Matagorn
Treehouser
Hey guys. I’m thinking of getting an echo 355 T as a back up climbing saw to my Stihl 201Tcm. Any thoughts from those who have run the 355t?
Echo 355T
- Thread starter Matagorn
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Merle Nelson
TreeHouser
It's cheap and it works. I bought one and then another as back ups.
Benjo75
Treehouser
I like mine. It cuts fast enough for topping for me. I also have a 201 tcm and although they feel different I don't think I could say which one cuts faster. Not enough difference to worry about.
Merle Nelson
TreeHouser
Yes it certainly is fast enough.
BeerGeek
Tree Numbnutz
Order an extra bar for yours. I've been waiting 3+ weeks for a replacement after getting mine bent blocking down something large.
Try Sawagain.com, super fast shipping, good customer service and they sell Tsumura bars too.
SkwerI
Treehouser
I bought two of the Echo 2511T saws about 6 months ago and was quite disappointed in them. In stock form they don't have enough power to pull a greased string out of a cat's ass. They seem sturdy enough but have been relegated to the lightest duty work or used as loaner saws. Good for palm trees or crepe myrtle trims, little else.
I've heard they respond well to porting but at $400 the added cost of porting puts them in line with the Stihl MS150T, which has gobs more power with just a 3 minute muffler mod. My three recurring issues with the MS150T are the kill switch grounding bolt coming loose and stripping out, oiler quits working and the bar stud is loose from the factory (pull it out, apply locktite and reinstall). I bought the Echos as replacements for the Stihls but there's absolutely no comparison in power. I guess I will deal with the minor shortcomings in the 150T rather than the gutless wonder with the Echo label.
I've heard they respond well to porting but at $400 the added cost of porting puts them in line with the Stihl MS150T, which has gobs more power with just a 3 minute muffler mod. My three recurring issues with the MS150T are the kill switch grounding bolt coming loose and stripping out, oiler quits working and the bar stud is loose from the factory (pull it out, apply locktite and reinstall). I bought the Echos as replacements for the Stihls but there's absolutely no comparison in power. I guess I will deal with the minor shortcomings in the 150T rather than the gutless wonder with the Echo label.
Unless you modified them, the 2511t has a bigger chain, both pitch and gauge. The chain it comes with also sucks until it gets pretty well used. I'd expect 1/4" chain to outperform it in raw speed. It's cutting less in every rotation.
Benjo75
Treehouser
I bought the electric Husqvarna top handle a little over a year ago and haven't even started another top handle since. Except for one time when I forgot to bring an extra battery. I have a fleet of 020T, 200T and a few 201TCM and one Echo. They all just sit. I do have to swap to the 260 a little sooner but it's worth it.
I really can't tell much of a difference. The Echo doesn't seem to have the chain speed of the 201 but it seems to have more low end. Which isn't usually a good quality for a saw but it does fine for me.
I really can't tell much of a difference. The Echo doesn't seem to have the chain speed of the 201 but it seems to have more low end. Which isn't usually a good quality for a saw but it does fine for me.
Nutball
TreeHouser
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Jed
TreeHouser
Wow, Nutball... That is INCREDIBLY impressive. Mostly your building skills, but also the fact that that stinkin oiler could keep up with all of that chip-flow in that pine. That's no joke. Btw. has any scientist ever determined exactly HOW Echo has somehow managed to engineer the BOUNCIEST saw that has ever been made? What the heck is wrong with that tiny, spring-loaded little pig. They're ALL like that. I hate em, but I gotta feelin' I'd be changing my ture real quick if I ran yours. That was seriously amazing.
Oh... for whoever asked... I am a HUGE fan of the 355. Oils like a geyser. Just take the stupid exhaust deflector off (three little screws, if I remember rightly) and that saw is the hugest power to money ratio that has ever been made. I would heartily endorse your purchase of it. The kill switch will die. Deal with it. Just choke the little pig out. Five pulls to re-start?... Big deal. Insanely good value.
Oh... for whoever asked... I am a HUGE fan of the 355. Oils like a geyser. Just take the stupid exhaust deflector off (three little screws, if I remember rightly) and that saw is the hugest power to money ratio that has ever been made. I would heartily endorse your purchase of it. The kill switch will die. Deal with it. Just choke the little pig out. Five pulls to re-start?... Big deal. Insanely good value.
Matagorn
Treehouser
Jed
TreeHouser
Yes I have. Not the best setup for it, imho. That saw shines the most in medium sized wood where a 14" is the most you'd ever really want.
If I want a 16, I always run a muff-modded t-540. A sixteen inch bar on any top-handle that is currently made by Stihl or Echo is just a waste of power, imho. The new 540 is nuts. You can bury the tip on a 16, and it'll just chug through like nobodiy's business. The only limiter is the oiler which is just under sufficient on a 16, but more than sufficient on a 14.
My 2 sense.
If I want a 16, I always run a muff-modded t-540. A sixteen inch bar on any top-handle that is currently made by Stihl or Echo is just a waste of power, imho. The new 540 is nuts. You can bury the tip on a 16, and it'll just chug through like nobodiy's business. The only limiter is the oiler which is just under sufficient on a 16, but more than sufficient on a 14.
My 2 sense.
Matagorn
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #17
Ever run an echo 590 Timberwolf?Yes I have. Not the best setup for it, imho. That saw shines the most in medium sized wood where a 14" is the most you'd ever really want.
If I want a 16, I always run a muff-modded t-540. A sixteen inch bar on any top-handle that is currently made by Stihl or Echo is just a waste of power, imho. The new 540 is nuts. You can bury the tip on a 16, and it'll just chug through like nobodiy's business. The only limiter is the oiler which is just under sufficient on a 16, but more than sufficient on a 14.
My 2 sense.
Jed
TreeHouser
Nope. You? How does she go?
Matagorn
Treehouser
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Nutball sold me his modded 590 with a 24 bar. It rips. Hell, they are great out of the box. But my modded 590 is a beast.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Ask him. Little porting, muffler mod and tune .....?
I think that is what he said.
I think that is what he said.
Jed
TreeHouser
That's a tough one, but it's not really an option. The 200's just aren't sustainable anymore. There are four of them in our shop that guys are always shelling out 2 or 300 dollars at a time to get worked on... replace the clutch, replace the carb, replace the oil seals, replace the manifold, replace the piston and cylinder, replace the feul lines and filters, then, somehow three months later, something else is hooped. Vacuum test riddles at this point.
Man... they WERE sweet though, weren't they?!
