To save the Stihl versus Husqvarna pissing contest, the OP was wondering about the cost of a 346 here in Canada...............which is the normal and average price. Us northerners get annoyed reading posts about prices in the United States especially considering our dollar has been on or almost on par for years. Here in Canada we had many models of saws that were not EPA saws till about mid 2005, then both Stihl and Husqvarna made the decison that all saws going to the north american market would be epa...........hell Canada has nothing to do with EPA or its rules or regulations. Talking bone stock saws between Canada and the US pre 2005 ish means absolutely nothing..............a cat muffler up here used to mean it screamed like a cat in heat.
Bone stock 026 and 346 pretty darn friggin close hell i luv them both, bone stock epa 346 and MS260.............run them, both hard, in the bush, let them sit for months them run them, beat them, abuse them, coddle them, get parts for them, work on them, you will find the winner.............stock well tuned even with a cat 346 works for me, would i buy one.........no i wouldn't I'd stick with its sister the 353 which is much closer to the 260 but sooooooooo much better.
Suit your saws to what you are cutting, the 260 and the 346 are not the be all, end all saws, neither should be run with over 16" bars in any wood...........hence why we all own two saws or more, and i always go the the bush with two saws and a selection of bars and chains, I suit what I am using to what I am cutting. In all honesty i don't care how fast you can cut a cookie, for after a day in the bush a few seconds, hell even a minute or two means nothing to me. I cut with sharp chains and cut till I have that hint that I am tired, then quit for tomorrow is another day, and i want to be able to take my son for a walk when i get home.
Time to get real Troll.....
