Echo Vs. Husqvarna Chainsaw (All The Pros & Cons)

Last Updated on November 2, 2023 by Web Operator

If you have ever needed a chainsaw, then you know the feeling and the confusion of going to a shop and having to look at the seemingly unlimited brands that make them. However, if you work with these machines, everyday things can become even more confusing, especially between Echo and Husqvarna. 

Husqvarna chainsaws have much larger engines and are focused on being used by professionals in the chainsaw industry, with only a small amount of chainsaws aimed at consumers. Echo chainsaws start as fully battery-operated machines that have options for both consumers and professionals. 

To understand which of these two manufacturers have the better chainsaws, we need to look at everything they have on offer. Several machines have different abilities and warranties, making them unique when used by professionals or normal consumers. 

Which Is Better, Echo Or Husqvarna Chainsaws?

If you are a homeowner, renter, or professional, looking for a small machine to use maybe once a year, then ECHO has the best range of chainsaws. The company offers several battery-operated machines allowing you to buy other products that can be used in the garden and workshop with the same battery. 

Husqvarna offers a more refined range of chainsaws, with even the smallest battery-operated chainsaw from the company being larger. Generally, Husqvarna has built a catalog of chainsaws that are best used every day on the job and will be damaged if left for a year or more, gathering dust in the garage. 

However, despite both companies catering in some way to different markets, they do focus on each other’s markets. With Echo providing several professional-grade chainsaws that are both gas and battery-operated, while Husqvarna provides smaller gas chainsaws, making neither one better than the other. 

What Are The Aspects Of Echo Chainsaws?

Echo chainsaws have unique designs and safety features that affect why you may be buying them or may not want to get them. I have seen several people that specifically stick to Echo chainsaws because of a few key features that Husqvarna does not have. 

I always recommend knowing what all the features are that Echo chainsaws have to offer, with the limitations that the chainsaws have font and center. Knowing where and how you can use the chainsaw before you purchase them will greatly help you choose. 

• Sizes: The smallest chainsaw, at 2.6kg, from Echo is the CS-2511WES which is an electric chainsaw with the smallest petrol chainsaw being the CS-2511WES, also at 2.6kg, with a 25cc engine. While the strongest chainsaw from the company is the CS-1201 at 10.6kg and a 116cc engine. 
• Power Ratings: All the battery-operated chainsaws from Echo use the 58V battery, which gives them a significant amount of torque. Their line of petrol chainsaws varies from engines as small as 25cc and up to 116cc, making them quite varied in power. 
• Safety Systems: Every chainsaw from Echo has a two-button system that must be pressed for the chain to start turning, requiring you to hold the button on the handle and then pull the trigger to have the chain spinning. In addition, stronger chainsaws all have handguards.
• Warranties: All Echo chainsaws include at least a 1-year warranty on parts of the machines that are not affected by wear and tear. This means that if the ignition or button breaks from normal use, they will be replaced, but broken chains and seized engines will not be covered. 
• Design:  The design of all Echo chainsaws are simple, allowing you to move from one machine to the next without having to relearn everything. The latest chainsaws also include a momentary switch on petrol chainsaws to ensure quick engine restart, with all designs having bright orange colors. 
• Pricing: When it comes to pricing, Echo has both the professional and the consumer in mind, with CS-3510 petrol chainsaw priced about $300. While the larger chainsaws available from Echo are selling for around $2200, making it perfect only for professionals. 

What Are The Aspects Of Husqvarna Chainsaws?

Husqvarna is a company that has broken their range of chainsaws into several different categories, all of which provides wildly different prices for their machines. Many people usually get confused with the system and each chainsaw’s ratings based on its size and power.

Further, unlike Echo, Husqvarna does not have an entry-level battery-powered chainsaw, instead only providing larger, stronger machines that are battery-powered. To choose which Husqvarna is best, you need to know the strongest and the weakest chainsaws they have to offer. 

• Sizes: The smallest chainsaw the company has is the T525; with only a 27cc engine weighing 2.7kg, it is perfect for tree care. The largest chainsaw the company has is the 3120 XP; with a 118cc engine and weighing 10.4kg, it is one of the strongest chainsaws you can find. 
• Power Ratings: The Husqvarna battery-operated chainsaws use 36V lithium batteries, making them slightly weaker than other battery chainsaws on the market. While their petrol engine chainsaws range from 27cc to 118cc, making them stronger than their competitors. 
• Safety Systems:  Similar to Echo chainsaws, Husqvarna machines have a two-stage chain starting mechanism, with the handle having a button to press down and a trigger to pull. Further, the machines all have an instant stop safety button that can be triggered by your thumb if needed. 
• Warranties: The standard Husqvarna warranty is one year, covering any defects in material or workmanship when the machines are normally used. This means that if the machine, engine, motor, or trigger system breaks, they will usually be covered. 
• Design: These chainsaws usually have a bulkier body that is more compact when compared to other chainsaws that have longer bodies. With the handle always being at the rear with a safety guard automatically attached, all the chainsaws have orange bodies. 
• Pricing: When it comes to pricing, Husqvarna is slightly more expensive than their closest competitor, Echo. With the most affordable 120 Mar II for about $200, with only a 38cc engine, their strongest chainsaw reaching $1600, while the lowest priced battery chainsaw is around $450.

Where Would You Use Each Chainsaw Brand? – Echo Vs. Husqvarna

Possibly the biggest influence over which chainsaw brand is better than the other is where you may usually find them being used by professionals. I’ve seen several people who mistakenly think that because someone who works with the machines for a living is using them, they will work perfectly for them. 

However, it is always important to understand that not all chainsaws are made equally and that the place and the way you are working the machines heavily affects how good they will be. Both Husqvarna and Echo have found niches that appeal to their users, designing systems for their core buyers.

Echo

While Echo does offer larger chainsaws that can be used during logging and trimming in larger forests, the lineup of chainsaws is meant for domestic use. This means that Echo chainsaws thrive when used by homeowners or are used by companies trimming trees in the suburbs. 

I have seen many people who assume that because the largest chainsaws are strong enough to cut down giant trees, they would work when in the forest. However, a few features make using Echo chainsaws inefficient when trying to clean, reoil, and get back to the job. 

Husqvarna

I always recommend using Husqvarna chainsaws if you will be away from any homes, as the chainsaws have several different sizing options. Most of the larger chainsaws allow for the fitment of longer chains that allows professionals to cut through giants easily. 

Further, while Husqvarna uses smaller batteries, they are much more affordable, allowing users to have several of them ready to be used. With quick-release air filters and automatically applied oil to the chains, the chainsaws are much more suited for those in the middle of a forest with no tools. 

Echo Vs. Husqvarna Chainsaw – Larger range

Husqvarna has the largest variety of chainsaws available, providing small chainsaws for limb cutting and larger chainsaws for complete tree removal. Further, the company offers different fitments for each chainsaw, allowing you to adjust the total cutting length. 

Echo may not have as much variety but does offer more total chainsaws, allowing you to choose a chainsaw that fits better with your size needs. This means that you can have two people doing the same job, but they will each be using chainsaws that fit more with their personal needs.

As the companies are continually introducing and improving on the chainsaws available, so will the balance shift. As new regulations are made, the total number of chainsaws available improves or decreases, as older models also need to be removed. 

Where Are The Chainsaws Sold?

Now that we have all the basics and structure down of what the chainsaws offer, we need to look at just how available they are. Not all manufacturers have the same reselling licenses, which means that even in the United States, the chainsaws may not be universally available. 

Further, it can be a nightmare for repairs or replacement parts if the only thing being sold to you is the chainsaw. To choose which is better for you, we are looking at the most prominent locations where both companies are selling the chainsaws and the parts to support them. 

Echo

Echo chainsaws are being manufactured in three different countries, the United States, Japan, and China. This manufacturing means that the chainsaws are only directly for sale in a few countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, the US, Japan, and China. 

In most other countries Echo depends heavily on importers to bring the machines in, drastically affecting what machines are available. Further, in some countries, you may only buy a few of the products, with the repair products usually requiring special imports and wait times. 

Husqvarna

Unlike Echo, Husqvarna has three headquarters, located in the United States, Germany, and Sweden, which means that it distributes its parts slightly differently. Husqvarna has a distributor or is directly distributing their products in most countries, relying on networks of dealers instead of chain stores.

This means that for products of Husqvarna to be sold in a country, there needs to be shops and dealerships that are willing to service the machines. Searching for repairs and replacements parts is much easier while also negatively affecting how many places are available in total. 

How Much Of Each Chainsaw Can Be Replaced?

Many times, you will buy a chainsaw and hope to use it for the rest of its natural life, or until it falls out of a tree that is just precariously high. Whenever this happens, most of us will try to repair the chainsaw rather than buy a new one. 

Both of these companies have replacement parts for their chainsaws; however, the extent to which you can reasonably replace the parts is limited. I recommend looking at each one and considering just how much you can change without buying a new machine. 

Echo Chainsaws

Generally speaking, unless you are in a few select countries, you can only replace some parts of Echo chainsaws. Usually, the chain, the guide bar, the throttle, some filters, and the battery, with everything else of the machine requiring special tools and parts to be ordered. 

Depending on the parts you are ordering, you may have to pay a premium or rely on third-party vendors. Echo does not always sell parts of the engines and will tell you to look somewhere else if you hope to have a broken crankshaft or another integral internal part replaced. 

Husqvarna Chainsaws

Because of how Husqvarna has been set up in each country that it is being sold at you can usually replace the entire chainsaw with new parts. To such an extent that some may question if the original chainsaw still exists when you have replaced everything, even the throttle, on the machine. 

However, it should be noted that Husqvarna will not extend or even give you a warranty if you are replacing certain parts on your own. Instead, they will require that you send the chainsaws to their registered dealers and repairers to have everything checked and fixed to stay within their warranty terms. 

The Bottom Line

Both Echo and Husqvarna are some of the oldest and largest chainsaw manufacturers globally, bringing different options to the market. If you are looking for chainsaws that are more affordable for your home, Echo is the best, while industry professionals have trusted Husqvarna for many years.

Whatever you do, please don’t assume that the parts will mix and match between these manufacturers!