25yr veteran climber/urban forester. For decades I’ve only used the Stihl 020t that was later renamed the 200t. About four years ago I had to replace an aging Stilh that just couldn’t be cobbled together any longer and chose the Echo cs355t, mostly for the price and availability of service parts (there is typically a Stihl-Echo dealer in every community). Couldn’t be happier! Though it doesn’t quite have the same power as the Stihl 200T the limitation is relatively negligible and the saw more than makes up for it with reliability. Four years running now and not one single issue, extremely reliable! whereas my experience with Stihl top handle saws are the exhaust baffles typically rattle loose, the oilers leak bar lube into the clutch area, makes a hot smelly mess. All that aside the Echo is nearly half the price of the Stihl 201, the 200t isn’t available retail new in the US any longer.

@vonmurd3r

10 ай бұрын

Just started in the tree industry and bought one for my personal use. Good to hear that it's reliable.

@ejsocci2630

8 ай бұрын

I’m right with you what you just said,

2020 11 13 - I have had a CS355T for many years, one of my favorites. Running a 12" Bar. Have had to clean exhaust screen several times, not much else. The air filter never collects much as mentioned. Keep Alcohol gas AWAY from it!!

Thank you for the review. I admit I came here on a quest just to discover what the included tiny orange plug was for, and you provided the answer. Thank you.

That is a damn good Tophandle saw man,Keep up the good work.

I was in a rush doing a job and made a bonehead move on the 355T by putting bar oil in the gas port. I removed both covers at the same time and made this big error. I'm going to clear the gas lines out, but a note to self is to not remove both caps when filling. Only fill one port at a time because they are so close together compared a regular saw. They run out of gas fast so you end up filling them up often.

@captainconner4060

3 жыл бұрын

On a saw, the system is designed to run out of fuel before it would bar oil. That is one thing I have never done.. fuel mix and bar oil in the wrong tank. However your not alone, I have had customers bring me those old home life super 2's and done that alot.

I just received this saw and I am impressed with the construction. I am looking forward to putting it into service.

@ED-es2qv

Жыл бұрын

Does yours start without throttle? I even took mine back to have it tuned, but I can prime all I want, choke or no choke, and it will not start unless I hold the throttle as I pull it. I’ve owned at least 5 saws over the years and never had a new one refuse to start like this.

Thank you, truly a great review ive been watching a few and you do a good job

@captainconner4060

5 жыл бұрын

Your welcome

@cameronheugly7392

5 жыл бұрын

@@captainconner4060 just bought mine today havent unboxed it yet its a bit late but cant wait to fire it up tomorrow!

@captainconner4060

5 жыл бұрын

@@cameronheugly7392 you will enjoy it, stay safe.

👍 echo's are my first choice when it comes to saw's and trimmers.

@tommytruth7595

4 жыл бұрын

My only complaint about the Echo trimmers is that the guard is not wide enough. You need to wear a medieval suit of armor to use one along with a helmet and a full face mask.

Thank You sir. Very fine and through. I would like to see your Primer Bulb Gas Can Rig.

Te falto desajustar la cadena un poco, cuando dejas de acelerar se frena muy rápido la cadena.

Same design as the shindaiwa 358ts very powerful chainsaw. Been using shindaiwa for several years and haven’t left me down.

@captainconner4060

5 жыл бұрын

Thats correct, Echo and Shindaiwa are the same company.

Thank you, I sure enjoy mine and two hundred dollars cheaper than STIHL’S .

Good demo. Thanks

Thank you Sir. Very fine and Thorough. I would like to see your primer bulb rig.

@captainconner4060

2 жыл бұрын

The purge bulb is just that, an air purge to push fuel through the fuel lines to remove any air. No more are needed on the purge assembly.

Not a perfect saw but makes money every time I turn it on. Would buy again. Echos are tough.

There's a few pet peeves about this particular chainsaw but power wise you can not go wrong. The casing over the chain bar makes me very nervous especially how hot that plastic gets. Nothing upsets me more than the spark arrest screen getting gunked up over long periods of use. I've taken them off on my weed eaters but won't on my chainsaw because of how hot it gets. I don't run my echo weed eaters long periods so I don't worry about debris coming from the muffler. I'm currently looking at a CS 490.

@semiprofessional8470

Жыл бұрын

I just got my cs490 and it's been great. Took about 5 tanks of fuel to break in, which took a bit because it sips fuel. It's my favorite midrange saw now.

Only problem I've had is the rubber anti vibration bushing on bottom handle fell apart. I Think it's due to gas and bar oil getting spilled when refueling

The neat part about these saws for homeowners is the 5 year warranty, IF you cut commercial it is only one year!

@captainconner4060

2 жыл бұрын

lol the moment I get a new saw, the warranty immediately goes out the window.

@Orefamilylawncare

Жыл бұрын

Stihl commercial warranty on saws is only 90 days. So the echo is still the better value.

I bought the rear handle version. It will not start if I don’t hold the throttle open a little. After two tanks of gas, I took it to a local shop to have the carb tuned. It runs fine, but still I can pull all day and not start, or I can pick it up like a maniac and start it first pull with the throttle on. Compared to my flawlessly starting MS261cm, which starts one or two pulls without throttling, this thing runs like a disposable Chinese saw. I don’t understand why.

@captainconner4060

Жыл бұрын

The top control is different from that of a stihl... stihl is the only maker that has their switches backwards. All other makers up (or forward) is full choke, pull it down or back one notch and thats fast idle (thats how that saw starts) Otherwise it sounds by the action of having to hold full throttle to start it, your mimicking fast idle.

The chain tensioner sucks on it and needs better protection over the oil tank instead of that thin piece of junk metal but otherwise I love the power and performance of it . And the bar oil o ring always comes off.

"You need SOME back-pressure" -- are you positive about this? I'd been lead to believe that, unlike with a vehicular engine, back-pressure from anything post-block (ie any muffler at all) is simply unnecessary on these single chamber 2-stokes...Would LOVE if you could explain this, I've only been told online via forums and never understood the principles involved (just got my 355t and only removed spark-arrester - I'm in FL (I do keep it with my kit though, figuring if I'm ever "above hay" or something I'd toss it back in) Had loved @Timber and Tools ' mod, they simply used that plate as a template and made a new one that's got a "straight pipe" (like a 1/2" diameter pipe welded at the gas-exit), angled-downward so no need to alter the covering/plastic or anything....though if back-pressure is really a thing then his method, your method, aren't they all simply guess-work? If *some* is necessary, why are we presuming echo didn't make it optimal from-factory? I will admit I was blown-away at its muffler once I got it home, never seen a modern saw whose muffler was literally just an empty/open box like that! Your heat-shielding of the clutch('s plastic casing) from the muffler is brilliant, thanks for that I'm totally going to do the same (probably even more IE try getting some in-between muff&front-side of engine block) Re belt-loop --- OK I'm not (that)crazy!!! I didn't dare forcefully pull it out - breaking my saw before ever cutting a log lol - but it didn't just swing-out smoothly...finally gave it a hard-pull and it snapped out w/o breaking but to hear you saying that closing it is harder still, well, think mine's gonna stay open at all times like yours lol :D (I'm a climber so it probably would've anyways :P ) Thanks a ton for the vid, I'd decided on this saw soooo many months ago, seemed only the 540xp was a legitimate better (wouldn't trade my 355 for any 200/201t) but it's more-than double the price....seeing that Echo *can* do this - sell such quality at such prices - really makes stihl seem even more "price-gougey", I mean their valuation of $350 isn't a machine like-a-355t it's their 194t, you've gotta spend $700 with them to get "their version" of a 355...I've never used a 201 but had a 194 and it feels so damn cheap in your hands, not like echo or husqvarna (or poulan pro or scheppach or tanaka)- the 194 I had - *had* - was certainly the most-fragile piece of 2-stroke I owned! Was hoping this saw wouldn't "need" a mod package to be competent like so many others BUT I am a bit surprised you didn't go-over carb adjusments...Echo seems to ship units lean (has been what I've read the most!), honestly I'm not even comfortable using mine "for real" until I've gotten those silly limiters off my H&L and can ensure I'm running a bit fat instead of a bit lean, hell this is the most-powerful climb saw I've ever used and it'd be easy enough for me to think it was "its normal power" when I was really running-lean and the limiter was all that was keeping it from 15k RPM :P

@captainconner4060

3 жыл бұрын

On a saw its not so much " back pressure " it's exhaust pulse that need to bounce back at the port. What muffler porting does is bail heat faster. I.e. you don't port a muffler inline with the exhaust port like some poor diys I have seen. This is why Echo and all manufacturers have the exhaust outlet to one side not directly in front of the exhaust port of the cylinder. So that he exhaust event can pulse back to the port yet deflect heat readily out the offset outlet.

@captainconner4060

2 жыл бұрын

All engines need a small amount of back pressure, however with epa most systems are severely choked off. The correct outlet will permit the right balance of exhaust flow, bail heat, and allow optimal engine performance.

@captainconner4060

2 жыл бұрын

@leonardo migot not new, it's been around since 2016, yes it is a 355.

Hi do you know where or how I can fix it if doesn’t idle

@captainconner4060

3 жыл бұрын

A no idle is either the low side need to be turned out a tad and or the idle screw turned in a tad.

Nice review. Have you had any trouble when starting it?

@captainconner4060

3 жыл бұрын

Not one bit, when a saw is tuned right and maintained they start well.

@BAKERHUSKIE

3 жыл бұрын

@@captainconner4060 I bought one and after a few days using it, it was hard to start it. I returned it, but will give it another try soon.

@captainconner4060

3 жыл бұрын

Fresh fuel? If so open the low side a tad

@BAKERHUSKIE

3 жыл бұрын

@@captainconner4060 it was fresh fuel. I don't have the saw anymore, it was returned. Will get another one soon.

@johnmills3163

3 жыл бұрын

I've owned Echo products for a long time trimmers / blowers / ... they are the best 2 stroke starters out there ! Very dependable !

I bought one of these 2nd hand and its great except on a cold start it struggles to push the chain at first and can die if i dont feather it. Wonder if this is anything to worry about??

@captainconner4060

4 жыл бұрын

on cold start never rev a saw, let it idle for about 1 to 2 minutes. running a saw right after cold start greatly increases that chance of a four corner seizure. The rings have to have a chance to expand to the heat. Sounds like the low side needs to be turned out about 1/4 to 1/2 turn. and or the idle adjustment needs to be turned in a tad.

@cerberusbonsaiarboricultur774

4 жыл бұрын

check "steve's small engine" channel on youtube for "tune carb chainsaw", but echo's are notoriously set lean so you may need to open L, H up a quarter or whole turn (no idea w/o seeing it),. also turn up Idle (you can turn it back later once you've fund your sweet-spot :) ) Echo's are known for being fast, reliable starters, if yours isn't I'd wanna tune it asap as I'll bet you're running lean (and would benefit from higher idle. Remember it's counterclockwise to turn-up your jets, clockwise to turn-up your idle :)

Does this chainsaw have what we'd call an "iron site"

@captainconner4060

5 жыл бұрын

Not sure, never heard of that terminology.

@whiskeytangofoxtrot9403

4 жыл бұрын

Same thing as a gunning site

I was going to get it because of the price point. But after seeing this video I'll probably change my mind. The filler caps look like a pain. Wasn't even oily and he could barely open it. No auto return kill switch, pain. No retained bar nuts, pain. Are those features worth a couple hundred bucks to upgrade to the 201?

@bee_marshall

2 жыл бұрын

And those dogs are pitiful

more power left in that engine, its running fat

@captainconner4060

5 жыл бұрын

Indeed, I run em a bit rich for initial break in.

@cerberusbonsaiarboricultur774

4 жыл бұрын

Can you elaborate on this a bit? My understanding was echo's are shipped lean, you fatten them up (which conner said he was doing -- which I should go do to my barely-touched, 2-day-old 355t that's still got those limiter caps on :P ) How could you tell by watching/hearing the vid? It's always seemed to me to be such a small window% of L&H adjustments that even let an engine run w/o sounding AWFUL or simply dying, and that it's *within there* within that sounds-good range that you're fine-tuning your 1/4, 1/10th etc turns to fine-tune......good on Conner for having it set rich, can't believe I've even run mine (barely, and not at WOT yet) w/o having richened the carbs for chrissake I've setup a semi-permanent tachometer/hours-logger on it and still have the carb-limiter caps on :P ((To be clear, it's ONLY removing those 2 plastic circular "lock-outs" on H&L screws, then it's a normal/tuneable saw, right? I believe the ignition module prevents over-spin from max-RPM but I can't imagine that's an issue? Will be opening-up my muffler some more so know I'll be opening H&L even-more but feel like I've heard of a "limiter" of some type that's *not* the ignition's max-rpm limit OR the physical plastic H&L "blocker-caps"...would be very thankful to know if Echo's put anything else "in the way" lol, already removed spark-arrester am gonna let everything bed-in before I go do muff-mod))

Like watching paint dry, tedious