D-BOY vs. ECHO 1

Is there really a diff. between something such as the D-BOY ECHO 1 SCAR?

No however the E1 scar is only so-so when it comes to the external quality. I would go with the D-Boys. Both shoot at a said ~350 FPS and roughly the same ROF.
However the D-boys will most likely have your plastic bushings and crappy shims. Any kind of firepower upgrade will require a reinforced GB and better gears. not to mention shims and metal bushings.

As for the design internally, from what I have stated, no because both DD-boy and E1 are clone manufacturers. Your just paying for the better internals on the E1 which in the long run may save you some hassle of buying individual parts.

Go with your gut basically. both reviewed the same performance
here you go

D-Boys -
http://airsoft-barracks.com/reviews/electric/dboyssc01.php

Echo 1 and D-Boys seem to be popular around here on the forums , I say go with Echo 1 due to my knowledge on D-Boys being very very limited .

i would get the D-bay because there a better brand and are better quality when it come down to it....but no matter what you will have to be carefull about the wire in the folding of the stock....