The word "quality" gets used a lot here, but it's an ill-defined word that often means "I feel good because I spent a lot and got a really cool saw". Owning a neat piece of equipment is a great feeling, and when I see the build threads on the newer Husqvarnas and Stihls I appreciate the designs as much as anyone - same as I would looking at a Ferrari. But for a non-pro these are luxury purchases - why not recognize it as such and skip the attempt to justify it as a need?
There is another term called "value", which in recent times people view negatively, but this was not always so. Nor will it be in the near future. I find that I can get good equipment at much lower cost, improve it and maintain it with my own skills, and it will last for many years of the kinds of use described in this thread. Personally I get far more enjoyment using a good but modest tool I built/repaired/modified myself than I do buying some bleeding-edge equipment from the factory. Actually, as a homeowner/firewood hack, using some of that pro equipment to cut down and buck a little tree would make me feel kinda silly.
