NEW! ECHO 58-volt Brushless Outdoor Lineup

[woodstockva]

Hey everybody

Echo just released a new lineup of 58-volt brushless tools this spring, and I just made an overview video to show each one up close and in-use. This is not a full review by any means, but it is more of an overview --- with full reviews on each coming up soon.

The lineup includes :

21" Push Mower
16" String Trimmer
24" Hedge Trimmer
16" Chainsaw
450CFM Leaf Blower

I plan to do full runtime testing on each of these in the coming weeks now that spring is finally here & the grass is starting to grow again. Just from using them today, they seem well balanced & all have a lot of power.

Each tool has a 5yr warranty for consumer (homeowner) use OR a 2yr warranty for commercial use.

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[Notorious BRT]

If run times are as good as they say that's pretty impressive. Chainsaw seems heavy at 13 pounds though, I think my Stihl MS390 only weighs a couple pounds more than that.

 

[kctyphoon]

awesome - love this guy's reviews..

 

[ADSR]

They look pretty cool, but i'll stick with gas for now.

 

[GSteg]

Let me know what you think of the leafblower vs the EGO 56v blower. They both put out enough CFM, but the ECHO has a slight edge in velocity, plus it looks a bit shorter in length.

 

[olytdi]

These now are in the stores. Anyone have any real world experience yet? I'm replacing an aging B&D grass hog. The Echo would be a huge step up.

I'm thinking about getting the string trimmer for a start and eventually adding the chain saw. A little pricey but for how often I use one, gas doesn't make sense.

 

[Ign]

Revival as I'm eyeing the chainsaw. All the reviews talk about how much power it has, for whatever that's worth. A 16" bar in cordless shows Echo had confidence in this. And at $300 for a kit it's reasonably affordable.

 

[woodstockva]

Revival as I'm eyeing the chainsaw. All the reviews talk about how much power it has, for whatever that's worth. A 16" bar in cordless shows Echo had confidence in this. And at $300 for a kit it's reasonably affordable.

It is very powerful. My dad is a "Stihl ONLY" kind of guy & the first time he used it, he kept saying how powerful it is.

I will have the full review with runtime testing out soon.....just got back to VA after a week on the road & the weather has been against me during March/April. Stay tuned....

 

[rice rocket]

Does the string trimmer have an available brush cutter attachment?

 

[Ign]

I'd love to see a sale on the 58V Echo stuff. Right now they are doing the "Echo National Sales Event" but it seems to amount to $20 off 3 different gas-powered tools.

My local HD has brought in the 58V string trimmer, hedger and blower but not the chainsaw. I guess if I could get them to honor a HF 20% (which thus far my store has been doing) that might be my best deal.....if the chainsaw appears.

Also Woodstock, how does it compare to the 40V Ryobi 14" brushless?

 

[woodstockva]

Does the string trimmer have an available brush cutter attachment?

Not at this time....BUT.....

The string trimmer is 2 parts :

A) "Power Head"

B) "String Trimmer Attachment"

I am going to see if the shaft compatibility will match up with the other Echo attachments that they have for the gas versions. I would assume it will & would allow you to really expand the lineup very easily.

 

[woodstockva]

Also Woodstock, how does it compare to the 40V Ryobi 14" brushless?

It is more powerful, but also more $$$.

The Ryobi 40v chainsaw is a very good deal for the price I think....$199 for a chainsaw, charger, and 2.0ah battery. The downfall being no chain-brake & a 14" bar and chain.

The Echo is $299, and has the chain-brake & 16" bar and chain + a 4.0ah battery and charger.

I havent cut down any big trees or completed runtime testing yet on the Echo. I will be working on this video in the coming week or two.....as of now I would definitely say this new Echo lineup is a step in the right direction for cordless OPE.

 

[ADSR]

Dan, do you really make your wife cut the lawn?

 

[woodstockva]

Dan, do you really make your wife cut the lawn?

Ha....she likes to! She jumps on the riding mower every time....I get stuck weedeating! haha

 

[Ign]

The Ryobi is available CPO $139 and both new or refurb seems to have a 1 year warranty. At $140 for the Ryobi kit (includes battery and charger) I'll almost surely be ordering one to complement my 40 string trimmer.

 

[woodstockva]

The Ryobi is available CPO $139 and both new or refurb seems to have a 1 year warranty. At $140 for the Ryobi kit (includes battery and charger) I'll almost surely be ordering one to complement my 40 string trimmer.

Oh that is a great deal. It also works fine with the larger 4.0ah high capacity batteries.....so you are not limited to using the compact ones exclusively.

A friend of mine was clearing out one of his property lines & used the Ryobi 40v to do all the work. His wife even liked using it. They went through 15-20 battery charges over the course of a couple weeks & him and his step-father both went to Home Depot and bought them afterwards. That is a very popular tool around here.

 

[ADSR]

Ha....she likes to! She jumps on the riding mower every time....I get stuck weedeating! haha

That's awesome! My wife won't go near "that loud smelly thing" to cut the lawn

 

[Ign]

My wife can no longer use our gas Stihls (MS180C and MS270C) due to vibration. I'm wondering if the electrics will be smoother for her.

 

[timtim2008]

anyone here, have it?

 

[Chasbec]

I bought the string trimmer last week and used it pretty heavily this weekend. I was very satisfied with how well it worked and its power. This was bought as a replacement for a high end Echo 2 stroke string trimmer that vanished in a recent move to my new house. The new 58 volt trimmer performed as well as, if not better than the old 2 stroke.

In addition to the variable speed trigger, it has a speed selection switch with tortoise and hare graphics. I left it on "tortoise" the entire time and found that to plenty for even my thickest weeds and grass. After about 20 - 25 minutes of use, the battery still showed 4 bars (max. charge).

The only con (besides the big price tag) I would have is that the response from the trigger is a bit delayed. It's annoying for now but I'm sure it's something I'll get used to. There are some very big pros which are: no fuel mixing; no ethanol headaches /ruined carburetors, no stink, it's quiet and it runs cool - no more painfully hot forearms. It is well balanced and is comfortable to hold. The biggest pro for me is the 5 year homeowner warranty. That made it much easier for me to make the decision to buy. So far I'm very happy with it.

 

[smiffy]

Tbh i think the husqvarna series looks better backpack batterys and bulls horn handles on the strimmers
no way i would ever want to use a conventional loop handle ever again and tbh kinda defeats the object of going light weight and then still holding in an awful position plus there a battery ride on
http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/battery/

 

[LordPsychon]

How long does it take to recharge? I have an old B&D 18v trimmer that works great but the batteries take several hours to charge (granted I only have the stock 9h charger so that's probably the reason).

 

[Chasbec]

@ Smiffy - Either way, I'm glad to see so many of the big boys making a serious push in this direction. Stihl, Makita and DeWalt among many others who have also entered this arena. For me, the ethanol problem makes these tools very attractive.

@ LordPsychon - I didn't put it back on the charger yesterday because the battery still showed full and I didn't time the initial charge. From what I read though, it should take about an hour.

 

[rice rocket]

Tbh i think the husqvarna series looks better backpack batterys and bulls horn handles on the strimmers
no way i would ever want to use a conventional loop handle ever again and tbh kinda defeats the object of going light weight and then still holding in an awful position plus there a battery ride on
http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/battery/

Aren't these almost 50% more money than the Echo though? Last I checked the Echo trimmer was coming in around $270 for the blower/and the Husky was $400.

 

[smiffy]

Aren't these almost 50% more money than the Echo though? Last I checked the Echo trimmer was coming in around $270 for the blower/and the Husky was $400.

For the amount of time people spend bleeting on about snap on and top end automotive tools i find it amazing people try to skimp so much when it comes to garden tools be it the constant recommendation of chinese garden tractors or the cheap chainsaws
the husqvarna are designed for use by contractors i already know treesurgeons running stihl and husqvarna battery chainsaws but i cant see the echo reaching that grade seems a bit gimicky tbh
and as i said i would take the bullhorn handle every time
also if these tools are designed for 5 plus years thats 20 dollars a year which is nothing in comparison to what is spent by some on auto motive tools without thinking

 

[Sal Bandini]

Tbh i think the husqvarna series looks better backpack batterys and bulls horn handles on the strimmers
no way i would ever want to use a conventional loop handle ever again and tbh kinda defeats the object of going light weight and then still holding in an awful position plus there a battery ride on
http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/battery/

It's showing loop handle on Husqvarna USA site.

 

[Chasbec]

I found the Echo's balance and loop handle to be very comfortable. I'm just a homeowner so I won't be using it for hours a day but for my purposes, I don't see the bullhorn as a big deal. I was also able to run the Echo using one hand when circumstances called for it.