Saw upgrade

[goody]

Hey guys
I am new to this forum looking for advice on upgrading my current saw for cutting a lot of firewood. I have a Stihl MS250. Great little saw but i cut a lot of big hardwood. The 18” bar isn’t big enough for felling some of the trees im harvesting. I don’t need a huge saw but definitely need more than the 18” bar I currently run. I’m thinking about getting a Husqvarna 455 Rancher with 20” bar. What do you guys think?

 

[Huntaholic]

455 rancher is a good saw, but its still a homeowner grade saw. Unless Im mistaken, its a small mount bar, 1 bar stud, weak oiler for anything over 18" and just not what a frequent saw user would be happy with IMHO. Spend the extra money and get an XP saw. 562xp would be the ultimate firewood saw!

 

[Tallest]

I agree with Huntaholic about the 562. It is, in my mind, the best saw in its size/power/weight class.

However if your budget conscious, you might look at the Echo 590. It’s $400 most days and places, and it offers a lot! Strictly speaking, it’s not a pro saw, but I think it’s the probably the best non-pro saw out there in its class (I’m sure others will disagree, but these are individual opinions after all! [emoji6] )

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

Don't get caught up in bar length as a measure of saw's ability.

455 rancher is a good saw, but its still a homeowner grade saw. Unless Im mistaken, its a small mount bar, 1 bar stud, weak oiler for anything over 18" and just not what a frequent saw user would be happy with IMHO. Spend the extra money and get an XP saw. 562xp would be the ultimate firewood saw!

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[r black]

I you are looking to runs saws larger than 18 inch bar.... 20+ I would look at the 562xp, ms362 , dolkita 6 series , echo 620 , maybe 590 etc. and above saws

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

Cs620 easily pulls a 24" bar in hardwood. Many rave about the 590 also, I don't have one. I like my 620 over my 562 and it's cheaper. If you are frequently cutting hardwood over 20" I would not get the 455. If it's husky or nothing, then I'd suggest the 460 or 465. But now you are getting into cs620 price range and the cs will still nudge out both in performance and quality.

 

[goody]

Why not 455 ?

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Why not 455 ?

It's a plastic case (instead of magnesium) saw designed for occasional use by homeowners. If you want something that size, look at a 545. It won't be much bigger than your current saw, but will perform a lot better. Otherwise, step up to the 555 or any of the other saws that have been mentioned

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Used 372xp in nice condition. Sounds like @spike60 can set you up with a new saw.

 

[Husky Man]

Why not 455 ?

I think that Huntaholic, answered that question rather well, and gave some good advice in post#2.

455 is a Good Saw, the 562XP is a BETTER Saw, if the difference in price is manageable, I don't think that it would take too long before you decided it was a worthwhile upgrade.


Doug

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

I was just cutting along side a 455. It's a great saw sub 20". I mean you know what you are doing with it and we know how a 455 runs. If it's just needing that 20" bar seldom, it's perfect. If you have intent on using every bit of a 20" in hardwood often, you and your saw will make out better with something a bit more. Figure out what you can spend and we can help narrow down a better choice for you.

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

Used 372xp in nice condition. Sounds like @spike60 can set you up with a new saw.

I'm always a fan of a good used pro saw if money is tight!

 

[michaelcary99]

I personally run a echo cs590 anc cs680. Have had them both for around 4 years. Both come with a 5 year homeowner warranty. And the only issues with either have been the 590 had the tension screw linkage went bad. (3 peice linkages) and the 680nafter being ran for a couple years needed carb adjusted.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[SmellyPirateHooker]

The 680 is a durable saw but it's of echos old design when they didn't seem to care much of power. It's still a few $ more then the 620 while the 620 will out perform it. I wouldn't go out of my way for one unless you were getting one hell of a deal on it.

 

[NvrDwn]

362c call it a day, likely for life.

 

[goody]

Lots of good advice here and I appreciate it. Some of these saws are over my budget though. Trying to stay in the $500 range. I really think a 20” bar will handle the trees i cut. They aren’t huge but a bit too much for my ms250 with 18” bar

 

[goody]

Used 372xp in nice condition. Sounds like @spike60 can set you up with a new saw.

Does he have a saw for sale ?

 

[ericm979]

A good condition used MS362 ought to fit in your budget.

 

[goody]

What about a MS391 ?

 

[Cope1024]

What about a MS391 ?

Go for the CS590 instead.