Seems pricey for the 80's
I've PO's receipts for a few saws over the years. Late 70's and early 80's made for very expensive saws given the typical earning potential for folks. Using the Bank of Canada inflation calculator, these prices would amount to
princely sums in today's dollars. I like to keep this perspective when picking up the old saws. Particularly from the original owner's. They likely dropped a good portion of a month or more salary to pick up a decent machine.
A couple that were easy to find....
1980 Farmsaw $316.95
$1113.22
1982 Farmsaw $389.95
$1090.70
Dad's 1979 Echo CS-1001VL $489.95
$1881.21 ; 1979 New 72LPG 81DL chain $33.75
$129.59
I still have some of my dad's used chains from 1979/80. They were filed down to nothing. Well past what would be the witness marks on a modern chain. He only fell and blocked on the spot. Clean cutting. Imagine paying $130 for a 24" loop of Oregon these days.
Minimum wage in BC around '79-'82 hovered at $3-3.40. With that in consideration, I think the inflation calculator is understating the real cost back then. Approximately 100+ hours at minimum wage to buy a Farmsaw. And then tax on top of that. At today's minimum wage, those adjusted prices for the same 100 hours worked today would be over $1700 with tax. The '79 Echo would be a $2780 purchase today!!! Makes something like a new 362 a downright steal with today's earning potential.