Late this past fall I bought the Jonsered 2139 T for $400, before tax. I thought it was a dog when new but with break in it is quite strong. Small things irritate me though. The fuel caps can be difficult to access behind the handle, the start and stop switch feels weird, and the trigger is hard to fully depress with gloves. No game breakers though. The lanyard hole is nice, it doesn't snag small stuff like a ring. Torqy midrange. At WOT I don't see much difference in power compared to my buddies 200 T's, however, I am not sure how well his saws are tuned. RBtree, your posts convinced me to buy this thing and so far I am quite happy. Thank you. I will mod the muffler in the near future.
If the new Echoes are built like my old cs-3000, they can live a long time. I bought mine in 1989, still runnin. A small block of wood holds the carburetor linkage in place and I had to put a 12 inch bar on it to compensate for its lost compression. I still use it for really, really tight places and near metal hazards. I hate the feel of the 360t.
I was hunting around this site last winter with the same question as yours. I believe I came across a pro using Dolmars and was quite happy with them. I almost bought one but figured the price difference was not enough.
The solo looks interesting. I heard their horsepower and weight specs might be a little inflated. I would like to know more.
The 192 is very affordable but rather weak, great as back up. The used 200 T would be a good way to go and should be explored.
Bottom line on a climb saw is that unreliability and a lack of power is unproductive and possibly unsafe when weight must be released fast. (especially weird wood like box elder) I know I Sound like all the other guys who want to spend your money but... Don't skimp on your primary, there is more to consider than just money. If you really like the 200 T, make it happen.
What dealers do you have available in Hawaii?