I am new to this forum and have done some searching and reading. Plenty of good info, but I am still going to be the newbie pain and post with my specific question. I inherited a Partner Chainsaw in 1991 and have used it to cut firewood from 8' lengths, cut down trees and general clean up. Last year I cut down 70 trees of various sizes to make room for a garage/cottage which is not my normal workload. Going forward into retirement I will average 4 cords of firewood and 5-10 blowdowns. Helping neighbours, etc. The old Partner is getting tired and likely unsafe so I am in the market for a new saw. I love the power of the Partner (no model info on it. 55CC??) so I do not want to go too small. In my shopping I have found (Canadian$). I would prefer $500 max before tax. Stihl (sale) MS250 $409 MS271 $500 MS291 $500 (not C-BE model) Huskqvarna (standard pricing) 445E $465 450E $525 455Rancher $560 Echo (sale) CS490 $475 I was leaning towards the CS490 until the local dealer offered the MS291 for $500. Without turning into a brand debate, which of these models have been around for a few years and have a good track record for reliability, easy start hot or cold, repairable(access to parts). Thanks for the sage advice. Peter Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Welcome aboard pej5 I'm sure there'll be some debate, and a lot of good advice as well. I have been using a Poulan 4218 for years, and have recently been the recipient of a Still 024AV of which I haven't used much yet. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the models you listed. I'd look at weight, CC's, and bar length needed or preferred and whittle it down in that manner. Good luck n happy shopping.
Welcome to FHC! All the Husky & Stihl models there are "homeowner" grade saws. Reliable, but heavy & a bit slow for their weight. I would lean toward the Echo in that class of saw for certain. Good quality, reliability & parts availability. More saw for the same money IMHO.
I have never owned an Echo, but if the 490 resembles the 590 a buddy has, it would be a nice saw. It was on my list of "someday" saws, until a Jonsered cs2255 came my way unexpectedly. I am hopefully done buying saws for a little while.
Echo 590 has gotten great reviews on alot of chainsaw forums. And it seems to sell for 399$ anywhere here in the states.
Welcome to the club. Plenty of good folks on here with knowledge and humor. I haven't run a Husky in years, so can't give an opinion on the new ones, never owned an Echo. We have a MS029, which in like the 290. It's about 22 yrs old. It has pulled a 20" bar well. What dealer is close to you is what I would go with.
Off of your list and for those prices, I’d go for the Stihl 291. Same weight and size as the 271, just a bigger engine. The Echo CS-490 is a good choice too, but they are bit corked up stock. If you aren’t afraid of modifying the muffler, it’s pretty shocking how much they improve. For parts access, it’s hard to beat Stihl. Lots of OEM and aftermarket support. You can buy a lot of parts today for 30+ year old Stihl saws, both online and local. Not quite that easy for Echo, but anything modern is very well supported and easier to buy parts online if that’s important to you. The Echo will be a little better about cold starts.
Check out the Echo 590, and if it comes from home depot and your a vet, from what i understand you get 10% off the price. I'm pretty much sold on the echo 590, and about to pull the trigger on one myself. I've got 4 stihls from a 044, 026, 261, and 193T all good saws, each one has a specific purpose, they all work great. But, the Echo has me getting pretty curious, and i've seen some good comments about them on this site as well.
I bought an Echo cs 590 with the 20in bar in November and love it. I paid $435 out the door. Plenty of power. I cut mostly hedge (Osage orange) and it eats right through. I have a dealer that supports it close by. I did a lot of research before I bought it. I too was looking at stihl and husqua. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing it up against the 291 and it will run circles around them. I can attest that personally because my buddy has a 291. Also all the Echos have a 5yr warranty the stihl and husqua I believe are only 2yr. That to me says something about their products. If you are looking for more power I would consider the 590 over the 490. It’s a 59.8 cc saw.
Yeah What they said! Also as far as cold starts I choke it pull twice it spuders push in the choke and it takes off.
All the saws you listed are smaller, except the 291 and 455 rancher, but probably still a big step up from what you have. I personally think the 291 is a good saw, but overweight AND under-powered. I'd pick the 261 for better power to weight ratio ((or 362)or an Echo 590.) I know you mentioned a $500 budget, but if you keep saws 20 years, get the one you want! There's really no difference in price if you keep the saw a long time and use it a lot... $500 is 25 dollars a year $600 is 30 dollars a year $700 is 35 dollars a year
Not on your list but my go to saw is the 550xp. Excellent power to weight ratio and never squabbles about firing up. Put a sharp chain on it and it acts like a 60cc saw with the weight of a 40. A pleasure to use.
Welcome to the club pej5. Just close your eyes and grab the first one you can get. Because, if you hang around here very long at all you will probably own 3 or 4 in no time
Welcome to FHC pej5 .... ... I'd echo the same as what TurboDiesel said, about the 261... Its a pro saw.. a little more ... you get what you pay for.... over the long haul... But of the choice's you mentioned I'd go with the Echo 590 (quite a few around here like them), and then the MS291....
