What price range are you looking in? There's alot of saws to choose from. I know alot of the cheaper brands will have excessively big bars, for their cc/hp. Ya, they might pull it, but it will be painfully slow and it will be hard on it. I have a husky 136 (36cc) that I run a 16" bar on and that's about all it wants to handle. My stihl 036 pro (62cc) I'll run a 20" bar/7 pin sprocket, with a full chisel chain. It will pull it good through hardwood, and will do-it all day long.
There's a few other things you might want to consider. Do you have a dealer close? That'll support you and your saw and easy to deal with.
And then it should come down to personal preferrance and how it fits you.
Stihl and Huskys for example; Have a completely different feel and handle.
If you're gonna seriously cut wood, you should have at least 2, one for the big and a smaller trim saw. Sometimes the second saw will save the day.
If I had to buy just one saw, I'd look real close at the new Stihl 362 or the husky 365. If I had a dealer close that carried dolmars, shindawia and echo I'd check those over too.
I know the price of a Stihl farmboss, and Husky 450-460 ranchers are appealing. I think both are fine for what they're designed for. BUT, There is a reason why they are cheaper. Just something to consider.
