+1 on the used saws. I've never ran a husky, so I can't comment on them. I have talked to a handfull of Stihl guys who's experience and opinions I trust, and none of them really cared much for the 290. Here's my take on Stihl saws.
The 026 is an excelent light weight little saw, but has enough umph to cut firewood. I wouldn't use it as my only saw, but I think it is perfect for a 2 saw plan. I run it's older, smaller cousin the 024. I use it mostly for limbing and general clean up. I like it, but the 026 is a better saw IMHO.
The 028 is an excelent all around saw, and IMHO, it is way better than the current 290. With a 18" bar and a .325 chain, it would make a very nice saw for what you are wanting, and I've seen a lot of good ones sell for $175. Most folks on here jump straight to the 040 class Stihl saws because most of them cut a lot of bigger wood, but most chainsaw useres just don't spend that much time in anything over about 20". For this reason, I think the 028 is probably THE occational use saw.
The 034 and 036 saws are great too. If you are patient you can find a good one for around $200, but they often sell for closer to $300. These saws will be big enough to do just about anything you ever need them too (25" bars and under), and they will flat out eat firewood, and are light enough that I can run them all day long. I would consider them to be the bottom end of the "work horse" saws. They are a great all around saw, and a very good middle saw for a 3 saw plan. This is currently the upper half of my 2 saw plan which may someday grow to a 3 saw plan
I run an 036 with an 18" bar, .325 chain, and a 9 pin rim, and it makes a GREAT go-to saw for all my firewood needs. I cut a lot of white oak, hickory, ash, and black locust. I scavange my wood, and someone else has usually cut the medium size stuff, so a lot of my wood comes from the tree trunks that someone else didn't want to mess with because of the size.
The 038, 041, 044, and 046 saws are some serious work horses. We ran an 041 for almost 20 years. Great, long lasting saws, but they are a little heavier than the 034/036. Hard to beat though. Tough as nails. Again, a great upper half of a 2 saw plan. If you cut a lot of wood that's 24" or bigger, these are the the saws to use.
Anything bigger than an 046, I would probably jump straight to the 066. I've never run anything larger than the 046, but I've never heard anything bad about the 066, and I've read a lot of good about it.
For what you've described I would recommend something between an 028 AV and an 041 AV depending on what you really want to spend and how big most of your wood is. If you only rarely cut anything over 20", then I really think you would be quite satisfied with a good 028 AV, especially if your bench mark is Poulan.
Either way, you need a good set of chaps and a helmet. I've haven't yet had an incident with a saw, but the PPE is worth it's wait in gold (or maybe blood).
Just my 2 bits,
Mark