We went to the cabin this past weekend. I am going to need a chainsaw for
cutting firewood, and clearing some dead wood. None of the dead wood is
more than 8" in diameter. I have plenty of downed wood in the area where I
live, and don't want to cut anything bigger than about 8" for firewood,
because I don't want all the work of splitting it. I would cut about a cord
a year.

Therefore, I am thinking 16" chainsaw. BUT, I always have a tendency to buy
a little bigger for that once in a while when you need the bigger.

BUT, I goes to the stores, and see Poulan, Husqvarna, Homelite, Echo, Stihl,
etc. with prices all over the map.

I also see engines with different cc displacements, from 37 to 55 on
chainsaws with the same bar length. What's up with that? Bigger engines
better?

I would like to ask:

Which brand do you like and why?
Which brand lasts the longest?
Which has the least downtime?
Does any have a problem with getting spare parts?

Would you do the 16, 18, or 20 inch?

Would you go for the bigger cc engine and why?

Thanks in advance.

Steve