I am looking to buy a chainsaw with 18-20” bar. I have an echo dealer close to me and was planning on buying the cs400 but have been reading a lot of negative reviews on that saw.

Any input on a good saw to buy? I won’t be using it all the time, just getting it to have when needed around the house.

I bought a husky last year and absolutely hate it. Nothing but constant issues.

having a good dealer near you is more important than the color of the saw. The emphasis is on GOOD dealer with folks that cary parts and know how to handle a wrench if you cant do that yourself. Stihl, Husky and echo al have saws that will worker hat you want. My preference is with Stihl and Husky over Echo but thats just me. The 550 Rancher Husky is a good saw for what you are looking at and so is the Stihl MS 361

i run a echo cs500p for the last 10 years or so. had a cs400 for 20+years untill someone needed it more than me. echo saws are underrated!!

Stihl. Have a couple but really like my farm boss. Eric

Stihl.

How often are you guys taking your saws into the shop to get worked on? My Stihl dealer is close but never need them besides chains and oil.

Ive had good luck with all my stihl gear, and have dealers close by.
I would not snear at a Husky though, for the right price.
No other experience with anything recently.
Edit...screams with an 18 and handles a 20 with no probs.

nothing wrong with an Echo IF they start and tune the saw.

too many Echo dealers are just a big box store and do not tune the saw. often Echo saws come too lean


good rule of thumb CC dived by 3 = max bar length for a saw unless your using skip chain or using it for short term cutting.

as an example I ran my 28 inch bar today on my 2166 72cc saw I was falling a tree that I still had to cut from both sides if it is limited use CC/2.5= max bar lenght

72cc/2.5=28.8 inches

I normally run my 24 inch bar on the 72cc saw /3=24 and it isn't slowed down by the 24


a 40cc saw =13.3 inch bar you would be fine with a 14 but I sure wouldn't try to pull an 18 or 20

I run a Jonsered 2255 and a 2166

as a great all around firewood saw the 2255 with a 3/8 .058 18 inch 68 drive links full comp chisel chain , is a work horse for the price.

the Husqavarna 455 is the same saw in orange as the 2255

a 50cc like the Echo CS500 with a 16 inch bar .325 16 inch .050 is a very good all around saw light , can cut up to about 24 inch logs

just know your limitations

the primary truth in chain saws is it matters more that you have a servicing dealer that you can work with , that will set up and tune your saw that if you have an issue you can take it back to them right that what color your saw is.

most manufacturers also extend your warranty for home owners if you buy 3 cans of their fuel they understand a majority of warranty claims were bad fuel. buy the 3 cans of fuel and get the bump in your warranty.

dealer close is super important.

No complaints with my sthl and its not needed dealer help yet

Bought a stihl 044 in 1993 and its never been to the dealer once. I have no idea how much wood this saw has cut, but I've been heating exclusively with wood for 27 years. And I live in Minnesota, so it gets cold. The majority of the trees on my property are red oak and ash, both hardwoods. It really doesn't matter how good your saw is, you must keep a sharp chain or even the best saw is worthless. If you buy a quality saw, use non-oxy gas, and a good two cycle oil, carb issues are non existent. I've always used Stihl 2 cycle oil, it has Stabil like properties that keeps gas fresh.

Echo cs-590 $399.00 brand new , powerful and built like a pro saw with metal crankcase and forged connecting rod. Comparable to stihl ms 362 , husqvarna 359, etc.

The dealer is a small shop just down the road from me that sell and service cub cadet and echo stuff so that should be in my favor if I go with an echo

Stilh 211is a real good saw. Got one to cut up and clean up here at home.

Still 260, small pro series, best I’ve ever owned of the 6 I’ve had.

Echo gives you more for your money, and a FAR better warranty. But they’ll all work. And they can all have issues. My Stihl has had more problems than I care to list. So bad that my next one may not be a Stihl. Things I can fix don’t really bother me, but it has issues that no one can figure out, including two large dealerships. But that doesn’t mean they’re not a good brand. Just hasn’t worked out for me.

My Stihl always runs even after long periods of neglect

I like the older 2 series Huskies myself. I have a 266se and 268xp both have been excellent saws. One good thing is there are parts for them everywhere. Stihls are good saws as well. If I would get an echo I think I would go with the CS-620PW. Seems like a good saw.

If just using for around the house then buy a MS170 stihl. I use mine for way more than what it’s made for. Never needed to take it in to the dealer for repair or warranty.
They go on sale all the time. Get a free carrying case and chain too! At least here we do.

I love my lil 170 JP. It's handier than all get out. Lightweight and
actually rips for a homeowner saw. You scored on the case. I think
i was out the door at 159.00 or so U.S., with just the bar scabbard...
no extra chain. Lol. And i use the heck out of it too. Rides with me a lot.

I personally am a Jonsered guy. I cried myself to sleep for a month when they discontinued the brand. They are still available but under the Redmax name also many of the Huskvarna saws are the exact same machine. They are all the same company.

For a around the house occasional use saw though (I will probably get some hate on here with this recommendation) I would seriously consider one of the newer battery powered saws. Ok, now when you get done laughing at me go on youtube and watch a few videos on them. If you already have dewalt tools they have saws available that may run on your current batteries. Stihl makes one along with a bunch of other companies. I would not consider these for someone who needs to cut a lot of wood, but for cleaning up around the yard or cutting small amounts of wood they seem to work great. The newer ones cut a surprising amount of wood on a battery charge.

Benefits of battery power. No need to keep gas around for a tool that gets little use, less noise, affordable, great torque, lower maintenance.


Cons of battery power. You will become the dork in the neighborhood who has the battery powered saw.