Anybody have any experience with this saw? Thinking of getting one, my old saw crapped out on me and I need something new.
Echo 40 cc, 18" bar
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- Jun 12, 2006
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Hi -
I have seen a retired professional tree service man in my church with one. He said it is as good a saw for the money as any. That said he also asked to try out me Dolmar 5100 and enjoyed it. I used a 36cc saw for several years.
I like a 50-60cc saw for hardwood. The Dolmar 6300 is a bit heavy for all day, but the 5100 is a joy. The 6300 is getting a 7900 piston/cyl kit when I get ahead in my cutting.
Good luck,
Mike
I have seen a retired professional tree service man in my church with one. He said it is as good a saw for the money as any. That said he also asked to try out me Dolmar 5100 and enjoyed it. I used a 36cc saw for several years.
I like a 50-60cc saw for hardwood. The Dolmar 6300 is a bit heavy for all day, but the 5100 is a joy. The 6300 is getting a 7900 piston/cyl kit when I get ahead in my cutting.
Good luck,
Mike
I understand the power to length ratio. I think I'd keep the 18" bar on the machine, as I'd only have to use the full length on occasion; I have 20 acres, so I pretty much have my pick of what to cut. I'm more interested in knowing longevity of the saw. Has anyone owned one for any length of time.
I've owned an echo cs 440, 44cc 18" bar for a couple of years now. It is well built, start easily and underpowered. Echo has a five year consumer warranty on their saws which I here they stand behind very well. When I put on .325 full chisel non safety chain it got slightly worse, I then opened up the muffler and pulled the limiter caps and opened up the carb. it got slightly better, but the warranty is shot.
Compared to Stihl , husky, dolmar, Echo's have a better warranty, are just as well built or better in some cases, but generate less power. This probably done to maintain that 5 year warranty. If your stuck on echo look at the cs510 or cs670 or look elsewhere.
It is not that I hate this saw,but if your cutting 14-16" diameter logs with this saw alone it will make for a long day. When I wear out the three chains I bought for it, I'm going down to a 14" bar , as it does well with less 10" wood.
Compared to Stihl , husky, dolmar, Echo's have a better warranty, are just as well built or better in some cases, but generate less power. This probably done to maintain that 5 year warranty. If your stuck on echo look at the cs510 or cs670 or look elsewhere.
It is not that I hate this saw,but if your cutting 14-16" diameter logs with this saw alone it will make for a long day. When I wear out the three chains I bought for it, I'm going down to a 14" bar , as it does well with less 10" wood.
FWWARDEN said:
The killer with an overlength bar on a saw is the amount of power that it takes JUST to drag the chain around the bar... Even if you aren't using it full length, it will still take a lot of power and leave you less than happy with the result. I would not go over a 16" bar on a 40cc saw, and even that is significantly overdoing it, you'd be better with a 14".
I can't comment on the Echo chainsaws, as I haven't used one - the specs I looked at suggested that they tended to be a bit overweight / underpowered for their size, but that isn't always indicative. I do have an Echo "PAS" system string trimmer / brush cutter, and really like it. Dead reliable starter, and serious cutting power with the brush blade or string trimmer...
Gooserider
I know ALOT of people will recommend the 5100 hands down. With that being said, dont shy away from the weeeeee bit smaller counterpart, PS510. I went with the 510 and not only saved $100, but ended up with a really good and powerful saw. Im not sure if anyone on here has any experience with the 510 (all you hear about is the 5100), but you will not be disappointed in it. This goes the same if you do any research on it in arboristsite.com.....you'll get all praise on the 5100 and very little info on the 510. Sure the 5100 has 14500 rpm opposed to to the 510's 13500 but man the 510 sounds like its going to explode when its running through a log full throttle!
Just another thing to consider...
Just another thing to consider...
mikepinto65 said:
The big difference between the 5100 and the 510 is that Dolmar intends the 5100 as a "Pro-grade" saw, and the 510 as the "consumer grade" model - Dolmar seems to build there "consumer" saws to a much higher spec than some of the other brands, but you still get some of the same differences, and everybody has to decide for themselves if it's worth the cost difference...
The engine displacement is essentially the same in both saws. But the 5100 revs higher, and produces a bit more power (0.6HP difference). The 5100 also weighs significantly less, about .9lbs, largely because the 5100 uses magnesium for the crankcase and other parts where the 510 uses aluminum. (Of course Mike's avatar portrait suggests that he isn't real worried about the difference :coolgrin: )
In addition, while I can't speak to the Dolmars specifically, the general tendency is for pro-grade saws to be easier to work on and service if / when they need repairs - parts are easier to get at, disassembly is easier, etc. Parts tend to be more available, and possibly less expensive - this is partly a reflection on the different use models - consumer saws tend to see little use, so will last many more years before failing than a pro-saw that sees daily use. When the low cost consumer saw does break, because it is difficult to repair, the bill tends to be high, so the tendency is to toss it and replace with a new one... OTOH, the pro-grade is designed to be more service friendly, and have a higher replacement cost, so the tendency is to fix it, which costs much less than replacing... Those of us that are serious burners fall into a middle zone, where we use the saw far more than the average home-owner, but less than the pros. For the non-pro user, I see the advantage of a pro-saw as that it will probably NEVER need more than minimal service, while giving better performance...
Botom line, the 510 is a fine saw, probably better than most other 50cc class consumer saws, but for the extra $100, you can get the pro-model 5100 w/ more power, less weight, and possibly better maintainablity - it is up to the consumer as to whether it is worth it or not.
Gooserider
Well put Gooserider, as an aside the 09/10 pamphlet I picked up from my Dolmar dealer has the PS420, 510, AND 5100 listed as Professional mid-range model saws. The only saws it lists as Professional are the PS-6400, 7300 and the 7900.
Also I couldnt see any difference that would make the 510 any harder to work on compared to the 5100, they looked identical.
Also I couldnt see any difference that would make the 510 any harder to work on compared to the 5100, they looked identical.
mikepinto65 said:
Could be, though the way I've seen it described elsewhere, they defined the 4 digit model numbers as the pro-grades, and the 3-digit models as the "mid-grade" saws - Dolmar doesn't seem to really do a true "consumer grade" Disposa-saw like Pull-on or some of the other outfits do - I think the 510 was more a "pro-sumer" saw that was mostly targetted at the heavy use consumer as opposed to the homeowner cleaning up an occasional limb or storm damage type use.
The 6400 / 7300 / 7900 are all really the same saw, the ONLY difference between them is the piston, cylinder and model decals - quite literally, I've looked at the parts lists!
I also agree they seem to be a bit better at designing the lower end saws for serviceablity, but I suspect you will find more 5100 parts on the dealer shelf...
I am not putting the 510 down (even if it is harder to pick up... %-P ) I'd certainly prefer it over any of the other consumer grade 50cc models, I just happen to think the 5100 is worth the premium, but that is only my opinion....
Gooserider
I am not putting the 510 down (even if it is harder to pick up... %-P ) I'd certainly prefer it over any of the other consumer grade 50cc models, I just happen to think the 5100 is worth the premium, but that is only my opinion....
Gooserider[/quote]
Lol, point taken!
Gooserider[/quote]
Lol, point taken!
I just purchased a CS400 this past spring and I truely believe in the quality of the machine, (leaps and bounds ahead of my poulan "wild thing") It's easy to start and nice to work on. If you need all 18 inches of that bar, take it slow because it will bog, if time is of no concern you can do it, just takes a bit longer. As stated previously I opened up my muffler and carb as well and this did help, just dont do one without the other though. I really love this saw and it gets the job done.
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