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Neotech Clone Saw thoughts after 6 cords
- Thread starter Wisco Shepherd
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I may regret this but...
I have seen some things that are made in China that are pretty decent and high tech...
I have seen at least one new really expensive piece of equipment at work that is *very proudly* made in North America, and that is advertised as *cutting edge technology*... It came (5yrs ago) with a dot matrix printer and a brutal 1990's computer tech... *Proudly* works with all this company's equipment back to the 80's. We were able to modify it to work on a different program and it's okay, very similar to the one we replaced from the early 90's. (CNC plasma table)
I personally really try not to buy garbage from any country. In North America we may have to stay on our toes to not get passed by China tech, unless we already have been.
My saws are brand name, I buy stuff that I know I can get parts for.
I'm ready for the backlash of this, but I don't have much more to say.
I have seen some things that are made in China that are pretty decent and high tech...
I have seen at least one new really expensive piece of equipment at work that is *very proudly* made in North America, and that is advertised as *cutting edge technology*... It came (5yrs ago) with a dot matrix printer and a brutal 1990's computer tech... *Proudly* works with all this company's equipment back to the 80's. We were able to modify it to work on a different program and it's okay, very similar to the one we replaced from the early 90's. (CNC plasma table)
I personally really try not to buy garbage from any country. In North America we may have to stay on our toes to not get passed by China tech, unless we already have been.
My saws are brand name, I buy stuff that I know I can get parts for.
I'm ready for the backlash of this, but I don't have much more to say.
Let's (live by one's principles -much better than random choices - and) not get this thread closed by getting too political and get back to the performance of saws and how they compare?
Why even advertise a warranty then. Say it's a throwaway saw and be honest about it.
Much better off to buy a used Stihl or Husky that needs work than a clone.
You will end up working on the clone, so why not start with a quality saw.
Too many guys out there that like these and use them for a long time to call it a throwaway saw.
Meh most guys in my area selling used saws are asking too much for beat up saws.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
My clone 660 has been worked milling that I was told only an 880 would do. Good saw. It’s burned probably close to 10 gallons of fuel. I didn’t have the funds for even a used 90cc name brand saw. We live in a global economy. You can’t buy an American made television. The most American car is a Tesla.
China has good manufacturing abilities. They are build lots of nuclear reactors. Just because we want the cheapest of the cheap and would rather single use items at low cost than one would last a lifetime is more a reflect our own values than Chinas.
China has good manufacturing abilities. They are build lots of nuclear reactors. Just because we want the cheapest of the cheap and would rather single use items at low cost than one would last a lifetime is more a reflect our own values than Chinas.
I agree with you, almost all of the saws on Marketplace and way overpriced with a majority of them not far from new price cost and even the older ones probably more than the original new cost. I don't know how many of those get sold, but why not just buy a new one?
I purchased a new Stihl FS56 weed eater and used it for one season. It developed a gas leak within the engine and was still barely under warranty. I took it to the closest Stihl dealer in relationship to where I live and was fed some line of crap about Stihl not covering this repair unless I could prove I used their $28 a gallon gas. I didn't want to risk having to pay $150 to repair a $220 trimmer, so I just put it away in the shed and purchased a Husky. Perhaps some dealers will stand behind their product, but evidently they will use the gas used as an excuse to not to repair a product. FYI, I just purchased a new Neotec 6200 for $130 including tax. I will not give any reviews on it yet as I have only used it once. I would have preferred to buy a Stihl or Husky, but really don't have the funds to pay $600-$800 for one a comparable one and really need a more powerful saw for larger trees (I mostly use my MS250).
Lol, that made me chuckle as it's what my wife says: "buying smart is saving". She goes on savings sprees 🤣
But you have a point.
I'd think that may or June are good months for used saws as some folks might be cleaning up and deciding not to deal with it any longer.
Buying used often means having the patience to wait a year or two for a deal.
But you have a point.
I'd think that may or June are good months for used saws as some folks might be cleaning up and deciding not to deal with it any longer.
Buying used often means having the patience to wait a year or two for a deal.
So now, I have had a chance to use my Neotec 6500 and am ready for a review. After assembling the saw, amazingly it started after 4 pulls. It needed tuning in badly, but was able to do this fairly quickly. I went out to cut some wood and after about 5 minutes, the saw cut off and wouldn't restart. In a nutshell, they tighten the screw for gas tank airflow too tight from the factory and it airlocked the tank. After loosening the screw, the saw would run as it should (this is a common problem from what I read from others). I noticed that when sitting upright, the oil would leak out of the cap. I contacted the seller and they would not offer a replacement cap, but provided a link to a seller on Ebay they had them. I had to pay for it of course. After receiving the cap, it was the wrong size. I tried tightening the cap as much as possible, but the caps are made of really cheap plastic and one of the ears broke off. I tried to find a compatible cap, but none can be found except ordering direct from Neotec in China. One other noticeable flaw was the wrap around handle. I binded the saw in a log and had to use a cant hook the move the log to release the saw. It dropped about two feet to the ground and the handle was bent pretty good. Obviously very cheaply made and of poor quality. Now for the good, this saw absolutely screams through the wood. I used the 25:1 ratio gas like they say to use (it can be confusing in the manual as it says 25:1 in one place and 40:1 in another) and the saw ran groggy with the 25:1 and cut out several times. When I used my normal Stihl gas mixture, it is a beast. I have been working on a large 26 inch oak and it does literally pull its way through as I can just use one hand until it gets to the bottom. With all of that said, I believe for the $135 price, I have been overall pleased. Getting parts can be difficult and I have serious doubts that this saw will last very long. I hope it proves me wrong.
Sounds like a fair assessment, these saws aren't all sunshine and rainbows for sure. But in the right spot they work well.
It's a clone saw. A clone of a stihl or husky right? Why not buy the cap from them? Should be of much higher quality.
I have a clone 372XP and if anything breaks due to just poor quality I will be inclined to replace with the OEM version.
the neotec 6200 is a clone of a zenoah saw, I think from the 90's. There's a plethora of them with small differences and many "brand" names. I have two supmix ones, and bought one other to give to my son. So far they have been excellent saws, well two of them anyway because the third one is still in the box as a source of spares. They run well. I have about 7 small pro saws of stihl, husky, dolmar and echo brands. And now I have a bunch of china copy saws. I pretty much run the china saws exclusively now because I'm "testing", haha.
Since the china saws are pretty much 90's tech they start, run, and tune like a proper saw. So far. And they handle good.
My echo 590 (I included that as a pro saw, which it's not, oops) is probably going down the road, cause it's totally unremarkable overall. But it works. And handles like a cinder block. The only saw I have that does. I like saws that handle nicely, so...
Pretty much the only saw that I have run much since I got my china saws is my johnny 2152. The chassis that all other 50cc saws try to compare to, handling-wise.
Let's see, for reference: In the 50 to 60cc range I have 2 late 80's jonsered 590's, a '90 262xp, an echo 590, a dolmar 420 and 5105, a johnny 2152, and an ms362 OE. I bought all of them new except for the 2152, which was like new. They all run. A couple of them need a couple of parts again. Wear stuff..
The china saws, so far, compare quite favourably against that lineup. Especially the blue and white supmix, which I prefer quite a bit over the echo 590. Crazy!
I've cleaned a bunch of fenceline and cut about 16 cords of firewood with a china top handle and a blue and white supmix and I like them. So there.
I won't get into all of the stories of the failures of the big two and echo too in the last about 20 years...they shorted a lot of sawhands dismally. I was there. I lost all respect for husky and to a slightly lesser extent stihl. Never saw a single echo in the bush, ever.
Anyway, so far I am very pleased with my china saws. They are nice to run and work well for a farmer. I use my "good" saws as my "toy" saws from time to time..
Most of the people that are down on the cheap china saws haven't even tried one...and most were not in the bush when quality control fell through the basement on several models of the big two, leaving guys holding the bag. Pissed many of us right off, to be blunt.
Since the china saws are pretty much 90's tech they start, run, and tune like a proper saw. So far. And they handle good.
My echo 590 (I included that as a pro saw, which it's not, oops) is probably going down the road, cause it's totally unremarkable overall. But it works. And handles like a cinder block. The only saw I have that does. I like saws that handle nicely, so...
Pretty much the only saw that I have run much since I got my china saws is my johnny 2152. The chassis that all other 50cc saws try to compare to, handling-wise.
Let's see, for reference: In the 50 to 60cc range I have 2 late 80's jonsered 590's, a '90 262xp, an echo 590, a dolmar 420 and 5105, a johnny 2152, and an ms362 OE. I bought all of them new except for the 2152, which was like new. They all run. A couple of them need a couple of parts again. Wear stuff..
The china saws, so far, compare quite favourably against that lineup. Especially the blue and white supmix, which I prefer quite a bit over the echo 590. Crazy!
I've cleaned a bunch of fenceline and cut about 16 cords of firewood with a china top handle and a blue and white supmix and I like them. So there.
I won't get into all of the stories of the failures of the big two and echo too in the last about 20 years...they shorted a lot of sawhands dismally. I was there. I lost all respect for husky and to a slightly lesser extent stihl. Never saw a single echo in the bush, ever.
Anyway, so far I am very pleased with my china saws. They are nice to run and work well for a farmer. I use my "good" saws as my "toy" saws from time to time..
Most of the people that are down on the cheap china saws haven't even tried one...and most were not in the bush when quality control fell through the basement on several models of the big two, leaving guys holding the bag. Pissed many of us right off, to be blunt.
When my 90’s vintage Poulan crapped the bed I replaced it with a WEMARS 62cc Chinese knockoff with a 20” bar. The thing is an absolute beast, compared to my 18” Poulan and my 14” bar Dewalt battery saw (great little saw, but not a real workhorse…. Also probably made in china).
I’m sure I’ll regret it in a few years, maybe then I’ll have the money to splurge on a nice Stihl saw. For now it’s more than holding its own, have taken down, limbed and made 16” rounds of half dozen trees, and probably cut up another 3-4 cords of hardwood.
I’ve got some other trees to deal with over the next month or two, I’ll try to grab some pics of the WEMAR in action.
I’m sure I’ll regret it in a few years, maybe then I’ll have the money to splurge on a nice Stihl saw. For now it’s more than holding its own, have taken down, limbed and made 16” rounds of half dozen trees, and probably cut up another 3-4 cords of hardwood.
I’ve got some other trees to deal with over the next month or two, I’ll try to grab some pics of the WEMAR in action.
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I'm not sure you'll regret it. We'll see..
I won't be selling my old stuff in a big hurry, except for probably that echo. I didn't like that saw much at first, then it grew on me, and then when I ran my first supmix I re-evaluated the echo to last place in my mid-size lineup. My blue and white supmix vibrates only slightly more, has nearly as much power, is way lighter in weight, revs higher (but not quite a screamer), and handles head-and-shoulders better. And the air filter doesn't get filthy constantly, but leaks (until rectified on both) about the same. Most echo 590 afficianados mostly just buck me-thinks, and likely don't have a really good handling, screaming demon saw to compare to. I have my 262xp.
As far as husky and stihl farm and homeowner saws go, they are in no way, shape, or form better than the zenoah clones, imo (as long as the copy saw proves durable -showing no signs that it won't). The only saws the big two make that are worth buying as a substantial upgrade to the china saws are their "pro" models. However, most of their pro lines are computer controlled air/fuel mixers and they are set to run lean due to epa requirements, and they have trouble in extremes of weather, and they are made too light weight for the most part so they are weak. The older models were much tougher and almost as nice to run. In the late 90's and early 2000's they made good saws. The zenith of powersaws, imo anyway. Then the epa ruined all that. The struggling started.
Japanese cars were considered junk when they first showed up. But they were not..In fact, the american designs kinda were at that point. Or at least they soon were. Again, the epa had something to do with it.
All just my opinions of course. Many of them are based on experience and the experience of many close around me.
I won't be selling my old stuff in a big hurry, except for probably that echo. I didn't like that saw much at first, then it grew on me, and then when I ran my first supmix I re-evaluated the echo to last place in my mid-size lineup. My blue and white supmix vibrates only slightly more, has nearly as much power, is way lighter in weight, revs higher (but not quite a screamer), and handles head-and-shoulders better. And the air filter doesn't get filthy constantly, but leaks (until rectified on both) about the same. Most echo 590 afficianados mostly just buck me-thinks, and likely don't have a really good handling, screaming demon saw to compare to. I have my 262xp.
As far as husky and stihl farm and homeowner saws go, they are in no way, shape, or form better than the zenoah clones, imo (as long as the copy saw proves durable -showing no signs that it won't). The only saws the big two make that are worth buying as a substantial upgrade to the china saws are their "pro" models. However, most of their pro lines are computer controlled air/fuel mixers and they are set to run lean due to epa requirements, and they have trouble in extremes of weather, and they are made too light weight for the most part so they are weak. The older models were much tougher and almost as nice to run. In the late 90's and early 2000's they made good saws. The zenith of powersaws, imo anyway. Then the epa ruined all that. The struggling started.
Japanese cars were considered junk when they first showed up. But they were not..In fact, the american designs kinda were at that point. Or at least they soon were. Again, the epa had something to do with it.
All just my opinions of course. Many of them are based on experience and the experience of many close around me.
I bought an air filter upgrade for my echo from A2 design - because indeed that is a major sucking point for the echo saws.
Works like a charm now.
I do like my echo but don't have comparison to anything else than Stihl. (And Echo wins hands down there - though only have the saw for a year, so no comments about durability.)
Works like a charm now.
I do like my echo but don't have comparison to anything else than Stihl. (And Echo wins hands down there - though only have the saw for a year, so no comments about durability.)
What stihl are you comparing that echo to?
The leaking filter is an easy fix on the echo, even with the stock setup. The sucky part is that the air flow through that saw causes the filter to get filthy really, really fast compared to many other saws. And you can never fix the unwieldiness of the thing. Although it will buck like crazy. That's its strong point. Tho barely better than a blue supmix..
The leaking filter is an easy fix on the echo, even with the stock setup. The sucky part is that the air flow through that saw causes the filter to get filthy really, really fast compared to many other saws. And you can never fix the unwieldiness of the thing. Although it will buck like crazy. That's its strong point. Tho barely better than a blue supmix..
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All good points, I like you think the EPA has ruined several reliable technologies… damn shame.
I’m keeping my eye out for a cheap, used ms360… maybe I’ll get lucky one of these days. lol
I should have snapped up some good used saws about 10-15 years ago. When they were much cheaper and, well, newer. That like-new 500 dollar 2171 comes to mind..oh well. I like red huskys better.
Frankly, the big two haven't a model I'm even remotely interested in at this point.
A 361 is also something to keep an eye out for. So is a 357xp that didn't blow up because the factory air leak was fixed. I saw one of those go by too. I also saw some of those burned up. Beautiful saw with a fatal flaw, stock.
Frankly, the big two haven't a model I'm even remotely interested in at this point.
A 361 is also something to keep an eye out for. So is a 357xp that didn't blow up because the factory air leak was fixed. I saw one of those go by too. I also saw some of those burned up. Beautiful saw with a fatal flaw, stock.
MS 391, ms 170, ms 180.
My cs 4910 is of course in between those but with a 20" bar on the 391 and my 4910, I did not see a sufficiently different cutting speed from the 391 with a 20" bar. That was in 24-32" dia red oak.
And the vibration and weight are much better for the 4910.
The 170 and 180 are lighter of course but quite less powerful (and not 20* bar if course).
The balance of the echo is great too
The air filter upgrade I did doesn't suck air anymore from near the clutch. And the standard drum filter that's in there now therefore doesn't get dirty nearly as fast as the expensive awkward (to clean) echo filters.
Check the a2 design air filter upgrade!
My black cap extension (top pic) has air holes.
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I don't see to many 360's listed for sale and when they do, get swiped up unless the price is too high. One thing to keep in mind if you have some tech savvy and don't mind working on saws is you can buy a Stihl 290 and fairly easily convert it to a 390 by changing out the cylinder which will fit into the 290. The kits generally sell for about $45.
I just switched over to that A2 air filter system, too. It looks good and fits well. I went to a certified Echo dealer for some parts. I showed the manager the A2 designed air filter. He told me about a guy who recently wanted the shop to replace his Echo 590 because it stopped working. The guy used the saw heavily for a year or two but never cleaned the air filter. The manager said the saw got ruined due to ingesting fines into the cylinder - scored, low compression. They wouldn't give him a new saw because it was deemed to be his fault. Ya, the 590 is a little tank but you still have to clean that bad air filter system. Or even better put in the rubber o-rings, or upgrade it (and clean it too).
Turbo89, I just saw an 036 for sale, $75. He said it was 60 years old (impossible). It looked newish/light use (the orange plastic was still bright). It was probably in its orange case in the barn corner for 30 years. It hadn't been used much. I was tempted, but some Stihl person snatched it up within an hour or two.
Turbo89, I just saw an 036 for sale, $75. He said it was 60 years old (impossible). It looked newish/light use (the orange plastic was still bright). It was probably in its orange case in the barn corner for 30 years. It hadn't been used much. I was tempted, but some Stihl person snatched it up within an hour or two.
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