I realize that it is a little late in this continuing dialog to ask how large most of these hardwood trees are that you are encountering down across your trails, paths, roads etc., but it is rather important to gaining the best advice on what saws to use for your woodcutting pursuits. When it comes to bucking firewood, especially if I am cutting 20" or larger logs, and even sometimes ripping them, I prefer a larger 60 cc saw. But when I am walking with a chainsaw, fuel can and extra bar oil, I want the lightest set up I can get, short of going to a top saw. My location has plenty of nuisance woods sprouting up like white pine, aspen, stringy elm, iron wood, mixed in with cherry, hickory, basswood, and allot of sugar maple. I really don't have that much of use for a large saw in maintaining trails and shooting lanes. Even an Echo CS-400 is more saw than I usually need, but when it needs to step up I have the capacity to deal with an isolated larger dead fall. I am not talking about processing for firewood. I am talking about clearing the means to ingress and egress. The average Echo CS-400 with the older aluminum handle weighs in about 10.4 pounds on my scale (completely empty). The newer models are 10.3 pounds with the plastic handle. Because my advice is based upon value, I maintain that the CS-490 and the CS-590 are the two best value oriented saws produced by any manufacturer. When you consider that you can usually pick up a brand new Echo CS-490 delivered to your door via Ebay for less than $280, it is a better choice than the CS-400. It weighs in at around 10.66 pounds on my scale, and the first thing I do is swap out the 20" bar for an 18" NK bar like a Woodland Pro. The 18" bar is a better choice in terms of balance. Muffler modding is automatic in my book. While many prefer the standard .325 pitch chain in full chisel, I like the narrow kerf in semi-chisel. Where I am located, there seems to be sand in the soil and under the bark on everything. Sometimes I use a solid nose bar just to keep from burning out nose spindles. The narrow kerf is better in my opinion for slicing and dicing the smaller rounds (12" or under), yet has the ability to step up for a larger deadfall. The semi-chisel stays sharp twice as long and cuts fast enough for me. Sometimes I don't get through a full tank of fuel before a full chisel chain is dull as a butter knife, but yes they do cut faster when they are still sharp. One last thing on value, don't be afraid of purchasing a used saw in good condition. It is amazing how many people purchase a saw, use it twice and then it just sits. Provided the fuel lines haven't been eaten up by ethanol, a used saw offers the best value, as they last longer than most people can give them cutting time. As far as appearance, after a short time of heavy use your saw will probably look like a runner up in boat anchor contest anyway.
