Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Texas Poulan Massacre??

Another vote for Stihl, although there are a half dozen good ones to choose from. I was torn between similar Husqvarna and Stihl models and ended up going with Stihl because there was a good dealer nearby.

I ended up with an MS260, mostly because it was sufficiently light that I could comfortably hold it away from me, so that if it ever kicked up hard there would be a better chance of it not going through throat and head. The downside, of course, is that a light powerful saw is a bit more likely to kick back in the first place.

That said, there is some "milking the brand" going on with a number of companies, ie introducing inexpensive products with few or none of the things that made the brand great in the first place. Whatever you choose, check for reviews of that specific model.