550XP bar/chain options...Im confused

[JackBurton]

Ok, so I did a lot of reading on here and other places about narrow kerf, standard .325, .050 vs .056 etc.
I probably shouldnt have, because now Im more confused than I was before.

The issue.
My 550XP came with a 16" bar. I wanted an 18.
I ended up with a Tsumura .325 .050 bar, and a Stihl 23RS and an Oregon 20LPX chain. Both seem to work just fine for the last year or so.
The thing is, its a short (height wise) bar. The original is too. Kinda looks odd to me. Looks like it would be more at home on a Poulan or something.
I wanted to get a bar with a larger radius nose, that looks more at home on there, but it seems my options are either .056 or a swap to 3/8 chain. Or it looks like Oregon is the only one who makes an .050 bar with a large radius nose. Trouble with that is, I wanted to try a lightweight Tsumura bar on it.
I MUCH prefer the Stihl chain to others, and its about as easy to get as anything else, so whatever I end up with Id like to use it.

Then theres the "regular" vs "narrow kerf" thing, and how the heck do you know if a bar is for one or the other?
None of mine seem to be marked one way or the other, but Huskys .325s are almost always NK arent they?
On top of that Stihl makes the Picco chain, which likely wouldnt work on the Husky anyway...so thats one off the table.

Ok, so with the Tsumura lightweights, it seems that they are a bit longer than some others of the same size. If thats the case, I did find a Tsumura 16" .325 .050 that is the profile I like.
And I really like the Tsumura bars, and am getting a couple for the 562.

I had considered swapping to 3/8" anyway, just to simplify sharpening and chain buying, but also read that .325 cuts smoother than 3/8. Never noticed my 3/8 not cutting smooth unless they were dull, but I dont limb much with them either, and from what I read, it seems like thats where Id notice it.

Any thoughts on all this?

The more I read, the more I dug up new stuff I hadnt expected to, and the more complicated things got.
If I had any hair left, Id pull it out...lol.

 

[Dave0846]

I run 20" sugi bar in 3/8

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

 

[Andyshine77]

Any bar with K095 pattern will fit the saw, you just have to match the chain with the bar and sprocket. The .325 NK bars will be marked as such. On the 550 only the NK Oregon/Husqvarna chain will have clearance. If you put a .050" .325 Stihl RS chain on a NK Oregon/Husqvarna bar the chain will not clear the case or side cover. No if you run a non NK bar the Stihl .352 chain will work. Any K095 3/8 bar will work, you obviously have to also run a 3/8 sprocket with it.

For normal use I like the smaller profile bars and .325 Stihl chain. The other bars above 16" kill the balance and add weight IMHO. When it come to smoothness, yes .325 will be smoother on short bars as it has more teeth, that are slightly smaller than what 3/8 chains have.

 

[JackBurton]

Thanks guys.

Looks like I’ll just stick to whats working now.
That will be much easier all around...

 

[Franny K]

Here is the symbol for .325 NK or pixel.

 

[Kostas]

Ok, so I did a lot of reading on here and other places about narrow kerf, standard .325, .050 vs .056 etc.
I probably shouldnt have, because now Im more confused than I was before.

The issue.
My 550XP came with a 16" bar. I wanted an 18.
I ended up with a Tsumura .325 .050 bar, and a Stihl 23RS and an Oregon 20LPX chain. Both seem to work just fine for the last year or so.
The thing is, its a short (height wise) bar. The original is too. Kinda looks odd to me. Looks like it would be more at home on a Poulan or something.
I wanted to get a bar with a larger radius nose, that looks more at home on there, but it seems my options are either .056 or a swap to 3/8 chain. Or it looks like Oregon is the only one who makes an .050 bar with a large radius nose. Trouble with that is, I wanted to try a lightweight Tsumura bar on it.
I MUCH prefer the Stihl chain to others, and its about as easy to get as anything else, so whatever I end up with Id like to use it.

Then theres the "regular" vs "narrow kerf" thing, and how the heck do you know if a bar is for one or the other?
None of mine seem to be marked one way or the other, but Huskys .325s are almost always NK arent they?
On top of that Stihl makes the Picco chain, which likely wouldnt work on the Husky anyway...so thats one off the table.

Ok, so with the Tsumura lightweights, it seems that they are a bit longer than some others of the same size. If thats the case, I did find a Tsumura 16" .325 .050 that is the profile I like.
And I really like the Tsumura bars, and am getting a couple for the 562.

I had considered swapping to 3/8" anyway, just to simplify sharpening and chain buying, but also read that .325 cuts smoother than 3/8. Never noticed my 3/8 not cutting smooth unless they were dull, but I dont limb much with them either, and from what I read, it seems like thats where Id notice it.

Any thoughts on all this?

The more I read, the more I dug up new stuff I hadnt expected to, and the more complicated things got.
If I had any hair left, Id pull it out...lol.

Try to find the Oregon 180SLGK095,it is .325 050 18" bar.Its a little pricey but its what you want.

 

[sunfish]

I run 3/8, 18" on my 550. No way I'd go back to .325 on that saw

 

[Andyshine77]

I run 3/8, 18" on my 550. No way I'd go back to .325 on that saw

Why? Just curious.

 

[Brent Nowell]

I run the Oregon speedcut b&c 18” on this saw and this is the last time I change setups. The speed cut chain is similar to stihl in which it carries oil better than Oregon/husky.
It’s narrow kerf and for this saw it does cut faster than 3/8.
The added complexity of narrow kerf is adding another round file size, no biggie. It’s not like this saw was designed for swapping bar sizes, you stick to one size and it stays on.
The speedcut bar is incredibly light weight, so far I am loving it. It also has a superior oil hole passage design that’s used on solid pro bars.
Replacement chains are only 20$CAD at pretty much any hardware store here. The bar and chain combo is 69$CAD
Narrow kerf bars are identified by the logo on the side, showing two tapered parallel lines. Look at the package here, on the right of “speedcut” is the logo that identifies narrow kerf.



There is so much right with this setup that I just won’t go back to anything else. I tried 20” 3/8 on this saw and it is unbalanced and doesn’t pull it very well.

If you think that .325 is just to wimpy for your saw and you want 3/8 like all the rest, I’m sorry to say but buy a 562 instead.
I thought .325 was wimpy and I didn’t like it at the time, made a post about it sometime back, but I am a convert now

 

[Andyshine77]

I agree .325 can be goid chain. The Oregon/Husqvarna NK chains I've used were much less efficient than the Stihl chain non NK .325 chain, which is full chisel. No semi chisel is ever going to beat a full chisel chain...

 

[Brent Nowell]

I agree .325 can be goid chain. The Oregon/Husqvarna NK chains I've used were much less efficient than the Stihl chain non NK .325 chain, which is full chisel. No semi chisel is ever going to beat a full chisel chain...

What are we trying to beat? Cutting speed or how long it stays sharp?
For me hitting a bit of dirt and having a chain still cut is far more valuable than cutting speed.

 

[Andyshine77]

What are we trying to beat? Cutting speed or how long it stays sharp?
For me hitting a bit of dirt and having a chain still cut is far more valuable than cutting speed.

The Stihl chain beats the Oregon chain in numerous ways. First it stays sharper longer, the non NK chain will be around longer because you can sharpen the teeth more times compared to the tiny teeth on the NK chain, and yes it does cut faster. Don't get me wrong the NK chain has it's place, just not on the 550 IMHO, I used the stuff a long time on my 353 and 346, I simply found something better.

 

[Kostas]

What are we trying to beat? Cutting speed or how long it stays sharp?
For me hitting a bit of dirt and having a chain still cut is far more valuable than cutting speed.

Agree,i only use Stihl chains (because for some reason i can't make an Oregon chain to cut as it should but that is another story) and my local Stihl dealer only carries semi chisel.I used once an Oregon 3/8 full chisel on my older Poulans,boy the 4200 wanted to leave my hands but it stayed sharp for a couple of cuts so i won't bother again.

 

[Brent Nowell]

The Stihl chain beats the Oregon chain in numerous ways. First it stays sharper longer, the non NK chain will be around longer because you can sharpen the teeth more times compared to the tiny teeth on the NK chain, and yes it does cut faster. Don't get me wrong the NK chain has it's place, just not on the 550 IMHO, I used the stuff a long time on my 353 and 346, I simply found something better.

Ahh yes I forgot about cutter length between the two. Thanks for clarifying that.
I am admitting that yes you do not get as many sharpenings as other chains with narrow kerf.
I have never tried .325 standard chain before...

 

[NSEric]

I have a 62cc Chinese saw that takes the same bars/chains as a 550.
I run the 18inch Oregon speed cut bar/chain like mentioned above. I like as it's only a hair slower than full chisel regular .325 chain but stays sharp longer in dirty wood. I have a couple of regular .325 bars with lpx full chisel chain but never use them, its fast but dulls fast too.

 

[Andyshine77]

Try some Stihl RS .325 it will last longer than the Oregon speed cut, and much lunger than the LPX. Stihl chain is just more durable.[emoji111]

 

[sunfish]

Why? Just curious.

3/8 chain cuts faster on this saw than .325 & I just like 18" on a 50 cc saw.