First chainsaw?

[MountainHigh]

Weight is very important to me in a saw as I noodle around in the mountain forests to get wood. If you're not going to be packing a saw much and simply bucking firewood in easy to access logs that are under 20 inches, then weight is not as big a factor and any decent mid range 45cc to 60cc saw should do for moderate use. But if you want light weight and powerful for fast cuts with less strain and more use, spend a little more and go with a PRO saw for sure. The older I get the more I appreciate light weight and power to make the work easy.

Get your dealer to slap a bar on each saw that's on your short list, and walk around for a bit, bend and flex and to see what feels best imagining if you had to do it for some hours on end.

My favs today for light and strong in professional saws are still my Husky 346XP (mine is 13+ years old) and potentially it's replacement the 550XP, and the Stihl MS 261. Lot of people seem to start out with homeowner saws and then realize they need more. Once you use a pro level saw you'll never go back!

 

[PhilMcWoody]

I would buy an MS 250 or a used 026/260 before buying a 290. I feel a lot here would agree? I've seen the 250 get better reviews than the 290.

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For sure I like my MS 250, but I've sometimes wondered whether I should have gotten something that came with a 20" bar for mostly for cutting firewood.
I sometimes like to noodle some 18x20" long/wide gnarly stuff, and a longer bar would have been just right a few times. (I suck at lining up noodle kerfs from opposite ends -- off by 1/3 inch and it seems more axe work is needed.)