Stihl and Husqvarna are my two choices . I've owned 2 Husqvarnas that were awesome saws.(they were stolen so now I've got to replace them
) One had a 36" bar the other a 24" bar. Both were very reliable. I worked in a small engine shop in alaska for a while and had both stihl and Husqvarna saws came in for minor things, the Husqvarna was the easiest to work on IMHO, but the stills were not bad, just a little more work to take apart. Both are top quality machines with good customer service from the companies.
The Husqvarna filters the air through the flywheel first which separates the majority of the saw shavings/dust out before it gets to the carb. Stihl recently came out with this feature. I highly recommend this, it makes a night an day difference on the life of your filter and the longevity of your saw.
(on a side note: if any of you do your own tuneups, don't forget to clean out the little screen inside the carb!)
The Stihl has more metal on it than the Husqvarna, but I can't see any real-world pro or con of this. Of all the loggers I've dealt with I've never had one say that this a detractor or benefit of either saw they both will last forever if well taken care of.
Stihl has a great selection of their own chains that I really like, but I usually go with Oregen chains myself.
I definitely would not buy a saw other than these two brands and in these brands I would go one size larger than you think you will need, in my opinion the extra couple 100 that it may cost is a very rewarding and worthwhile investment. I've never regretted buying my saws, one was 700 the other just over 1k. But for the 3-500 range it will be a one time purchase for the next 25+ years if you take care of it.
Well, that's my opinion.
Brian