Echo Top Handle Discussion

[Spike60]

I hear you on this Bob. I deal with a few vendors that want dedicated wall space and don’t understand that it is our showroom and we have tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on displays in our buildings. We have in the last few years added a few manufacturers free standing displays but only when they are free.

Vendors often forget they know nothing about retailing to your customers, only you do. You are best suited to decide not only what products to offer but how to display them too.

Totally agree. Much of this is the result of a rigid and narrow minded "one size fits all" approach. As you know, all stores are unique and no single mind set can work everywhere. OEM's need to have flexibility, but they sometimes assume that every dealer has a store that you see on the cover of the trade books that's as big as the local Ford dealer. That's not the way it is out there.

I feel bad for my distributor rep too, cause his hands are tied. He's also our Exmark rep, which raises another curious point here. We did $450,000 in Exmark this year with these folks. You'd think they'd realize that it would be fairly easy for us to blow a lot of Echo equipment out the door with the customers we have coming in here. Our bills are ALWAYS paid on time. (Early if we can take some discounts.) We're a totally problem free, no risk account. All they had to do was ship us the equipment and let us sell it. But nobody comes in my store and tells me how I have to do things, or that any section of it belongs to them.

 

[Spike60]

Spike,
I don't doubt the veracity of your statement for a second. I do find it curious though, that a dealer near me is an OPE dealer, selling Toro, Walker, Stihl, Echo and Honda products (in addition to Green Mountain Pellet Grills). They have a tiny 4'w - 6't display with about 6 saws (2511T, 355T, 501P, and the 590-620 lineup). They have none of the echo display crap (I do know what you're referring to) in any way. A simple sign, the tools, some Red Armor and that's about it.

I wonder if "older" deals didn't include the tacky gratuitous shelving, and in a misguided attempt at advertising and visual appeal, the "new" deals (almost as bad as FDR's) require it? They may think that they're doing a smart thing and may have not had any honest feedback yet. I'm not rooting for them or arguing for you to reconsider your position in the least, I just find the detail oddly specific and surely for a reason (though likely a bad one).

Wow... That's just asinine.

Edit: @Dub11 can back me up on this one as He's likely been in Jim's Toro...

Lot of situations like that are sort of grandfathered in. Guy might not be doing much, but they just leave him alone and take whatever business he gives them. But new dealers have to play by all the new rules.

 

[Dub11]

Lot of situations like that are sort of grandfathered in. Guy might not be doing much, but they just leave him alone and take whatever business he gives them. But new dealers have to play by all the new rules.

Rules? Pfft what happened to the capitalist spirit?

 

[malk315]

@RI Chevy you should run 590 timberwolf or 620 you would be surprised. I sharpened a co workers 590 and was quite impressed myself. Adj oiler, mag case, i think the only pro thing missing was rim sprocket it comes with spur. 590 is detuned 620 I understand and would like to run a 620 sometime.

I still like husky and Stihl but echo is no slouch. The 355T we picked up has been great. It's had a few tanks through it now and has woken up a bit and is a great stand in for the 200T.

It would have been sweet if Bob was an echo dealer. I would have bought our 355T from him that's a sale right there.

Next job I'll try and get some video of the 355T in action.


Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Wood Doctor]

You guys are going to hate me for posting this, but this past spring I cut down 15 poplar trees, bucked the trunks, and limbed them all for campfire wood. I used my vintage Echo CS-3400 top-handle with a 14" bar for almost the entire job. A couple of times my Husky 353 saw some action, but not much.

My firewood customers are gobbling up my other hardwoods, so I've decided to burn some poplar this year. Heck, why not?

 

[Woodpecker]

You guys are going to hate me for posting this, but this past spring I cut down 15 poplar trees, bucked the trunks, and limbed them all for campfire wood. I used my vintage Echo CS-3400 top-handle with a 14" bar for almost the entire job. A couple of times my Husky 353 saw some action, but not much.

My firewood customers are gobbling up my other hardwoods, so I've decided to burn some poplar this year. Heck, why not?

I guarantee the poplar will burn better than a snowball! I like poplar. Here in Michigan it makes great shoulder season wood. Splits easy and seasons fast.

 

[J. Dirt]

Fleabay buy showed up yesterday... gray case 330t bone stock and not in bad shape.

 

[Wood Doctor]

So, you bought this saw? If so, good. I will bet that you got it for about $120 shipped, power head only. Of course, you could have bought instead a new Stihl MS193T from a dealer for $350 plus sales tax.

I hate to knit pick, but I do not see the loop hook on the back of the saw, and does this 330T actually run?

 

[hseII]

My question is, does ECHO really make a true PRO saw? They sll just seem to be the same.
Disclaimer:
I have no real experience with ECHO.

I can’t tell.

Yes.

PPT-280
Eats the HT-131 for a snack & chits our the Husqvarna with the plastic shaft connection.

CS-620-
Simple 60cc saw that is really the best money spent in that class right now.

The CS-680 is a modern Husky 268 with fasteners that don’t fall out.

The CS-2511T is what an MS150T should have been.

The CS-355T is a bit more plasticity MS200T @ 1/2 the price of a new MS201TC.

The 40 & 50cc pro models are serious contenders in their categories.

They are supposed to be debuting a 70ish cc true felling saw soon to compete with the mighty MS461: we’ll see.


Sent from my iPhone using Jon1212 Pro

 

[Locust Cutter]

I'm more than curious to see what's on the horizon!

 

[J. Dirt]

So, you bought this saw? If so, good. I will bet that you got it for about $120 shipped, power head only. Of course, you could have bought instead a new Stihl MS193T from a dealer for $350 plus sales tax.

I hate to knit pick, but I do not see the loop hook on the back of the saw, and does this 330T actually run?

Yep she’s on my bench. Shipped to my door was $70 with a bar and chain. It actually runs good, although I’m going to mess with it some! Actually it’s for my Dad, he borrowed my 330 and wanted to keep it since I’ve got three top handles he said.

Edit to add a pic of the swing ring

 

[Spike60]

You guys are going to hate me for posting this, but this past spring I cut down 15 poplar trees, bucked the trunks, and limbed them all for campfire wood. I used my vintage Echo CS-3400 top-handle with a 14" bar for almost the entire job. A couple of times my Husky 353 saw some action, but not much.

My firewood customers are gobbling up my other hardwoods, so I've decided to burn some poplar this year. Heck, why not?

No reason for any ill will with this post. This thread has never been about whethere Echo product is any good or not. I think they make good stuff, or I wouldn't have been considering taking them on. My gripe ultimayely revolved around their policies and procedures being at odds with my own.

Sadly, as almost all Echo threads do, this one is showing signs of devolving into the typical atgument between Echo fans who place their products above Husky and Stihl, which they definitely are not, and guys who know little about Echo saying they are not top shelf quality, which they definitely are.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

No reason for any ill will with this post. This thread has never been about whethere Echo product is any good or not. I think they make good stuff, or I wouldn't have been considering taking them on. My gripe ultimayely revolved around their policies and procedures being at odds with my own.

Sadly, as almost all Echo threads do, this one is showing signs of devolving into the typical atgument between Echo fans who place their products above Husky and Stihl, which they definitely are not, and guys who know little about Echo saying they are not top shelf quality, which they definitely are.

I think it all comes down to design philosophy. Husky has (at least in recent history) been focused on fast and light. Stihl has been focused on durable and fast. Echo seems to put dependability and simplicity above all else, even when it might add weight, or cost some speed.

Of course, Stihl and Husky have been trading places on some of their designs with the newest generation, so who knows what's to come...

 

[Spike60]

Sorry to disagree, but to me, that's just a recap of the stereotypes that have been pasted on each of these brands over the years. I really can't buy into that type of reasoning. or assigning specific adjectives to each company to identify each with it's own persoanality.

I think any of those words could be applied to any of the 3 companies. Stihl has been making great strides on weight redustion, so "light" applies to them as well. Larger bearings in the 572 shows that Husky is thinking "durable". How does one quantify Echo placing more value on dependability than Husky or Stihl? Where does something like that come from?

 

[Onan18]

Sorry to disagree, but to me, that's just a recap of the stereotypes that have been pasted on each of these brands over the years. I really can't buy into that type of reasoning. or assigning specific adjectives to each company to identify each with it's own persoanality.

I think any of those words could be applied to any of the 3 companies. Stihl has been making great strides on weight redustion, so "light" applies to them as well. Lerger bearings in the 572 shows that Husky is thinking "durable". How does one quantify Echo placing more value on dependability than Husky or Stihl? Where does something like that come from?

The mindset comes from the 5 year consumer warranty Echo offers standard. No need to buy their premium mix oil or canned fuel to extend the warranty, standard across the board. Also, lifetime warranty on all driveshafts and ignition modules; Echo could not afford to offer this unless the failure rate on these components was extremely low. Now, am I saying that Echo is anymore durable than Stihl or Husqvarna, no, but this is where the mindset comes from. It's all about marketing.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Sorry to disagree, but to me, that's just a recap of the stereotypes that have been pasted on each of these brands over the years. I really can't buy into that type of reasoning. or assigning specific adjectives to each company to identify each with it's own persoanality.

I think any of those words could be applied to any of the 3 companies. Stihl has been making great strides on weight redustion, so "light" applies to them as well. Larger bearings in the 572 shows that Husky is thinking "durable". How does one quantify Echo placing more value on dependability than Husky or Stihl? Where does something like that come from?

I agree that both Stihl and Husky have been shifting this dynamic in the past few years. I was referring more to the 'past history' of how people perceive the brands, based on the products that have been on the market.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

I might also add that I don't know anyone who logs professionally with Echo saws, but do know of plenty of landscapers and climbers who use their products in a professional situation.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Yep she’s on my bench. Shipped to my door was $70 with a bar and chain. It actually runs good, although I’m going to mess with it some! Actually it’s for my Dad, he borrowed my 330 and wanted to keep it since I’ve got three top handles he said.

Edit to add a pic of the swing ring View attachment 148374

Thank you. At that price, what a steal! Now compare that loop (swing ring) with the cheap hardware that Stihl mounts on all of their top handle saws today that IMHO are designed to break. Your Dad knows what he is talking about.

 

[J. Dirt]

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get a chance to clean it up and give it a once over. Was at my Echo dealer today chatting for a bit too. I could move in and live there I think.
@Spike60 its a shame that Echo seems to stick to their corporate rules rather than what works to get people interested in their tools or to help out a possible dealer. You would think they would say here’s the “start up kit” and say put up what you can and sell some equipment!!

 

[Wood Doctor]

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get a chance to clean it up and give it a once over. Was at my Echo dealer today chatting for a bit too. I could move in and live there I think.
@Spike60 its a shame that Echo seems to stick to their corporate rules rather than what works to get people interested in their tools or to help out a possible dealer. You would think they would say here’s the “start up kit” and say put up what you can and sell some equipment!!

Good point. Echo has never been a marketing company. They expect their saws and other equipment to sell themselves. Growth is not their corporate objective. Somehow they have survived and still sell fine equipment.

Last week an owner of a CS-500 EVL complained to me that the saw did not cut well after he mounted a new chain. I took one look and noticed that the chain was mounted on backwards. That's the way it is. Generation X has a long way to go.