the new orange saw??????

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

just bought a new echo cs600p,and got what i believe to be a smokin' deal. just wondering what the general opinion is on this new model,and if anyone else is running one? i pulled the the limit caps off and gave it a little more fuel. i own both 361/362 20" stihls',and after running this saw i am confident it will run with my stihls' all day long. it seems to be a very nice saw for the money.that is why i am trying this saw out,because i'm not crazy about stihls' strato,and lets face it,362s' are way expensive for a 60cc saw. by the way i paid 475.00 out the door,w/ a 5 yr warranty.  any and all input will be appreciated,thanks all!

[des170stihl]

 Nice choice,, The Echo,s are my 2nd choice in chainsaws. The 600 you bought should last you many many years.

[miking]

Glad to hear. I own three orange echos myself and have been real pleased with their performance.

[ladylake]

 You did good opening the fuel up a little, way more torque and no danger of melting down, nice price for a quality saw. These, Echo saws really respond well to a muffler mod also as they are pretty choked up from the factory.  Steve

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

had a chance to put some more time on this saw,the more i run it the better it gets.i am amazed at how much the fuel has to be opened up from factory settings. the performance difference is night & day.i am definately a stihl guy,but i really like this saw.

[miking]

I'm pretty new to Echo saws myself after years of running Stihls, particularly the 025, 250, 021, 200, 026 and 260 PRO, I find that the comparably sized Echo models easily compare to the Stihls and in some cases exceed them, all for considerably less cost to buy new. There's been considerable Echo bashing on this and other forums but I don't any of those folks ran any of the newer models.

[ford62783]

from what i have seen from a few guys that are running echos arund here they run right up there with my husky and are real reliable to thinkin bout trying one myself

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

i know what you are saying about all the bashing. i suspect alot of those with an opinion have never even ran a new generation echo. i inherited my grandfathers 1981 452evl,and i believe it to be as good as any 031/032 of the same era.that saw has cut alot of wood,and other than some carb work/usual maint items,it has never been opened up.

[MN Ripper]

I had never heard of Echo's until over a year ago when a friend mixed CS-520 in with his Huskys. I wanted to up my cc's and was pretty set on getting a Stihl but him and my Stihl/Echo dealer talked me out of it.  I started looking on the web and came across this site and another.  Most have unhelpful brand bashing to say but some have good to say, one thing I noticed was the ones that spoke highly of the new Echo's had ran many other popular models to compare too, much like my woodcutting friend. That helped push me over the edge-thanks DanG, Cliff &  ladyLake! Well I bought one and used it heavily earlier last year and liked it so much I added a top handle not long after.  And I'm close to adding a CS-520 or 530 to the mix also.  My 028 is getting so temperamental in its old age and I'm tired of tinkering with and buying parts.  When I want to cut wood I like to just grab a saw, gas & bar oil and start cutting.   

[miking]

I highly recommend the CS530 as it is my #1 work saw. The carbs are set lean from the factory though, so either have your dealer richen it up for you or pull the caps out and do it yourself.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

i am still amazed at how lean these new saws are from the factory.and how much of a difference in performance there when tuned properly. i dont see how any of these new saws live,any brand,for more than a year. i guess they make money selling you the saw,then they make money selling you parts to fix it.

[customdave]

Ladylake, you mentioned muffler mod to the echo saws, what exacetly does this entail I have never done one? I have a new cs520 that needs to be perked up, I think I've run 7 or 8 tanks of fuel threw so should be broke in? I like my old Echo , but this new one is a little disappointing on power so far. Would appreciate any info that I can get !


            Thankyou Sir              Dave

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

just picked up a new 24" b/c this am for the echo,i am excited to see how much power this saw has.

[ladylake]

Ladylake, you mentioned muffler mod to the echo saws, what exacetly does this entail I have never done one? I have a new cs520 that needs to be perked up, I think I've run 7 or 8 tanks of fuel threw so should be broke in? I like my old Echo , but this new one is a little disappointing on power so far. Would appreciate any info that I can get !


            Thankyou Sir              Dave

  Did you pull the limiter caps and give it more fuel on the high adjuster, if not you should. These saws pull real good without a muffler mod if given the right amount of fuel and really rip with one. I'm no high tech guy here, I just drill 2 or 3   5/16 to 3/8 holes in the front, some make the orginal opening bigger but I think you have too split the muffler to get that stock pipe out. If you muffler mod it it will need even more fuel. Just open the high jet up untill your sure it has too much, then while making test cuts back in untill it cuts the fastest.   Steve

[John Mc]

Ladylake, you mentioned muffler mod to the echo saws, what exacetly does this entail...?

I'm no high tech guy here, I just drill 2 or 3   5/16 to 3/8 holes in the front, some make the orginal opening bigger but I think you have too split the muffler to get that stock pipe out.

And make sure you get all the shavings/filings out... you don't want any of them ending up back in the cylinder.

[ladylake]

Good point John, do this with the muffler off the saw.   Steve

[John Mc]

Good point John, do this with the muffler off the saw.   Steve

And get it sucked out good when you are done!

[customdave]

Thanks Steve, I haven't done this yet but I will do this when I use next time, because it sure needs it, thanks again...


                                                          Dave

[ladylake]

 My last new one a little CS370 cut almost twice as fast after adjusting the carb, it was a real dog as it came.    Steve

[sawguy21]

Unfortunately all new saws are overly lean out of the box to meet emission standards. That is why it is so important to have a knowledgeable tech set them up properly.

[miking]

My last new one a little CS370 cut almost twice as fast after adjusting the carb, it was a real dog as it came.    Steve

Ditto with my 370 Steve. It's been a toughie to get adjusted right but it probably just needs to get broken in first before it'll really shine.

[tmroper]

Where did you buy your saw? After reading this post it got me interested in one for 475.  I called the closes dealer and he wants 680 which is more than a stihl in same cc's.   The quote was for the 600

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Where did you buy your saw? After reading this post it got me interested in one for 475.  I called the closes dealer and he wants 680 which is more than a stihl in same cc's.   The quote was for the 600

I BOUGHT IT FROM AN ONLINE DEALER,ON EBAY. YOU STILL GET THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY,ECHO IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT WILL LET YOU REGISTER THE SAW YOURSELF ONLINE. IF YOU ARE INTERRESTED ,THERE IS ANOTHER GUY THAT SELLS A LOT OF SAWS ON EBAY. HE HAS 2 OF THEM LISTED RIGHT NOW FOR 450.00 TO YOUR DOOR,THAT IS A BETTER DEAL THAN I GOT.I GOT S/N FROM HIM YESTERDAY,CHECKED THEM THIS A.M.,THEY ARE GOOD UNREGISTERED SAWS. THAT WAS THRU AN ECHO DIST. ALL YOU HAVE DO IS GET ON EBAY,AND TYPE (ECHO CS600P),THEY SHOULD COME RIGHT UP. HE IS A GOOD GUY,AND HAS 2 BRAND NEM IN THE BOX SAWS FOR SALE.  GOOD LUCK!

[tmroper]

thank you I will check them out

[ladylake]

On Ebay you need to type in Echo cs-600p, it wont come up without the dash. Good price on that saw.   Steve

[thumper]

i think they sell for 525-550 at the dealer? i think im gonna try to demo one of them 600s from him.

[Eljay]

Based on all of the positive comments about the CS-600P I just bought one on Ebay for a total of $412. It was from a vendor with a jillion feedbacks of 100% but not a chainsaw dealer. Hopefullt this isn't a mistake. Comments in this thread indicate that pulling the limiter caps to open up the fuel flow is the way to go. Could someone explain this procedure in more detail?Lets start by explaining what and where are the limiter caps.
Thanks in advance

[beenthere]

thumper
Do you mean demo as in demolish or as in demonstrate ?   

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Based on all of the positive comments about the CS-600P I just bought one on Ebay for a total of $412. It was from a vendor with a jillion feedbacks of 100% but not a chainsaw dealer. Hopefullt this isn't a mistake. Comments in this thread indicate that pulling the limiter caps to open up the fuel flow is the way to go. Could someone explain this procedure in more detail?Lets start by explaining what and where are the limiter caps.
Thanks in advance

the limit caps are on the carb adj. screws,they only allow you to open up the carb so far.take a drywall screw and screw into the center of them.you will have to line up the tabs to get them off,you will see what i mean when you look at it.this is easiest with the carb all the way off.i ran the low side out one turn past stock,the high side i opened up one and a half.that is alot,but it has been very cold here lately.after you do this once it is a piece of cake.i would run the saw with them off,just to get it dialed in.once you have things set where you want,make sure you put them back on. this will be night and day difference in this saw,you will be very pleased.it will run with my 361/362 stihls' all day long.sounds like you got an exc. deal on the saw,the seller that you bought it from will be listing another 600 soon. i hope i can get it for the same price.

[Eljay]

Stihlfullskip,
Thanks for your explaination regarding the limiter caps. Did I understand correctly that you recommend removing the carb for this initial procedure? Should I run the saw stock for a while or open up the flow immediately? Do you ecommend any other mods?

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Stihlfullskip,
Thanks for your explaination regarding the limiter caps. Did I understand correctly that you recommend removing the carb for this initial procedure? Should I run the saw stock for a while or open up the flow immediately? Do you ecommend any other mods?

yes take the carb off,it is easy. i opened mine up immediately,as it was way to lean on both high and lo sides.

[ladylake]

Stihlfullskip,
Thanks for your explaination regarding the limiter caps. Did I understand correctly that you recommend removing the carb for this initial procedure? Should I run the saw stock for a while or open up the flow immediately? Do you ecommend any other mods?

yes take the carb off,it is easy. i opened mine up immediately,as it was way to lean on both high and lo sides.

 Good advice, good to hear that it's running with one of Stihls best saws for $200 less. With Echo quality it shoukld last good.  Steve

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Stihlfullskip,
Thanks for your explaination regarding the limiter caps. Did I understand correctly that you recommend removing the carb for this initial procedure? Should I run the saw stock for a while or open up the flow immediately? Do you ecommend any other mods?

yes take the carb off,it is easy. i opened mine up immediately,as it was way to lean on both high and lo sides.

 Good advice, good to hear that it's running with one of Stihls best saws for $200 less. With Echo quality it shoukld last good.  Steve

we are very happy with this saw,and are looking to add another to the fleet asap.weve only been running it a week now,but we are very pleased with the echo.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Stihlfullskip,
Thanks for your explaination regarding the limiter caps. Did I understand correctly that you recommend removing the carb for this initial procedure? Should I run the saw stock for a while or open up the flow immediately? Do you ecommend any other mods?

i dont have any other mods done to my saws.alot of guys like the muffler mods,i personally dont care for the extra noise.but i think the muffler modded saw do run a little better.i am happy with the performance of my saws in stock form,other than the carb.

[thumper]

thumper
Do you mean demo as in demolish or as in demonstrate ?   

no, i mean give it a good days tryout.  i think you coulduse it like an axe and chop the tree down .  they look very strong.  the only small thing i dont like is the fat feeling left handle.. maybe just take some getting used to, i have small hands.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

the cs600 reminds me alot of the 028 stihl,both in appearance and feel,but with more power than an 028

[miking]

Just to find something to nitpick on the new Echo saws, I would have to say the oil and gas tank openings seem small. I can't help but slop gas and bar oil all over the place, but it's hard to find fault with the engine and the overall construction. Once the carb was adjusted properly (thanks Steve aka ladylake) these saws cut very well indeed.

[MN Ripper]

Just to find something to nitpick on the new Echo saws, I would have to say the oil and gas tank openings seem small. I can't help but slop gas and bar oil all over the place, but it's hard to find fault with the engine and the overall construction. Once the carb was adjusted properly (thanks Steve aka ladylake) these saws cut very well indeed.

The gas tank openings seem to fit my gas can spouts good but the bar oil one can be a pain.  I don't know if anyone uses the Echo bar oil but now that its switched to the purple gel the wide flat ribbon that pours out is a little trickier to get in the hole.  Minor like you said.  My 028 isn't any bigger or easier to pour into.  The purple bar oil seems thicker and tackier than the red stuff they had before.  The jug never changed or said it was new but it doesn't pour or look the same-but it does seem to work well.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Just to find something to nitpick on the new Echo saws, I would have to say the oil and gas tank openings seem small. I can't help but slop gas and bar oil all over the place, but it's hard to find fault with the engine and the overall construction. Once the carb was adjusted properly (thanks Steve aka ladylake) these saws cut very well indeed.

The gas tank openings seem to fit my gas can spouts good but the bar oil one can be a pain.  I don't know if anyone uses the Echo bar oil but now that its switched to the purple gel the wide flat ribbon that pours out is a little trickier to get in the hole.  Minor like you said.  My 028 isn't any bigger or easier to pour into.  The purple bar oil seems thicker and tackier than the red stuff they had before.  The jug never changed or said it was new but it doesn't pour or look the same-but it does seem to work well.

i did know echo changed their oil,i will have to look into it. i currently use a 50/50 mix of stihl & baileys motion lotion.

[Rocky_J]

Pouring bar oil out of a gallon jug is simplified if you do not tear off the entire foil seal under the cap. Instead, try cutting a vertical slice in it using a screwdriver or pocketknife. Only make it wide enough to pour without slopping all over the place. An old timer showed me this trick about 10 years ago.

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

Pouring bar oil out of a gallon jug is simplified if you do not tear off the entire foil seal under the cap. Instead, try cutting a vertical slice in it using a screwdriver or pocketknife. Only make it wide enough to pour without slopping all over the place. An old timer showed me this trick about 10 years ago.

(Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

yes sir i do agree that works well,but up here where it is in the 20's 4 mos out of the year that would be a problem.this time of the year makes me wish i lived in florida,this winters'been a rough one.

[Rocky_J]

So the fact that it is cold there means that you are not capable of sizing the bottle opening to the correct size so you can pour it without spilling it? I was just offering a tip because somebody mentioned that they had difficulty hitting the small oil tank hole pouring oil from a gallon jug. I'm sorry if this isn't of any help to you, but I cannot help everybody.

[beenthere]

STIHLFULLSKIP

Really not necessary to quote the quotes unless there is something real specific in the quotes that needs to be pointed at. Then can take out the peripheral words that don't apply.  Just a suggestion.

Rocky
I like that idea a lot. 

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

i give up,can a guy do anything right here??

[ladylake]

 
 Hey guys, it's just oil. I dump mine in a 2 gal jug with a nice spout on it but that doesn't pour too fast in the cold either but most times I fill up in the shop. Those caps might be a tad small but most time I can get them off without a wrench.  There's another CS600 on Ebay $415 delivered, sure is tempting, less than a decent 50cc saw.  Steve

[miking]

Good grief, I said IF I had to nitpick something! Let's face it, if it was the size of a manhole cover it would still be a challange sometimes when it is 0 and blowing 20 mph. Forgive me for being a trifle shaky in those conditions. Back to the Echo saws ... they run great.

[customdave]

Got a chance to play with my new 520 , got the limit caps off threw in the bush . Got it set set & now it pulls, can't believe the difference it made, wouldn't pull the hat off your head outta the box. Tricky to reach in there to set with screwdriver running though , but makes a saw out of it 


                                                        Dave

[John Mc]

Got a chance to play with my new 520 , got the limit caps off threw in the bush

I don't know about the 520, but on some saws, if you leave the caps off, they won't hold the mixture setting. The screws vibrate in or out. The caps seem to help prevent drift

[ladylake]

Dave, good to hear, now muffler mod it for just about as much improvement as you just got.

 John @ Dave  I've run some without grinding off the tabs and reinstalling them and they have stayed in place but who knows after a lot of use. Most times I grind the tabs off and reinstall and that does make it easyier to get the screwdriver in the slot. Also if it's still under warrenty adjust it where you want then reinstall the caps with the tabs on in the center of the adjustment range.  Steve

[STIHLFULLSKIP]

does anyone know if the winter/summer shutter on these echos' makes much difference? does it do anything other than warm up the motor a little quicker? i have never used it on my stihls',never needed to?

[MN Ripper]

I've got my 670's shutter in the winter position at the moment.  Can't say it makes a huge difference other than in the first 10 minutes it doesn't seem so cold blooded.  I think the manual said something about preventing carburetor icing too?? But I've never had that trouble even when the shutter is not in the winter position.  I'm sure various regions of different temps & humidity levels will control how effective the shutter could be.

[ihookem]

   A dealer near me said they are completely made in the USA except the motor. It is made by the biggest small engine 2 stroke company in the world. Is this true? It came from a Stihl/ Echo dealer.

[petefrombearswamp]

Just picked one up NIB on ebay for $419.95 shipped to my door.
If you want one of these keep checking ebay.
I have been trying to get one for the last week and the prices vary a lot.
this replaces my bullet proof great running 17 yr old Husky 61 which is getting harder for me to start due to bad shoulders.
I am going to try to tune it properly so may need some help with the jets and muffler.
Pete

[trapper]

for a handy easy to pour without spilling bottle.  check out the bottles your wifes laundry detergent and fabric softener come in.  That is what I use for my bar oil.

[petefrombearswamp]

saw came today was a great Ebay experience.
Started right up and I made a cut and it performed as expected.
The only downside is warrantee registration which says that it may only be warranted thru an
Echo dealer.
I am going to try to adjust the carb and muffler for higher performance.
What are the limiter caps?
How do I modify the muffler?
May need help.
pete

[petefrombearswamp]

Oops!
Just read thru th ethread and see how to do the mods.
Pete

[sbhooper]

Just remember that when you do a muffler mod, the warranty is gone.

[Rocky_J]

Just remember that when you do a muffler mod, the warranty is gone.

If you're dealing with a shop that reads all their procedures out of a manual, then yes. If you are dealing with somebody who actually understands two cycle engines and how they work, then it really depends on what type of warranty claim you might need to make.

If you're willing to kill your saw in order to preserve the 'warranty', then by all means, please don't touch a thing and burn your saw up. It will most likely last slightly longer than the warranty period before turning into an oily doorstop. Then your dealer will look at it and tell you to buy a new one because it will cost too much to fix the old one.

[Al_Smith]

   Then your dealer will look at it and tell you to buy a new one because it will cost too much to fix the old one.

Unfortunately there is a lot of that going on . From my perspective I find a lot of good saws that way cheap which may or may not need some work on them .

You mention modifications and such done on mufflers and the benefits of running more fuel though them .Alas  though I fear it falls upon deaf ears  to a majority of folks like it's some kind of voodoo and heaven forbid the saw make any noise lest the chainsaw police  give you a ticket for noise pollution or some such thing . .

Funny though because I for one could trot out to my shed and show saws made 30 years ago before the EPA got involved in things that have lasted for decades with non resticted mufflers and cut today as good as they did when new .Fact is a few of them will hold their own against a modern saw .---2 cents worth of opinion ---

[jumpinmp]

  A dealer near me said they are completely made in the USA except the motor. It is made by the biggest small engine 2 stroke company in the world. Is this true? It came from a Stihl/ Echo dealer.

My boss has been to the Kiortz/Echo building in Lake Zurich, Illinois (right outside of Chicago?), and we've been told that the parts are mostly made in Japan and everything is shipped over to the US and assembled in Lake Zurich.  That could be info that's years old now and it could have changed... who knows.

As for the 600P.. I'm a servicing Echo dealer, and I've sold 5-6 of the 600Ps since they were introduced last year, and every single one of my customers who's bought them (loggers/homeowners/tree service guys) have come back in to tell me how much they've liked it.  Not a complaint, yet.  There's still time, though

[miking]

The cs600 really intrigues me and would love to try one out. My 530, 370 and 680 perform flawlessly stock and I see no need whatsoever to mod them after they've been tuned right. They're just tools to me but what tools they are. If CAD strikes me though, the 600 will be mine as well.

[Al_Smith]

Just as a point of clarification ,reworking a muffler is not the same as modifying the engine . All a muffler rework does is allow the engine to preform better without really changing it's port timing scheme .

For the engine to move more air it must be able to expel exhaust .More air equals more fuel,more fuel equates to more power .Try as one might you can't make power without fuel .

[Red 93 L1 #3383]

I also cut just a small opening in my gallon jug to fill my 1 qt 80w-90 gear oil bottle that I use to fill the saws with.  I have one bottle with a blue cap for winter oil & a red cap for summer oil.

[petefrombearswamp]

See my new post regarding intermittent spark
Pete