ECHO CCS-58V4AH Review

One of the best cordless chainsaws we have tested to date is the ECHO. By far our favorite feature of the Echo CCS-58V4AH is its ridiculous cutting power, which is the primary reason that we have given it our Editors' Choice award. We find the battery system to be smooth and simple to use. It holds a great charge and re-charges quickly. Its ergonomics are top-notch, and it's a no brainer to turn on and get cutting. It is on the noisy side, but considering that all chainsaws are noisy we don't find it much of an issue. It's also heavier than many models. However, we don't consider the additional weight to be a big deal, but some smaller users might find it more difficult to use the Echo than a lighter saw.

Performance Comparison

Saw Performance

This metric accounts for 35% of each chainsaws total score. The ECHO CCS-58V4AH did exceptionally well during our tests.

To test cutting performance, we ran several sawing time trials through a given volume of wood to get an average cutting time. Through 8"x8" of milled, dry Douglas Fir, the ECHO showed an average cut time of 6.1 seconds, making it one of the fastest cutting chainsaws out of all of the models that we've tested.

Next, we took the saws to a commercial tree service wood yard to see how each saw cut up approximately 10" logs into firewood lengths.

The ECHO already displayed an impressive performance during our dimensional cutting tests, but slicing through fresh, wet pine is where it really excelled. The cutting execution that this model displays in the field is best that we've seen to date.

Ease of Use

One of the main benefits of using a cordless chainsaw is that they are painless compared to their two-stroke ancestors, so we weighted this metric as 30% of our total score. Of all of the saws that we tested, the ECHO CCS-58V4AH stands out as one of the strongest for Ease of Use.

The ECHO model utilizes the same combination of a chain brake, a safety switch, and a trigger that has been used on gas-powered chainsaws for decades but without the struggle of priming, choking, and yanking on a pull cord to get it started. As long as the battery has some juice, the saw is always live and ready to go.

The battery itself is one of our favorite elements of this model. The compartment is on the top of the saw body, making it a cinch to attach. When it comes time to recharge ECHO has added a plastic hoop to the top of the battery, making it no problem to remove with one hand, even with oil and sawdust-covered gloves on. We love that ECHO stuck with an onboard scrench (screwdriver and wrench combo) for the chain tensioning system. We find that sometimes the simplest solution tends to be the best, and the scrench just outright works better for getting the perfect tension as opposed to tool-free systems.

As one added bonus, the CCS-58V4AH bar cover actually clips to the saw body to ensure that your chain stays protected during storage or transit.

The ECHO is on the heavier side of the saws that we've seen. However, while using the saw in a downward direction at waist height, the extra bit of weight actually made the cutting simple and smooth. Some of the lighter models that we've tested require the user to lean harder on them, which can cause them to stall.

Battery

We did two tests — one for runtime and one for charge time. Because there is no realistic way to have the saw constantly cutting through wood without some sort of inconsistencies with the wood or eliminating user error, we test our saws with no load and at full throttle.

Lasting a full 34 minutes during our runtime test, the ECHO CCS-58V4AH is among the best that we have measured as far as battery life goes. This model comes equipped with a burly 58-volt, 4 amp-hour battery so this comes as no surprise. One downside is that there is just one size battery. You can't use a smaller battery if you want to lighten up your saw or a bigger battery. Other chainsaws have this option, such as the Ego line-up that has at least three different battery sizes that are all compatible with the chainsaw. For example, with the Ego lineup, you can buy one lighter battery that might be ideal for smaller jobs with your chainsaw, blower, or hedge trimmer and then have larger batteries as well.

Echo has a fairly limited line of cordless products and only covers the basics: blower, hedge trimmer, lawnmower, and a few others. The Echo lineup is missing a pole saw, edger, cultivator, portable generator, and snowblower. This will not be an issue for many people. However, since the batteries are often the most expensive parts of these tool systems, it's nice to commit to a system that has as many different tools as possible

Our charge time test is simple — we run the saw until it is completely dead and then sit next to the battery charger with a stopwatch. The ECHO has a quick charge time of almost exactly 1 hour. Considering our measurements of this model compared to a few saws that did better, we gave the CCS-58V4AH a slightly lower score for this metric.

Noise

Accounting for 10% of the total score is our final set of tests — noise. To establish a numeric value for noise, we took readings at full throttle with a sound meter from a distance of 48" to determine the volume that the user will experience while operating the saw. We also took note of any especially aggravating sounds coming from the saw both while operating it and from a distance of 50 feet. The ECHO didn't score especially well in the Noise metric. The saw is whiny and loud from 50 feet away. If you're within 48 inches of the saw, you will be experiencing 87.5 dBa of some pretty harsh sounds. Noise was the ECHOs weakest metric during our testing.

Value

Offering excellent performance at a justifiable price, this cordless chainsaw is a great value.

Conclusion