad 335XPTs, almost no go from low revs and sometimes barely had the power to spin the chain but spools up OK once running at mid revs but lack of decent power.

 

The latter modded version still wasnt as good as the MS200.

 

Not tried the Autotune model but a muffler mod and ignition advance on the earlier MS201 versions significantly livens it up in line with moded MS200 performance.

 

The 540XPT has sort of MS200 like power IMO.

 

I still reckon the MS200 is the best one, easly to work on once you have done 1 or 50:sneaky2:

[spudulike]

020av was a great saw,its only fault was it was a bitch to service

 

I agree on that point!!

[simsimo]

I'll second the echo 360tes, great little saw. I've got 3 200t's and the echo and I'd happily either. If I lost them all now I'd buy the echo again.

[tonytree]

What is the build quality like on the echos. They just look like a diy saw to me, just my opinion

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

What is the build quality like on the echos. They just look like a diy saw to me, just my opinion

 

Think Toyota vs Volkswagen. The Japanese stuff is sheer quality. I adore Echo, absolutely besotted with em.

[Taupotreeman]

Happened upon this thread while doing some research. I have a MS200t with a heap of spares that runs pretty well for its age but need a back up saw. I can't really afford a new 201, don't particularly like the 540 which leaves the 193 (currently have a 192 with a carving bar which is awesome), a 150 or one of the other, seemingly lesser brands. The Echos are a coupla hundy less than the 193 soooooooo are they as good? I see them in the local safety shop and they always look a little cheaply made compared to the two main brands (yep, I know what I just said about being $200 less) but are they actually that?

[SawTroll]

I don't use top handle saws myself, but from the zillion posts I have read on different forums, there are little doubt that the 540XPT is the best performer. It isn't perfect though, some issues with external attachments have been reported.

[stihlmadasever]

I don't use top handle saws myself, but from the zillion posts I have read on different forums, there are little doubt that the 540XPT is the best performer. It isn't perfect though, some issues with external attachments have been reported.

 

Agreed.Also i think saws are a personal thing,when you find that perfect saw,balanced and trustworthy its like an extension of your arm.Only problem is you will have too go through some different saws to find that perfect companion.

[Eddy_t]

Agreed.Also i think saws are a personal thing,when you find that perfect saw,balanced and trustworthy its like an extension of your arm.Only problem is you will have too go through some different saws to find that perfect companion.

 

 

Saws are very personal, some like big saws with small bars, others like small saws with longer bars. Some like torque, others hold it on high rpm. The T540XP is much faster, especially on a shorter bar, whilst the 201TM is better suited to the longer bar where the torque can be utilised. Both become amazing with a muffler mod!