I use a Stihl 029. Works great for larger trees it's a bit over the top for smallish work.
Ask any repair shop, and they'll tell you the older Stihl chainsaws are very reliable, and easier to repair if needed. I have an old MS290, and it hasn't missed a beat in 20 years.
liquidsquid, I'll throw my preferences out, but like Chevy vs Ford, it all depends on what you like. I like Echo's for several reasons. One, they have a 5 year warranty that Stihl can't touch. Two, I have a CS-690P Echo that can handle a 27" blade, and Stihl's chainsaws that can handle a 28" blade is way over a grand, so I could buy 2 Echos for one Stihl. Three, the shop that sells and handles my Scag and smaller tools are great, and get my stuff in and out PDQ. And four, which is minor to me, is that it has a compression release if needed. I currently have the 20" Stihl MS290, a Stihl 14" MS192 arborist saw, a 12" Echo pole saw, and the 27" Echo CS-690P.
If you hand sharpen your chains old school wise like I do, take a look at German Pferd round files. Amazon carries them.
gehajake, check your Wally World and see if they have Murphy gas stations on site. They do down here, and they have a dedicated hose for non-ethanol. It's the only place I buy it because of exactly what you said.
