Stihl 261 vs. Husky 550 XP

[jeepyfz450]

Like I said I have no experience with a ms261 or a 550xp however, my dad has a ms362 and he will be the first one to tell someone that my twenty year old 262xp completely owns his saw. That said, my buddy bought a 562xp last year and it is in a class by itself. I don't need to see any videos to tell you a 562 whips a 362's ass.

how does your 262xp compare to a 036 pro or a 361?

 

[mtrees]

so tell me, and i am asking respectfully. how many here run there saws 5-6days a week for a living? and how many here are firewood cutters and saw junkies? i am not taking away from either party, but it would appear a good share of the guys here are enthusiasts? i can honestly say which category i fall under.

Hi my name is Mike and I'm an addict.

 

[Brian_NC]

Like I said I have no experience with a ms261 or a 550xp however, my dad has a ms362 and he will be the first one to tell someone that my twenty year old 262xp completely owns his saw. That said, my buddy bought a 562xp last year and it is in a class by itself. I don't need to see any videos to tell you a 562 whips a 362's ass.

Your Dad's saw may need a little tuning if there is that big of a difference. I bought a new 562 a couple of weeks ago just for the heck of it, never had an autotune and wanted to try one. I brought home the 362 we have at work and played around with the 2 of them last Friday, unless the 362 is just exceptionally strong, or this 562 gets a heck of alot stronger, they are pretty evenly matched. Hell, if a 562 stomped a 362 real bad it would be in MS440 territory power wise, and having a new 440 I can honestly say it's not. And it shouldn't be, it's just a 60cc saw, just like the 362.

 

[CATDIESEL]

Your Dad's saw may need a little tuning if there is that big of a difference. I bought a new 562 a couple of weeks ago just for the heck of it, never had an autotune and wanted to try one. I brought home the 362 we have at work and played around with the 2 of them last Friday, unless the 362 is just exceptionally strong, or this 562 gets a heck of alot stronger, they are pretty evenly matched. Hell, if a 562 stomped a 362 real bad it would be in MS440 territory power wise, and having a new 440 I can honestly say it's not. And it shouldn't be, it's just a 60cc saw, just like the 362.

exactly, well said. your new 562 will loosen up, and get a little stronger. but i am pretty sure it will not just all of the sudden go "576 xp" on you.

 

[Brian_NC]

exactly, well said. your new 562 will loosen up, and get a little stronger. but i am pretty sure it will not just all of the sudden go "576 xp" on you.

Lol.. If it does I might have to spring for a camera to video that. I doubt it'll be here long, I didn't even need the dang thing, all the talk about them just had me curious. It's a nice saw, and seems to be put together well, but it's a tweener saw and I expect it will become a shelf queen if I keep it.

 

[MCW]

Talking about balance, my 261 hasn't rolled of once since I had it... how is the balance on the new 550?

In that regard Rudy the 550XP will always be the one laying on it's side in the back of the ute when I get to or come home from a job. My 200T is bad too.
When I had my dual spiked 261 I could go all psycho driver on it and not once did it roll over. More to do with it's fat arse than inboard clutch though :msp_thumbup:

 

[Rudolf73]

In that regard Rudy the 550XP will always be the one laying on it's side in the back of the ute when I get to or come home from a job. My 200T is bad too.
When I had my dual spiked 261 I could go all psycho driver on it and not once did it roll over. More to do with it's fat arse than inboard clutch though :msp_thumbup:

Nothing wrong with a fat arse... on a saw :msp_biggrin:

 

[bcorradi]

Well I've only made a few cuts with it so far, I picked it up last Saturday. This coming weekend looks nice, so I hope to give it a good shakedown then. I must say it did impress me when I cut with it. For the quality, power and price point, I don't see any Stihl or Husky coming close to it.

Ya undersandable...i'm curious to see how that 421 does. However, when u get past being a hobbyist/enthusiast with saws let me know . You should get on board with ST and just look at the paperwork. He doesn't hardly use his saws either. BTW: all dolmars and huskies rule and stihls still suck ....You need to talk to modifiedmark...he hardly uses saws either ...but he knows poulans are still the best. Don't forget the part prices...stihl part prices are still out of line coympared to the rest of them. Leeha even attests to that lol.

Find reality guys....stihl part prices aren't out of line compared to the rest. Jonsered, Husky, Stihl, and Dolmar all build formidable saws. Pick the brand that works best for you and go with it. I'm just really sick of u guys trying to throw your wand at stihl and say they are underperforming and overpriced....and imo they are far from that.

 

[Ironworker]

If half of you guys were blindfolded and giving a saw to run, chances are you would not know what you had in your hand.

 

[Mike from Maine]

Blindfolded chainsaw'n?

Um, here hold my beer

 

[Andyshine77]

If half of you guys were blindfolded and giving a saw to run, chances are you would not know what you had in your hand.

Bet I could!!!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[deye223]

In that regard Rudy the 550XP will always be the one laying on it's side in the back of the ute when I get to or come home from a job. My 200T is bad too.
When I had my dual spiked 261 I could go all psycho driver on it and not once did it roll over. More to do with it's fat arse than inboard clutch though :msp_thumbup:

YOU must be doing something wrong matt sometimes when i get to a job

me 460R is upside down and it's got a 3/4 wrap bar the 390 is on top of me 261

 

[deye223]

Bet I could!!!:hmm3grin2orange:

me too just put it down and stomp on the ground and if it falls over it's a husky :big_smile:

 

[Andyshine77]

Ya undersandable...i'm curious to see how that 421 does. However, when u get past being a hobbyist/enthusiast with saws let me know . You should get on board with ST and just look at the paperwork. He doesn't hardly use his saws either. BTW: all dolmars and huskies rule and stihls still suck ....You need to talk to modifiedmark...he hardly uses saws either ...but he knows poulans are still the best. Don't forget the part prices...stihl part prices are still out of line coympared to the rest of them. Leeha even attests to that lol.

Find reality guys....stihl part prices aren't out of line compared to the rest. Jonsered, Husky, Stihl, and Dolmar all build formidable saws. Pick the brand that works best for you and go with it. I'm just really sick of u guys trying to throw your wand at stihl and say they are underperforming and overpriced....and imo they are far from that.

Come on now, I said Husky and Stihl.:nosebleed:


Honestly in the US what does Husky or Stihl have to offer that compares to the 421?? I own Stihl's like the as much as any saw, just depends on the model. Sorry, but Stihl parts are over priced!! Guess they have to pay for all that advertising somehow.:msp_thumbsup:

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Guess they have to pay for all that advertising somehow.:msp_thumbsup:

Yeah we're required to pay atleast 3000$ a year in advertising.

 

[stihl waters]

I'm sorry Andyshine but after researching the 421 I discovered it has the dreaded "inboard clutch". Making it totally unacceptable.

 

[Termite]

so tell me, and i am asking respectfully. how many here run there saws 5-6days a week for a living? and how many here are firewood cutters and saw junkies? i am not taking away from either party, but it would appear a good share of the guys here are enthusiasts? i can honestly say which category i fall under.

It doesn't take me 5-6days to figure out which saw I like.
Lets see pull the throttle back before so you can put the choke on? WTH?

 

[jeepyfz450]

Well I've only made a few cuts with it so far, I picked it up last Saturday. This coming weekend looks nice, so I hope to give it a good shakedown then. I must say it did impress me when I cut with it. For the quality, power and price point, I don't see any Stihl or Husky coming close to it.

You have made a few cuts with this saw and it is definately better than the competitions saws? that you havent run? wow. And people say stihlheads have on blinders.......

 

[RogueWave]

It doesn't take me 5-6days to figure out which saw I like.
Lets see pull the throttle back before so you can put the choke on? WTH?

In my humble opinion, do you need a primer, choke lever, and a throttle? Works for husky. One lever for stihl works too. Not a big deal in my books.

 

[Termite]

In my humble opinion, do you need a primer, choke lever, and a throttle? Works for husky. One lever for stihl works too. Not a big deal in my books.

Now how does that one lever work the primer? I like my saws to conform to me not the other way around but I could get used to it, Eventually,