New 545/550xp saws

ABarrick · Mar 28, 2019

Left to right, 550xp - 550xpg mk2 - 562xp

It’s right in between the two size wise. I really liked how compact the old version was but functionally it really doesn’t make much difference honestly. As Bob said, it’s a mini 572. It does run the .325 20” bar very well. Feels well matched to the size of the saw. The jury is still out for me til I try it with 3/8-18” setup.

srcarr52 · Mar 28, 2019

ABarrick said:
Left to right, 550xp - 550xpg mk2 - 562xp

It’s right in between the two size wise. I really liked how compact the old version was but functionally it really doesn’t make much difference honestly. As Bob said, it’s a mini 572. It does run the .325 20” bar very well. Feels well matched to the size of the saw. The jury is still out for me til I try it with 3/8-18” setup.

View attachment 173826 View attachment 173827 View attachment 173828

3/8's 18" is what I run on my 550xpg mk1.

Spike60 · Mar 28, 2019

Mastermind said:
This whole "Husky Thread" VS "Stihl Thread" stuff is not good for the forum, or for the members of the forum. If the "men" on this forum can't take a little ribbing, we are doomed. Have we become so thin skinned that we are unable to joke around or pick at each other?

Oh yeah, I agree with you there. And his comment wasn't this vs that. He's just throwing out another option and saying nothing negative about anything else in the process. Nobody should have a problem with that post, just guys talking saws. Only thing that should bug Husky and Stihl guys is that the 543 and 241 weren't priced like the 421. LOL

Mastermind · Mar 28, 2019

Spike60 said:
Oh yeah, I agree with you there. And his comment wasn't this vs that. He's just throwing out another option and saying nothing negative about anything else in the process. Nobody should have a problem with that post, just guys talking saws. Only thing that should bug Husky and Stihl guys is that the 543 and 241 weren't priced like the 421. LOL

Spot on in every way Bob.

He post was just an expression of his opinion, and shouldn't have needed a disclaimer to keep the thin skinned among us from getting their panties wadded. You know me....and you know walking around on egg shells ain't my style.

Spike60 · Mar 28, 2019

pro94lt said:
Got a 241 Stihl, 543xp, and a Dolmar 421. Doing residential tree work I’m not picking up a 550, 261 or 346 all day if I’m just cutting 6” limbs for 5 hours... I’d pay whatever the price for a scaled down 40cc gen one 550 with rev boost lol.

Cool, you got one of each! That type of work is what those hot 40cc saws were designed for. (As well as some expected movement away from top handle saws by the big national tree companies.) But for every guy like you who will want to buy the ideal tool to fit the job, so many more won't want to spend the extra money for a "specialty saw" for that work. (don't get me wrong, I agree with your thinking). Most crews will make do with whatever the smallest saw on the truck is, and in most cases that will be whatever top handle they are running.

BonScott46 · Mar 28, 2019

I have thought about getting a 40cc ported and running 16'' .325 setup more than once...it would get twice as much time on it as all my other saws combined. A guy could run a saw like that 6 days a week and not even notice on Sunday.

weisskopf · Mar 28, 2019

hello here pictures of my 545 mark II:

545 Mark II vs. 565:

Penguin · Mar 28, 2019

Spike60 said:
.... Took it back up the hill to see if I could notice any power change, but Lordy did Jeremy hit those depth gauges with the file! Lotta chatter in that dry ash, vs the smooth cuts I was making yesterday with the chain being new. So, I can't really compare yet myself...

Very interesting. I am still making my mind up about the chain myself.

I was in oak and ash all day saturday and still don't know what to make of it. Mine has a wee bit more vibration than I would like (or was expecting). But it cuts well. Very well. And it seems predictable. I had heard that this chain was a bit squirrelly out of the box so I sharpened it before use. But not having a set of guides had to guess and free hand it. I figured I had put some vibes in it by my guesswork but maybe not?

... No, that's just excuse making.

Will

Penguin · Mar 28, 2019

Very nice weisskopf. I especially like the "Professional" in large black letters on the name tag. Maybe the guys at Husqvarna are tired of having people wonder whether the 545 is a pro saw or not?

Will

BonScott46 · Mar 28, 2019

@Spike60 what is the word on the 560/2 makeover?

Spike60 · Mar 28, 2019

We're not hearing anything other than "about a year". You guys over there will probably break the story before we do.

BonScott46 · Mar 28, 2019

My dealer thinks the Mark II is going to push Stihl to come out with a 261i after the ms 400. He has not said much of anything about Huskies since he clued me in on the heat partition that they had a guy working on for several years.

dustinwilt68 · Mar 28, 2019

Saw came today! Gonna put an 18" on till my new bar comes for it, hopefully tomorrow

Spike60 · Mar 28, 2019

BonScott46 said:
I have thought about getting a 40cc ported and running 16'' .325 setup more than once...it would get twice as much time on it as all my other saws combined. A guy could run a saw like that 6 days a week and not even notice on Sunday.

Agreed. What good is a faster saw if it slows you down?

dustinwilt68 · Mar 28, 2019

Saw seems to run good for right out of the box, time will tell how strong it gets after some tanks thru it. It definitely needs a 20" on it, I feel it will balance it nicely with these versa cut bars. Still not a huge fan of the grey clutch covers, but it will grow on me or I will swap it for an orange one from a 545, look forward to running it more. The filter setup is definitely a major plus on these

moparnut88 · Mar 28, 2019

dustinwilt68 said:
Saw seems to run good for right out of the box, time will tell how strong it gets after some tanks thru it. It definitely needs a 20" on it, I feel it will balance it nicely with these versa cut bars. Still not a huge fan of the grey clutch covers, but it will grow on me or I will swap it for an orange one from a 545, look forward to running it more. The filter setup is definitely a major plus on theseView attachment 173904 View attachment 173902 View attachment 173903

How are you liking those versa cut bars? I've been eyeballing them.

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sawmikaze · Mar 28, 2019

moparnut88 said:
How are you liking those versa cut bars? I've been eyeballing them.

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I have one I've put more time on than I could possibly keep track of...it doesn't owe me anything.

Good bar for the price.

moparnut88 · Mar 28, 2019

sawmikaze said:
I have one I've put more time on than I could possibly keep track of...it doesn't owe my anything.

Good bar for the price.

It reminds me of a techlite bar. That's good to know. Thnks!

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dustinwilt68 · Mar 28, 2019

I have to say they are light in weight and on my wallet, good combo to me.

MG2186 · Mar 28, 2019

moparnut88 said:
How are you liking those versa cut bars? I've been eyeballing them.

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Hard to beat for the money, I have quite a few in service and no complaints

New 545/550xp saws

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