New Echo 590 or rental Makita 6421?

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jnaumuk

New Member
Nov 25, 2014
18
NC
Both with 20" bars and both will be $350. The makita is now owned by a home owner and he just had a tune up. I know the Makita is a better saw if it was new but it came from a rental program. Any help here would be appreciated. What condition are these rental saws in when they sell them?
 
I dont have any experience with the Echo, but I did buy a HD rentwl 6421 like the one you are looking at. I got mine for a little less then what you stated but the saw is worth that. Mine showed the normal wear and tear but no major damage. I pulled the muffler after I boight it and the cylinder looked clean. I upgraded from an 029 Super, which is a great saw, and you can definitely tell the difference. I know it is 56cc vs 64cc. The balance of the saw with a 20" bar is very nice too.
 
The price sounds high for a second hand rental Makita. A Home Depot by me just sold 4 of them for $200, but anything up to $300 is normal to see.

Either way, I wouldn't be scared of them. Home Depot sells them off before they start to have issues. Mine had great compression and ran ok, except I did find while upgrading it to the 79cc kit that my throttle linkage never allowed the saw to go past 80% throttle so I can't comment on how powerful the saw was stock. But I fixed that with a new cable crimp and with 79cc's it's an animal!!
 
No doubt the used Makita 6401/6421 is a great saw if you can get one.

The one suggestion I have is to get the feel of one in your hands before shelling out the cash. It has the bulk and weight of a 70cc+ saw. After upgrading the P&C, it becomes a fine power-to weight saw for the ~80cc displacement class.
 
I just paid $399 for an Echo 590 with 18" bar, with tax and buy 2 get one free Husky chains it was $470. However, one thing I like is the 5 year warranty with the 590. I used it once so far cutting some 20" Ash for about 1/2 hr, and promptly swapped out the anti kickback chain for the Husky H47 chain. I hope to cut some more over this weekend and see how much better it cuts. Been awhile since I smelled the paint burning off the muffler :)
 
I went with the Echo, got it from Rual King today on sale for 359$ with a $50 gift card. End of the day it's $310ish. I went to Bailey's and ordered good chain for it and my other saw, Bailey's also had a sale today. It was a good Thanksgiving.

The makita was on Craigslist and the guy acted real spooky about setting up a time to go look at the saw, don't sell stuff on Craigslist if you don't want people coming to your house or calling you. I've seen this several times with stuff on craigslist, Craigslist ain't ebay - I'm not going to send you the money and hope you send the goods, especially when we live in the same area.
 
Yeah, I'd never "send" money to a CL seller in the hopes of receiving an item.

CL transactions at home can be unsettling for both sides. I've bought a few things and sold a few more on it. The safest I've felt was when I met buyers at a nearby Sheetz (regional minimart & fuel station). Lots of people traffic and security cameras are around to reduce the chances of something shady happening. I'm sure the buyers felt a little safer there, too.
 
Yeah, I'd never "send" money to a CL seller in the hopes of receiving an item.

CL transactions at home can be unsettling for both sides. I've bought a few things and sold a few more on it. The safest I've felt was when I met buyers at a nearby Sheetz (regional minimart & fuel station). Lots of people traffic and security cameras are around to reduce the chances of something shady happening. I'm sure the buyers felt a little safer there, too.

There's always a gun in my pocket when I meet CL buyers or sellers. And if it's at my house, I've got the item sitting in the driveway with the garage and shed doors shut. Even then my wife gets nervous if she's not home to watch through the window, and wants me to call her after the transaction to make sure I'm OK.
 
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Guess things are a little different up here . . . I've sold just about every car I've owned at my dining room table . . . and my buddy once paid for a sled with a personal check and the buyer never bat an eye (although I personally would not take a personal check.)
 
Maybe I'm too trusting but I have no issues with CL, in fact, I sell a gob of hay on CL every winter and I've gotten some good repeat customers from there as well. Having said that, when they come to the farm for hay, the first thing they see is my NRA sign and my range is set up next to the barn so it's obvious I have firearms. I live in the country, cityfolk might be diffrerent. Don't know. Finally, we take personal checks out here, never had issue one. A personal check today is as good as (and sometimes better than) cash.
 
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