Any love here for a HUSQVARNA 545 Mark II ?

[Old saw fixer]

     Like the header says, does anyone have experience with this model Husky?  I know it is only $60 away from a 550XP Mark II.
I am still shopping for an in between saw, I have a Stihl 017 and a Stihl 036 Pro, and am not giving either up.  I have been behind the 8 ball health wise for several years now, but I am back on the good foot thanks to ortho and neuro surgery.
     The 036 Pro/20" is as big as I need to go, and at my age it is as big as I want.  I am looking for something to use for up to 16" stems in the 50cc class.  I am about to fall off the Stihl wagon, it seems impossible to go to the Stihl website and get MSRP prices, the website always wants to send you to a brick and mortar for prices.  Added to that, they are not at all helpful with the availability of the new NK .325 chain, even when I send the dealer rep part numbers for bar and chain.
     The 550/545 saws I mentioned are both advertised as being available with Husky's narrow .325 chain and bar..
     Asking for input about these two Husky saws vs. Stihl MS 261CM all with 16 inch bar and chain.

[Greenhighlander]

I have a 445 mark II xtorq and am honestly amazed at how it has stood up. I figured it would of died by now but after several hundred hours it is still my go to small saw and she hasn't missed a beat. 
I also prefer how the 445 feels over my old trusty ms 251. 
I was going to get the 545 but just didn't have the money at the time. So far I do not regret it . This 445 cuts great running the 18" bar.  
The canadian stihl site gives msrp prices. 
MS 261 C-M - Professional chain saw with M-Tronic

Also good to hear your health has improved . Thats one many never think of until they face it. The most taken for granted thing in life. 
Cheers 

[Patrick NC]

I got a 550xp mk2 a few months back when my ms260 pro got destroyed. Very happy with it. I find myself reaching for it over my 372 when I'm in wood smaller than 18". 

[sawguy21]

Stihl is not supposed to talk to the end user, that is the dealers job. Some distributors will bypass their retail outlets to make a sale, it is poor business practice and will bite them.

[caveman]

I have a couple of 545's and have never used the Stihl you want to compare it to.  My 545's take a few more pulls to start the first time (day) compared to our 359 and 365 which usually start on the second pull.  The 545's seem to have to figure out how to run based on temperature and humidity and that takes them a minute or so.  After they start and smooth out, they are a lightweight, well balanced saw that with a sharp chain are a joy to cut with.

[Old saw fixer]

Stihl is not supposed to talk to the end user, that is the dealers job. Some distributors will bypass their retail outlets to make a sale, it is poor business practice and will bite them.

Sawguy21, I understand what you are saying.  I wasn't trying to buy the saw from the distributor, only trying to find info unavailable from the dealer.  It seems there is a breakdown in communication in the marketing chain. 
     I worked for small Stihl dealer that supported loggers from several counties in the time just before mechanized logging did away with saws.  Anything short of a crankcase assembly was on the shelf in the shop.  Answers to questions were a phone call away.
     Now I have to help the Stihl "main guy" look up a 20" bar to fit my 036.  What the heck?  I knew not to buy a saw from the big box home stores, now I know better than to buy one from a farm supply store or lawn and garden store.  The price may be okay, but the support isn't there for M-Tronic or AutoTune. 

[sawguy21]

I started out with a dealer like the one you worked for, we catered to the loggers and had to have the product on the shelf with knowledge to back it up. It was a steep learning curve and fueled my passion for saws. The local dealer who also happens to be FF member Paul_H and a good friend is like that. Unfortunately too many carry them as a sideline and don't have the knowledge or interest, my last retail employer was like that. They were just numbers on a spread sheet and being a large urban area the market for anything more than entry level saws wasn't there.

[Old saw fixer]

     You nailed it, sawguy21!  For the most part the true "saw service shops" are gone in this area.  Mechanized logging and the younger folks penchant for buying throwaway stuff from big box stores and amazon, ebay and the like have done in the traditional saw shops in my area.  I have to try a couple of shops an hour or so away and try to get a read on the backup they offer. 

[Spike60]

Seeing what saws are in stock and if they have the parts to support them can give you an idea. Lack of pro models means you haven't really found a "saw shop" as us "grumpy old men" would define it. Not every dealer is in a market that allows them to grow a strong pro business. Certainly true on the logging side of the equation. But anywhere there are trees, there will be tree service companies. There is as much potential there as logging. Maybe more as the tree guys need to have a lot of different sized saws for their work. In addition to the same accidents that loggers have with their saws, tree guys also have losing "encounters with gravity". Either dropped or thrown. Either way ya gotta have crash parts in stock to keep these guys going.

Back to the original question: One difference between the 545 and 550 M2's that never gets mentioned is that the starters are different. More specifically the "guts" in the starters. The 545 has a spring assist set up that is even easier to pull than the 550, which is itself an easier pull than the original 550. Means a lot to older guys who have difficulty snapping the rope quick enough to start a saw. 

[Mountain_d]

I bought a 550XP (18 inch bar) two years ago and I am disappointed with it. It seems to run too lean. Takes forever to warm up in the winter and does not seem to have the power that it should. If it had an adjustable carb, opening the high jet would solve the problem, but the carb cannot be adjusted. I have owned several Husky over the years, but I think that was the last one I will be buying. I bought an Echo CS590 (20 inch bar) a few months ago, and I like it. The carb is adjustable with limiters. I have not had to set it as it seems to dialed in good from the crate. Power is where I would expect (I realize a 10cc difference with the 550). The Echo is a little heavier, but I can live with that. I think I will try sell the 550 and maybe see what Echo has in the 50cc range. I like a 50cc for smaller trees, cutting trail and if lots of limbing to do. I like the 60cc for a good all round saw and I have a Husky 372xp with 24 inch bar for felling the bigger trees. I imagine a Stihl with automatic tune carb would not likely be any better?
Have a good day folks. Good going this time of year. Nice not having to swim through the snow yet.  :laugh:
Mountain

[Old saw fixer]

     Spike60, I emailed one shop yesterday and asked if had 545/550 w/16" bar.  They had a 550XPM2 with a 20" bar, but "we would have to order a 16" bar. We set all our pro saws up w/20" bars"   What?  Say again?   I haven't worked on Huskys in years, 288's and 268's were the last ones.  But don't the 50cc Huskys have a common bar?  On to another shop, I may go south of me in search of a saw, it's more rural down there. 
     I really want to hold a 545M2, studying it on screen it has what I want in a saw for opening up my woodland. I'm not going to need more than a 16" bar, if I do I have my 036Pro with a 20".

[Spike60]

That's just baloney. What kind of shop doesn't have a 16" bar in stock? I do get PO'd at dealers who blame their inflexibility on the OEM. 545's can be ordered with 16, 18, or 20 inch bars, in either .050 or .058. We order them with 18's as that is how 90% of them go out. But it's no big deal for a dealer to set any saw up with whatever bar the customer wants. Sometimes we switch the 550's over to 3/8 for pro guys who want all saws running the same chain. 16's do look a little short on the 545/550, but some do get sold that way. You are right to want to hold the saw to see how it feels before buying it. 

Mountain; Your 550 might just need a reset. And there is a huge difference between the original 550 and the 550M2. Really should have been given a new model name, as no parts interchange besides the fuel caps and the spark plug. Thousands of "which one?" questions lie ahead.  :D

[sawguy21]

Seeing what saws are in stock and if they have the parts to support them can give you an idea. Lack of pro models means you haven't really found a "saw shop" as us "grumpy old men" would define it. Not every dealer is in a market that allows them to grow a strong pro business. Certainly true on the logging side of the equation. But anywhere there are trees, there will be tree service companies. There is as much potential there as logging. Maybe more as the tree guys need to have a lot of different sized saws for their work. In addition to the same accidents that loggers have with their saws, tree guys also have losing "encounters with gravity". Either dropped or thrown. Either way ya gotta have crash parts in stock to keep these guys going.

Back to the original question: One difference between the 545 and 550 M2's that never gets mentioned is that the starters are different. More specifically the "guts" in the starters. The 545 has a spring assist set up that is even easier to pull than the 550, which is itself an easier pull than the original 550. Means a lot to older guys who have difficulty snapping the rope quick enough to start a saw.

It was funny, we sold arborist gear (one of few dealers in the area) and did well but didn't move a lot of saws with those guys. They would step over a dollar to pick up a quarter and bought whatever was cheapest. Instead of buying good saws designed for the job at hand and maintaining them they went to the box store and threw them away as they broke. The true pros, Asplundh, Davey, Bartletts, didn't mess around there is a reason they are the biggest.

[Mountain_d]

That's just baloney. What kind of shop doesn't have a 16" bar in stock? I do get PO'd at dealers who blame their inflexibility on the OEM. 545's can be ordered with 16, 18, or 20 inch bars, in either .050 or .058. We order them with 18's as that is how 90% of them go out. But it's no big deal for a dealer to set any saw up with whatever bar the customer wants. Sometimes we switch the 550's over to 3/8 for pro guys who want all saws running the same chain. 16's do look a little short on the 545/550, but some do get sold that way. You are right to want to hold the saw to see how it feels before buying it.

Mountain; Your 550 might just need a reset. And there is a huge difference between the original 550 and the 550M2. Really should have been given a new model name, as no parts interchange besides the fuel caps and the spark plug. Thousands of "which one?" questions lie ahead.  :D

Spike60, what is a reset? Is that a computer thing that the dealer can do?
Mountain

[Spike60]

Yes, just plug it in and hit the fuel setting reset. Takes 5 minutes at most. Can also do a firmware update if one is available for it at the same time.

[Sprinter]

Spike, I've been told by 2 dealers that they can't do an update on a carb (562 EL44B) without the saw.
Is that correct? In fact one told me I shouldn't do an update if there is no issue.

[ofarrell]

I don't have any experience with the 545 but, I jumped off the Stihl wagon sadly after owning 6 of their saws.  I kept my 066 and MS660 but the 026's and 036/ms360s I let go.  I bought a 550XP MKII a couple of months ago.  That saw stock with a 18" bar and .325 NK chain runs circles around my stock Echo CS-501P.  The 550 revs up much much faster and higher than the 501P.  I hear the Echo saws are slower to break in and mine only has about 5 tanks of fuel through it so time will tell.  The Echo is definitely lighter but the Husky balances really well with an 18" bar.  

[Spike60]

Spike, I've been told by 2 dealers that they can't do an update on a carb (562 EL44B) without the saw.
Is that correct? In fact one told me I shouldn't do an update if there is no issue.

Not quite correct. The carb doesn't have to be in the saw. But you do need to know which coil is in it. Just have to take the starter off and get the coil part number. When hooked up to the service tool, it will ask you to select which of the 4-5 coils are in the saw. Click on it, and off you go. There are certainly firmware updates for that saw if it's never been done. There's not any harm that can be done by doing it, but if there's no problem with the way it runs, I'd just keep using it. 

[celliott]

We have a 550xp mk1 and an ms261 at work. The 550 is temperamental when cold. Especially the type of cutting we sometimes do, grab it from the back of a sled and start to make one cut, shut it down and maybe repeat two hours later. The 261 doesn't miss a beat there. 
Personally I have a 550xp mk2 and I prefer it over the other two saws. No 545 experience. My 550 is set up 16" 3/8" chain, and I like it that way. It's a snappy little saw. Zero starting issues. Never been temperamental. Just cuts and cuts.

[realzed]

Stihl is not supposed to talk to the end user, that is the dealers job. Some distributors will bypass their retail outlets to make a sale, it is poor business practice and will bite them.

Yep - and you are a lot more likely (actually 'definitely') more likely to get some sort of a deal or at least extra bits included from a local dealer verses Stihl itself... might only be a hat or a spare chain or some oil or case or chain guard - but MORE than the Co. itself..
If you can't get a dealer locally who will work with you and it drives you to have to go on-line, you most certainly you need to find another and/or better one to rely on, since that will probably give you some idea what will happen if you need service as well!
Sounds - all in all, like you really could use a 261CM from what you say and what I'm reading into your posts - and as Willard said earlier many 261's are already in dealerships wearing that new RSPro chain from the Get Go now..

[Old saw fixer]

Stihl is not supposed to talk to the end user, that is the dealers job. Some distributors will bypass their retail outlets to make a sale, it is poor business practice and will bite them.

Yep - and you are a lot more likely (actually 'definitely') more likely to get some sort of a deal or at least extra bits included from a local dealer verses Stihl itself... might only be a hat or a spare chain or some oil or case or chain guard - but MORE than the Co. itself..
If you can't get a dealer locally who will work with you and it drives you to have to go on-line, you most certainly you need to find another and/or better one to rely on, since that will probably give you some idea what will happen if you need service as well!
Sounds - all in all, like you really could use a 261CM from what you say and what I'm reading into your posts - and as Willard said earlier many 261's are already in dealerships wearing that new RSPro chain from the Get Go now..

Just to clear the air here, I don't intend to go online or otherwise side step a dealer.  I am not looking for a deal, since I am in all respects a new customer where ever I buy a saw.  I'm just trying find a dealer like I used to work for.  I don't think they exist locally.  An MS261 CM Gen 3 is what I want, only because Stihl doesn't make a smaller pro saw. 40 to 45cc with a 16" bar and RSPro chain would be just right.  I have a "bigger" saw, a low hour 036 Pro I bought new if I need it.  My main interest is TSI, with any firewood produced going to my son-in-law for heat.  I use a little wood to run my Karubecue smoker and for smoking wood in my Big Green Eggs.  I'm just looking to stay busy in my retirement....
BTW,  RSPro chain and the accompanying bars are not available in this area.  I contacted the local dealer, a John Deere store and asked about the 261CM 3, but there are none available in their supply line.  The fellow did the right thing and reached out to other stores in their group (James River Equipment) looking for the saw, is batting 0 for now.  I give him credit for reaching out without my asking, so there may be hope after all.   

[Sprinter]

Spike, I've been told by 2 dealers that they can't do an update on a carb (562 EL44B) without the saw.
Is that correct? In fact one told me I shouldn't do an update if there is no issue.

Not quite correct. The carb doesn't have to be in the saw. But you do need to know which coil is in it. Just have to take the starter off and get the coil part number. When hooked up to the service tool, it will ask you to select which of the 4-5 coils are in the saw. Click on it, and off you go. There are certainly firmware updates for that saw if it's never been done. There's not any harm that can be done by doing it, but if there's no problem with the way it runs, I'd just keep using it.

That's kinda what I thought. Thanks for confirming.

[realzed]

Stihl is not supposed to talk to the end user, that is the dealers job. Some distributors will bypass their retail outlets to make a sale, it is poor business practice and will bite them.

Yep - and you are a lot more likely (actually 'definitely') more likely to get some sort of a deal or at least extra bits included from a local dealer verses Stihl itself... might only be a hat or a spare chain or some oil or case or chain guard - but MORE than the Co. itself..
If you can't get a dealer locally who will work with you and it drives you to have to go on-line, you most certainly you need to find another and/or better one to rely on, since that will probably give you some idea what will happen if you need service as well!
Sounds - all in all, like you really could use a 261CM from what you say and what I'm reading into your posts - and as Willard said earlier many 261's are already in dealerships wearing that new RSPro chain from the Get Go now..

Just to clear the air here, I don't intend to go online or otherwise side step a dealer.  I am not looking for a deal, since I am in all respects a new customer where ever I buy a saw.  I'm just trying find a dealer like I used to work for.  I don't think they exist locally.  An MS261 CM Gen 3 is what I want, only because Stihl doesn't make a smaller pro saw. 40 to 45cc with a 16" bar and RSPro chain would be just right.  I have a "bigger" saw, a low hour 036 Pro I bought new if I need it.  My main interest is TSI, with any firewood produced going to my son-in-law for heat.  I use a little wood to run my Karubecue smoker and for smoking wood in my Big Green Eggs.  I'm just looking to stay busy in my retirement....
BTW,  RSPro chain and the accompanying bars are not available in this area.  I contacted the local dealer, a John Deere store and asked about the 261CM 3, but there are none available in their supply line.  The fellow did the right thing and reached out to other stores in their group (James River Equipment) looking for the saw, is batting 0 for now.  I give him credit for reaching out without my asking, so there may be hope after all.  

(quote) "I am about to fall off the Stihl wagon" (quote)..
Please forgive me for misreading here - I thought it sounded exactly like you were looking for something other than a Stihl product from your initial post here..
And forgive me again for possibly not grasping why a John Deere Store would be a good place to ask about Stihl parts or information - or possibly why they may or may not be able to gain full access to any database that could reveal inventory of Stihl stock elsewhere..
Maybe it's different in the US, but I can't imagine Stihl Corporate allowing a situation like that to operate for very long or successfully - but what do I know about their USA operations?..
Up here a Stihl dealer is usually a Stihl dealer.. although some admittedly are a ton better than some others!
A 261CM cuts great with a RS23 chain, even on a 20" bar and after 40 cords of hard maple logs recently I can truthfully state that..
Whether the RSPro version is all that much better or such a great improvement in that regard is still 'up in the air' - at least for me..
I recently bought one and eventually will find out for myself though I guess..
And to wrap up - Stihl does or did until recently make the MS241 which I understand was a great little cutting machine from some comments made by some who bought them.  
I think it just sort of turned out to be an expensive 'niche' saw that I suspect is now discontinued due to it not being cheap enough and too close in size to compete with the 261's - but at least one person recently on this forum happily stated that they had bought one - so just as an aside 241's do exist, are smaller than the 261's, and are here in Canada and elsewhere, still somewhat available (I personally a week or so back saw one at a dealership on display).
They may be in the supply chain for a while yet and available, so if you truly are looking for smaller than 261 type - the possibility may exist that one could be found if a 'STIHL' dealer ran a search for you..  

[Spike60]

Hey, I thought this was a Husky thread?

Seriously, the 241, like the Husky 543XP was a narrow niche saw. The marketing rationale for both was as an alternative to top handle saws for professional tree work. Some tree companies are looking for alternatives to top handles to discourage one handed operation. One national company doesn't even allow top handles on the trucks anymore.

It's not uncommon for customers to equate size with price. People frequently look at a 543 or T540 and ask, "Why does this small saw cost so much?" I don't sell many 543's, and nearly all go to pros. For the average guy, the 545M2 that this thread began with is a far more versatile saw than the 543. It covers more ground and will handle larger wood than you will want to cut with a 543. 

[Old saw fixer]

     I may yet fall off the wagon, Realzed.  I have not been in the new saw market since 1996, and other than working on my own saws I have been away from a saw shop for the same amount of time.  The James River Equipment chain of John Deere dealers numbers 46 stores in Virginia and North Carolina.  I can go online and look for a John Deere part and find which of the James River stores may have it.  I am quite sure the Parts Manager at one store can see if another store may have what he is looking for.  
     I am going to give this fellow a chance to find an MS261 CM Gen3 for me, and if we find a dry hole I will look for a Husqvarna.  My problem with Stihl is not with the equipment, but with Stihl corporate's attitude  towards choosing dealers.  I think I would have better luck dealing with a farm equipment store selling Stihl than with Ace Hardware or a Southern States Feed store.  There are no more saw shops to be had within 50 miles.  
    The price out the door has little to do with my choice of a dealer, the dealer's attitude and service department have more to do with it. I would be as happy with a Husky or Stihl, it is the dealer that makes the deal a success.  I worked at as service manager at a DaimlerChrysler dealer for ten years, mandatory customer service schools that taught me a lot about customer satisfaction.  Having been a cop and deputy sheriff for almost fifteen years gave me the skills to see through smoke and bull hockey.  I have little patience for obfuscation.  
    The search goes on, there could be a Husky at the end of it yet!
    Spike60, I'd like to find a 545M2 to try out!