I have never personally owned a Stihl nor a Husky. I have had only Macs in gas and some small electrics.
Anyway, I have been researching chainsaws as I have become interested in a chainsaw mill for hobby quantities (or maybe a little more) of "home made" lumber. To really not have the size of the chainsaw be a real weak link in production, you need a saw that is about $1000, Stihl or Husky. If you have the patience of Egon, yo can get by with less.
Performance and features wise: weight, HP, etc. the Stihl and Husky are essentially equivalent.
The larger saws, called PRO model saws by Stihl, when purchased in the US only have a 90 day warranty! If you buy one from Canada for delivery in the US, it has no warranty!
Husky carries a 2 year homeowner use warranty. Am I missing something here? For the same $ why not go for 8 times as long of a warranty?
I realize there are thousans if not millions of satisfied Stihl owners. I'm not detracting from the quality of that brand. My argument is based on the general concensus of pro loggers who have used both brands and think they are essentially equivalent plus the difference in warranty.
Caveat: I have not contacted either company but have gleaned info from the web, advertisements, FAQ pages of saw sellers, and such. Some were authorized sellers of Stihl and or Husky.
Oh, and by the way... I have been advised that chain speed is quite important and can't be made up for by increased blade pressure against the wood. Therefore my consideration for using a chainsaw bar and chain with a cheap engine (for a chainsaw mill) would require "belting up" the RPM quite significantly. Blade speds of the chain are about 60 MPH or 88 ft per second. This would require sealed bearings selected to survive the forces involved. By the time it was worked out the savings over a standard chainsaw retrofitted with a ripping blade would be marginalized. Yet another idea to be stored away for later and just in case.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]