Saw builders chime in.

[59billy]

As much as I like Stihl if you want king of the 50cc it definitely is the 346xp husky, they are excellent saws and fast/nimble when ported. I’ve only ran stock 261’s so far but like them very much for what it is and still own a 1991 model 026 red lever that I will never get rid of because it was bought for me by my dad to cut firewood at 14. First new saw and will never leave, rock solid reliable but not fast compared to others.

What you said. My 026 is my "cold dead hands" saw, but im still getting to know my
346.

 

[sawmikaze]

As much as I like Stihl if you want king of the 50cc it definitely is the 346xp husky, they are excellent saws and fast/nimble when ported. I’ve only ran stock 261’s so far but like them very much for what it is and still own a 1991 model 026 red lever that I will never get rid of because it was bought for me by my dad to cut firewood at 14. First new saw and will never leave, rock solid reliable but not fast compared to others. Have only ran stock 550xp also but also seems like a nice saw and I’m sure it and the 261 are both great ported.

So the king is the unit that wins the cant wace ?

 

[sawmikaze]

View attachment 474329

Like a Black Cat do...

 

[Fabulous]

So the king is the unit that wins the cant wace ?

For some … I Still believe you can get more powa from a 4 transfers than 2 …. IF you know you know

 

[lehman live edge slab]

So the king is the unit that wins the cant wace ?

I guess I should rephrase, it will all depend what your looking for. 346 all out speed in that class for cant racing. The others seem close I performance stock and I’d imagine very close ported so the 261/550 will be a preference thing for regular use. The dolkita saws were nice but are more and more going to be collectors units. The echo requires a port job to be in the same group power wise as the 550-261 so even though they are reliable as can be you need to factor that in also along with what dealers are around/good. So probably not one correct answer for everyone. Kinda like everyone will bash a ms362 but in my experience they may not have the power of others but all out reliability and getting the job done rank pretty high in my book.

 

[sawmikaze]

I guess I should rephrase, it will all depend what your looking for. 346 all out speed in that class for cant racing. The others seem close I performance stock and I’d imagine very close ported so the 261/550 will be a preference thing for regular use. The dolkita saws were nice but are more and more going to be collectors units. The echo requires a port job to be in the same group power wise as the 550-261 so even though they are reliable as can be you need to factor that in also along with what dealers are around/good. So probably not one correct answer for everyone.

I guess everyone has a different perspective on their units.

 

[redline4]

I guess everyone has a different perspective on their units.

Do you allow your crew to use their own units or are they restricted to company units only?

 

[lehman live edge slab]

Do you allow your crew to use their own units or are they restricted to company units only?

Hope they don’t all share the company unit

 

[sawmikaze]

Do you allow your crew to use their own units or are they restricted to company units only?

We supply the units.

 

[Fabulous]

The big unit :

 

[bwalker]

For some … I Still believe you can get more powa from a 4 transfers than 2 …. IF you know you know

the 550 will have more stump torque than the 346.

 

[Fabulous]

I was referring to the 261c quad port bottom fed transfers vs the 550. Idk much about the 346xp as I’ve never owned one but I’ve heard it’s a real unit

 

[sawmikaze]

I was referring to the 261c quad port bottom fed transfers vs the 550. Idk much about the 346xp as I’ve never owned one but I’ve heard it’s a real unit

The 346 is the unit to have with the CCC.

Me ? I like units I don't have to tune with a readily available parts supply.

But - as I said, we have different perspectives on our units so the OP can decide which unit suits his use the best.

 

[mainer_in_ak]

The Echo 4910/501 platform is much newer and can be a really mean saw, but it is rubber antivibe so not as comfortable as a spring-isolated saw (550, 261) if you’re running it for hours at a time. Both the 260 and 501 are limited by carb options if you’re after exotic power.

Yep it's no where near the build quality of a 261 or a 550. The 261 is the Toyota Corolla of 50 cc chainsaws. They run forever, are durable everywhere, and last a LONG time.

The 550 is the honda civic. Same same. Like a civic vs corolla, The competition between husq n stihl in the 50 cc is so close, it's resulted in 2 great saws.

The 4910 is like a Daewoo u bought for a hundred dollar bill and a crack rock. Itll work ok but you'll get stopped by the cops more often.

All joking aside, I've built coupla 4910's. They do have good motors, but that ultra-lightweight comes at a price. Yah gotta be gentle with em.

$340 ah pop

Kaniboron coated pistons are VERY durable and the cylinders are flawless:

 

[Fabulous]

The 346 is the unit to have with the CCC.

Me ? I like units I don't have to tune with a readily available parts supply.

But - as I said, we have different perspectives on our units so the OP can decide which unit suits his use the best.

It’s N.N.N. so to be in compliance I cannot use my unit until Dec 1

 

[cuinrearview]

Jonsered 2153 and I'll fückin' fight anyone over it. At least 11% more hp than the orange junk.

 

[bwalker]

I was referring to the 261c quad port bottom fed transfers vs the 550. Idk much about the 346xp as I’ve never owned one but I’ve heard it’s a real unit

The 346 was bad ass back in the day. With that said I bought a 550mk2 when I was in the market for a new 50cc saw. Very smooth, more torque than the 346xp and it to the dismay of the Luddite crew it has Autotune.
I do seem to remember a reputable builder saying he gets more out the 550, but ai am not sure on that.

 

[bwalker]

The lower transfer ports ducts on the 261 appear to be very small. Thr 550xp has much more port area to my eyes.

 

[Fabulous]

I’m with Treemonkey here on the quad vs dual transfer port theory. Perhaps the 550 does have more area when stock but after some work I cannot see how a dual will ever outperform a quad transfer , tho it can be made very strong. Only downside is the fuel mileage will most likely be less with the quad transfers but on a 50cc saw it really shouldn’t be an issue

 

[Sloughfoot]

Those air filters should have won a gold metal for stupidity. You’d have to specifically design it to be overly complicated to get it so perfectly bad—what is so bad about a choke shaft anyway?

Truth. After porting my 026 it can't get enough air through a stock filter to even begin to accelerate and won't choke well enough to cold start.

I may have overdone it.