Chainsaw Repair

reviews from owners. . .

Meant to mention - those are 'seeded reviews'.  The saws are not available yet to the general public.  Home Depot provides some products to selected customers ahead of time to review: they get to keep the product and have to provide a review within 60 days.  That does not mean that these reviews are biased or inaccurate, but they are from people who just got a free saw, and may still be in the honeymoon stage.  Might be different if they just laid out $300 or have used it for a while, so keep that in mind when reading those.

http://www.homedepot.com/c/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=home_depot_seeds_program&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053

Philbert

Sweet write up and Thanks for letting us know. Sounds good.

From your memory how did the Echo compare to the Oregon you and I both ran? Just a guess.

From your memory how did the Echo compare to the Oregon you and I both ran?

t was really fun to run these 3 saws (Kobalt, Ryobi, ECHO) side-by-side with similar chains.  That's the way to do it, and the results were significant. Hard to compare to the Oregon saw from memory, because I never cut pressure treated deck lumber with it!  Also, the PowerSharp chain cuts differently - I did some side-by-side comparisons with PS and standard chain a few years ago, and the PS chain was faster and more aggressive, in that case.

The other issue is the brushless motor.  ECHO has one, and the Oregon one due out in a few months (CS300) will too, so that would be a more apples-to-apples comparison, despite the voltage ratings.  Oregon says to expect 40% more power, which is huge (to quote that real estate guy in New York).

BTW, I told the Store Manager and the Corporate guys that they should do these events for customers too!

I have not been able to convince the park people to try the Echo yet.  They have some Makita cordless stuff and want to go with a Makita saw that will use their existing batts.  Hopefully I can convince them that this Echo would be good to have for the heavier cutting that sometimes has to be done during the bird nesting noise restriction months.

I am 'invested' in the Oregon batteries, so I understand, and have great hopes for their new saw.  If I was starting from scratch, I would take a good look at the ECHO.

As I mentioned, and the sales guy promoted, HD has a 90 day money back guarantee, and a 2 year commercial/5 year residential warranty on the ECHOs, if that helps your situation Aaron.  Also, compare the run time of the 4.0 AH batteries used on these new saws, with the capacity of their drill batteries - might make a difference?

Philbert

Tried It Today !

A local Home Depot had reps in today to train their sales staff, and the Manager told me I could listen in. Got a chance to listen to their sales pitch, pester some of the HQ and manufacturer's reps, and try some products alongside some 'competitive' Ryobi, EGO, and Kobalt 40 Volt OPE.

Basic saw specs: 58V; brushless motor; 4.0 Li-Ion battery; 16 inch bar; 3/8 low profile narrow kerf (Oregon Type 90) chain. We only had the opportunity to make cuts in some bundled, treated, 4X4 posts (7.5X7.5" total), so this is a very limited, first impression. But that first impression is very positive. It is clearly the best cordless saw that Home Depot sells. Of course, we did not compare it alongside any of the Husqvarna, STIHL, or Oregon models, so those impressions are still open. But it did discourage me from considering the other models I tried!

The saw has a conventional chain brake, and an electronic brake (chain stops instantly when trigger is released). Well balanced. Easy to operate. Has an overall quality feel to it. Clearly something to look at if you are considering a battery saw. Especially, since HD offers a 90 day money back guarantee and a 5 year consumer warranty.

Also got to try some of the other products in the family, including a leaf blower and string trimmer.  Again, very good, positive, first impressions.

Philbert

I was looking to see if they had the Ego saw in that group.

Seen it in the Home Depot ad.

The EGO Power Chainsaw is the most powerful rechargeable product of its kind. The first-ever 56-Volt lithium-ion battery has 40% more power than the leading 40-Volt battery. The 14 in. bar and chain combined with a hi-efficiency brushless motor provides a smooth cut. The brushless motor extends the life of the tool and the run time. The EGO Power Chainsaw delivers the performance of gas without the noise, fuss and fumes.

Ego Chain Saws 14 in. 56-Volt Electric Cordless Chainsaw

I have not been able to get the reps to answer a few more technical questions on the ECHO line.  But did find some answers deep in the Q&A on the HD website for some of these products.  I would feel a lot more confident if I could get a direct answer from an ECHO cordless, or Home Depot rep.

- It "sounds" like the batteries are covered under the five year warranty, for residential use only. Not sure how you would prove or document this. HD may actually be more casual about this, than an ECHO dealer.

- ECHO clearly states that you cannot charge their batteries using a 12 V inverter in your vehicle. Oregon says that you can charge their batteries as long as it is the right kind of inverter (pure sine wave?).

- Still unclear which accessories can be used with their string trimmer powerhead. Apparently, some ECHO attachments will fit, but may not have adequate power. For example, I can't get an answer about using a pole saw attachment.

Philbert