Homeowner chainsaw rec.

[Turbys_1700]

Back in the day my dad sold Homelites. The XL 12 was touted as a 12# saw which when it came out in the 60's was quite a feat, When the little EZ was introduced it was lighter and had a lot of power for it's size. Pop told me that as he got older that little EZ was easier to handle than the heavier XL. That was good advice.

If money is no object get the highest HP to weight saw on the market with the best support. If money is an object get a refurbished Poulan with the best HP to weight ratio. A sharp full chisel chain and a light weight saw will cut a lot of wood even if it is a small saw. The saw will wear me out before I wear out the saw.

 

[Creamer]

Back in the day my dad sold Homelites. The XL 12 was touted as a 12# saw which when it came out in the 60's was quite a feat, When the little EZ was introduced it was lighter and had a lot of power for it's size. Pop told me that as he got older that little EZ was easier to handle than the heavier XL. That was good advice.

If money is no object get the highest HP to weight saw on the market with the best support. If money is an object get a refurbished Poulan with the best HP to weight ratio. A sharp full chisel chain and a light weight saw will cut a lot of wood even if it is a small saw. The saw will wear me out before I wear out the saw.

That is a valid point. I was borrowing a saw from a friend before I bought my Stihl. He didn't take very good care of his saw and so i wa always repairing it before I could use so I finally bought my own. I could not believe the difference in fatigue - I could cut a lot more wood and a lot longer with the Stihl due to the lack of vibration and the balance of the saw. i was just amazed at the difference. that was 25 years ago though and I am sure the others have improved but vibration is as big a factor as cutting power when you are talking about how much wood you can cut in a day.

 

[RandyT]

But a close friend bought a new 40cc Echo and he hates it, so go figure. I think it is running to lean and they put limiters on them to make them tamper proof. If you take the limiters off that voids the 5 year warranty. If you let it run lean and score a piston, that also voids the warranty. I told him I would look at it for him but he is apprehensive about that and he doesn't know what to do with it. He took it back to the dealer and he said it is within specifications and charged him $25 for the look. But from dealing with this dealer, he is something to be desired.

If my choices were between voiding the warranty by removing the limiter caps, or voiding the warranty because of scored cylinder, the limiter caps would be gone. I am actually surprised it has limiter caps, most of the newer stuff requires a special dealer only adjustment tool. And if you look into that 5 year warranty I think you will find it is kind of prorated, certain things are only covered for certain years, with the last year being the ignition module, or parts only if I remember correctly. I could be wrong so don't believe me but check for yourself.

 

[Deere Dude]

I have a hard time thinking Echo would have a bad saw out in the 40 cc class. Too good of a brand for that to be the case. Are there other Echo dealers close enough that he could take it to? Sounds like a warranty call, I do not think he should have been charged.

Totally agree. I don't think it is a bad saw but Echo sets them up lean, generally. Conversing with a big well respected Echo guy on another forum said that every time he comes across a new Echo he needs to redo the limiters caps and make them run a little richer in order to run well. But I didn't touch my new Echo and seems fine, so it is not across the board.

Just how the dealer thinks; I was shopping Echo saws and he had a 60 cc in the store room. I looked at it and eventually said I wanted a different model with more HP etc but cost $150+ more. He said they are the same engine so I should just get the cheap one. The cheaper one was advertise to pull a 18-20" bar. The more expensive one was advertised to pull a 20-24 or 25?" bar. I told him the motors can't be the same if there is that big of a difference.. CCs ,might be the same but construction, porting , exhaust etc has to be different. I couldn't win that argument with him.

Eventually I told him I wanted to order the bigger, more pro model. he said fine, he will order it. This was in April and I asked for a delivery date. He said February. That took me by surprise as I thought he was mixed up, so I asked for clarification. Then I asked how a saw takes so long to get. He said he usually orders all his stuff, garden tractors, mowers, saws, blowers etc once a year and that is December or January. Thanks but no thanks.

So I just got on line and ordered and got one in 2-3 days from half a country away and $150 cheaper. He could have ordered from the same place as I did, marked it up $50 and sold it to me and I wouldn't have known the difference, but I do now.

That is the dealership we have so I can see how he wouldn't adjust my friends saw. I was going to tell my friend I will take it off it hands for cheap because he was about ready to throw it away but I thought that would be mean.

 

[MossRoad]

Me to.UP of Michigan say Yah to Da UP

Been there many times, too! YAH!! :thumbsup:

Whitefish bay, the falls, the locks, pictured rocks, porcupine mountains, lake of the clouds, palms book... we did the lake michigan circle tour twice, once in each direction. Superior is COLD in August!! :laughing: