500i

[Sierra_rider]

28" lightweight bar is probably my favorite all around bar size. It allows me to almost stand up straight and cut stuff on the ground. It's light enough that I can brush with it, if I need to. Finally, I can fall a lot of trees with that size. Sometimes it's a little short, but not a big deal to "roll" the saw around to the off side for a few extra inches.

I like it so much, that my ms400 and bb 044s run 28" Stihl lights and my 372xp has a Sugi light.

The fallers around here are often using 32-36" lights for falling softwoods on their 500s. 28" seems popular with the tree guys and doesn't seem to phase the 500 in hardwoods.

 

[Sierra_rider]

That said what bar is the best low cost low use bar with best cutting quality that needs to be used 50 times or less?

IMO Oregon or the Foresters are cheap and would be fine for an occasional use bar.

For frequent cutting, I'm partial to Stihl bars...preferably lights. I also like Sugihara lightweights for my Husky.

 

[catbuster]

Get another 28. All your chains will fit either bar, that saw will run a 28 in anything, and trust me, you will get your bar stuck in soemthing that actually requires all of a 28 to get out of.

 

[hop3]

IMO Oregon or the Foresters are cheap and would be fine for an occasional use bar.

For frequent cutting, I'm partial to Stihl bars...preferably lights. I also like Sugihara lightweights for my Husky.

0.5 or 0.63?

 

[Sierra_rider]

0.5 or 0.63?

Either one. I'd pick one and stick with it. I've got .50 on my shorter bars(<28") and .63 on my longer bars(32"+.)

I didn't set out for having 2 different sizes, just kinda how it worked out. The local shop still pushes .63 for large powerheads, so that's what I ended up with on my larger saws. I make some of my own chain, so having 2 different gauges is a slight pain.

 

[Sierra_rider]

Get another 28. All your chains will fit either bar, that saw will run a 28 in anything, and trust me, you will get your bar stuck in soemthing that actually requires all of a 28 to get out of.

+1 if the new 28 is a light...especially considering that a 28 light is still considerably lighter than a 25 standard.