Who Makes Echo Power Equipment, And Is It Any Good?
For over fifty years now, the Echo brand of power equipment has been a player in the global hardware scene, making regular appearances at major retailers like Home Depot. Since the brand's inception, its primary focus has been on handheld heavy-duty equipment for outdoor work, including chainsaws, blowers, trimmers, and more. In fact, it was actually Echo who developed the world's first commercially viable backpack blower all the way back in 1975.
When it comes to woodworking, lawn maintenance, and other similar outdoor jobs that require a bit more muscular machinery, Echo has remained a consistent face of the scene thanks to its well-received products. If you're in the market for a chainsaw, an Echo is an attractive option, but before you go jumping on the first saw with good publicity, you should first know a bit more about Echo as a company and how good its products actually are.
Where do Echo products come from?
The Echo brand is a subsidiary of the Yamabiko Corporation, a Japanese power tool manufacturer based out of Tokyo. While its parent company is Japanese, Echo is a wholly American brand, having originated in the town of Northbrook, Illinois, back in 1972. Echo's partnership with Yamabiko started in that same decade, though back then, rather than a major conglomerate, it was another tool brand, the Kioritz Corporation, which became another subsidiary when Yamabiko as a whole was formed.
Yamabiko maintains production plants in Japan, China, the United States, and more to manufacture the parts needed for its various subsidiaries, Echo included. While some Echo products are assembled at these other plants, a large portion of the parts are sent to Echo's flagship plant and corporate headquarters in the village of Lake Zurich, Illinois, where they are assembled by American workers into its many chainsaws, blowers, and so on.
How do Echo products measure up?
Echo products maintain a good reputation amongst agricultural workers, which is likely how they've managed to maintain a nearly 30-year relationship with Home Depot as a dedicated retailer partner. On Home Depot's website, the majority of listed Echo products, particularly the power equipment, have ratings of at least four stars based on hundreds of user reviews.
Users have found Echo products to be sturdy, reliable, and perhaps most importantly, intuitive. Echo tools come in both battery-powered and gas-powered varieties – using a simple snap-on battery, the electric tools offer more flexibility and maneuverability than a gas-powered or corded tool, and assembling and using them is a quick and simple process. The gas-powered tools have drawn similar praise for ease of use and assembly, while features like included straps for backpack blowers help keep things balanced and evenly weighted.
Echo's trimmers, chainsaws, and blowers regularly rank on Home Depot's best-seller and top-rated lists, so if you're in the market, you could definitely do worse than a set of Echo power equipment.