Which brand saw?

[D7E]

I think you mean a Husky 55 as the 550 is their new recently introduced saw. The 55 was a great saw but hard to start as it had alot of compression and no release. The other aspect of the saw was that it always needed a precise oil/gas mix. If it got even the slightest overage of oil, it got all gummed up and would be even more difficult to start. I still have a 50 given to me by my best friend 27 years ago just before he passed away. I use this saw every season just to remember my buddy.

I have a pair of 55's and they run as good as our more expensive saws but yes they are terrible to start and for someone fit they take 6-8 pulls , Not an old timers saw.

 

[D7E]

For an all round Good saw for firewood/fencing etc , Light, nicest to handle and cut well for their size any one i know would say the 026 or MS260 with a 16 inch bar is as good as you can get . Havent tried a 261 yet and not a fan of the new gimmicks on stihls like elastostart and crappy dial side chain tensioners

 

[raptor749]

Personally, Stihl, I have 4 . Two were my dads 018 & 021 . he purchased 28 or 29 years ago, and i still use them today. Along with my 025 and ms260. I always use the Stihl bar oils and gas mixtures , and gear grease for my 2 weed eaters fs80 and fs85 pro. Both of witch are 14 to 16 years old.

 

[Bluegill2]

For an all round Good saw for firewood/fencing etc , Light, nicest to handle and cut well for their size any one i know would say the 026 or MS260 with a 16 inch bar is as good as you can get . Havent tried a 261 yet and not a fan of the new gimmicks on stihls like elastostart and crappy dial side chain tensioners

261 shouldn't have those new gimmicks, as it's a pro model.

The 026, ms260 were good saws and felt great in the hands, but too low in the power department for me... It would have been great if Stihl could have stayed close to the small size/weight of the 260 when they came out with the ms261...

 

[CobyRupert]

I have a pair of 55's and they run as good as our more expensive saws but yes they are terrible to start and for someone fit they take 6-8 pulls , Not an old timers saw.

I have a '97 Husky 55. IMO one of the best saw ever. It has a compression release, and always starts on the first (real) pull (after 1-2 soft priming pulls.) I cut about 4 cords of firewood a year, plus quit a bit of maintenance trimming/cleanup. It took a lot of abuse and never needed any attention except new bars and chains. (Like cutting a 36" maple trunk: between my sharpening skills at the time, a .325" chain, and having to hit it from 3 different sides, and missing in the middle, each cut would take about 3/4 of a tank of gas) When I converted it from a 16" -.325" to a 18"- 3/8" bar/chain it turned from a good to a great saw. After 15 years I finally put a new spark plug in it this year (didn't really need it) and slightly adjusted the carb (which I blame on that dang ethanol fuel).

 

[john_bud]

I have a husky 51 and after only 15 years broke the ring. Replaced with the larger 55 cylinder and piston for 100bucks. I did hear the new saws in mass market are lower quality. id probably buy a sthil today

 

[jlawso21]

I had an Echo 452 that lasted 25 years, maybe longer.

Finally replaced it with a smaller Echo, a CS-360, much smaller with a smaller chain. I have had it for about 4 years and it is great. Not nearly as powerful and heavy as the 452 but sill a great saw. I had a pro come and cut some of my trees at another house and let him use the smaller Echo when he was up in a tree cutting some limbs. He was very impressed with it and asked all kinds of questions about it. You could tell he was shocked.

Now, I know the smaller Echo is not the same as the larger Stihl and Huskys but for the average or even above average person they will do a great job, and come with what they call a "400 hour engine".

 

[Bluegill2]

I have a husky 51 and after only 15 years broke the ring. Replaced with the larger 55 cylinder and piston for 100bucks. I did hear the new saws in mass market are lower quality. id probably buy a sthil today

The mass market saws sold in the big box stores are lower quality, all brands. But the land owner series and XP pro saws Husqvarna builds are top of the line and even better than past models. These are found at dealers.

 

[saltbranch]

Figured I would update what I did. I was ready to buy a new Stihl when my elderly neighbor and i were talking about chainsaws. He told me he had Poulan Pro that ran great ,that he would trade for yard work. So I looked at the saw, started on third pull and a deal was struck at the expense of my 2 teenage sons. OK I threw away 2 poulan green saws, this yellow one is runs like a champ. I have cut over 100 fence posts with it so far. i can run this thing through a tank of gas,refill 1 pull and cut to the next refill.let it sit 2 weeks a fire it off in 3 pulls. I think I got lucky, not sure the difference between the green Pou;an and yellow ones. The yellow one I got is a good one for now.

 

[Bluegill2]

Poulan used to be at the top as far as saws go, but started going down hill 12-14 years ago. The yellow Poulan Pro saws are much better than the green ones since around 1990 or so.