Piston Skirt

Valid only for old 2511 without active idle correction. Otherwise most guys are “tuning by ear” and can’t understand why the saw is not reacting to L, or idles nice but does not accelerate properly...

MS170 and say MS 261 will differ in costs approximately 4 times. First of all MS170 consists of around 180-190 parts total while 261 will be somewhere between 350-400. Part number alone makes the costs very different. Then, of course, the assembly procedures which are needed to get all this together. Then there is the basic structure of the saw - MS170 has relatively simple steel conrod with pressed in roller cage bearings while MS 261 has a forged conrod with thermally treated ends and higher grade bearings in them. Both crankshafts are essentially different - MS170 has a regular pressed 3 piece crank while MS261 has a 2 piece crank where the PTO side is way harder to produce in 1 piece with the crank pin... Basically you can go through entire saw and most of the parts will differ like this, requiring additional operations and treatment which in turn consume energy and time which is not free :) And then there is QC which also consists of procedures. I might be wrong but MS170 and MS261 most likely are treated differently at that stage too...

All chassis (exc.1) designed after 2006 do. (In order of apprarance:) 310, 352, 590-621, 4510, 2511, 3510, 7310.

They invented it in ~2014 and introduced in 2017 in Japan. 3510 comes in both configurations.

Plug lead cap always was like that on Shindaiwa 446 and all subsequent units on that chassis. It’s 500ES and 501SX that have received the more durable plug cap to withstand regular spark plug changes (which obviously every professional does every 150hours :D) And that is a nut on a PTO end:

They all are still built to the exactly same standards - 3510 is partly a replacement for 15 year old 352 with far better features. As for pro line up it is not shrinking but expanding so from “few models left” it has already added 7310. More to come.

Has been so for a decade. Cs-500 was plastic-handled into CS-490. Now the 490 has a successor with a power bump-up in form of 4910. Where is the problem? In US market it is targeted at 271/450. How is it anything bad? As for the rest of the world the pro line-up is about to expand soon.

Well, the material IS mainly chrome yet obviously not the same as it was for some manufacturers. The coating is porous hence no need for honing to aid the better oil film properties. Other manufacturer ancient failures obviously have nothing to do with Yamabiko’s quality and technology as the latter one release nearly 3 million engines every year with either type of plating and none of the problems arise. Even the iron plating that previously was used for 360/361 wasn’t problematic, was it?

Echo is using it for decades - most likely you’ve seen it, just not from inside

Just as you’ve worded Nikasil (was a registered trademark IIRC), chrome isn’t the same in say a regular cylinder and Yamabiko cylinder. I won’t go deep in this but in the latter one you normally won’t even find regular honing marks. Both Yamaha and Yamabiko are still using it, actually, and they never stopped so there is no sort of “coming back” because there was never a “going away” - just a serious development over time. And yes, as i’ve mentioned the iron plating (not lining) is also something Yamabiko has developed in-house and it’s also superior to regular old-school chrome plating.

Nikasil is Mahle’s thing. Not all chrome platings are the same as well. The one used by Yamabiko is specific, used for quite many years and differs from those you will find in regular stuff. In 362 it replaced Yamabiko’s own patented iron plating which is also superior to the regular chrome plating. That one also has a long history. None of those have a bad reputation and none of them are “resurrected”

The nuts on WES model, just like the caps are a heritage from previous generation. Top handle had them changed. 360 is actually the oldest development of the 3 makers so no wonder it has some outdated things on it.

No. Last digit change on ECHO means minor update (like 2510-2511, this year’s trimmers & brushcutters 2620–>2621 etc.). If you look carefully - to enlarge filler holes 36x needs both tanks ant starter modified which is quite a major overhaul. That would change the model name into the recent/new 4-digit type.

360/361 -> 362 main difference is cylinder inner plating (now chrome).

It does characteristics wise. X series mark only tools for professional use that have one or more best in class features (i.e. power or weight or torque or ratio of them, or cutting performance etc. Or the combination of those). In other words - all X series are pro units but not all pro units are X.

I’ve never tried it with a Panther bar or chain but at least I know Stihl’s pitch is slightly off 1/4”. You can hear it when you first put on 2500 but later the sprocket wears in and the noise decreases. Anyway, my point (and that video too) is pruning - for average branches there’s barelly any difference. As for battery usage there is also a lot of saving if you dont push it into the cut - the motor control has an adaptive battery saving function and you can easily save 10-20% of energy without notably sacrificing cutting speed. Just feel the sweet spot with using the least effort.

2500 has slightly more torque but at lower revs and does not have a clutch. Therefore it has to be controlled differenty and for some cutting styles it may not work. Maximum cutting speed and control (“forgiveness” or “balls”) are different parameters. Also what most of the tests do not show is cutting speeds at different thicknesses (hence what you say in your post). At the jobs for which both the 25cc saws are made (pruning) they will work like in the video. BTW, does your 2500T come with .043 Sugihara chain/bar set? Asking for a friend

Well, stock vs stock 2500/2511 is in the beginning of the video:

7310 was designed purely by Japanese team. Apart from having a cylinder, 2 stroke engine, 2 handles, almost identical weight and peak torque the similarities end. The only thing that actually connects them is the guy who created the patented swirl air pre-cleaning system (for 7310 and 7410) - that chap used to work for Zenoah in pre-husky days. Let it run for at least 10 hours - that one changes a lot after break in and re-adjustment.

Try unclipping it single-handedly. The point of the QuickDraw hook is it’s shape, allowing the action on virtually all belt hooks, not the fact that there is separate place for lanyard. Scroll to 4:00 in following video:

I spent 15 years working for Metabo distributor. Can’t advise objectively as I’m biased even after switching jobs

Well, that chassis was made almost 20 years ago by Shindaiwa and is basically inherited :). Since then from approx. 2007 all new Echoes are “springed” too. 171/181 wasnt yet around, 310 already was spring suspended. As for Metabo - yes, the compensator is really nice. But if you work hard, fingers still start tingling way sooner than with a chainsaw.

The numbers are averages taken using 3 axis measurements at several rpm ranges. There are also values for 8 hour days, those are typically way lower (as they take into account 1/3 engine off time). Sometimes all these numbers do not tell the story, but they are still a good reference. Also note, there are separate numbers for front and rear handle. As a max. value 5m/s is already a noticeable figure for prolonged usage. Homeowner trimmers and blowers come as high as 8-10m/s. Angle grinders are a tragedy anyway

Of all the things 390/446/452/490/500/501 had/have, brake definitely is not a problem. AV cushions - yes, for guys that love to get the bar pinched and then pull out.

51x36, two piece crank.