35cc upgrade, which 50cc Husky?

[clv101]

My old 35cc Efco just isn't up to the job any more - mostly ash and oak, often over 20 inch.

 

I'm going to buy a 50cc Husqvarna but can't decide between the 450, 545 and 550XP.

 

Is the 545 worth an extra ~£90 over the 450? and the 550XP another £40 again? What are the real world, noticeable differences? I'm not a heavy, daily user, probably only put 15-20 litres of fuel through the saw a year. I do value reliability, warranties and long life though.

[huskykev]

Buy an Echo 501sx and run it on Aspen, 5 year domestic warranty, Japanese build quality and a Tsumara bar.

[Dan Maynard]

More power.

I'd get on the FR Jones website quick and buy a 550XP on sale for £40 less than the 545.

If you're doing a lot of over 20" though you might be better off with a 562 and 18" bar.

[gary112]

8 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

More power.

I'd get on the FR Jones website quick and buy a 550XP on sale for £40 less than the 545.

If you're doing a lot of over 20" though you might be better off with a 562 and 18" bar.

This?

[NFG]

550xp from Jonsies sale or an Echo 620 if you're doing a lot over 20"

[Joe Newton]

If you're an occasional user I'd try and stay basic. Avoid autotune and if you've left your saw a while between running it replace the fuel with fresh. Don't bother draining the tank and running it dry, just make sure it's always running on fresh fuel. 

 

Echo do a good robust simple 50cc saw. There's no point spending top dollar on a pro saw that'll be more highly strung and you won't really notice the benefits for the extra cash

[xdcx]

The mk2 550xp in the FR Jones sale at the moment is difficult to ignore at that price point.
If you are cutting through 20" oak though take a look at a 555 with 18" bar. I've had a few days using one that my mate bought recently and it's a superb saw. Can be had for shy of the £500 mark for a mid range 60cc saw which is a load of machine for the price point!

[clv101]

16 hours ago, huskykev said:

Buy an Echo 501sx and run it on Aspen, 5 year domestic warranty, Japanese build quality and a Tsumara bar.

Thanks, I hadn't considered Echo, the 501SX does look good. A little lighter, a little less power than the Huskies. Is the 5 yr warranty worth it? Are there annoying clauses that class most issues as fair wear and tear? Similar price to the 550XP though! Why isn't it more popular?

[Mick Dempsey]

The 550xp is a modern classic, light, poky, reliable (well my 2 Mark 1s are) 

 

look no further...

[huskykev]

30 minutes ago, clv101 said:

Thanks, I hadn't considered Echo, the 501SX does look good. A little lighter, a little less power than the Huskies. Is the 5 yr warranty worth it? Are there annoying clauses that class most issues as fair wear and tear? Similar price to the 550XP though! Why isn't it more popular?

Probably comes down to your local dealer, Exho Ireland were spot on when I was dealing with them, I worked for a Husky/Echo main dealer and rarely had problems apart from user error. 
Regarding popularity I think it’s more so that Stihl and Husky have a huge dealer network, brand image and marketing but anyone that uses the Echo pro stuff rarely has a bad word to say about them.