Echo copy?

comgreserv

Was in local hardware store this am and noticed what looks to be a copy of Echo's smaller top handle saw, branded up as Hyundai for only $199! Has anyone else seen one? Used one?
Cheers
Darren

KevinE

Not sure about that one, but I saw a copy of the 350T at my local shop going cheap so I bought one. BIG MISTAKE! Gave myself RSI trying to start it from cold lol!

Things that broke on it, in chronological order:

1. The muffler cover broke the very 1st time I took the clutch cover off.
2. The nuts holding the clutch cover on were like butter & rounded off.
3. The chain brake/hand guard lever fell off during use & I lost the spring.
4. The muffler also fell off during use.
5. The screws holding the muffler on stripped & needed a helicoil.

I threw it away after that! I kept the muffler & the air filter, as they appear to be genuine Echo. Even the bar was a cheap, heavy POS!

The saw lasted around 10 months of light use. No more cheap copies for me!

Brent Ferris

So Kevin, do you figure that was a Chinese knockoff?

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KevinE

They weren't passing it off as an Echo Brent, it had a Chinese brand stamped on it. My bad for parting with cash for it!

Alphajaffa

grabbed one a fortnite ago , seems to go ok ,starts idles etc ,bit of vibration but that might sort itself out as its only had 2 tanks thru it (it might not too ?) comparable to the 192 cutting wise , fairly well balanced , weights ok , used it to take down a cape lilac didnt nurse it (it got slammed into the trunk the same as any climbing saw would ,didnt shatter ) also done a 20 ft cocas take down (its not a ms 200t )but it done the job . will put into some harder stuff this week and let u know how it goes . did u see thier bigger saws ? they actually looked half decent

KevinE

I was bored on Sunday & went surfing on alibaba.com; I was amazed to see that there are over 14,000 ad's for Chinese chainsaws on there! Nearly all of them are knock offs! Husky seems to cop it more than the other brands for some reason, but there are quite a few Stihl copies as well. At least most of the Huskies never had any reference to Husqvarna on them, whereas a lot of the Stihl knock offs did have Stihl or MS as the brand. Mostly 070's, MS360/361's, MS180's, MS250's, MS260's...............

John Vander

The cheap stuff sometimes end up being the most expensive. Buy a good saw and maintain it well. One thing that freaks me out is if a cheap piece of equipment fails on the job, and you end up being stuck with a situation that's taking alot of time off the job. I stick with STIHL. Had to cut up some wood for a friend of mine last year. The one log had wire inbedded in it. (Someone wrapped it around the tree when it was still young and left it there. The tree grew over it and the wire became unseen.) I cut through it, and when I opened it up, I had cut through 5 metal wires! Amazingly, the chain had only a few small bruises but it was o.k. If it had been a cheaper chain, it might have come off the bar, and most probably I wouldn't be able to use it again.

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KevinE

I hit a star dropper that a tree had eaten with the saw at WOT a few years ago..............Ouch!

John Vander

Trees around houses can sometimes hold some nasty surprises eh? People putting nails into it and leaving it there etc. A metal detector seems like something than would be very useful on the job!

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Alphajaffa

have done approx 30 hrs with this saw now -still going fine , still vibrates a bit, have taken down several dead jarrahs with it no dramas its copped a bit of a bashing without anything breaking (that could just be luck ) air filtration seems to be quite good , fuel oil holes could be bigger (need the jerry can funnel to fill)the manual for this saw reccommends 25 to 1 , bar and chain are oregon (bar oregon double guard 91 chain oregon 91vg ) to date it seems to be a half decent saw for $200 . asked the trade guys where the saw was purchased about spare parts , was told they can supply any spare parts needed,