A thing a buddy learned the hard way, current stihl saws that are home-owner grade are not as heavy built as the commercial grade, and have a engine run-time counter, as they only have a 100hr warranty. There is a significant cost difference between the two grades of saw. From having family in the logging industry, all saw makers ebb and flow in quality, and so getting a reliable saw is more about getting the right saw than the right brand. My dad owned an old homilite from the days when they were "good" saws, but for love nor money it would not burn more than a tank of fuel a day. Not a problem for the odd camping trip and city cleanup, but not for the farm. He bought a jonsred because he had a good relationship with the dealer, and that saw was unstoppable heating the house for probably near 20 years. (outdoor boiler, saskatchewan central heat)
I've seen a lot of Echo gear that was very good, because when they entered the market, they were designing their own engines instead of sourcing them, and a lot of companies in their category were either buying no-name engines, or fitting honda powerplants in, even though the overall equipment design didn't really fit. Not sure about current production though. And that's the trouble, a lot of companies work really hard for a while, then coast on reputation. Or worse, they get bought as a brand and then allowed to fall in quality.
