I have been looking for a tiny gas-powered chainsaw. I wind up cutting a lot of trees in my way on National forest trails to our property in the Michigan Upper Peninsula. Sometimes three of us adults plus a large dog have to pack all out stuff in a Ford Escape. When we do, there is not much cargo room. Thus my search for the smallest saw I can find that will fit in a tool-bag or box with a quart of gas and a quart of oil.
I was surprised how hard it was to get a straight answer on the subject at a couple of dealers I went to (Echo and Stihl). In fact, I consider my dealer visits a "lapse in judgement" and will never do it again.
Echo claims to have the most lightweight and compact top-handle saw in the USA. I was hoping to find one at a dealer but nope.
So, I did some testing and fooling around. I trimmed down my CS3450 saw so it is shorter. Has a 33 cc engine. I weighed the Echo and my little Stihl 015L . I also finally bought a brand-new Chinese top-handle 25 cc saw. I LOVE IT. $82 shipped to my door. Build quality is much better then I expected and it runs like a little rocket. I filled them all with gas and oil and weighed them. Stihl 015 32 cc weighs the most at 11 1/2 lbs. Echo 32 cc saw weighs 10 lbs. The 25 cc Chinese saw weighs 8 3/4 lbs. Pleasant surprise because the seller shows it as 12 lbs.
The Stihl 015L cost $180 in 1980. That is equal to $540 today. The new 25 cc Echo I wanted sells right now for $360. The Chinese 25 cc top handle saw sells for $47 if I want to buy a big load of them. I paid $82 for just one.
I found only one slight flaw with the Chinese saw. One decal on it appears to be upside down. But my wife commented that when you hold the saw in your hand and look down to read that decal - then it is right side up.
I was surprised how hard it was to get a straight answer on the subject at a couple of dealers I went to (Echo and Stihl). In fact, I consider my dealer visits a "lapse in judgement" and will never do it again.
Echo claims to have the most lightweight and compact top-handle saw in the USA. I was hoping to find one at a dealer but nope.
So, I did some testing and fooling around. I trimmed down my CS3450 saw so it is shorter. Has a 33 cc engine. I weighed the Echo and my little Stihl 015L . I also finally bought a brand-new Chinese top-handle 25 cc saw. I LOVE IT. $82 shipped to my door. Build quality is much better then I expected and it runs like a little rocket. I filled them all with gas and oil and weighed them. Stihl 015 32 cc weighs the most at 11 1/2 lbs. Echo 32 cc saw weighs 10 lbs. The 25 cc Chinese saw weighs 8 3/4 lbs. Pleasant surprise because the seller shows it as 12 lbs.
The Stihl 015L cost $180 in 1980. That is equal to $540 today. The new 25 cc Echo I wanted sells right now for $360. The Chinese 25 cc top handle saw sells for $47 if I want to buy a big load of them. I paid $82 for just one.
I found only one slight flaw with the Chinese saw. One decal on it appears to be upside down. But my wife commented that when you hold the saw in your hand and look down to read that decal - then it is right side up.
