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If you are only dealing with 18" diameter stuff occasionally, then those little saws with the 16" bars will still get the job done. And they are lighter. Size matters.

Buy a Stihl and be done with it.

I own 4 or 5.

I would like to get my hands on an 880 with a 3 foot bar and a ripping chain.

^^^ Go big or go home!

One of the local dealers usually has a big azz Stihl with a 5' bar on display .... I don't even know the model ....

I go home :D

Stihl makes 3 different levels of products. 1)Homeowner 2)Mid level 3) Professional

I have a mid level saw, Farm Boss. If you feed it Stihl gas they package, they'll extend the warranty another full year.
Like anything else, buy more saw than you think you need. Mine is bad@ss and the fuel smells like race gas out the exhaust. It's been rock solid, the only thing is I go through chains as because of what I'm cutting.

Nope... your Farm Boss is constructed & built just like the smaller displacement Homeowner saws like an MS250, etc. The larger ones do have the decompression button for starting ease, but same design.... all made in the USA. The pro German made Stihls are constructed differently, with different materials and "race motors" ... all are great saws. I used to think like you stated .... but naw ;).

I like my Bauer!

https://image.invaluable.com/housePh...L178562047.jpg

^^^ LOL .... that's a cutie pie Steve....

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All of them (even the small Echo) wear the yellow coded Stihl chains, or full chisel Oregon. I don't have my 13' Stihl pole saw here, but it came with their POS green bar & chain ... WTF? Cost another hundred to transform it from a butter knife into a serious saw.... and worth every cent. No matter what saw ya pick... the chain is what matters :).

A chain that touches dirt .... just needs sharpening .... mebbe even on a bench sharpener, but certainly not ready to be tossed. Supe is nutz ;)

For bigger stuff than what my saws will do easily.... I call "the man", but 3-4' oaks are common here and these have seen their fair share :D

The next chain I purchase will be a full chisel. Never tried one but I hear their cut is superior .

My Bauer will cut 3-4" oaks also. :)

This guy's somewhat of an expert. An early Stihl perhaps?

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Like "buttah" If it'll help, I'll do a video of me cutting some stuff that big. But I'm tellin ya, the Dewalt 16" saw is a beast.

^ I have the middle two, and two more Stihls with the compression relief valve. I just don't like the spring assist - it feels weird to me. And a Husky. The last two Echos died. They were too heavy for all day use anyway. We use the hell out of these things. That's how we find out what's good.

My two main saws see the most use, and they have yellow Oregon chains. The best sharpener is the electric one that you bolt to a work bench. It has a little cutoff disk, and you use it like a miter saw. It's fast and works well.

I have a thirty year old husqvarna 45 with a 20 inch bar. Thing has been rock solid. However, it being so old that parts are hard to find. I’m going to buy a Stihl ms261 soon. It’s a pro saw but with the tree situation I have I’m going to put it to good use.

Which one did you get, 40V, 56V, 80V?

I have one of these also, which I use mostly for pruning but also construction. Like when I was building my decks here to saw off a 2x4 or 4x4 or whatever needs it.

Cordless and you can use it with only one hand.

I use these 12" carbide pruning blades, but you can use whatever standard sawzall blade you want.

It's called a "HACKZALL".......and you want the M-18 "Fuel", which has the brushless motor.

Milwaukee 2719-20 M18 FUEL Hackzall (Bare Tool), Red, Black

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QwnolLoC1rk/maxresdefault.jpg

https://www.acmetools.com/on/demandw...7B22CBE9_7.jpg

Dewalt 60v. Look at my thread I linked back on page 1. Several videos comparing models. I'm a research geek when it comes to buying stuff like this. I spent hours going over each model.

Yep, I've had one of those for years. Works great for little stuff.

I've also got one of these. I probably need to sharpen the chain. It is impressive, but not really adequate for my needs.

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