Husqvarna 555 vs Stihl MS 311
Tinted cells mark the better figure on that row alone: more engine, longer bar, lighter, cheaper. A lighter weight is only a win on the same basis.
What owners like and complain about
Husqvarna 555
- 59.8cc and 3.1 kW for roughly $190 less than the 562 XP Mark II
- 3/8 pitch chain steps up from the .325 the 50cc saws use — better in big wood
- Rated to a 24-inch bar, a genuine step past anything in the Rancher range
- X-Torq engine keeps fuel use and emissions down for the displacement
- Simple carbureted fuel system that any small-engine shop can service
- No AutoTune — altitude and seasonal fuel changes mean adjusting the carb by hand
- 0.4 kW and four inches of maximum bar behind the 562 XP Mark II
- 13.01 lb powerhead is over a pound heavier than the 50cc saws, and it is felt when limbing
Stihl MS 311
- 3/8" .050" chain and bumper spikes — proper felling and bucking gearing, not homeowner narrow-kerf
- Pre-separation air filtration stretches filter intervals noticeably in dry, dirty cutting
- IntelliCarb compensates as the air filter loads, so mixture does not drift rich during a long day
- Owners report high firewood output with a 16" bar and a well-filed full-chisel chain
- Side-access tensioner and toolless caps make bar swaps quick
- Same 13.8 lb powerhead as the MS 391 for less power at the same list price — hard to justify at full retail
- Bogs in hardwood with a 20" bar; 16-18" is where it actually works
- Owners repeatedly call the power-to-weight poor and the saw plastic-heavy for the money
- No M-Tronic at $760 — you still tune the carburetor for altitude and season