[ponyakr]

Since I am now considering a saw which costs around $350, I decided to look at some other $350 saws that I had previously dismissed, because of their price.

The first 2 that come to mind are the 58v Echo & the 60v Dewalt. Since I've read reviews & watched videos of lots of saws, in the last few weeks, I've noticed that every saw gets both good & bad reviews. Some think they're great, while others say the same saw is a total piece of worthless junk. I suppose you either have to decide who to believe, OR go by the overall average score the saw gets.

First off, has anybody here actually used either one of these 2 saws I just mentioned ?

(1) Echo 58v

The 1st I remember ever hearing of the Echo 58v was in the video which compared several saws, in several different categories. The echo won the speed cutting test, by a significant margin. Having been around race cars quite a bit, that immediately caught my attention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnFfaoFRrUE

https://www.protoolreviews.com/tools...-review/29126/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbA07-37uPM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACuzdG81B1M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtNIOvLhfTI&t=265s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nASxbKQGJc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfIGyWqvDqg&t=461s

(2) Dewalt 60v

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmnTpQ99bVU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttcg2FIR120&t=2s

Well, anyone who is interested can find more reviews & videos online.

[ponyakr]

Just out of curiosity, I looked up some prices for the 58v Echo & the 60v Dewalt.

Found this Echo for $199 on Ebay. Says it was only used once. Seller has a 100% positive rating.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ECHO-CCS-58...gAAOSwxFhfyFHI

Several new & used "tool only" for less than $200.

This new one is $170.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ECHO-58-Vol....c100005.m1851

Some HD stores have the 60v Dewalt in stock, for $299 + tax. My local HD don't. But, there are 2 HD stores in the Shreveport area that have one in stock. They're nearly a 2 hour drive from me. Can get the in-store-only 10% military discount. But would spend most of that in gas, driving that far.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-1...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

One thing to keep in mind on the speed test
When talking about or comparing $350 saws

They used a 16" 56v EGO with .043 Chain and 66 ft per sec chain speed
in that test
$300 saw

The ECHO had .050 Chain and 68 ft. per sec chain speed
The Chain probably made most of the difference on big logs with only 2 fps separating their cutting speeds.

They should have used the HotRod 56v EGO with .050 Chain and 99 ft per sec
$350 saw
By the numbers, i don't think the ECHO could keep up with 99 fps

That's all i'm pointing out.
The Echo and Dewalt are bound to be excellent saws.
Its about like buying a pistol or a spray gun - sometimes its the way a particular one feels in your hands that makes the most difference.
They all do the job

[ponyakr]

"...sometimes its the way a particular one feels in your hands that makes the most difference..."

Yeah, both of my area Lowes are showing to have several EGO CS1804 saws.

At $349 + tax, there will still be some in stock, after Christmas.

So, the next time I'm in either city, I'll go in & see if they have a display model I can handle.

If they should have a sale price of $299, AND will still honor my 10% military discount, I'll probably pull the trigger, if at all possible, at the time.

About that how one "feels in your hands" deal, the 80v Kobalt does not "feel" particularly good in my hands, because it's heavy. BUT, I don't have to hold it for very long at a time. I just make the quick cut or cuts, then pick up something lighter, to take care of the smaller stuff.

Now, IF the CS1804 will cut the big stuff just as quick as the 80v Kobalt, and is much lighter, that will make a difference. It could possibly become the only saw I'd need, for the bigger stuff. We could still use the 12" saws for the small stuff, the WEN for the mid-size stuff, & the 18" EGO for the bigger stuff. Like President Trump has said, many times, "We'll see".

But, even if the EGO was quicker than the Kobalt, I'll keep the Kobalt. I assume it would be like trying to sell Pontiac parts in my area. Nobody would pay even close to what it's worth. For that reason, AND because of the long warranty period, I'll keep the Kobalt.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

My "tentative plan"

is to use the 80v Kobalt to take down the big boys
then when chunking them down into logs - alternating every couple cuts between HR-EGO and 80v Kobalt so not to heat up either one of their batteries so much.

HR-EGO will get most all the medium/heavy work

Regular EGO will go up in the trees to cut , and limb-off trunks after they get cut down.
All the small and maybe half the medium stuff

And the 80v Kobalt to get stumps as low as possible after tree is down.

I'm going to pamper all my batteries as much as possible and try not to overheat them.
Thats where the real money gets involved sooner or later.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by ponyakr

So, the next time I'm in either city, I'll go in & see if they have a display model I can handle.

If they should have a sale price of $299, AND will still honor my 10% military discount, I'll probably pull the trigger, if at all possible, at the time.

Definitely stop in and handle one, and any other models they have.
Usually from what i have seen they have short chains/cables locking the saws.
Can't really get the full experience with the short leash - but they can unlock them.

The EGO boxes are not tape sealed - so ,,, you can open one and get it out of the box to handle it - if they don't have a display.

Lowes won't stack discounts
and they won't apply any discounts on sale or clearance items.

A Christmas Sale or a 20% Lowes Card coupon will be the best possibilities.
20% would be $70 off a $350 saw = 280

[ponyakr]

"...A Christmas Sale or a 20% Lowes Card coupon will be the best possibilities.
20% would be $70 off a $350 saw = 280 "


Yeah, I'm just guessing that the Christmas sale price will probably be $329, $319, or $309.

$299 is probably too much to hope for.

BUT, they've obviously made a HUGE volume deal with EGO. So, they can probably still make a decent profit margin, @ $299.

Hey, it's Dec already. So we'll know what the Christmas price will be, in just a few weeks.

There are lots of high demand items that don't go on sale 'til AFTER Christmas. Hey, we've got plenty of saws to do us 'til after Christmas. So, I can wait 'em out 'til Jan, to see what will happen.

If there is no price reduction by early Jan, I'll probably just buy from Amazon, and pay with my Amazon store card on their 6 mo with no interest deal. At this time, the Amazon price is $340.16 + tax. That's gettin up close to $400 total. But it's only a little over $60 per month. And, I may be able to come up with at least half of it, by Christmas. That would pay for 3 months. That would give me 'til around Mar or April to come up with the next monthly payment. Hey, that's the only way I was able to buy lots of stuff, for most of my life.

https://www.amazon.com/EGO-Power-Cha...ag=googhydr-20

But, as many EGO saws as Lowes has obviously bought, I can't imagine that they will not offer the best price, sometime in the very near future.

https://toolguyd.com/lowes-exclusive...or%20equipment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZrZSnGt-xE

https://corporate.lowes.com/newsroom...ering-07-22-20

https://www.familyhandyman.com/artic...rtnership-ego/

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

High Five on the DirtCheap WEN !

Someone got involved with the other auction and took you down, but you were the LoneRanger on the .99 cent'er.
Way to go Ponyakr !

PS - Don't post about cheap auctions on here if you're going after them - until AFTER you win/lose.
Might create your own competition on the item from other observers here .. fwiw

That was Amazing
99 cents for a new Chainsaw
rotflmao

[ponyakr]

The auction just ended for the two WEN 40417 saw bodies.

The 1st one ended at 8:04. I was sniped on that one by $.30, with 10 sec to go. That's what I anticipated for both auctions.

BUT, the other one ended at 8:06. I was the only bidder. Therefore I won, with a bid of $.99. Was watching the countdown & fully expecting another last sec snipe. But, it didn't happen.

So, for $.99 + $25.55 shipping, I'm the proud new owner of a new 40417 saw body. I assume there will also be tax, on the $.99 sale price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/33380394760...torefresh=true

The tax was $.08. Supposed to arrive by Sat Dec 12, USPS. But, since it's in Alabama, I'll probably get it sooner.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

They tax everything now
The 99cents and the shipping cost will get your state sales tax % on that full total.

[edit] I just saw your .08 tax reply , that is surprising. It might vary from state to state as to what they tax ?

[ponyakr]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

They tax everything now
The 99cents and the shipping cost will get your state sales tax % on that full total.

[edit] I just saw your .08 tax reply , that is surprising. It might vary from state to state as to what they tax ?

Assuming tax is only charged on the selling price, & NOT on the price of shipping.

BUT, I suppose some states might charge tax on shipping charges also. Don't know.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

The great state of NC gets sales tax on the shipping cost too, when i buy something on eBay. It hadn't occurred to me that other states may be different on that.
But it likely can vary from state to state.

Sure was nice when there was no sales tax on internet stuff.

Sure was even nicer when there was no sales tax on labor charges in NC, but a few years back they started doing that too.

The 16" EGO Saw i bought through eBay on Monday arrived today.
It was as advertised, New / Un-Used .

So it was a good day for the PY ChainSaw Junkies today.
Congrats again on the ninety-nine cents New Chainsaw.
If it doesn't have a drive sprocket, they don't usually cost much.

[ponyakr]

"...Sure was nice when there was no sales tax on internet stuff..."

Yeah, I bought several items online in 2019 that had no tax added. But I haven't found any tax-free items in recent months. i suppose it's now the law of the land & is being enforced.

I assume that has helped a few brick & mortar stores. But most probably can't match the low Amazon, Ebay, & Wal Mart prices, & still make a profit. Assume that the online prices of many items are less than the "wholesale" cost to small stores. As we've all known for a long time, that's how Wal Mart put so many local businesses out of business, all across the country, years ago.

"...If it doesn't have a drive sprocket, they don't usually cost much. "

I sent the guy a question. He assured me that all I'd need to use the saw would be a bar/chain/batt. He has a 100% rating. Most Ebay sellers don't wanna do anything to lose that rating. So, I figure he's probably telling the truth.

It's probably the same story as with the EGO stuff sold on Ebay. The price of new batteries is so high, as compared to their cost when bought in a saw/batt/charger kit, that people are buying the kit, then selling the parts separately, to make a profit.

Or, if they don't need another batt & charger, they can buy the kit, then sell the batt & charger, & end up getting the saw cheaper than the saw-only price. Here's an example. The CS1800 is $240.

https://www.amazon.com/EGO-Power-CS1...04989895&psc=1

The CS1804 kit is only about $100 more.

https://www.rcpw.com/equipment/elect...UaAm6FEALw_wcB

Just the new BA2800T G3 5.0Ah batt will cost WAY more than $100.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ego-Power-B...QAAOSwvSJfVvMs

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ego-Power-B...UAAOSwlIZfyQ7L

I've done lots of lookin. Can't match the kit price, even if you buy a used batt & charger. A bargain price on EGO stuff is rare, because demand is high. So, unless some extreme bargain turns up, I'll probably just wait & buy a CS1804 kit, when I have at least half the money, or more.

Gonna be interesting to see what Lowes does with their EGO pricing. Guessing they can now buy EGO stuff cheaper than anybody else & will soon be the largest volume EGO seller. Hard to believe that HD dumped EGO. They must have not been able to get the cutthroat price they were demanding. I know for a fact, that's the way Wal Mart does business. If one brand of a product won't give 'em the price they want, they'll either dump 'em altogether, or increase their selling price, then make a deal with a competitor & begin to push that brand, with low prices & big displays. I suppose that's the way big business has been working for a long time.

[ponyakr]

Just checked Ebay for a CS1800.

This MAY end up being the cheapest I've seen, depending on what the high bid ends up being. Min bid is $150. Shipping is $41.70.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ego-Power-1...QAAOSw3VpfxDno

Guessing the final price will be over $200.

Here's one for $224 + tax, shipped.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/EGO-18-Chai...YAAOSwcqxfg721

That's real close to my cost from Lowes, with my 10% discount.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/EGO-Power-P...nly/1003130752

The Amazon price is only slightly higher, with their $239 price, less the 5% Amazon store card credit.

https://www.amazon.com/EGO-Power-CS1...04989895&psc=1

So, anything under $224 + tax, will be cheaper than any price I've found.

[ponyakr]

We have a real heavy frost this morning. So, I'm gonna wait 'til afternoon to do some work. Therefore, I'll just play on my laptop for a while.

Looked up EGO CS1804 inventory at my area Lowes stores. Among 6 stores within 80 miles of me there are 39 in stock. That's 1 less than yesterday. The Monroe store shows to have sold 1. They're still showing 9 in stock.

If I cross the state line into NE Texas there are another 25, within a 3 hour drive.

But, I find it very interesting that of the 6 LA stores I mentioned, there are only 5 CS1401 saws in stock, all at 1 store. Looks like either EGO or Lowes, or both, are really pushing the CS1804. I would have thought Lowes would stock more of the lower priced saws, and let people order in the higher priced ones.

From everything I've been able to learn online, it looks like the CS1804 is the big winner in the EGO line. More power, faster chain speed, metal spikes, 1-knob chain tensioning, & even an onboard light, for emergency night use.

So, maybe that's the reason they're pushing that model. Maybe they assume it will produce more satisfied customers.

Hey, this is just my observation & opinion, offered mainly just because I don't wanna go out in the cold right now.

['ol Pinion head]

6 weeks ago bought an 80V Kobalt blower, I'd thought of ordering in to local Lowes, a Kobalt 80V power pole saw. Todd, Thank you for posting the actual pole length/reach of that saw! My 20+ year old Echo power pole saw has 10.5 foot of reach from the trigger to the beginning of the bar, so the 80V Kobalt wouldn't have done me any good. Until I looked the Echo Pole saw up the other day, didn't realize there is a 3ft extension piece that is available. Am going to pursue purchasing the extension. Have some mighty tall oaks & blackjacks that have a few widow makers in them. With the big bifold ladder strapped down to the back deck of the car trailer I should be able to use the pole saw to safely attack limbs near 25ft off the ground. 5 years ago I attacked numerous big oaks & an 80 ft tall monster Southern Dogwood that way & from the 2nd level of some standard scaffolding. That worked well in the preparation for erecting my steel building. Problem with scaffolding is its just something else i seldom use that would have to put away & I've banished all yard equipment & household maintenance items from my building just to make everything restoration wise, more streamlined.

[ponyakr]

Never tried to cut anything that high off the ground.

The 1st saw I bought was a 40v Kobalt pole saw. We were told that we needed to remove lots of overhead limbs along our dirt road/driveway thru the woods, in order for the concrete truck to get thru to pour the slab for my little shop.

So, we went to Lowes in Monroe, to buy a pole saw. At first, it appeared that they didn't have any in stock. But, after we looked around for a while, we spotted some, way up on top of the shelving, against the wall. IIRC, they had either 7 or 9 in stock. Just didn't have any where anybody could reach 'em. Had to get a Lowes worker to get one down.

It worked great. We cut all the limbs from the bed of our Tacoma pickup. After all the reading & searching I've done, I'm sure there are quite a few more powerful pole saws out there. This one does not even have a brushless motor. But is has cut everything we've needed to cut with it. Biggest was probably 4-5 inches, not over 6 probably. Has no problem at all with stuff less than 4", which is what we need to cut mostly.

It has 3 sections. We used all 3 for the road clearing. But, since then, I've taken the center section out. We can reach the stuff we wanna cut, with the shorter version. Mostly just cut the limbs that are hanging low enuff to hit me when I'm bush hoggin next to the tree line.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-40-V...ded/5000867687

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by 'ol Pinion head

Thank you for posting the actual pole length/reach of that saw! My 20+ year old Echo power pole saw has 10.5 foot of reach from the trigger to the beginning of the bar, so the 80V Kobalt wouldn't have done me any good.

I was shopping around for a pole saw at that time, and caught on to their methods of misleading claims.
Glad it helped
A lot of them are using that terminology/method

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

So here's my review of the Ryobi 18volt 8" Pole Saw (cordless/battery)
It was BlackFridaySale for $68 ToolOnly - regular $119 ToolOnly {Home Depot}
I already have Ryobi 18volt tools and batt/charger - so i was hopeful.

but first -
My old pole saw is a Corded-Electric
Remington 8"/ 8amp , Telescoping 2-section Pole (thick gauge fiberglass)
6 ft - 9.5 ft reach
8 lb combined weight (5lb saw / 3lb pole)
The saw is a mini-chainsaw that is removable and can be used alone (and has been many times)
15 years ago it was $99
It has done almost impossible things for its size, and always comes back for more.
Have put a lot of hard miles on it too.
The pole has very little swag when fully extended - NO wobble at the joint.

So the Ryobi had a lot to live up to, to make the cut.

The Ryobi is a WIMP
The chain speed is so slow you can almost watch the chain cutters go by.
Was hoping it would spin about like the 18v Ryobi 10" Chainsaw i have - No.

It's a 3-piece shaft that "looks like" carbon fiber -it might be.
The shafts seem strong enough - but it wobbles at BOTH joints when flexed.
One "mis-handling" accident and its probably busted the first time, i don't see it being forgiving at those joints.

It has a range of 9.5 ft with all 3 pieces joined
Weighs 8lbs by itself - 9.5lbs with a 4Ah Battery Installed at trigger end.
This would be best classified as a light-medium duty homeowner tool in a very controlled environment.
Not something you would take into the forest - or up an extension ladder.

If it fits your typical yard-work needs and you can get it at a super-reduced price , it's probably okay in that arena.
At full price it's a Loser
In kit form ($140'ish) it comes with a 1.3Ah battery - which is barely a battery at all.

Next trip to Greensboro, it will be Returned

[ponyakr]

Just got an Email from an Ebay seller called tools_direct.

Because I had looked at an ad for a used Echo saw, they sent me an offer to buy the saw for $135.20, rather than $169.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353300996573?ul_noapp=true

I've had 'em ask me to make an offer. But can't remember one of 'em makin me an offer.

Anyhow, I'd seriously considered buying an Echo, mostly because it won the speed cutting portion of the head-to-head comparison I've posted here. Since this saw was a tool only, I looked up the price of a batt & charger for it. Like EGO, the batt price is really high. Only way to buy is as a saw/batt/charger kit.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-58-...V4AH/205575726

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Echo-58v-ba...QAAOSwWZlfvmg~

After reading LOTS of reviews, & lookin at LOTS of videos, I've decided that the only other saw I want(at this time) is the EGO CS1804 kit.

Also, I have not been able to find a heads-up comparison of the EGO 18" vs the Echo. So, the 18" may be just as quick, or even quicker cutting than the Echo. And, even if it's a little slower, I have the 80v Kobalt for the bigger stuff. So, with the 80v AND the 18" EGO, I should be able to take care of most anything I'll attempt to cut.

Then, as mentioned, I'll do the mid-size stuff with the WEN & the smaller stuff with the 12" saws. Hey, I love it, plenty of tools to get the job done !