Most badass 50cc saw

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The CS-520 video doesn't surprise me at all. My CS-510 flat ROCKS! It's stock except for a minor muffler mod but sounds like the CS-520 in the video, raspy, and cuts very fast but still has plenty of grunt when needed.

My closed port Husqvarna 55's are also pretty strong, but they don't have the broad power curve of the CS-510.

The CS-490 isn't even close in power to a CS-510/520. Still a decent saw for the price point, and has some nice professional features as well.......Cliff
 
The 241 has a plastic recoil cover and sprocket cover, but it is very much a Pro saw.

My Echo CS390ESX has a plastic clutch cover and it's one of my favourite saws I've ever owned.

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Dang reindeer doesn't care what brand it is, he carrys them all, i do like the non-HD filter 044 metal tag, don't they rip and sound great too, and probably sub 13lbs when dry. That Husky looks great too, tough to get to the decomp valve on some of those without opening up the plastic eh?

My first chainsaw was the handed down from father in law, a Sears Best 3.3 cu. in. Very cool black darth vader looking chainsaw and cuts well too, pretty much the Poulon Pro from the 1980s, until my buddy showed up with a new husky 365 special and hence the beginning of my CAD.

For most bad.. chainsaw, ye old Homelite XL-12 is the one, wasn't that the model in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre or is that a Super XL? Either one will do.
 
Dang reindeer doesn't care what brand it is, he carrys them all, i do like the non-HD filter 044 metal tag, don't they rip and sound great too, and probably sub 13lbs when dry. That Husky looks great too, tough to get to the decomp valve on some of those without opening up the plastic eh?

13lbs 5 ounces. And it is a 10mm saw, too. Roughly 2.5lbs less than the current Husky 572xp.

The 281, now a 288, had a grommet installed:

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And here's the 044 in work in red oak:

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Note,,,, in some smashing situations I seen what I call space age plastics developed by NASA lol, hold up while the magnesium cracked. True story. I had a large tree turn on the stump and drive my new 2100 into the ground. The metal broke while the plastic flexed and held up. I was new at felling. Everything happens in slow motion, I had a split second to reach in and grab the saw, do I do it or not? Do I make that ride in the red flashing light vehicle? I chose not to make the days outcome even worse. Material things can be replaced.
My point is, it was the last tree dropped at the end of the day. We were tired, in a rush to finish the load and make it Miller time. Plus it was windy.
 
I got a 241 pretty cheap after someone dropped a tree on it. The cylinder lost 3 fins. The plastics had a small crinkle. I drilled a few holes in the cover to allow air to flow since the cylinder was missing fins. Another thing I noticed was the top cover on the Stihl was much easier to drill than the top cover on my Echo. Just sumfin I noticed.

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My favorite 50cc saw of all time is still the 346 NE or OE, a close second goes to the 353, pretty much the same saw anyway. The 550 is even better handling, but it's not a reliable platform IMHO. Never cared much for the Dolmar 5100/5105, super smooth with good power, but clunky.

The MS261 is likely the best 50cc saw made today. Don't know about the 550 mark II, on paper it looks heavy for 50cc, hopefully that translates into better reliability/durability. The old Poulan 50cc models ran and were well built too.
Those 353's won't cut no wood, they aren't even an xp saw :laugh:. For firewood duties and even working on a tree service crew a sharp chain and a saw that gets great fuel economy are what I want, any extra time spent in the cut can be made up in other areas quite easily. I'm not a fan of the 51/5105 or the 6100's myself, but I like the 4300 and the 79.. saws :sweet:.
I like the 550 better than the 261, just a personal preference thing, but I've heard more stihl guys that prefer the handling of the 550.
If the mark II handles like a modern 254 it will be a great all around saw. I don't think it will be anywhere near the improvement in handling the 572 is to the 372/576 though, we'll see.
 
Wait - some Stihls have hot start issues, too?
Preposterous :laughing:.
I do want to put a 261 in my hands but will have to drive quite a ways to do it.
Not sure where your at up here, but your welcome to come try mine out, I'll let you run it beside the 550, a stock 346 and a ported one, and even a 353 if you want.
They are all fun saws, but they all have their place.
 
Preposterous :laughing:.

Not sure where your at up here, but your welcome to come try mine out, I'll let you run it beside the 550, a stock 346 and a ported one, and even a 353 if you want.
They are all fun saws, but they all have their place.
The OE 353 and 346 were just perfect in my book, last of the real Husqvarna saws if you ask me. I'm still very uneasy about where things are headed with the brand.
 
Don’t have to be an XP’s saw to be a great saw look at the 266se / 268 I think there still great saws even today. My 353 hasn’t been a bad saw too it cuts good.

With any saw it’s how it’s been cared for, maintenance wise and how you sharpen the chain. If the motor can handle it i go to a rim and drum, I go up one size on the rim use a sprocket nose bar less friction. With a razor sharp chain the rakers set at .030” she should fly through wood like a hot knife through butter. With the bigger power heads I might go deeper with the rakers if I’m running a shorter bar. But the gullet for more chip clearance must be done right. Take your time and do the gullet correctly. It will pay off when you only need to make one pass on each tooth when we refuel with the file n guide.

If you have a nylon air filter I was mine with ether to keep it free of the oils so chips don’t clog it up too soon. Wave the airfilter halves in the air so the ether dries faster.
 
Don’t have to be an XP’s saw to be a great saw look at the 266se / 268 I think there still great saws even today. My 353 hasn’t been a bad saw too it cuts good.

With any saw it’s how it’s been cared for, maintenance wise and how you sharpen the chain. If the motor can handle it i go to a rim and drum, I go up one size on the rim use a sprocket nose bar less friction. With a razor sharp chain the rakers set at .030” she should fly through wood like a hot knife through butter. With the bigger power heads I might go deeper with the rakers if I’m running a shorter bar. But the gullet for more chip clearance must be done right. Take your time and do the gullet correctly. It will pay off when you only need to make one pass on each tooth when we refuel with the file n guide.

If you have a nylon air filter I was mine with ether to keep it free of the oils so chips don’t clog it up too soon. Wave the airfilter halves in the air so the ether dries faster.
It was a joke Bill :).
I've been quite the proponent for the husky semi-pro or "pro lite" saws as I like to call them for a long time. Most guys don't need a pro saw, but appreciate the quality of the pro saws, so it seams that the semi-pro saws are a great value and great quality all at the same time. I typically have a 2152/353, a 2159/359, or a 2166/365 around, the value is hard to beat compared to the pro versions of theses saws. I think echo has done a great job in the area of building a mag case saw at a reasonable price, when they get the weight out they will be even better.
The 266se and the early 268 were pro saws, but there was no XP designation back then, but that changed for the 268 and they added the "Xtra Power" for the later saws. I like those saws, but I like the 3 series saws much better for the anti vibe and the side tensioners(on the models that have them), they also get much better fuel economy for the available power.

Maintenance is only going to be of concern if the saw is actually a good saw in the first place, sad as it is some saws had plenty of issues right out of the factory.
 
Extra Power sounds like a man thing? It’s catchy right? I think the 266 was offered as a XP too. I don’t care SE or XP as long as they run, cut and outlast the energizer bunny.
 
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