50cc Saw Selection

This outta be a fun one. Currently I have a small firewood business with my brother. We're 20 and 21 years old. We have four saws, 441,360,260,211. The 211 was a gift so unfortunately I'll be keeping that as much as I don't use it. Would it be a bad idea to sell the 360 and 260 to pick up a new 50cc saw? We only ever run two saws, but I noticed the 360 and 260 share pretty similar responsibilities in the end. The 441 runs all the time taking care of the biggest stuff there, and the 360 and 260 end up on small stuff or limbing detail.

I noticed that the husky has a four year warranty special from their website. I find that hard to beat. Also looks like the 261 C-M will be coming out shortly so that would be the competition. I come from a very Stihl based family. There is a Stihl dealer right in town for me, the closest husky dealer is 8 miles away, which isn't too bad compared to some. I would be going against the grain with the husky but I guess I don't mind that haha.

Other thing is my uncle has a 261 and I really want to be able to keep up with him in good sized wood. I heard the 550 lacks a little torque in the bigger stuff.

What do ya think?

Why not get another 261?

+ 1 on the 261 for firewood duty..if i was snappin limbs all day it would be a swede saw no question !

blsnelling said:

Why not get another 261?

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I don't own a 261, I have a 260 and 360 that I feel can get merged into one saw, and a new saw would be nice. What really caught my eye was the husky 4 year warranty, so sell two saws, get a husky or a stihil and get a warranty, and a new saw. One less saw for maintenance and not much of a difference for when we're out cutting since we can only handle two saws anyway.

SAWMIKAZE said:

+ 1 on the 261 for firewood duty..if i was snappin limbs all day it would be a swede saw no question !

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Well I will be limbing with the 50cc saw but once the limbing is done the 50cc will be starting on the smallest stuff first.

A ported 261 would more than replace your 360. Master of fact, i doubt your 441 would see as much use.

blsnelling said:

A ported 261 would more than replace your 360. Master of fact, i doubt your 441 would see as much use.

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Only reason I got the 441 was because I got it for $650 with a 28" Bar and Chain new. I was going to buy a 362 for $600 with a 20" B&C but I figured the $50 would be well spent haha. I do like it for the big stuff. But you could also say a ported 441 bla bla bla. But I don't know how to port even though I considered it for my 260, but I'm thinking maybe I should merge the two saws for a new one. I'd be nervous porting a new saw myself and the costs can get pretty high and I want to replace two saws into one without spending too much.

get a used 026 or 028 super would be great 026 is lighter but 028 has a little more power

sarge3604 said:

get a used 026 or 028 super would be great 026 is lighter but 028 has a little more power

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If you read my original post I already have a 260 which is essentially an 026 but newer. I'm looking to get rid of two used saws and get one new one.

sarge3604 said:

get a used 026 or 028 super would be great 026 is lighter but 028 has a little more power

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Why would a person who relies on a saw to make money buy something older and not any more effective than what he has?


My vote, toss a coin between the 261 and 550 with a 16" or 18" bar. Both have more torque than the 026/260 and cross over for bucking and limbing.

Try something different and go with an Efco 152. I'm getting more and more impressed by the Efco line.

I'm thinking that if the saws primary use is limbing and small wood, why not just keep that 260?

Pretty light and handy with a 16" b/c on it.

I'm assuming that you've run your uncle's 261, so you should know if you like it. I don't think you would find a 550 a disappointment in any way. If you wasn't to stick with Stihl, get a 261. Otherwise, try a 550. You'll like it too.

Both a 261 and 550 will run circles around a 260.

sorry didnt know you wanted a new saw only if new +1 on the 261

blsnelling said:

I'm assuming that you've run your uncle's 261, so you should know if you like it. I don't think you would find a 550 a disappointment in any way. If you wasn't to stick with Stihl, get a 261. Otherwise, try a 550. You'll like it too.

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Not enough but I've seen from a distance and it cuts well. He loves it. Maybe I should wait for the mtronic 261 to come out. I'm reading some 261 vs 550 threads and that's the consensus I'm coming up with.

If you don't think a 550xp will be enough, take a look at the 555. The 550 is right around 3.75 hp and the 555 comes in around 4.3hp if I recall correctly. They not that far apart pricewise. If you have a good dealer, the price really shouldn't be more than 40 or 50 dollars in difference.

TreeTangler said:

If you don't think a 550xp will be enough, take a look at the 555. The 550 is right around 3.75 hp and the 555 comes in around 4.3hp if I recall correctly. They not that far apart pricewise. If you have a good dealer, the price really shouldn't be more than 40 or 50 dollars in difference.

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I don't want a saw that heavy. I want one I can limb with, then once limbing is done spend time on smaller diameter logs.

I have some trigger time on a triple 5..that said with 20 inch bars i dont feel a difference big enough to discuss between a 555 and a 261.. i think a 555 is an awesome saw and should really be taken into consideration for firewood duty !

The 4 yr warranty only applies to non-commercial use.

I'm not much of a 261 fan, but for use cutting up firewood, it probably makes the most sense bc you already have Stihl bars.

As mentioned, the 555 would be very nice and a nice jump in power from the 261. And as Brad said, a ported 261 will likely be everyone's favorite.