geoff

The Stihl 150 is a lovely saw in use, once the exhaust has been modded, which is a five minute job, but the plastics are fragile, & tool strop loop too. The Echo is better built, & more durable, also responding well to exhaust mods, my the chain brake requires regular cleaning or it can get awkward to use, as it is mounted on one side only, so can flex. If your going for a larger top handle saw, seriously consider the Echo 360, it is not that much more expensive, & comes with 14 inch bar, I bought a Sugi 12 inch carving bar for light pruning, & slip the 14 inch stock bar on for take down. The Echo takes a few tanks to run in, & likes a warm up before use, it is a high quality saw.

Burns hot & fairly fast, it's ok in a stove, on an open fire not so good. Not a great commercial firewood, but it will keep you warm.

There are, going on other threads here, quite a few people who consider these saws as inferior the the big 2, or as a 'poor man's saw', they are not, the build is as good or better than the S&H machinery, I think in a year or so they will be seen as a main stream option, or even preference, attitudes are slow to change, (Hence my mentioning torpor). About time for a little shake up in the industry imo, far too many cases of saws not being of a good quality. Remember the tests done by Stihl on chinese saw handles breaking, as compared to their own, well much as I like the saw, I have seen plenty of ms150's with handles broken & not from abuse! Top handle saws with strop clips breaking, potentially dangerous in itself. Husky saw problems abound too. The list of gripes, failures & bad service goes on... Rant over!

Here's an interesting video, the Echo is not run in, brand new, & these saws like to bed in, also the wood gets smaller every cut. Bear in mind a 2 year pro warranty, & a price of £576 inc at Forest & arb. Saw will take a 24 inch bar.

I'm thinking of the 620 too, my 360 has been nothing but a joy to use, it took a few tank fulls to sort itself out, but it is getting stronger in the cut as it gets used, no racing machine, but torquey, I'm running a Sugi carve bar & Stihl full chisel,& quite happy with the performance. I think there is some torpor going on with people reluctant to accept Echo as viable, that I feel will change in light of the declining competition, & as us 'saw pioneers' show them in their true light!

3 Yorkshire lads and 3 Cockney blokes were in a ticket queue at York Central train station heading to Euston for a Scotland - England International at Wembley. The 3 Cockneys each bought a ticket and watched as the 3 Yorkies bought just one ticket between them. "How are the 3 of you going to travel on 1 ticket?" asked one of the Cockneys. "Thall av t watch and learn" answered one of the boys from the North. When the 6 travellers boarded the train, the 3 Londoners sat down, but the 3 Northerners crammed into a toilet together and closed the door. Shortly after the train set off the conductor came around to collect tickets. He knocked on the toilet door and said, "tickets please." The door opened just a crack and a single arm emerged with a ticket in hand. The Conductor took it and moved on into the next car. The Southerners saw this happen and agreed it was quite a clever idea. Indeed, so clever that they decided to do the same thing on the return trip and save themselves some money. That evening after the game, when they all got to Euston, the Cockney blokes bought a single ticket for the return trip, while to their astonishment, the 3 Yorkshire lads didn't even buy 1 ticket. "How are you going to travel without a ticket?" asked one of the perplexed Cockneys. "A tell thee, tha has t watch and learn", answered one of the Tykes. When they boarded the train the 3 Cockneys crammed themselves into a toilet and the 3 Yorkies crammed themselves into another toilet. Shortly after the train began to move, one of the Tykes left their toilet and walked over to the Cockney's toilet. He knocked on the door and said "ticket please".

So how does it work if you go for a Loler test on the cracked zigzag, it's going to fail, surely a case of 'not fit for purpose', yet Petzl say it's ok, its not life threatening, hmm...have I missed something here?

Form an orderly queue!

That is breathtaking.

The cordless dremmel is the mutts, Ive had one a few year & it is powerful, fast, & reliable.

As Treequip says, if not a top end refresh can be anything from new rings & bore hone, to rebore & valve lap, replacement, but check the external stuff before spending money.

Tired engines get hot, if it's burning oil, etc, sounds like it could do with a refresh on the top end.

Can you not cut & weld an extension?

It will only show hard frost, absorbs the rain so wont shine,is insensitive to the wind, & in fog you might bump your head on it! There's a lot of research goes into these things!

Beet ya to it, & got thanked!

One of the pitfalls of poverty is breeding, it's cheep entertainment Sh8gging...

Time for an Echo then?

Actually, that is bloody good stuff.

Let the petrol evaporate, lots of hot water & clothes washing liquid, pour the liquid cleaner on, & brush it about, let it have a bit of time to break up the oil, then hot water & brushing again. If the tarmac is soft from the petrol you might be better letting it evaporate for a day or so before. wash a large area & it will likely blend in.

If you go out in the rain or frost, look on the ground & if you see a stone that corresponds to the conditions prevailing, chances are it's a good one, if it has a hole in it then it's easier to hang mate! Failing that, for a marginal fee I can send you one!

Just get a 'weather stone', & hang it outside, failproof & accurate. If the stone is wet its raining. If it's white it's frosty. If its white on top it's snowing. If its swinging around it's windy. If you can't see the bloody thing it's foggy. Simples...

Congratulations, lovely babies.

Welcome back after what sounds like a long heartbreaking journey to a better place.

Nice honest post mate!

Sorry to hear this mate, not good.