OP here. It's true. Husky support is 100 miles away and Echo is about 75 miles away/ I have Stihl support in my local town, the closest town, 15 miles away. I'm pretty remote and deep woods rural. Home Depot service is, well, respectfully, a comedy. Husky Service/sales is a 2 hour drive. With the price of gas and my F250 getting 12 mpg on a good flat road...I've used a couple of Husqvarna pro saws and really like them. I think they or the pro Echos match up with Stihl. I was under the impression OP didn't have Husky or Echo support nearby. Big box store doesn't count. We've got to keep him out of those!
You got the idea.
It's Stihl or Box Store Echo for me.
Been a Stihl guy for a couple decades. Just wanted to see what I might be missing.
Edit: I'm pretty sold on the Stihl MS 500 I with a 28" bar...