I'm thinking about buying my father a new chainsaw to replace his worn
out old Craftsman. I don't know anything about chainsaws to be
honest, but I have gathered that Husqvarna and Stihl are two top
contenders.

He has about 30 acres with a wooded creek running through it. He
doesn't cut wood for burning anymore - so, this will really only be
for occasional use. Trimming up here and there and taking care of the
occasional broken branch. We had a severe ice storm this winter and
there are still several broken limbs that need to be cleaned up.

I understand that dealer availability is a major factor for
consideration. My dad actually has a friend that works on his current
chainsaw and I think he can work on anything with a small motor. That
said, Stihl has what looks like a decent lawn and garden shop as a
dealer that is fairly close. The Husqvarna will have to be bought
from Lowe's.

I'm thinking a 16 inch is probably about all he needs really. I went
out to look at a few chainsaws today and I think 16 inches is a good
size. I'm not sure what size motor he might need. He's in his late
60s, so no need to get anything bigger than necessary, but nice to
have something adequate. I also question if one of the chainsaws with
an easy start system might not be worth considering because of my
father's age.

I think I'm ready to pony up between $300 and $400 for a good
chainsaw. Lowe's has the Husqvarna model 345 45cc chainsaw for $289
locally. To be honest - I didn't really like the flimsy feel of the
choke on it: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...345&lpage=none

The local Stihl dealer has a variety of models in that general price
range - http://www.stihldealer.net/categoryp...tprods-38.aspx

The MS 250 C-BE looks like it has everything that I might be looking
for, but it's on the high end of what I think I want to spend. Maybe
he doesn't need a 45cc motor? Would the MS 210 C-BE be sufficient?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I ran a search of the
newsgroups and didn't find anything very recent on the subject. I
also question if the Husqvarnas have deteriorated in production
quality in recent years? Are the Stihl and Husqvarna still equal in
quality?