Picture Review: Echo PAS-225

You can find more detailed reviews of Echo's Pro Attachment Series (PAS) 225 Powerhead on other sites (including Echo's) and youtube. But if you want some detailed unboxing pictures and of the product itself, you've come to the right place. Enjoy!

Discussion: Echo's CS-271T Top Handle Chainsaw

I think the power-to-weight ratio of chainsaws is a much overlooked metric because it doesn't matter how powerful a chainsaw is if you struggle to use it for more than 30 minutes without getting too tired. Yes, I can handle a chainsaw that's 12 or 15 pounds, but I can't handle them as well as I can something that weighs only 8 or 9 pounds. And taking that further, having a chainsaw that was only 5 or 6 pounds would be even better.

Therefore, I've always wanted a top handle chainsaw. I don't need one, but I think they're marvels of small engine engineering and have felt the urge to tinker with them.  I can technically afford to buy one, but since it would mostly be a shelf queen, there is no way I could justify spending that kind of money. One exception would be getting the chainsaw used.

I really wanted the Echo CS-2511T, which is the lightest chainsaw in North America. But since it was recently released, getting one used would be almost impossible. That left the CS-271T or CS-330T. I wasn't considering Stihl, given their prices and the fact that their cheapest top handle chainsaw was only about 1.5 pounds lighter than my MS 170.

About a week ago I stopped by my town's local pawn shop. I came across the above pictured chainsaw. I was told it was in good working order and they were asking for $159.99. It's a fair price (assuming it was in good working condition) and in line with eBay prices. However, I didn't want this chainsaw bad enough (I already has a Stihl MS 170) to pay fair market value. I knew I could negotiate them down to $140 and maybe $130, but that wasn't too likely, unless I could find something wrong with it. But I told myself that I didn't want to spend more than $110, so I put the chainsaw back on the shelf and walked away.

For the next few days I kept thinking about that chainsaw and how I could get the pawn shop to come down in price. I knew the chain needed sharpening and there was a chance it needed a new bar. I also knew the carb needed a rebuild since they said they sometimes have chainsaws sitting on the shelf for 6+ months with fuel in them. Then there's its really really dirty air filter that needed replacing. And given the chainsaw's age and condition, I bet it needed a new spark plug, fuel filter and bar oil filter. Ooh, and a new chain catch was required, too.

Ok, so now I could maybe bring them down to $110, so I went back to the shop. I found the chainsaw still there, but I noticed some new signs concerning a sale they were having. Basically everything in the store, including firearms and jewelry, were at least 10% off. And guess what? Tools, including chainsaws, were 50% off! I picked up the CS-271T right off the shelf, confirmed I would only have to pay $80 and agreed to take it. They offered to let me start it up and I obliged (I was going to buy it, even if it wouldn't start. It would be fun to get it back into good working order.).

It took a few extra pumps on the purge bulb, and perhaps 20 pulls total to get it started, but it ran (it also had decent compression). I also confirmed that the chain brake worked, too. The only problem was that the bar and chain weren't being oiled. But I knew it had no bar oil in it, so I didn't comment on it. And even if it needed a new oiler, for $80, this was a great price.

After taking it home, I put some oil in it, but it still didn't oil properly. Perhaps I need an new oiler, but it could very well be a clogged or blocked hole in the bar that takes 2 minutes to clean and fix. I did a few quick test cuts into some bucked wood I had in the backyard and it cut without bogging down (this confirmed that any piston scoring, if it existed, wasn't THAT bad), although the wood chips confirmed that some chain sharpening was in order.

I plan on fixing this up to excellent condition. I may even go all out and get new stickers for it. But the prices for new individual OEM parts are expensive, so I'll just keep my eye out for a donor or parts saw on eBay, yard sales and other cheap sources of tools.

A few more pics are below:

Review: Ethanol Free Gasoline and Storage Additives Part 1

Let me start with a little bit of background. Growing up, I detested gasoline powered technology. Except for the cars my parents drove, nothing gasoline powered ever started properly, let alone on the first try. When it came to my toys, my gas powered free-flight helicopter and control line planes took forever to get them to start properly. Then when I was old enough to mow the lawn, I dreaded having to start the mower. It would take dozens of pulls to get that sucker started, especially at the beginning of the summer when the mower hadn’t been used in months.

This frustration continued until I bought my first home in 2012. The prior owners provided a mower that came with the house, but I needed something most substantial, so I bought a walk behind trimmer mower. It worked fine the first season, but then when I tried to used it the second season, it wouldn’t start. I know it had oil and gas (I remember that it had at least half a tank of gas when I stored it the prior fall), so I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. If you know anything about gasoline powered lawn equipment, you already know what I did wrong here.

Eventually I emptied the gas tank, poured in fresh gasoline and tried it again. After a few dozen pulls on the starter and several pushes on the primer bulb (or maybe it was a purge bulb, I don’t remember), it started just fine. I learned a valuable lesson that day and the more power equipment I’ve purchased, the more I’ve learned about how to properly care for and store them when not in use.

Now, all of my outdoor equipment, from my Stihl BR600 Magnum backpack blower to my cheapo Bolens BL110 string trimmer all start perfectly, within just a few pulls on the starter. They sometimes start on full choke. But one thing I still haven’t figured out or fully understood is gasoline storage.

I’ve done a lot of research online about the drawbacks of ethanol gasoline, as well as how gasoline is a difficult fuel to store for anything more than a few months. But most of what I’ve found is anecdotal or without any reference to experimental data. So I wanted something more tangible and concrete as to why storage additives work and what ethanol gasoline is the scourge of lawn equipment everywhere.

Therefore, I decided to conduct an experiment. I would compare how E10 gasoline compared to ethanol free gasoline with respect to long-term storage, as well as examine a few of the more popular gasoline storage additives on the market today.

I decided on using Sta-bil Storage and PRI-G. If I had the time and money, I would have tried a few more additives, such as Sta-bil Marine. But the more I tested, the more fuel and equipment I’d need. Basically, each new additive I tested would result in roughly an extra $25 in the cost of this experiment and supplies. It also required the storage of more gasoline in the garage, so I had to draw the line somewhere.

This is the first blog post in a two part series where I explain my methodology and document the beginning of this experiment. In two or three years, I will finally test my samples and upload my results for you all to see.

Methodology: Samples

I wanted to test both E10 gasoline versus ethanol free gasoline, as well as the Sta-bil Storage and PRI-G additives. Therefore, I originally decided on using the following 6 samples:

- Ethanol free gasoline with no additives

- E10 gasoline with no additives

- Ethanol free gasoline with PRI-G

- E10 gasoline with PRI-G

- Ethanol free gasoline with Sta-bil Storage

- E10 gasoline with Sta-bil Storage

After doing some research about PRI-G, I read that it could keep gasoline “fresh” for many, many years (even indefinitely) if you added more PRI-G every 6-12 months. So I decided to add the following sample:

- Ethanol free gasoline with PRI-G, then more PRI-G every 9 or so months.

I’ve also heard the benefits and enjoyed the convenience of TruFuel, so I decided to put their 2 year and 5 year storage claims to the test. Therefore, I added 2 more samples:

- 1 can of TruFuel 50:1 unopened (advertised as lasting 5 years in storage)

- 1 can of TruFeul 50:1 opened (advertised as lasting 2 years in storage after opening).

This gave me a total of 9 samples to store for several years and test the results.

Methodology: Storage Containers

Now that I knew I wanted to test 9 samples, I needed 9 containers. Because TruFuel comes in a can, I didn’t need separate containers for them. That left 7 more containers to find. I debated for a while on what to use.

I was originally going to use liquid fuel stove fuel bottles, but decided not to because most of them wouldn’t handle E10 gasoline very well (they’re typically made out of an aluminum alloy) and the ones that could handle E10 were more expensive than 1+ gallon fuel cans. But the biggest reason why I decided against fuel bottles was because it wasn’t a realistic method of storage.

No homeowner or landscaper is going to store his or her lawn equipment fuel in a 800 mL, 1 liter or 1.5 liter camping stove fuel bottle. And from personal experience, I know modern gas cans are very airtight, so much so that they bloat as the gasoline breaks down and partially turns to vapor or gas (thanks EPA!). Therefore, I decided on using a conventional gas can that you could find any hardware or big box store. I choose the smallest size available, which is the 1.25 or so gallon size. I went with the Ameri-Can from Scepter due to their low cost (under $9 from Walmart).

Caption: Brand new Scepter (Ameri-Can) 1+ gallon gas cans

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

I know that oxygen and gasoline don’t mix well when it comes to storage, so I knew that I would fill each gas can mostly full. As a result, I decided on putting 4 liters in each gas can (I used liters because 4 liters was a tad more than 1 gallon so there’s less air space in the gas can. It would also provide enough fuel for testing later on and would make figuring out ratios with the Sta-bil and PRI-G easier).

Summary of Samples for Testing

- Unopened 50:1 TruFuel

- Unused, but opened 50:1 TruFuel

- 10% Ethanol gasoline

- Ethanol free gasoline

- 10% ethanol + PRI-G

- Ethanol free + PRI-G

- 10% Ethanol + Sta-bil

- Ethanol free + Sta-bil

- Ethanol free + PRI-G with 15 mL additions of PRI-G every 9-12 months or so

Samples for Testing: TruFuel

Caption: The 2 cans of 50:1 TruFuel for testing

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Samples for Testing: Gasoline

Caption: Ethanol Free Gasoline

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Caption: E10 gasoline

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

I also took the time to confirm that the E10 gasoline had ethanol and that the ethanol free gasoline had no ethanol. I did this by taking 200 mL of gasoline and adding 20 mL of purified water.

Caption: E10 gasoline with water

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Caption: Ethanol free gasoline with water

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Notice something interesting? After adding 20 mL of water to the ethanol free gasoline, I got 20 mL of water out. The graduated cylinder shows about 18.5 mL due to a little spillage on my part.

But when you look at the graduated cylinder containing the E10 plus water “mixture,” I was only able to remove about 25 mL of water and ethanol mixture. Assuming the 200 mL of E10 gasoline had 10% ethanol, that meant there should be 20 mL of ethanol in the E10. Combined with 20 mL of water, and I should get at least 35 mL of clear liquid separating from the gasoline (I know that if you add equal parts of water to ethanol, you get slightly less volume than double the volume of either ethanol or water – thanks Bill Nye!). But notice that I only got 25 mL. This means that the E10 gasoline was only 2.5% - 3.5% ethanol based on my estimate.

This isn’t to say the gas station mislabeled their gas. After all, their signs always say “this gasoline may contain up to 10% ethanol.” And I’m not surprised the gasoline doesn’t have 10% ethanol, but I am surprised it only has as little as 2.5% by volume. And no, I didn’t have contamination from ethanol free gasoline still in the pump and hose because I purchased this E10 gasoline from a station that only carried E10 gasoline.

If my calculations or understanding are incorrect, feel free to correct me in the comments below. Regardless, my ethanol free gasoline was truly ethanol free and the “E10” did have a measurable amount of ethanol in it. In case you’re wondering, I purchased both types of gasoline during the afternoon of May 30, 2018 and created and stored the samples on the evening of May 31, 2018. Both types of gasoline were rated 91 octane using (R+M)/2 method.

Samples for Testing: Additives

Caption: PRI-G for small engines

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Caption: The back of the PRI-G showing its package date of January 6, 2017

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Caption: Sta-bil Storage

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Caption: The back label of Sta-bil Storage showing codes I can’t decipher.

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

I purchased the Sta-bil from Lowe’s on Monday, May 28, 2018 and ordered the PRI-G from Amazon.com around the same time. Per http://priproducts.com’s FAQ page, PRI-G is supposed to last indefinitely in an unopened container. Then once opened, it will last 3 years.

I chose the small engine formulation of PRI-G because it would be a lot easier to measure out the proper ratio for gasoline. Regular PRI-G has a 2000:1 ratio, so my 4 liter gasoline sample would only need 2 mL of PRI-G. On the other hand, PRI-G for small engines requires a 320:1 ratio, so I would only need to mix 12.5 mL (I actually measured out 15 mL, and I’ll explain why in a minute) of PRI-G additive into 4 liters of gasoline. It’s a lot easier to measure 12.5 mL than 2 mL.

Procedure

Step 1: I labeled each gas can in three locations using a sharpie, pencil and ballpoint pen. It’s overkill, but the last thing I want is to lose track of what fuel is in what container in case I spill gasoline on the outside of a fuel can or the pink fades over time.

Step 2: For my controls, I poured in 4 liters of gasoline into the gas can then closed the cap tightly. No additives were mixed in to either sample.

Step 3: For the samples that had additive added, I poured in 800 mL of fuel, added 15 mL of Sta-bil or PRI-G, then added another 3.2 L of fuel. I then closed the cap tightly, shook the can 10 times, then set it aside. I did this for all 5 samples that had an additive added.

I used 15 mL instead of 12.5 mL because it’s easier to measure, adding extra additive doesn’t hurt anything (per Sta-bil and PRI-G’s website) and I knew a little bit of the additive would be left on the inside of the graduated cylinder, so not all of what I measured in the graduated cylinder would make it in the gas can.

I started with 800 mL, then added the additive, then added the 3.2 L of fuel to assist in the mixing of the additive into the fuel. Besides shaking the gas can 10 times, I wanted added agitation of the fuel and Sta-bil or PRI-G.

Step 4: Placed all 9 samples into the back corner of my garage. This is a fully enclosed portion of the garage, although it’s not air tight. Any changes in temperature and humidity are quickly felt inside the below pictured storage location.

Caption: Storage location of the 9 samples in my garage.

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Caption: Samples that have been prepared.

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Future Plans

The samples were created on the evening of May 31, 2018. After at least 1 year, but preferably 2 or 3 years, I will test each sample in a two stroke engine. I don’t know exactly what I will use right now, but I may use my Stihl MS 170. I plan to flush the engine with clean, fresh fuel, then pour in the fuel sample to be tested. I will take both subjective and objective measurements. For example, I will observe how easy they are to start and how many pulls it takes. Then I will measure idle RPMs and wide open throttle RPMs with a tachometer. Exactly how I will measure performance is subject to change. I plan on asking for advice on message boards in the months before I actually perform my tests.

I will also have a record of the temperatures and dew points for the entirety of this test. I plan to get my weather data from www.wunderground.com.

Advice: How Should I Choose a Flashlight? Part 2

In the previous blog post (from a long time ago, I know) we went over some of the basics of flashlights, such as how to measure their performance and the two of the primary flashlight technologies available today. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the more common types of flashlights, as well as their features. Then we’ll get into why you might want to choose one type or feature over another.

Flashlight Types

There are a ton of flashlights to choose from, but I’ve attempted to categorize them into five common types: keychain, handheld, lantern, headlamp and spotlights. There are other, more specialized types that may be used almost exclusively for diving, emergency response or police/military operations, but I will not address those types.

Keychain

The first type I’ll discuss is the keychain flashlight. These flashlights are pretty small – small enough to carry on your keychain. These types of flashlights typically use button or AAA cells.

Caption: Maglite’s LED Solitaire

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Because of their size, keychain flashlights aren’t going to be the brightest and the few that are, will have correspondingly lower run times. Despite its “low” performance, I view keychain flashlights as being the most useful. This is because it’s the only flashlight that I carry almost every time I leave the house. The best tool is the one you have, whether it’s a flashlight, gun, knife, lighter or other type of tool. Not everyone will have the same opinion, but I’m sure many of you readers who carry their EDC flashlight on their keychain will agree.

Handheld

The second type of flashlight I’d like to discuss is the handheld flashlight. This is a very broad category that includes everything from the venerable SureFire P6 to the Mag-Lite 3D.

 Caption: Streamlight’s 3AA Dualie

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Caption: Fulton Industries’ MX-991/U

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

The simple handheld flashlight is probably the most common and is what the average person imagines when they hear the word “flashlight.” They use a variety of battery types, although I see a shift from C and D batteries to AAA and AA, probably due to the advancements in LED technology. LEDs are so efficient that you can use a smaller battery and still get more light (but with less runtime overall, although that’ll change in the future). These are pretty useful flashlights, but I don’t view them quite as useful as the keychain or headlamp flashlight (which are the two I use the most).

Lantern

The lantern is what I’d call a specialty light because it’s not going to be a go-to flashlight. However, when you do need it, it’ll be perfect for you application, this application being lighting up a wide swath of darkness. Basically, if you need area lighting, nothing will beat a lantern. Some powerful handhelds can provide serviceable area lighting indoors using the “ceiling bounce” technique, but on an efficiency basis, they can’t beat the lantern. Today, most lanterns will use LED technology, although the lantern I’ve pictured below uses both LED and incandescent.

 Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Spotlight

The spotlight is another specialty light, although it’s not going to be quite as common today as in the past. It’s designed to shine a very narrow beam of light great distances. If you need a flashlight to light up a field, walk through the woods or use inside when the power is out, this should not be your first choice of flashlights.

Spotlights are also not going to be as common as they used to be. This is due to high performing handhelds that are easily and economically available today. No, these AAA or AA powered handhelds can’t match a modern LED spotlight using C or D batteries, but for most people and in most applications, they’re good enough.

You’ll see one of my spotlight flashlights below. However, I don’t need to use it because my handhelds can provide comparable performance for cheaper, as they use AA rechargeable batteries and don’t need those special lantern batteries. However, if I do need a tight and narrow beam of light, I’ll use it, or I can use my handheld LED spotlight (not pictured) that I’ve modified to run off of six AAA Eneloops.

Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Headlamp

After the keychain flashlight, I view headlamps as the most useful. Whether you’re inside in a power outage or outside doing work around the house or car, headlamps are extremely useful. The primary reason? Because they’re hands-free! I do see the headlamp as having two drawbacks. First, they’re not the best “bump in the night” flashlights because you can’t quickly and easily turn them off like you can with a handheld flashlight already in your hand. Second, they mess up your hair (I’m only half serious with this drawback).

Below is a picture of my favorite headlamp, the Princeton Tec Corona. Sadly, it’s no longer available. I like it because it uses AA batteries (AAA batteries are lighter, but I try to standardize as many of my flashlight as possible to AA) and most importantly, it provides a wall of light. At full blast with all 8 LEDs running, it illuminates a large portion of my field of vision. Most other headlamps can’t provide as wide a beam of light and if they can, they can’t provide as much brightness as this lamp can, even though it’s a bit long in the tooth. Should I need a flashlight with more range, I can always have a handheld or spotlight flashlight in my hand.

Lastly, it’s made by Princeton Tec, which makes its flashlights in the USA (not a requirement of mine, but it’s something I appreciate) and has excellent warranty service.

 Attribution: Author’s Own Work

Flashlight Features of Note

Besides the type of flashlight, there are other variables or features to consider, such as:

- Water resistance/proofness

- Hazard rating

- Batteries it can use

- Beam quality

- Bulb type

Some features don’t matter to the average user, such as hazard rating. And most people, unless they go diving, won’t need something that’s truly water proof. But there are features that even the average flashlight user should want.

First, there’s water resistance. Any flashlight you buy should be water resistant to at least 1 meter and be able to handle heavy rains or a light dunking in a puddle no problem. Even if you’re a couch potato and don’t engage in any outdoor activities, you might need to go outside at night when it’s raining, or work around a container of water. You don’t want a broken flashlight just because a few drops of rain got on it or you dropped it in a sink full of water.

Second, there are the batteries it can use. Most flashlights will use AAA, AAA, C, D and CR123 battery types. It’s easier from a logistical perspective to have most or all of your flashlights run off of one battery type. My battery type of choice is the AA for reasons that I’ll discuss in a future blog post about batteries. But in short, the AA is the most universal because it can be used in AA, C and D flashlights with the proper adapters and AA provides options for different chemistries, such as alkaline, NiMH and lithium.

Unless you have a specific need for a type of flashlight where AA batteries cannot work (such as a very lightweight headlamp where you’ll want to use CR123 or AAA batteries) or just want to have shelf queens, I suggest you choose a flashlight that has the ability to use AA batteries, either directly or through the use of adapters.

Third, you are most likely going to want a flashlight that uses an LED type of bulb (yes, I know an LED isn’t a bulb, but I’m using that term loosely here). LED lights simply provide the most run time, brightest light, for the lowest cost. The sacrifice is the color, so unless you really really don’t like the washed out look or you’re a photographer and need the warmer or softer light of incandescent, I suggest your next flashlight use LED technology.

Is There a Brand or Type of Flashlight I Should Buy?

Some of you might have been hoping I’d actually provide a list of specific flashlight models and makes that I recommend. The reason I didn’t do so is because the choice of flashlight is very personal and based on preference and specific need. Trying to recommend just one flashlight is like trying to recommend just one type of gun. There are simply too many variables to make a manageable list, as well as the fact that user preference will be a major factor in the flashlight decision. However, I hope this blog post series can help you flashlight newbies out there when deciding on which flashlight to buy.