At about 6 hours of use of this Husqvarna 550XP Pro chainsaw, the saw died while felling a tree. It gave one promise and then would not start again. It left my backyard with a safety hazard. I went to the dealer to buy and change the spark plug. No help. Then brought back for warranty work. Dealer claimed for bad fuel and lubrication. No, I used the premixed fuel, and also new gas with 2-stroke oil in it at 50:1 mix. I would like to know, why the 6-hour operated 550XP saw died and would not come to live again. After a couple of times cranking I started to lose my confidence and read the operator manual again. Did as was told, no answer. Saw would not start. Very hard to get through to warranty claim department at Husqvarna. On April 23rd, 2018 it took over an hour, maybe 90 minutes to get through. The first call I waited over 30 minutes on the line, after which it went beep. Once I got through, it was the phone switching board operator. I asked for a direct number, which they do not have. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. The worst part, once I got through, the associate accused me of abuse and bad fuel. He turned my call to his supervisor. THEN, the supervisor came up with a new excuse of why the saw would have died. He said, it is the saw dust, that would have plugged the air filter. Did he have the saw and inspect it to be able to claim that? No, I don't think so. That is different than what the authorized dealer just said. Anyway, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED with the Husqvarna 550XP I paid $648 with sales taxes. It died after 6 hours of operation. I have used many Husqvarna products before with no issues, all of them with 2-stroke engines. As a solution, the authorized dealer offered to fix the saw (to change the cylinder, piston and rings) with estimated cost of $345-$355. Would you like to buy a professional chainsaw like this? No, I don't think so. In my experience with Husqvarna in the US, I would leave the Husqvarna on the shelf. Hope, I could get a quality Husqvarna.

Peter

Boston, MA

This little saw is more wicked than Luke Skywalkers light saber! It is my favorite and most used saw. Do not let a rookie use this wood eating beast as it may be dangerous due to its high speed and wear your chaps since it will cut through limbs so fast you will be surprised. It also looks sexy!

Larry

South, MS

Hot starts are fussy. Flimsy small parts. Not a pro saw even though it's advertised as one.

Climber121

Atlanta

Our team were issued several 550XP saws (Brand new and used). After spending considerable time running (and maintaining) these units it's is impossible to conclude that Husqvarna quality has not taken a nosedive. Chain brakes, plastic parts, recoil starters, thin stamped parts, bar nut capture clips, etc the list goes on. These "pro" saws have the durability and feel of a homeowners saw from 15 years ago. While the 550 is a great looking, screaming little machine it seems like so much quality and durability have been sacrificed for high revs and light weight. For an occasional user or homeowner these would be fine. But running them daily they just don't have the constitution or engineering needed to be used hard, daily and put up wet. Husqvarna if you are listening, for the next gen of these saws, put some professional users in a locked room with the engineers and cooperate bean counters and DO NOT let them leave until 2 of the 3 groups will agree to bet their careers on the finished product.

Climber121

Atlanta GA

This is a very powerful little saw. I,m very impressed with the performance of this saw. I don't have any starting issues hot or cold. This I my first husqvarna after owning 4 pro saws. All my pro saws have been very reliable but this 550xp`s performance is incredible. I would not recommend it for a beginner. This is the most dangerous saw I have run do to it`s rpms and power to weight ratio. This is my go to saw for everything up to 18 inches. Larger than 18 inched I might pick up the 15 pound 6 hp saw. It does not do well noodling. The long strands clog the saws sprocket area and bog the saw out. I do not know the durability of this saw yet. Very impressed overall !!

SLL

Ohio

I have had this saw for over three years now and finally decided to post a review. Maybe it can help people who have been dissatisfied with this saw. When I first purchased 550XP I had a lot of issues with the saw flooding and not wanting to start. I went through some very frustrating times including several hours of missed productivity in the woods and regretted spending the money for a "professional" chainsaw. All that being said, after a few years and figuring out the quirks of this saw I now love it. My first mistake was trying to cut before the saw was completely warmed up. My old chainsaw would warm up and be ready to cut within about 20 seconds. This one probably takes closer to 2 minutes (with the throttle lock on following the cold start procedure in the manual). Once it is completely warmed up, it will purr rather than spit and sputter. That is how I know it is ready to cut. If you blip the throttle to disengage the throttle lock too soon it will bog and often die when giving it gas. If that happens, it will usually flood and be a real pain to get started again. I have also found that shutting the chainsaw off between cuts is not worth the risk of it not wanting to start again. Instead of shutting it off, I will just engage the chain lock and set the saw down and let it idle while I position a log or whatever. The saw, between cutting and idling, will usually run for right around an hour on a tank of gas. I find that is is best to let the saw cool down for a while before refueling and then again letting it warm up completely before cutting again. This may all sound like a hassle, but it honestly hasn't been an inconvenience (especially when compared to having to wait an hour before you can get your flooded chainsaw to start again). The saw cuts very well and is light and maneuverable. It has all the power I will ever need and it doesn't make my hands go numb from vibration. As long as I am careful it works very well.

RTC

Montana

Running it around 8,000ft in Evergreen/Conifer area. Use only HP Ultra at 45:1 using premium ethenol free gas (via Brad's Conoco) or Trufuel premix. When this saw runs, there is simply no better saw for trees up to 18" or so. It's a light weight limbing weapon. Great AV. Crazy fast acceleration. However, my 2012 550xp constantly has hot start problems when running in warm temps. I follow the purge>choke>high idle sequence and no dice. This would be a deal breaker for a home owner saw and is unacceptable for a pro saw. This is one of many known issue with these saws. Fortunately my backup/big saw is a 15 year old Dolmar 7900 that always starts and always runs. I'm going to probably sell this saw and try to find a like new 346xp free of any autotune problems. Also, listen up Husqvarna. Allow the owners an easy way to upgrade the autotune software for free, at home, like any other software controlled device.

Jutttk

Evergreen, CO

I bought this saw to replace an old 032. This had a similar feel. The weight and balance was exactly what I was looking for. I use saws very little. I cut some firewood to each year to heat the house. My first saw was 2014. I used it a little and in 2016 with less than 5 hours of run time, the piston burned up. Husqvarna / Dealer did me well and fixed it under warranty. I asked a lot of questions because I really want the saw to last. The first part of 2017, the saw locked up. I took it to the dealer and found it had a stuck piston. They un-stuck the piston, charged me a service fee, and I was off to cutting again. The saw then burned up on the first day I went to use it. I took it back to the dealer. The saw had 1.5 hr's of run time. Now it is a $350-$400 repair. I am getting a second opinion on whether it is a defect or not. I am at a loss. I have used Husqvarna premix and the best answer I can get from the first dealer is I let it idle to much. I personally question the carb / chip combination and whether it is controlling the fuel mixture correctly. I have never had a saw burn up until this one and this one has been in the shop three times now and I have not even passed the break in period.

jmgibbs

VA

Used it to cut less than 5 cords of softwood

Robert Goad

North Idaho

You should burn you money instead of buying such a problem!! Third piston in it over a month, they last about three thank each. If that is a pro chain saw then pro don't work much!

Matt

Québec, canada