Echo DCS-2500T

I splurged and got the echo dpas2600 power head. Again the European model comes with 1/4” pole saw bar & chain and US comes with 3/8” which I don’t understand why. Hedge trimmer and 3’ extension attachment is on the way. Pruning 22 London plane street trees to elevate for clearance later this month which should tell me if it was worth the investment.
 

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Really nice, with the oiling fixed.


The sprocket for 1/4" pitch seems to be ridiculously expensive, for some reason...$60+. I can't figure out why. Maybe its a very low production item.
 
I'm running an Oregon 12", 3/8 pitch, .043 gauge bar on my Echo 2500T. Didn't make the change to 1/4 pitch. Didn't quite understand why one would do so, but then I don't understand a lot of things.
So far I am very happy with this set up. The .043 should have been standard on this saw from the get go.
From Bailey's:
Oregon 12" Single Rivet Chainsaw Bar (45 Drive Links) 124MLEA041
Item No: ORF 124MLEA041		$26.99
WoodlandPRO 12" Chainsaw Chain Loop (34LP 45 Drive Links) 34LP45
Item No: WPL 34LP45		$13.99
 
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Shadowscape said:
I'm running an Oregon 12", 3/8 pitch, .043 gauge bar on my Echo 2500T. Didn't make the change to 1/4 pitch. Didn't quite understand why one would do so, but then I don't understand a lot of things.
So far I am very happy with this set up. The .043 should have been standard on this saw from the get go.
From Bailey's:
Oregon 12" Single Rivet Chainsaw Bar (45 Drive Links) 124MLEA041
Item No: ORF 124MLEA041		$26.99
WoodlandPRO 12" Chainsaw Chain Loop (34LP 45 Drive Links) 34LP45
Item No: WPL 34LP45		$13.99
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It makes cleaner cuts for pruning and uses less power so low powered saws cut faster.
 
1/4 pitch sprocket with the same number teeth is smaller than the 3/8, so your chain speed is slower, but more torque.
Going to a larger number of teeth increases your chain speed to where it was with the 3/8th pitch but your torque is back down. Seems like six of one, half a dozen of another. I don't see where spending 60-70 dollars for a 1/4 pitch sprocket gains you anything, other than funding the companies that want to sell you one. I'm not a chain / sprocket expert by any means, and I may just have my head up my ass, but I don't get it.
 
If you try it you can feel the difference. Proof positive. You definitely trade off a bit of durability and chain life and have to be more surgical with keeping your bar lined up in the cut but it is definitely faster. However, if you like what you have then why change it?
 
Njdelaney said:
If you try it you can feel the difference. Proof positive. You definitely trade off a bit of durability and chain life and have to be more surgical with keeping your bar lined up in the cut but it is definitely faster. However, if you like what you have then why change it?
Click to expand...
Guess I will have to give it a try then. I can understand it feeling smoother.
 
macrocarpa said:
Went to the Home Depot and they had this saw in stock for $500 with 1 battery and a charger. It is definitely small and light like the gas powered 2511T. Its pretty much the same size as the Makita 18V XCU06 but its 56V. The plastic construction seems cheaper to me compared to the Makita but I'm not an expert.

It comes with an awkward and heavy 3/8" bar/sprocket. If it came with the 1/4" already on it like the European models I would buy it. Its just hard after using 1/4" for pruning to go back to a 3/8" and its not cheap to swap out.
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Do you still have this makita? Would you recommend it?
 
L3VI said:
Do you still have this makita? Would you recommend it
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L3VI said:
Do you still have this makita? Would you recommend it?
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Maybe if you already have Makita batteries. Its a small niche tool. The echo pretty much replaces the Makita 18 V and 36 V and weighs the same as the 18 V.

I still grab the Makita 18 V for small pruning just because I like the way its designed but it has limited power.
 
macrocarpa said:
Maybe if you already have Makita batteries. Its a small niche tool. The echo pretty much replaces the Makita 18 V and 36 V and weighs the same as the 18 V.

I still grab the Makita 18 V for small pruning just because I like the way its designed but it has limited power.
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The stihl msa161t is another good one to look at it's a little more expensive than the Echo but comes with 1/4 pitch set up, I've got 1 6amp hour battery for mine and have only killed the battery once or twice in the 2 years I've owned it.
 
Vicente said:
The stihl msa161t is another good one to look at it's a little more expensive than the Echo but comes with 1/4 pitch set up, I've got 1 6amp hour battery for mine and have only killed the battery once or twice in the 2 years I've owned it.
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Stihl is the only company that seems to understand the 1/4” here in the US.

I have a good stihl dealer walking distance from my house and do appreciate the better service you get compared to buying from amazon or home depot etc.
 
I was one of the first to get my hands on the Echo 2500T. Was using it before is was available in the U.S. My thoughts on it:
Seems cheap when you first get your hands on it, but after a couple of years of rough use it has shown no signs of damage.
Need to clean the air screen from time to time, which is under the battery.
Saw dust clogging the battery contacts seems to be less than other battery operated saws, mostly because of the open bottom of the battery compartment. Sort of self cleans when you take the battery out.
Weight wise it is nice and light.
Down sides are that it comes .050 gauge. I changed mine out soon after I got it to .043, although I still am running 3/8 pitch chain. Also the 2.5 ah batteries don't last as long as I would like. I carry a spare up with me, but I would be willing to sacrifice a bit of weight for a bigger battery. The Echo Force line allows all their equipment to use the 2.5 or the 5 ah batteries, except the 2500T. That can only use the 2.5 battery. I get their thoughts on that for a climbing saw, but allowing us to make that determination would have been better, I think.
Summary: Been a good saw that I have enjoyed working with. Would I get it again? With what I see currently out there, yes. I'm a die hard Husky gas saw man, but I don't like the bulk of their electric saws. And the Stihl electric just doesn't do a thing for me. Seems to have been designed by someone who never uses a chainsaw. If I was limited to the Stihl electric or a 2511T I would opt for the 2511T in a heart beat.
If I am gong to be whacking branches non stop I will still use my 2511 (or...cough cough... my Tanaka. Yes, and I love it.), but if it is going to be a branch here and then a branch there I certainly will take up the Echo 2500T.
 
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The stihl looks weird and feels kinda weird at first however you quickly get used to the feel, the more cuts I have to make the more I want an electric saw, if I'd doing an oak and just bombing big pieces like 5 cuts I don't mind using a gas saw being able to limb a shaggy 120 foot pine or fir on 1 battery never having to start a saw saves me a ton of time.
 
I got to borrow the Stihl and use it for a couple of hours. You are right, it feels weird. But more important (to me at least) was that "stupid people" button you have to press down on the side of the handle before you can make it go. That belongs on a homeowner saw, not a commercial saw. Then there is the battery compartment that kept filling up with sawdust and chips. Slip a new battery in there and all you are doing is mashing wood stuff down onto the contacts, and then it doesn't work. You need to clean it out every time you pull the battery or you will be pissed one day when you are up in a tree and your saw won't run because the contacts are jammed up with wood crud. After a couple of hours I was more than willing to give it back to its owner, along with my comments about how he should keep the bar and chain and scrap the rest.
I'm convinced that Stihl hired some outside company, like Black and Decker to build them an electric chainsaw, which they threw their name on. It certainly is not Stihl quality.
 
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I don't really have issues with stuff getting in the stihl battery compartment some gets in there but you just dump it out when you change batteries not really a big deal. The button is annoying but it's one of those things you get used to and end up doing without even thinking about it's just a pain for lefty. I dropped the stihl 50 ft onto a log popped the battery back in and it still ran. I'm more concerned about the longevity of my 540ixp than the stihl I see a pretty decent number of issues coming up with those.
 
Vicente said:
I dropped the stihl 50 ft onto a log popped the battery back in and it still ran.
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That is a selling point for them.
I haven't sent the Echo 2500 sailing down yet, but I have my doubts it would survive such a crash onto a hard surface. Time will tell because I will no doubt do it sometime down the line. I hate chainsaw lanyards and often scramble to get it hooked on my harness before I have to grab onto something. Sometimes I just don't make it in time.
 
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