Originally Posted by DEADorALIVE
In a lot of other countries, they like a brand called Tanaka like we do Stihl, here. I have a Stihl, a Husky, a Tanaka, and a Shindaiwa...all are good running, good cutting saws. The Shindaiwa is on its' 4th bar (28") and still running strong after 25+ years!


I had to run tanaka saws for a spell once and I thought they were terrible saws, never want to touch another one. They were light, that is the one good thing I can say about a tanaka saw.
The husky saws you will get at lowes are junk. If youre gona buy a husky, go to a dealer, they sell better saws.
Stihl is my brand, not that theyre better than a husky but they are easier for me to work on. If you use a chainsaw much, you will be working on it so that matters.
For homeowner use, a stihl 250 is hard to beat. If youre cutting firewood to heat with all winter, you might move up to a 311. If youre making a living with it, a 441 is hard to beat. I use a 660 to saw big wood and it has become my preferred saw. I climb with a 170 and it is quite impressive for its size( for cutting up to 10inch limbs)
The saw for you really depends on how youre going to be using it. Like someone else said, buy a little bigger than you think youll need.