Husqvarna 120 Mark III vs Echo CS-310
Tinted cells mark the better figure on that row alone: more engine, longer bar, lighter, cheaper. A lighter weight is only a win on the same basis.
What owners like and complain about
Husqvarna 120 Mark III
- One of the cheapest routes into a dealer-supported gas saw
- Light and neutral-balanced — comfortable for limbing sessions
- X-Torq engine sips fuel compared to older small saws
- Sold and serviced everywhere: Lowe's, Tractor Supply, and dealers
- Mark III revision now runs bars up to 18 inches
- Cold-start pull count is the recurring owner complaint
- Plasticky build next to Husqvarna's own 435 II
- Tool-required chain tensioning feels dated at this price
- Shares value-tier internals with Poulan — the badge is the upgrade
- Underpowered for regular bucking of hardwood
Echo CS-310
- 5-year consumer warranty — more than double what Stihl and Husqvarna give at this price
- 8.8 lb dry powerhead is light enough for overhead limbing without fatigue
- i-30 reduced-effort starter genuinely lowers pull force; most owners report 2-3 pull starts
- Side-access chain tensioner and tool-less air filter cover make trailside adjustments quick
- Sold and serviced through Home Depot plus Echo's dealer network — easy parts and warranty claims
- Automatic clutch-driven oiler only feeds oil when the chain turns, so it sips bar oil
- Only 1.1 kW from 30.5cc — bogs in hardwood over ~12 inches
- Chain loosens rapidly during break-in and needs constant re-tensioning at first
- Cold-weather starting can take repeated pull-and-choke cycles
- Seeps bar oil when stored with a full tank, a long-running Echo trait
- 16-inch bar option is more than the engine comfortably pulls