The MS200 is very light and powerful but it is designed for cutting while climbing. You would have an expensive great climbing saw but not a very comfortable saw for ground work. I have one and have on occasion used it on the ground. Very uncomfortable. I would rather work with almost any other rear handle saw for ground work. The 200 is my top pick for climbing work though.

Echo's are supposed to be decent. I have never run one myself though. Hopefully someone else will have more info on them.

When you say brushcutting I think of brush cutters. How big are the brush/trees that you want to cut?

In chainsaws, I would look for a good saw that is under 50cc and probably in the 9-10lb range.

Stihl makes two versions of the MS200. The rear handle version is a sweet little saw but kind of pricey for the home owner. Echo makes a very good saw for a lot less money but the so called safety chain is a pain.They do not have two classes of products, all are pro quality. They are going away from the grey and back to the orange they had years ago.

Thanks canguy, I forgot about the rear handle version. Only heard about it, never seen one.

Like canguy said Echo's are built good, a lot better than homeowner Stihl or Husky . The smallest one I own is a CS440 (Around $200 off Ebay new) which is light and has lots of grunt, can't comment on the smaller ones. Steve

For the money it's hard to beat the small Echo's. I'd opt for the 346 over the 306.
I've seen a fair number of guys using Echo's as their climbing saw. Maybe because it hurts the wallet less if you drop an Echo vs a Stihl.

Everything Echo makes is commercial grade! Like canguy said they are going back to the old orange color. As far as the saw you are looking for, the cs-330t is a great top handling saw. It's lightweight and very stout for its size. I know guy's that have used both Echo and Stihl. Most now are reaching for the Echo...

I'd have to agree, I own Stihl(3) Husky(2) Echo(6) Dolmar (just one older one) Solo(1) and a Cub Cadet and the Echo's come out to the woods with me most of the time. Handle real nice light, good power and run good. Steve

The chain on my cs 440 is a low kickback chain, but I have no complaints if that is the safety chain. I have used it from a ladder or in a tree on occasion & appreciate the low kickback. The nose piece is removable, but it has saved me from hitting it on the ground & dulling the blade.
It's a decent trade off between power & weight. For just small branches something lighter would be nice.

Stihl makes 3 quality of chain saws ms 170 ms180 ms250 are the low end, ocassional user saw, these have an EPA rating of 50 hours which can relate to the life of the motors. The mid range saws ms270 ms280 ms290 ms310 ms390 cary a 125hr rating, the pro saw ms260, ms361, etc, are rated as 300 hours. All Echo saw are 300 hour EPA Rated and have a 5 year warranty, where as stihl is a 1 year. I also priced some parts on Echo and Stihl, on the same size saws. Echo parts are a lot cheaper!! I work at a power equipment shop and sell both brands

Well said buckklier, once you tear a few different brands apart the quality is easy to see. Seems like everyone wants to lump all Stihls in the same quality when there is a LOT of difference between the high and low end, but even the low end Stihls seem to run good even if they aren't built to good. Can't be said about Poulans, Homelite And Macs anymore, it's hard to get them to run. Steve