Husqvarna 550xp mark 2 has been great for me. That thing screams through anything I want to cut. I ran a stihl ms250 before that but it eventually failed. The tech who looked at it said they aren’t meant to be used heavily. So I took his word and upgraded to something a little more stout.

I had a MS260 with a 20 inch bar , scored the cylinder , replaced cylinder and jug and in a little over a year I had done it again I was in a bunch of gig old old maples at the time

that is part of the divide by 3 rule
you can run a 20 inch bar on a 50cc saw , but when you spend tank after tank after tank of gas going through 30 inch logs like that it is like a little truck pulling a big trailer up a hill all day , it takes some life off of them.

I had gut firewood for years with that saw , but I was never in that big of wood consistently like those couple years.

In that scenario I’d probably move up into the 70cc class if I was doing a lot of cutting. I find the 50cc pro class to be about ideal for my all around saw.

husky 562 XP, after running stihl for 30 years the 562 is the best firewood cutting saw I ever picked up. have 2 of them.

it was a great all around saw

I did upgrade sold the 260 for parts and it has been great running a 2166

I keep a 2255 with 18 inch bar for limbing and smaller stuff

switch back and forth saws when I am cutting for a period of time and let them cool some , then re-gas both unless I am just cutting big logs

often I can fill a truck and then some on just those 2 tanks of gas.

My Stihl 360 has a 20” bar. I run 25” bars on a 441 and 661. Both are great saws if you are in big timber and blocking the trunk. I use 18” bars on my 026 and 260.

The biggest thing is run good gas, no ethanol. All of the above have been trouble free.

Stihl MS170. Just gotta make sure I crank it and run the lil fell once a month or more. That and drop it off at the shop every few months for a general look over . That lil $50 has saved me a good bit of head aches

Can't go wrong with one of the brand names, and make sure to get a "Pro" model. I always add Stabil to EVERY fresh can of gas with the gas oil. I always have a spare bar/chain with me when I have to go any distance. Get it stuck, and pull the power head, put on the extra bar/chain, and cut your way out. That "cutsie" scrench that comes with it m/l works, but I take a set of REAL tools with me.

455 rancher with 18' bar here

Get the Echo 590/Timber wolf. Cuts great and homeowner get 5-year warrantee. I have one plus 4 Stihls and a Dolmar. Should get you one with 20" bar for around $450.

I didn't know you could get a 14" bar.

Any of the Pro models seem to hold up well. Ive had a Stihl 261 for several years and cant say enough good about it. Power to weight ratio is tops for a 50cc model...very light with a lot of grunt.

A nice little 028S walked in here today.
@ 130 bucks I thought it was good.
I bet the owners ms170 is for sale after he runs this.

echo 4910

All of my saws are Echo. Zero issues and they get used a lot.

201t, 261, 500i in both trucks. Main truck also carries a Husqvarna 592, a Husqvarna electric pole saw and a silky pole saw.

If I could only have one saw it would be a 500i with a 25" bar.

Husky 562xp & older 272xp. Tried Stihl 3 times. Never again.
Mind you, I’m a Ford guy but I’m driving a Chevy right now…lol

Stihl 261s - have a pair - Pro models
Stihl 250 - very good homeowner saw proven for years and years

anyone else use aviation fuel and mix 32 to 1?

Shop I had soup up my Saws open up the open the mufflers jet and port
t them recommend it. said it's got 5 year shelf life and eliminates trips to the shop and 32 to 1 is better for longevity. they compared 50 to 1 like running your vehicle a quarter low on oil. It works but is not good for it. they said 50 to 1 was more of an epa thing and sell more Saws thing.

It cost more and the airport is a longer drive but I only use 10 gal a year and Saws run great when tuned for it. Never a bad gas related problem and am odd benefit that I don't stink like I have been running 2 cycle when I get done any more

The timber wolf works great for me, all I burn is wood heat. Six years with this one and no problems.