Husqvarna 545

[Creekrat72]

Been looking into getting the 545. I have heard good and bad. Havent seen much on here about them and the members of this forum have helped out alot in the past, although i haven't been a member until today. Does anyone have any experience with this saw? Pros, cons? Thanks in advance!

[rburg]

I have a 550 and a 2252 which is the Jonsered version of the 545. Since you already have a 562, I would save a $100 and buy the 545.

[Creekrat72]

That kinda what I was thinking on it. I have heard some saying it didn't have crank snuffers or something like that. Have no clue what it is. Any ideas on that?

[rburg]

I am not sure how the crank stuffers work. For just cutting wood up to the size you would get your 562 out for, I don't think you would go wrong with the 545. My 550 is ported and definitely stronger than a 545, but if you are just cutting firewood the difference won't be that noticeable to me any way.

[Creekrat72]

I have always used xp saws. I was just a little hesitant about the 545 for that reason. I'm assuming that the warranty would run the same on both right? I have never had an issue out of any husky product, but the warranty is nice just in case. Most of what I cut is redwood, locust, and hickory. Would that 1/2 hp difference be that noticeable?

[rburg]

Unless you have a 550 cutting side by side, I don't believe you will notice the difference. One of my favorite non XP saws is the 365. The 545 is getting there as well.

[SawTroll]

Imo, the price differense between the 545 and the 550xp is very small, if you consider how long the saw likely will last.
Each to their own though, and there is nothing wrong with getting a 545 - it just isn't a 550xp.....! 

[hamish]

Imo, the price differense between the 545 and the 550xp is very small, if you consider how long the saw likely will last.
Each to their own though, and there is nothing wrong with getting a 545 - it just isn't a 550xp.....! 

But near $200 buys a lot of beer my friend!  I have yet to notice revboost, and the bit of extra chain speed and hp from the XP is a mute point unless under ideal conditions.
The best part about the 545 is there is none of that awful grey self removing paint on it.

[Creekrat72]

I like the looks of the 545 a lot better and as far as lasting, I have cut over two hundred 8ft bed, stacked loads of wood with my 562. It has done more than payed it's dues. I'm going to be cutting quite a bit with it. That's one thing that makes the decision so hard. The xps are proven to last. I have family members that had horrible luck out of "home owners" huskys. Does the 545's reliability and long service life come closer to being that of an xp or home owners husky? And I would really like to know some solid info of the "crank stuffers" on the 550 or any of the xps for that matter. Thanks to everybody for the help so far!!

[SawTroll]

Imo, the price differense between the 545 and the 550xp is very small, if you consider how long the saw likely will last.
Each to their own though, and there is nothing wrong with getting a 545 - it just isn't a 550xp.....! 

But near $200 buys a lot of beer my friend!  I have yet to notice revboost, and the bit of extra chain speed and hp from the XP is a mute point unless under ideal conditions.
The best part about the 545 is there is none of that awful grey self removing paint on it.

I don't really care about the paint - and being able to exploit the extra performance of the xp saw may not be natural to everyone - but it certainly is to me, in the wood I cut (I'm really talking 353 vs. 346xp here).  ;)

[Andyshine77]

The 545 and 550xp are for the most part the same saw. The real difference between the two is the ignition coil and crank stuffers. The piston and cylinder are the same.

Crank stuffer simply reduce the volume in the crankcase, this increases base/crankcase pressure as the piston moves downward. This increases the velocity of the charge in the transfers, filling the combustion chamber faster. Out of the box the 550xp will have a little more power, but it's a very small difference. When ported some actually prefer the 545 because it has more case volume.

The 353 and 346xp have completely different pistons and cylinders, everything else is identical. The later models did have coils that were limited to different rpm's.         

[Rob5073]

I have the 545.  Great saw and the AT works well.  I've cut with it at altitudes of 7500 ft.  I think is was well worth the money.

[Creekrat72]

Thank you!!! That makes a lot of sense on the crank stuffers. Between that, the coil, and the rev boost. To me, I just can't  see a $150 difference being justified. I believe I'm going to go with the 545! And I'm glad that the auto tune works well in it too. My 562 never gave me problems! One heck of a saw!

[rburg]

Be sure and let us know how you like it.

[Creekrat72]

I will do!! I believe I'm going to like it. I got to demo it earlier. It seemed to do great. Had it side by side with the 550. There is a little bit of difference there, power wise. Not enough to justify the cost difference imo. As soon I as I get it I'm going to be cutting all day with it and run a few tanks through it. I'll be sure to report back. Thank again everyone for all the help.

[Creekrat72]

So I Ended up getting the 550xp. My dealer, which is most likely the best in the region gave me an offer I just couldn't refuse. Almost the price of the 545. And not am I glad I got the 550. That thing screams and most definetly exceeded all of my exspectations!! It is the baddest stock 50cc saw I have ever had the pleasure to run!! Thanks to everyone that's helped out! And as for anyone that was on the fence like I was, do yourself a favor and go for the xp. I didn't pay full price but knowing what I do now. I wouldn't have even pondered the decision.

[Andyshine77]

If the price was close, it's an easy dissension. Just picked up a new flocked filter for my 550, the yellow screen filter just didn't filter the fines.

Enjoy you're new saw..