PEAK PUTTERS

Looking for a good quality chainsaw to use out at camp, the trails (if need be), and home.

Whats a good place get a saw, what do I need to look for, and what brands are good?

Barb bought me a little Poulan green machine about 8 or 9 years ago. It is the only saw I have ever owned, but it works great, and fires up every spring. I here a Stihl is one of the best out there, but they are very expensive.

i used a craftsman for years and it was great.
now that i own a stihl i would never go back to anything else.

I bought an Echo last year with a 14" Bar. For around the house and trail work (and fitting in your rig) it is just about right. Starts easy and cuts well. Whatever you pick, pick up a spare chain. You can swap it out when need be and let the pros sharpen the other one for you. (That is a tip form my father-in-law who has 80 wooded acres and knows his way around chainsaws.)
I got mine at Home Depot, but would not expect any technical help from them. Farmers' Exchange in Kennewick works on chain saws and knows their stuff if you want to talk to an expert.
HTH

Shoot for a Husqvarna, or a Stihl and you can't go wrong. A lot of the Echo's run great too. But you have to get there higher end saws to really get a good one. The Husky Rancher series is a great starter saw. They won't break your account, not so big you dread hauling it out for smaller stuff, and are a work horse saw. I'v used mine on everything from oak to pine, up to about 2 Ft diameter. My folks live in a little logging community in the sierra foothills in Butte County, California. Our property has a lot of winter storm blow downs every year. Enough to mill up fresh lumber for projects at the house, heat the house with the wood stove the next winter, and still have to have burn piles to keep the property clean. We've always run the Huskies with great luck. My brother uses one of there larger commercial saws to power his Alaskan chainsaw mill. I know a few Pro's up there who use the Stihl's also with no problems. Any other brand and you really need to get into researching each individual model

might go take a look at this

They hacve 4 Stihl chainsaws for sale. 16" Bar

MS170

$120 each

http://kpr.craigslist.org/tls/1400124318.html

My freaking Homelite died. Gonna get a Stihl soon as I can...

Stihl chainsaws are like Jeeps (he says w/tongue in cheek). Even the guys with broken ones still swear by them.

For the light type of work you are describing, you probably can't go wrong unless you spend a fortune and never use the dang thing.

Bought one of the Stihls I mentioned earlier and got a case thrown in!