Sounds like the new 550xp is a great saw. Held one the other day. Didn't get to use it though..
My Stihl buddy (the one who's 290 quit oiling last weekend), & I went into a dealer couple days ago. They had Mostly Stihl stuff but, did have some Husky's too. I was blown away when he walked over to the Huskys...lol. Even told the sales guy, if he bought a new one, he's pretty sure it would be Husky. This is a byproduct of using my Masterminded saws
For the record, it's been over 4 years since I got him scratching his head, & getting him to respect Husky...lol. I've still never told him that, I had my 353 opened up. Although, I was adamant for him to not buy one local, & to let me get it for him when he's ready...lol. Though a very stubborn fella, he's impressed enough with my saws, I'm fairly confident he'll take my suggestion. I'd absolutely hate for him to go buy a 455 Rancher, & be disappointed.
The analogy that seemed to stick was, the difference between homeowner grade tools, & professional grade tools. One he understands well as, he's my right hand man at our day job.
My recommendations to him (even before I saw this thread) were, the 550xp, or if he just couldn't really pull the trigger on Husky, & had to stick with Stihl, & or bigger, was the 462. We picked up, & held both. I'd love to put a new ported 550 in his hands...lol. I think some of his longtime Stihl friends might disown him though. Keep in mind, most of the old timers around here, are pretty set, & firm in their Stihl/Husky, Ford/Chevy, JD/Kubota opinions, debates, & loyalties. It's almost as if, they're sports teams...hahahahahaha.
We got a new oiler for his 290, & he got it going. I got the new bar for my 353, & we are headed to the woods in about an hour. I'm sure we'll be discussing it some more over some splitting, & loading today
