I am considering a new Husqvarna chainsaw purchase. This is directed at those who owned an older model like the 55 Rancher or 61, and now own one of the newer models like the 450.
I liked the simplicity and ruggedness of the 55 and worry that the newer models have sacrificed some of that. Is that a legitimate worry or are the newer models as good or better than the old? Thanks for any feedback.
I am currently using a 460 Rancher that I have had for 15 years Marty. $410 dollars in 2010 and I think $650 now. It has a 24 inch bar and has no problems with that length. I have that, a Stihl and Echo as my main saws now and they all perform about the same and well, all being 60 cc saws. Of the three, the Echo 590 was least expensive, I paid $350 for it three years ago. They are about $450 currently and it is maybe a pinch more powerful the the other saws. I would chose it for the price and save $200 over the Husky.
Hi Martin, im no chainsaw expert (event though i have some) and im a little biased towards Husqvarna, as i always liked them 
As you say, the quality has going down, the need to check others experience, on forums/youtube helps a lot, if you want a reliable one, consider a pro model, avoid auto-tune if you don’t have a good service/shop nearby.
Something as good as 44, 61, 242, 55, 357 and like is probably never more made.
Husqvarna 550 i’ve heard much good about, but this will vary from user to user.
Stihl saws are well comparable to Husqvarna, more a question of “taste” and brand preference. Conservative me has always thought that the best Stihl saws are the smallest and biggest, the medium sizes, not so good, but this is mostly based on old thinking.
Echo makes good saws, nowadays well comparable to Husky and Stihl.
Not much info of use from me… well, check out the Huskies, look for a model thats been on the market for a while, maybe by a used one to try it out, if it’s good by a new of the same model.
If you rely on wood, better have more than one saw, backup, different sizes-different uses…
Edit: and look for used 55’s, nothing wrong with having some of these useful oldies, almost indestructible.
Look who’s talk’in 
Because two-strokes are finicky and prone to denying to start…it’s good to have 163 back-up saws… 
Tom, your take on the Echo is interesting. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen an Echo here. The only real choice is between Husky and Stihl. Bummer.
Well Göran, that is exactly the type of info I was looking for. I don’t know if the 61 is still manufactured, but there is one on display at a local hardware store here and that is probably what I will go for. The last thing I want is a saw that has to visit a shop every so often. They say the new saws start more easily, but the old ones started just fine for me and if it is in the shop it’s worse than starting hard.
Thanks guys for the help.
I run the 455 ranchers
They are good smaller saws
I prefer the Stihl in the larger saws.
We have a 046
And was running a 065 the other day that I loved running. Heavy but powerful.