i would start with an MS251.

for the most part, all of the sawmakers have two-pronged product lineups: consumer grade saws and professional grade saws.  
some sawmakers sell their consumer grade goods at the big box stores, and most sell their pro grade saws at servicing dealers.

if you want a good saw and need some service expertise, figure out where your closest dealers are and use that as a guide to which saw to purchase.
none of the pro stuff from Husq, Stihl, Makita/Dolmar, etc are "bad" saws -- there are only so many ways you can build a decent chainsaw.

the consumer grade tradeoff includes additional weight, reduced power, and less robust build (especially with a clamshell engine).

as a Stihl and Dolmar owner, i can tell you these things:

the best part about Stihl is that parts are fucking everywhere -- even for 30 year old saws.
if you need a impulse hose or a crank seal for a 1990's era Stihl 026, you can have one in your hand in less than 24 hours no matter where you live.
Makita/Dolmar provides the same German quality for less than what Stihl sells their goods for.
Husq has a good reputation -- well earned -- but i don't have any experience with them.

suggestions:
Stihl MS251 (the odd number in the middle on Stihl saws tells you it's a consumer grade clamshell engine)
Stihl MS241 if you can swing it  (the even number in the middle on Stihl saws tells you it's a pro grade, jug-on-cases engine)

don't fear Stihl's clamshells -- there are a ZILLION MS250's out in the field in the hands of untrained idiots doing "ground work" for tree service companies -- and they keep going.

ar-jedi

ps

in the "old" Stihl numbering scheme, if the last digit is EVEN it's a "professional use" saw with jug-on-cases engine construction:  024, 026, 036, 038, 046, etc

in the "old" Stihl numbering scheme, if the last digit is ODD it's an "occasional use" saw with clamshell engine construction: 021, 023, 025, 029, 031, etc

in the "new" Stihl numbering scheme, if the middle digit is EVEN it's a "professional use" saw with jug-on-cases engine construction: MS240, MS260, MS360, MS460, etc

in the "new" Stihl numbering scheme, if the middle digit is ODD it's an "occasional use" saw with clamshell engine construction: MS210, MS230, MS250, MS290, MS310, etc

basically, old 025 = new MS250, old 026 = new MS260, and so on.

AND

in the new scheme, the last digit is the "iteration/version" of the saw.

for example
MS360 first version
MS361 second version
MS362 third version (current production)

AND

the letters after the model designation indicate a specific feature on that version

for example
MS362CM has (M) STIHL M-Tronic system

BUT

there are at least three exceptions to the naming rules i posted above, where it appears that the Stihl product naming people went off the rails.
- MS180 (current)
- MS280 (discontinued) (this was one of the first "intellicarb" models)
- the many incarnations of top handle saws.

there may be others.
my family closed our building supplies store in 2004, so i have not been a Stihl dealer (all of which are 'servicing dealers') since then, hence there are probably some additional model naming outliers.

please don't ask me to explain the Stihl numbering scheme further.

I think it goes back further that that. I bought my teal Makita DCS6401 (DCS stands for Dolmar ChainSaw) in 2012 and at that time it was a 2 year old HD rental saw. A few years ago I upgraded it to the Dolmar PS7900 P&C and it's a beast!


Now that you bring it up I forgot that they're all marked Makita now. Same great saw, just becoming less "independent" from mothership Makita.

I heard Makita will no longer be making gas saws?

The OPE industry is gradually moving marketshare more toward cordless electric technologies. Adoption from professionals is slow and will take years. I don't see gas powered chainsaws going away for at least another 20 years. And then you will still have all the legacy gas OPE around.

The industry is going to have to match power:weight ratio and fuel weight (batteries) to entice pros to switch.

Additionally, there is a certain safety factor that comes with gas saws when being used in a crew environment. If I'm around others there is no mistaking where they are and when they are cutting wood bc I get the audio feedback of the saw revved and cutting wood. I know not to approach and to be aware of falling trees etc. That is a hurdle that cordless will have a hard time overcoming even if it is mostly psychological.

I have seen nothing that indicates Makita intends to bow out of gas OPE prematurely or to be a "trend setter" in forcing the switch to cordless.

I just got an echo cs-361p with 14 in bar, and I think its a beast. Light weight, plenty of power, will pull a 16 in bar if I need to fell anything bigger than 26in or so, which isnt likely in OK. I can run it one handed like a top handle no problem. I liked the fact that they have a 5 year warranty for consumers, and I have a mix of echo and stihl edgers, blowers, weedeaters and all my echo stuff has been problem free for prob close to a decade. The stihl I have had I have replaced the recoil starter on, but no issues other than that. It is a little harder to start than my echo stuff.

Having owned over a dozen different brand chainsaws I would go Husky 562xp

I run part of our saw program, mainly the shop/repair side. Stihl and Husky are all we run, mainly Stihl MS362 R and MS461 R saws, with a few older 372 huskies and some Ms260s and 441s mixed in just to make my parts inventory bigger.
That said, for your use I would look into the Ego or Milwaukee cordless options. Your not going to be using it enough to justify the hassle of mixed gas and all of the maintenance that comes with a 2 stroke small engine.
If you start cutting firewood, or spend more than an hour on the handle of the saw at a time, you might want to start looking into a gas saw.
The cordless stuff is surprisingly good (within reason), and more than enough for what your going to be doing.
If you absolutely have to have a gas saw, look into the MS251 with a 14" bar, or a MS271 with a 16" bar. A lot of people are going to buy a saw and swap on a bigger bar, change the chain, then treat the saw like its a bigger saw than it is. That is dangerous for an inexperienced person, it invites kick-back and can unbalanced the saw.
If you have the cash to waste, you could step up into a pro saw (Stihl MS261-CM with a 16" bar, about $800) or if you want a "big" saw a Husky 575xp with a 28" bar and skip tooth will do everything you could ever want and then some. A lot of people talk down on the 575xp, but they are comparing pro saws, and the difference are very small and mostly personal preference. Its a lower rpm saw with a lot of torque, absolute lightsaber in hardwoods.

A buddy of mine that professionally does tree service told me:
Stihl when standing on the ground and Husqvarna while hanging in the tree.

His point was the Stihl is heavily built and has the weight to prove it but the Husky is lighter.
They both stand up to daily use.

I don’t know where husky is made, but all Stihl that is sold in the US is made in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Have a stihl 025 and oem parts are getting harder to get. There are a few aftermarket parts but they can be hit or miss.

Have a newer ms290 and it is a tank.

Bought dad a jonsered/husky cs 2245.
Has the decompression button so it is easy to start.
Added benefit is it vibrates a lot less then stihl saws.

Huskys are the small block Chevys of the chainsaw world.
Parts are everywhere and aftermarket is well supported.

A good dealer is a big point if you do not work on your saws.

20 years ago is when Stihl switched to MS numbers so your saw is at least that old. That's a long time to expect factory parts to be around. Stihl does have quite a bit of aftermarket parts availability. I've never had issues.

Most of the aftermarket parts for the 025 are not great of quality. Especially the coils.
A lot is made in China.
Not to mentions stihl changes things on a whim so there are parts that only fit certain serial numbers or certain years.

I wouldn't rely upon the Stihl 170 as an only saw.   I buck and split wood for heating, I use a MS 362 with 25" and 20" bar, that saw went down for a day due to a fuel line issue.

I had to use the 170 to buck a 30" red fir, that was painful, by the time I finished I felt like I was watching paint dry.  

As an all around saw I wouldn't go smaller than a 250.

If you buy a new Stihl, buy a pack of Stihl 2stroke oil at the same time... that will double the warranty period.

Only if you buy the synthetic...

Yeah, that'd be a deal breaker right there. lol

My Stihl says "Made in Germany" on it.

My first saw was an Ms170 used from a pawn shop, cleaned it up new bar and chain fresh gas. Excellent lightweight saw. My MS250 on the other hand...

My newest saw is Huskys 550XP mark II which I really like. The one thing I was unaware of, and disappointed to learn, is the saw must be tuned with proprietary husky software. So be aware due to CARB restrictions newer saws may need a computer in order to work on them.

I cut down trees for about 6 months along power lines upon leaving the service 7 years ago (working for a friend while getting new life started).

Got to use all the saws. He had everything, Dolmars, Stihls, you name it.

The one I absolutely fell in love with was the Echo CS-355t. Bought one for myself. Commercial use saw for about $400.

It's a trim saw but would do 98% of the work. Taking down larger trees is no problem. We had the big saws in the trucks but they very rarely got used, mostly just for the huge cotton woods.

Just started it up for the first time in a few years the other day. My gawd I still love that saw.

It's hard unless you work for awhile for someone else to compare and contrast the different saws, and a lot of his crew preferred the Stihls but I preferred the Echo 10x over.

This, smaller one for easier handling and larger one for bigger jobs.

Stihl 271 Farm Boss with 20” bar