Well, Huang--ya have some good ideas, there. Yes, you have to buy the size saw that will do the work you have in mind. A Craftsman saw will be ok for home use, but the better makes are much better for heavy work, and will do heavier work than the low cost ones. i'd suggest a Husquvarna for heavier work. (Not sure of the spelling, but you get the idea. Rusty Jones

If "good quality" is what you want, then buy Sthil, Husqvarna, or Echo.

Find a dealer who has a repair shop. Pay the money and don't look back.

Pull the cord slow to medium. The cord should "thump-thump-thump". That give you an idea of compression. That is the main thing needed to run a 2 stroke motor.
The other things you mentioned are good indicators. There is no way to hide wear on a chainsaw, however even a new saw can be abused (wrong fuel mix) and be junk. I recently bought an arborist saw for when I climb trees to prune and top them. I passed on an echo professional model for a mid grade redmax. If both were new, the echo was a no brainer. It had lots of wear and compression wasn't great. The redmax had little wear and compression was great.

I'd go with Echo or Dolmar, best buy for the buck. Stay away from Stihl and Husky home owner models as there's not much quality left after they cheapened them up over the years. Stihl and Husky pro models are fine but spendy.

If you intend on cutting Hard Wood over 20 cords a yr then buy at minimum a Prosumer grade saw. I have a Husky 460 just over 4 yrs old and it has cut without issue . It is not as well built as the Pro Husky and Stihl , that I have bought in the past or the Dolmar which I recently purchased , but for itsintended use these medium grade saws do save a few hundred bucks over their prograde counter parts. If you only cut on occasion perhaps a tree a yr then and only then by cheap offshore saws.

Both Echo and Dolmar are built a lot better than the Stihl and Husky lower models and cost about the same.

I agree Steve that the 38-45 cc range Huskys are no comparision to what Echo or Dolmar Produce . I compare the MS170 and MS180 along with the Offshore Husky 235 and 245 as not much more than sheep in wolves clouthing. You may as well purchase a cheap Poulan Product. However for the average Homeowner wishing to spend an additional 100-150 bucks the Husky 455 R or 460 R along with either the Stihl MS271 or 291 will cut along with the Prograde units of comparible size just not every day or quite as fast . I have both Stihl , Husky and Dolmar Pro Models . Basically the main difference is with RPM Range and Peak Horsepower due to higher Compression Ratio,s and Magnesium Crank Case Construction on the Pro Model Husky and Stihl units.
Both Dolmar and Echo in my opinion are pretty well Pro Grade throughout their entire line up. I realize that you and I often muffler mod and port and polish intakes and exhaust ports on our Pro Saws however the typical homeowner does not . Therefore rather than spend $$$ or receive cheap offshore product I still believe that both Stihl and Husky have value priced and reliable middle weights for the average firewood cutting homeowner . You just have to be selective within which model provides the biggest bang for your buck as you have identified. Echo and Dolmar unfortunately do not have the extensive Dealer set up that Husky and Stihl has throughout North America although it has improved over the last 2 yrs in my area thus my New Dolmer lol .

Steve: When you get a chance check out the Popular Mechanics recent issue . It fields tests the Echo CS-400 vs Husky 445 vs Stihl MS 251 . It was surprising that the Huskey was rated Best Limbing and Feeling Saw while the Stihl was rated best bushing and clearing saw. The Echo although rated as a good unit was nudged out also by both the Husky and Stihl in cutting speed and overall performance. This surprised me ! I have never considered these small Huskys or Stihl worth their weight in Premix . It appeared that the Tester was an accomplished Arborist . Has me scratching my Head .

Both the Stihl and Husky are almost 46cc vs a little over 40cc for the Echo. As Echos saw come and I'd be sure that's how it was tested they are at best average as the muffler is real clogged up and they are set lean which makes them bog easy. Open up the muffler and tuned right they cut as fast or faster than 50 to 56 cc Stihl and Husky home owner saws plus they are built WAY better, handle great, run and start great all the time. One other thing is these magazines get paid for advertising and maybe some under the table so they might be more than a little biased . If you don't own a muff modded well tuned CS400 get one off Ebay for a little over $200, I guarantee you'll love it. Steve

Steve: I have repaired and tuned probably a dozen Echos over the last 5 yrs . Not a lot but enough to get a feel for their product line. The Dolmar unit I purchased recently filled my 70 cc plus sizing which I needed in new unit . My 80 cc unit I have a Pioneer is over 50 yrs old and is Vintage Classic and only run once annually . I probably will pick up a Echo to replace my Stihl MS 260 since limbing and bushing is going to be needed shortly on my back acres . Behind one of my pole barns.

I found a website called Chain Saws Direct that has a lot of buyers guides to help customers find chainsaws. They also have product "experts" to help out as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chain Saws Direct

Ewalk If you get a 50cc Echo get a CS510 520 or 530 as they really rip with a muff modd and tuning. I bought a new CS500p which is not as strong as the older ones even with a muff modd but it's not broken in yet, it is nice and light at 14 1/2# ready to cut. Steve

Steve: Just got a return call from my Buddy in Michigan who has a Stihl / Husky Dealership. He has a sale for my 4 yr old MS-260 and called a associate Echo Dealer and has a CS550P (54 cc) with 18 inch Bar and spare chain and set of files for $425.00 apparently was a Customer Test saw (Demo) . I told him I would see him over the weekend . May have a slightly been used Echo for Turkey Day Monday . I will keep you Posted !

I'd get a new Cs590 for about $450 rather than a CS550p which is discontinued or a CS600p off Ebay for around $450 as both will have better power and the same weight . Steve

Steve: The 425.00 is out the door tax included . The New Timber Wolf 590 looks impressive for a 60 cc Class unit. The 600P has been around for a while and is similar to my MS-361 in overall performance and reliability in stock condition. I have ported and polished the Stihl. I was looking for a 50 cc Class saw to replace the 260 . I will check the differences during actual cutting at the Dealer . Thanx for the follow up.

If you have a 361 your looking for a lighter weight saw and a CS550 is not it. The lightest is a CS500p $450 which is the lightest good 50cc saw made now 14.5 # ready to cut vs 15# plus for other makes. The CS 510,520 and 530 ehco saws are about 15.25# ready to cut. That CS550p would be around 17.5# ready to cut as is your MS361 Steve

Steve: Well I;am back . Sold the MS-260 for $450.00 US . with the saw box . Almost had to let go of my XP-346 my Buddy has been trying to get it back for 5 years . No Sale , he sold it to me from an old timer who needed a lite saw but his arthritis precluded him from using it after only 2 mths. So yep I went with the Cs-500P . He had one Demo unit left over from last fall $389.00 with 18" bar and extra chain.I got a saw box for xtra 30.00 . He looked at me rather sly since this is the second saw that he has introduced me to slightly been used . Although he had to goe to his competition to do so. I think he is a little upset that I went for the Dolmar 9000 Series recently he was set to sell me a Big Bore XP lol . Small world in Upper Michigan his Buddy has a Farm Equipment Dealership which stocks Echo Product line.
I will check out the cutting in the field tomorrow. It test cut well , was impressed with its cutting rate . Compariable to the Husky 346 HP and nice and light . Don't know if it will out cut my Old Pioneer P-20 but will find out soon the old girl is a little long in the tooth 1967 . Thanks for the insight .

P.S. My Buddies in Michigan says your right within your loyalties to the small engine echos apparently they fly off his inventory sheet quickly this time of year , at least within the UP . Thanks again Ty !

Ty My CS500p actually came tuned good but I pulled the caps just to make sure. It will gain quite a by taking off the deflector and taking out that little tube, As mine came it was kinda lame but with that tube gone it's almost as fast as the older 510 to 530 saws, maybe when it get broke in it will catch them. Sure are light saws . I'm sawing logs today for a guy who wants to race his MS290 56cc against my 50 cc CS520, I'll smoke him as I've already did that with a real good running 029. I think my CS4400 43.6cc with a 3/8 lp 6 tooth setup will be about dead even as I've done that also. Steve

Well he didn't bring his MS290 to race but did buy one of my CS4400 saws after I let him try it. I think his MS290 will be his backup saw as that CS4400 weighs almost 4# less and cut almost the same, he's 65 years old so weight matters. Steve

Steve: Sounds like your a great Saleman , just kidding . Sounds like you guys had a few pops and had an eventful afternoon . I felled and bucked up a few Maple and Birch on the back end of my Pole Barn with the new Dolmar and brought the New echo and Old P-20 out for some competitive limbing and bushing. The Old Girl tried her best but the Orange Newbie left her in the wood chips lol . Even with comparative 18 inch bars and 404 semi chisel tooth on the Pioneer the Echo is just a little Banshee . I thought my 1st generation 46 cc Husky XP-346 was a Hot Rod this Echo is a real Sleeper and not even broken in . The Dealer offered me a free 6-pack of Echo Premium Grade 2-stroke mix . But I told him that I only run Amsoil 50:1 . He threw in the Files and a Hat instead all smiles Bro ! Can't wait till its broken in so that I can Port and Polish her and clean out the restriction in the muffler later this winter .... Thanx ...again Ty .

When you let someone use a well tuned muff modded Echo saw they sell themselves . Steve

The best chainsaw is determined by many factors. The quality chainsaw must be cheap in terms of money, energy efficient, easy to use, cordless, higher battery power and with lower kickbacks. You can get guide from many sources around the web to pick a good quality chainsaw.

Here is a link that might be useful: 10 Quality chainsaws

This site may be useful for you:

http://chainsawguides.com/