I am a dealer of Shindaiwa saws. I got turned on to them from my Grandparents who were the previous owners of one of my now businesses. They had a outdoor power equipment and small engine repair business with several dealerships. I recently bought the business. Anyway Shindaiwa has a full line of saws and outdoor power equipment. I love them. My Tree Company carries on our trucks the 300S for groundy de-limbing, 357 for bucket saw, 488 for the BEST middle size saw, and the 757 for the big logs. IMO the best thing about the Shindaiwa saws is the low end torque. You can put the chain down on the log apply large amounts of down pressure, put the trigger and it still takes off. Incredible power when putting the saw through heavy loads. I like to dig in and pry up on the handle and they just keep on cutting. I put a equivilant saw of Stihl up agianst Shindaiwa with a good friend of mine (big stihl fan) and I am pleased to announce that after several type cuts and several types of logs I generally came out on top.
Just my opinion but they are a great saw.