Echo or Husky, 50ish cc . 24" bar

Being retired also and my trusty 044 started to gain weight (seemingly ) and I didn't have a 60cc in my collection...
and I didn't want a $1k +/- saw at my stage of life ....
and most any saw is faster than I am, or feel like being anymore...
I decided on another echo after trying a little echo cs 490-? 50cc
saw for light stuff and around the sawmill about 5 years ago. Very reliable for any saw let alone a $350 saw! I'm a couple of years into my cs 620p (60cc) and it's just as reliable as any of my 3 pull stihls of the past 40 years. A great all around saw that I run a 20" bar in hardwood. It was $600 several years ago and the "w" model has a full wrap handle.
Maybe SKEETER McCLUSKEY will jump in on a particular model. He seems to be playing around with Echo's more and more (at his shop) and he's (seemed to have) been a Husky/Still guy primarily.
It may be customer driven.
You out there Skeet?

 

Or..get a 550 and a 50 gauge 24" tsumura light bar and have someone put a .325 tip on it and run rsp chain.

 

Isn't that suited better for use on big bore/high HP saws?

 

Polar opposite

 

I definitely would NOT recommend skip chain on a small powered saw for limbing.

 

I ran Stihl 23RSP on the 241 and will also on the redmax saws. Its a narrower kerf .325 than standard .325.

 

Huh...I guess I'm misremembering that lil factoid...or non factoid in this case.
I had it in my head that RSP was good "big boy saw" chain...oopsies

 

The boxes say 23RS from my dealer. The pro part, I believe, is what they call it in other parts of the world.

 

501 is a well built saw,very disappointing in stock form

 

My brain confused RSP with RSF.

 

Bring home to mom girls!!

 

My mom passed away...

 

Jk

 

I switched my 4910 over to 3/8 and stuck a 28” on it just for gits and shiggles. Didn’t have any issues oiling it, but it was pretty nose heavy. I’m going to buy a 28” light bar and give that a go. The 4910 won’t pull 28” buried, but that is not the intention. I am a convert to the “stand up and buck” crowd now and will never go back. I found it a bit awkward at first but once I got used to it, I love it. All of my firewood saws now wear a minimum of 24” and I prefer 28”-32”. The only saws I have with less bar than that are 35cc or less and I only use those for pruning the fruit trees around the yard.

 

I run a 24” 3/8 full skip on mine.

 

Whew, good thing my 346 isn’t small powered…

 

I've had the same idea, in fact I have an un-installed .325 nose sprocket waiting to be put on a 24'' bar. You'll be hard-pressed to find pre-made loops of 24'' in .325. You'd have to make your own after determing the number of drive links. I did the math once but never did make the chain. Easier way is to probably get a 3/8 rim sprocket and run that. I can attest that a 501 oils heavy.

 

I don’t like skip chain for limbing and trimming because of the distance between cutters. For small limbs and little stuff I think a full comp chain is just smoother and works better. In fact I prefer 3/8 chain on my 50cc saws but I keep one with a 16” bar and .325 chain just for fence line work and trimming. It’s just less grabby and smoother cutting.