550 XP Mark II or MS 261

[Duce]

I'll pass on seafoam (aka snake oil). Keep your saws clean and run fresh mix.

 

[redneckhillbilly]

the more saws you own the more you have to be aware of, I only have 4 saws and its always in the back of my mind what saw has sat the longest and how can i get it some run time. today im going to use a 592 on a 16 inch fir tree because it hasnt been used in 2 months and I need to cycle some fresh fuel through it, its not the ideal saw for the task, but I dont want any issues with it so I will use it instead of just let it sit for who knows how long and risk having problems.

i saw pretty consistantly from april through december, when I am putting them up for the year I dump my 40:1 dominator out and fill with canned husky mix and run them for a few minutes to assure the canned fuel has fully made its way into the carb. than I hang them on the rack and let them sit, thats been my recipe for a few years now and its has worked fine, no issues what so ever.

 

[bwalker]

I like the size and balance of the 261, but the HP/torque award goes to the 550XP mk2. The 550 was substantially cheaper for me too from HL.

 

[dangerousatom]

Both saws are ideal for a wood burning home owner who likes to cut.

The 550 responds exceptionally well to a muff-mod, gasket delete and porting out the casting angles in the lower bit of the cylinder along with opening up the beginnings of the stratos. I have 2 and one has a pop-up piston. The pressure gauges says its 10-15psi more then the other but I cant say its noticeably different/better then a stock piston.

Just a muff-mod and foam air filter upgrade will be a noticeable gain.