Behind the scenes of Echo brand....

[Philbert]

. . . and the 310 was on sale at Baileys for $110 with $4.99 shipping.

That's pretty close to stealing it!

Philbert

[Jiles]

"There never has been a problem with Echo saws reliability"
I have worked on quite a few Echo CS4000 chainsaws that had cylinder/piston gaulded or were seized.
The early ones had a Piston/Cylinder clearance problem.

[ladylake]

About 100 %  seizing on Echo saws come from being tuned to lean, while some models do run tight clearance if tuned right and warmed up for a minute they work good.   Steve

[Rob5073]

. . . and the 310 was on sale at Baileys for $110 with $4.99 shipping.

That's pretty close to stealing it!

Philbert

I thought it was a mistake when I found it on my smartphone.  I called and ordered it immediately. The tele-rep thought it was a mistake but the order went through.

[deerslayer]

I've owned 3 Echo chainsaws. Two I ran some. (one was a parts saw)
My opinion is that they're robust but a bit anemic for their weight. Reliability is good and I wouldn't be embarrassed to have one in the line up. Thing is, there are better saws available (better power to weight ratio, etc) and the Echos aren't really all that cheap.

In this part of Georgia, most landscapers use Echo trimmers if not Stihl (I rarely see Husky trimmers) I have never run an Echo trimmer so won't speak to that.

The local lawnmower shop carries a pretty full line of Echo saws but I never bought one from him.

In summary, if someone has an Echo dealership by them that would be a good solution for firewood saws.

[sharkey]

Yes, I like Echo saws and I own THREE. I have bought used Makita rental saws, from Home Depot.
They sell Echo but will rent you a Makita. In my area, they don't rent out Echo!!
That should speak for itself.

The Makitas are cheaper...

[beenthere]

The Makitas are cheaper...

:D
Speaks for itself.... 

[Al_Smith]

Lots of comments pro and con about Echo products .Keep in mind just about every manufacturer of outdoor power products has made certain products that are not all that robust as compaired to others .

I think in a lot of cases a judgement call is made by some who have never owned nor yet even operated the products they pass unfavorable comments about .It becomes he said she said .

[ladylake]

I was rather skeptical about Echo saws until I ran one, I got one of the better models first, a CS510.  Some run a 30cc echo with a dull chain then complain it has no power. Steve

[Al_Smith]

I have a weed wacker and two Echo hedge clippers that do pretty good .In addition is a little Echo 302 that had spent 12-15 years as a climbing saw for a tree service .

While it's not a true top handle and only 2 cubic inch it did just fine .It's not the most powerfull saw ever made but it worked all that time until the little company grew enough to afford better saws .If a tree service can't kill one off in that time a home owner certainly couldn't unless it got straight gassed .

[Rob5073]

I know some folks who just run the chain until it's completely dull then throw the chain and buy a new one!  I suppose they figure 15 to 20 bucks on a new chain is easier than learning how to file it.