Which of those will be best
- Thread starter Gouran
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Don't think you can get those 460 in Europe, I had a 455 a few years back, hated it tbh. I recon over here I could do 99% of cutting with a 50cc. I use my 42cc 42 special way more than the Makita 6100 I have. European trees esp on my farmland I have access to etc are just not that big.
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How it's not same class 311 have 60cc when 545 is 50cc?
//edit oh i see its from plastic, 261 is with metal... How 311 can be made with plastic it's ridiculous
I can't buy 460 in Poland
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
600 would be my choice on that list for bigger wood,
or the Echo 620sx, which ever one is the cheapest of the Two.
The Echo 501sx I had Three off, they are very well built, and the lightest
50 cc saw you can get, but they don’t have the power of some other
50cc saws, like the Husqvarna 550xp and the Makita EA5000.
Your included Shindaiwa and Echo saws are expensive here in
Ireland, yet you didn’t include the Husqvarna 550mk2 on you
list which would be similar in price or cheaper, but would be
a stronger saw than the Echo 50cc in stock format.
You also didn’t include the Stihl MS261, which would be same or similar
in price to the Ech / Shindaiwa offerings.
Either way, get the one that makes you happy.
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
The on off switch you mention are high quality on those saws, the one on the Echo 501sx
looks light, but all your doing is pulling it out to start a cold saw, then push it
in again, it would be hard to break a stainless steel rod with a bit of plastic
on the end to grip on, unless you want to break it, even if you did you could
still work the saw, just a few more pulls when cold, Echo saws are easy to start,
they are well know for easy starting, regarding the on off switch, it won’t break
unless you horse it, and is a cheap part, Echo and Shindaiwa are quality saws.
cuinrearview
Red saw lover
Was there mention anywhere of the size and type of wood that would be cut?
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
Just hardwood for firing and some fruit trees, sure would help to know the size though.
The OP ’s list of saws goes from small to quite substantial in size, puzzling composition.
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
The Stihl is not a pro saw, the 545 is the same as the 550 Husqvarna, but de tuned and
has no stuffers in the crank case, otherwise it’s all pro build. Pro saws are not needed
for cutting firewood, unless you cut a lot or cut very big wood, or want to save money in
the short term.
Wood big enough to chop on 6/8 parts to fireplace, 18'' is enough to cut 2 pieces at once. I want to have good saw for years. I found ms261 is light and powerfull maybe it will be good choice? Or xp550mk2, i need powerfull saw to save some time, maybe in future i will start my own business with gardening.
Weight is not problem, 7-8kg weights my hedge trimmers which need a lot more move to trim.
Weight is not problem, 7-8kg weights my hedge trimmers which need a lot more move to trim.
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
I would take the 550 out of those two, it and the Stihl Ms261 have electronic carb controls,
they are not like the Shindaiwa or Echo which have straightforward manual carburetors.
What saw did you previously have, was it big enough before it broke.
eye.heart.trees
arborjunky
FWIW, echo lets you try a saw for up to a week and still get $$$ back... am unable to help Re your specific models but know that my recent "high-powered top-handle" searching had me finding my $350 would get me Echo's top model, or Stihl's 2nd-best model (and echo's top is - w/o wanting to start a debate - is comparable to Stihl's best, not their 2nd best ie the 194t) From the 3 main brands, Echo seems to always have a significant edge when it comes to value. Husqvarna products are typically amazing, but they charge through the nose. Stihl charges far closer to Husq prices than Echo prices, despite their "non-pro" models being less than desirable (and you'll pay through the nose for a pro series model)
Also if you're a homeowner, Echo will be a 5yr warranty (seriously), and at least for my saw - would definitely google / call around for your model - replacement parts are plentiful & cheap (and my local guy actually stocks a lot of them so am lucky that way, but ebay/amazon, online saw-shops etc etc have them all day at great prices like every last bit of the saw)
If going w/ Husq, I'd always always get the XP model if you're comparing against another, non-XP husq model, it'll 100% be worth it (they're better/fairer at pricing their "consumer-level" gear than Stihl, for instance their best top-handle costs more than Stihl's but their 2nd-best(t435) is actually ~10% cheaper than Stihl's 2nd-best(194t)
Good luck in any case, and for occasional/lighter use I can't urge you enough to use canned fuel, if you go get ethanol-free pump fuel it's still heavy with aromatics&polyolefins which are just as bad/worse than ethanol is. Also:
- let it warm up a minute before use (heavy use before it's warmed can seize the engine, the piston expands from heat quicker than its cylinder), and ideally "go easier" on it for the first tankful(s) (I don't mean "half-throttle", a chainsaw should be run at idle-or-throttle it's not designed for "halfway" so going full-throttle during break-in is good I just mean you should be doing shorter bursts at full-throttle, and pushing the bar less, for those 1st tank(s) of use.
- chains are of such incredible importance, both getting the right one (most US saws come with "safety chain") and keeping it sharp (keeping the teeth sharp, and oil flowing into the chain, is requisite for performance!)
Have fun, saw purchases are a blast am in-need of a bigger rear-handle so gonna 'scribe to this one & keep an eye on it
Am personally leaning to a ~60cc Echo unit, haven't researched yet but doubting anyone'll beat them on specs for the price, and that's my main consideration (it'd be different if Echo gear were cheap/died quickly/terrible build-quality/etc but they're not, still can't understand how they don't have overwhelming market-share I suspect it's simply an artifact of the pervasive "more expensive = better" mindset so many have..)I had chinesee saw with 3hp, and 18'', the chain was good but need more power, it was NAC CST52-45-01AC
Now im thinking about ms 261 or xp 550, definetly i need metal crankcase not plastic, i cannot trust plastic anymore :>
Thanks for big comment, i appreciate that every one is so help full here, and do not hate me
I have 1 echo/shindaiwa dealer connected with husky so same shop with parts for both companies. I never saw any1 using echo in my country so I don't how how to feel bout those saws, 99% are using Sthil or Husky.
I will buy probably 2nd chain from oregon to any saw that i wil be using, i have saw bar lubricator so dont worry
And yes I'm homeowner now and Echo gave us 5y warranty, stihl husky 2y, but only for things that are bad made in manufactury, for example: saw starter, chain brake, any plastic, on/off switch are not under varranty. Only engine things that have from start any error.
This saw will be my 1st non Chinese thing so i want to choose best option, for me and my father.
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
Echo is a very good saw, Husqvarna ‘s 550 is just as good, but it has an electronic controlI had chinesee saw with 3hp, and 18'', the chain was good but need more power, it was NAC CST52-45-01AC
Now im thinking about ms 261 or xp 550, definetly i need metal crankcase not plastic, i cannot trust plastic anymore :>
Thanks for big comment, i appreciate that every one is so help full here, and do not hate me
I have 1 echo/shindaiwa dealer connected with husky so same shop with parts for both companies. I never saw any1 using echo in my country so I don't how how to feel bout those saws, 99% are using Sthil or Husky.
I will buy probably 2nd chain from oregon to any saw that i wil be using, i have saw bar lubricator so dont worry
And yes I'm homeowner now and Echo gave us 5y warranty, stihl husky 2y, but only for things that are bad made in manufactury, for example: saw starter, chain brake, any plastic, on/off switch are not under varranty. Only engine things that have from start any error.
This saw will be my 1st non Chinese thing so i want to choose best option, for me and my father.
system, it will be very costly if it goes wrong, the Echo has minimum electronics, anyone
mechanically minded or who works on small engines can fix an Echo, not so with the
Husqvarna, they need a computer to diagnose faults, and as I said, the parts will be expensive.
Look on YouTube for video of Echo 590 and see how they compare to the more expensive Husqvarna
550xp mk2, the echo will outcut it, and so it should as it’s stronger, it’s cheaper too.
But having said that, I think the 550xp Mk2 is the best electronically controlled saw in 50 cc class.
I have a ms271 and while it’s a decent saw I wish I would have went with the echo instead. The 271 seems underpowered for its weight in my opinion,
I can buy Ms261 without computer control or with, husky don't have this feature.
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
There has been Two updates since the 261 without electronics, we now get the
261 v2, which is the lightest version, also has a little more power.
You have a good selection to choose from, the pro saws will last, just keep
a sharp chain and good fuel in them.
Fatherwheels
Addicted to ArboristSite
Both systems have the bugs all sorted by now, I like to be able to work on my own saws
as much as possible, and for me I would choose a standard saw, with no AT or MT.
If I was being paid to cut by the hour, or had jobs to finish as quickly as possible,
I would take the fastest saw, the chain speed on the 550xp is fast,
but I don’t need that for my firewood cutting, I take my time so any saw will do me,
and save me a little money by getting the Echo, it will cut same speed as 550xp
but at the addition of extra weight, you can’t go wrong with the 590 or the 550xp,
the Stihl 261 or even a Makita EA5000, they will all be dependable, price and suitability
will be the main factors in choosing your saw, for example, I would rather have a
strong saw with a long bar if I was cutting on steep ground, why, so I could cut the tree without
walking around it risking a fall or being pushed off balance if the saw caught,
If I was cutting a tree into logs in my yard, I would chose a powerful saw with a short bar,
the weight wouldn’t matter as am only lifting the saw onto the log, that takes a few seconds,
the next ten or 15 seconds am no longer carrying the weight as the saw is held up by the tree.
A 550xp, a 590 echo, a 261 Stihl, all good saw, chose the one that will fit in with your way
of working, at a price you want to pay.
You mentioned gardening, if your doing a lot of gardening the lightest saw will
be the one to chose, unless your strong and willing enough to swing a 590,
trimming trees and bushes requires a light saw in my view,
you mention trees only being 9 inches, then the 550 or 545 will be the best for this,
and will still cut much larger trees too.
People have old saws running for decades, I have no way of knowing how long
AT or MT electronics will hold up over time, they are not out long enough to know this.
But trees are 16-21 inch
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