Purchased last fall to take some of the load off my 550. 50cc saws are my go-to to for the tractor or in the buggy when I'm just off into the woods, not knowing what I might get into. I bought it from an independent dealer near me. Initial impression of the saw was good. They are a nice looking saw and the build qulaity is noticable. The 550 is still the best handling saw I own, but the Echo certainly is right there with it. Good ergonomics for me and even lighter than the 550. It will really throw out some bar oil, which I like as most all my non-Echo saws are turned up as high as they will go. Maximum setting with an 18" bar will make a bit of a mess in the clutch cover area. I typically run an 18 on a 50cc saw with occasional 16" use. Bone stock the Echo's power is not overwhelming. I removed the exhaust 'tube' and opened the deflector a bit which really helped the saw, along with becoming broken in. It has noticable torque advantage over the 550. You can lean on this little saw a bit. It has not been finicky at all in starting for me. Seems pretty efficient on fuel. I was having troubles deciding which saw I wanted...501P or a Makita 5000. Ultimately, the Echo '1 day sale' won me over and allowed me to purchase the saw OTD with extra fuel filters and a couple other smalls for retail asking price. These happen once a year at your Echo dealer. Detail can be found on Echo Dealer Locator site. It's not all good, unfortunately... Air filtration could be better. Have seen some fines getting by the filter. They come with a flocked filter, so I searched out and found a nylon mesh version that is sold on the Shindaiwa sister saw. Still getting some fines. Not terrible, but noticable. Have greased contact area for filter with slight improvement. Thusfar, my only complaint. These are good saws. I expect it to last me many years. Can only give four stars due to still being new and less than awesome air filtration.
Revisting this review after realizing something about the 501. The half wrap on these saws is basically at 90 degrees, like Jonsered used to make them. I believe this contributes to my liking the saw. I prefer the Jonsered handles to the Husqvarna on the 3 series chassis. Both are fine, just personal preference. That's all.
Still very pleased. This saw doesn't get whooped on like a commercially used unit, but it's seen some stuff by now. Despite my best efforts to avoid sun fade, some of the plastics are starting to become different shades of orange. A coworker picked it up yesterday to fondle 'wow, this is light'. Very real chance it is going to get a sibling tomorrow. Freshly shined on.
