The Echo range in our catalogue runs from a A$490 twelve-inch saw to a A$2,499 seventy-three-cc felling saw, and the model codes look almost identical from a distance. The first decision is not engine size at all: it is whether you need a top handle saw, a rear handle saw, or reach. Get that wrong and the specification that follows will be wrong too.
The handle shape decides the saw
Top handle saws place the grip over the engine and are built for one-handed work in trees: pruning, limbing and climbing. Rear handle saws put the grip behind the engine for two-handed control and are the correct choice for ground work, felling and firewood. Pole saws add reach for branches you cannot safely climb to.
Prices are Freshway catalogue prices as at 16 September 2026 and are subject to change. Confirm the current price, and whether GST applies, before quoting.
Top handle versus rear handle
| Top handle (T models) | Rear handle | |
|---|---|---|
| Grip position | Over the engine | Behind the engine |
| Intended work | Arborist climbing, limbing, pruning in the canopy | Ground felling, bucking, firewood, land clearing |
| Control | One-handed balance, close-quarters precision | Two-handed control and less kickback exposure |
| Weight | Lightest in the range, 2.3–3.6 kg | Heavier, 3.8–6.7 kg |
| Typical buyer | Qualified tree workers | Landscapers, farms, contractors, firewood cutters |
Top handle saws are often bought by people who simply want the lightest saw. That is the wrong reason, because a top handle saw is designed to be used in a tree by a trained operator, and it should not be the saw a ground crew reaches for by default. If the work is on the ground and light, the right answer is a small rear handle saw.
The model ladder
| Model | Bar | Engine | Output | Weight (dry) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS-310ES/30 | 12 in | 30.5cc | — | 4.0 kg | A$490.00 |
| CS-352ES | 350 mm | 34cc | — | — | A$699.00 |
| CS-3510ES/35 | 14 in | 34.4cc | — | 3.8 kg | A$699.00 |
| CS-3510AC | — | — | — | — | A$799.00 |
| CS-420ES/38 | 15 in | 40.2cc | 1.6 kW | 4.6 kg | A$849.00 |
| CS-280TES/25 (top handle) | 10 in | — | — | — | A$849.00 |
| CS-362TES (top handle) | 14 in | 35.8cc | 1.50 kW | 3.6 kg | A$897.75 |
| CS-390ESX/38 | 15 in | — | — | — | A$949.00 |
| CS-2511TES/25 (top handle) | 10 in | 25.0cc | 1.11 kW | 2.3 kg | A$979.00 |
| CS-4510ES/45 | 18 in | 45.0cc | 2.3 kW | 5.0 kg | A$999.00 |
| CS-501SX/45 | 18 in | 50.2cc | 2.57 kW | 4.7 kg | A$1,249.00 |
| CS-4310SX/45 | 18 in | 42.9cc | 2.3 kW | 4.3 kg | A$1,449.00 |
| CS-590/50 | 20 in | — | — | — | A$1,499.00 |
| CS-621SX/50 | 20 in | 59.8cc | 3.2 kW | — | A$1,999.00 |
| CS-7310SX/50 | 20 in | 73.5cc | 4.1 kW | 6.7 kg | A$2,499.00 |
| PPT-2620ES (pole saw) | 12 in | 25.4cc | — | — | A$1,799.00 |
| ES-250ES Shred ‘N’ Vac | — | 25.4cc | — | 5.6 kg | A$649.00 |
Where a cell is blank, the specification is not published on that product listing, so we have left it out rather than guess it. Ask us and we will pull the figure from the manufacturer data before you commit.
Reading the letters after the model number
The suffixes are not a single consistent code, so it is worth knowing the two that matter most and confirming the rest against the listing.
- AC — auto choke, as in the CS-3510AC. It removes the manual choke step on start-up, which matters when a crew starts the same saw dozens of times a day.
- SX — the professional X-Series. In our catalogue every SX saw is an X-Series machine, and the CS-501SX, CS-4310SX, CS-621SX and CS-7310SX are the ones built for daily commercial work.
- T — every TES model we stock is sold as a top handle saw, which is the clearest signal in the naming.
Where a machine is listed without an SX suffix, treat the specification as the source of truth rather than the badge. Two saws of similar displacement can sit at quite different points in the range depending on the deck, the bar and the filtration.
The two saws most commercial crews land on
Across the enquiries we take, two models come up repeatedly, and they sit at opposite ends of the range for good reasons.
| Model | What it is for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Echo CS-4510ES/45, 18 inch, 45.0cc, 5.0 kg | An all-round ground saw for land clearing, firewood and general felling where one saw has to cover everything | A$999.00 |
| Echo CS-7310SX/50, 20 inch, 73.5cc, 6.7 kg | Full-time felling and large timber, with magnesium crankcase plates for impact resistance | A$2,499.00 |
The middle of the range — the 18 inch saws from the CS-4310SX through to the CS-501SX — exists because a 45cc machine and a 73cc machine are both compromises for a mixed workload. If most of the work is limbing and pruning with occasional felling, the 18 inch saws are the practical choice, and the CS-4310SX at 4.3 kg is the lightest way to get 2.3 kW in an 18 inch bar.
Reach without climbing: the pole saw
The PPT-2620ES power pruner carries a 25.4cc engine and a 12 inch bar on a telescopic shaft, and it exists so that high branches are cut from the ground rather than from a ladder. For councils, landscapers and maintenance teams the argument is not productivity, it is removing the fall risk entirely. A rigid fibreglass outer shaft is what keeps the cut accurate at full extension, because flex in the shaft is what turns a clean cut into a torn one.
Where the requirement is a battery platform rather than petrol, we also stock Kress chainsaws, which share batteries with the Kress lawn and garden range.
Bar, chain and fuel: what keeps a saw cutting
A chainsaw that “has gone blunt” is usually three separate maintenance failures, and all three are avoidable:
- Chain tension. A loose chain throws and a tight one burns the bar. Tension is set cold and then rechecked after the first cut, when the bar warms and stretches the chain.
- Bar groove and oil holes. A clogged oil hole starves the bar, and the symptom is a hot, smoking bar with a chain that will not stay tight.
- Two-stroke mix. Echo saws are two-stroke, and running straight fuel through one ends the engine rather than the chain. Mix to the ratio in the manual rather than by eye.
Files, bars, chains and filters for the machines we sell are in the outdoor power equipment accessories range, and our service team can rebuild a saw rather than replace it where the cylinder and crankcase are sound.
Safety and PPE
A petrol chainsaw is high-risk plant, and on a worksite the obligations are not optional. SafeWork NSW publishes the guarding and isolation principles under machinery and equipment, and the noise at work requirements apply to saws as much as to fixed plant. Sustained saw use also requires cut-resistant leg protection, hearing protection and eye protection; chain shot and kickback are the two events that cause the serious injuries, and both are managed by the operator rather than the machine.
Questions we get asked most
- Are Echo chainsaws any good?
- On the specifications, the X-Series saws compete at the top of their displacement classes: the CS-4310SX is 42.9cc and 4.3 kg producing 2.3 kW, and the CS-501SX is 50.2cc and 4.7 kg producing 2.57 kW. The commercial judgement is whether parts stay available, and Echo bars, chains, filters and spares are all orderable in Australia.
- Is Echo as good as Stihl or Husqvarna?
- All three build professional-grade saws, and at any given displacement the differences are weight, filtration and local parts support rather than brand reputation in the abstract. Compare the saws you are actually choosing between on cc, kW, dry weight and bar length — on those figures the Echo X-Series rates are published against every model in our range.
- Are Echo chainsaws still made?
- Yes. We hold 17 Echo items including current petrol chainsaws from the CS-310ES through to the CS-7310SX, the PPT-2620ES pole saw and the ES-250ES shredder vac, and they are available to order rather than discontinued stock.
- What is the difference between a top handle and rear handle chainsaw?
- A top handle saw has the grip over the engine and is designed for one-handed use in trees by trained arborists. A rear handle saw puts the grip behind the engine for two-handed control, which is what ground felling, bucking and firewood cutting require.
- What are the common problems with Echo pole saws?
- The recurring issues are chain tension drifting as the bar heats, a blocked bar oil hole that starves the chain, and two-stroke fuel mixed by eye rather than to the specified ratio. On a pole saw the shaft adds a fourth: tight loops and kinks in the fuel and oil lines inside the telescopic section, which is why we recommend checking them whenever the shaft is extended.
References
Choosing between two saws?
Send us the timber you cut most often and whether anyone on the crew climbs, and we will narrow the range to the two saws that fit rather than the whole ladder. Browse Echo or ask our team.