If you don’t mind skirting the written warranty, and probably a little more weight than on the shelf saws today, there are a lot of ported saws out there from reputable builders that you could consider. Based on what I’ve read above, I think something like a full rebuild and woods ported Stihl 064 would fit the bill. Or if want a Husky, the 385xp.
Guy up the street from me just bought one new a month ago. I don’t know if it was leftover stock or still in production.
They do have demos but not sure which saws. I was in a hurry the other day when the conversation started
Make sure to test em all out. 385&390 are porky for their power. If you are close in price, the 395 is king. I use my ported 394 for anything above about 24”. The speed at which it cuts through wood is insane. Completely reduces total time on the job. And if you ever get the itch to mill, external clutch is a plus.
I know what a porker is and have done a good job of staying clear of them my whole life! Just didn’t know porky and porker meant the same. Haha
I've run my brothers 385 and i wouldn't call it porky. Maybe curvy. A porky saw would be the Husky 570. Most big saws are used for bucking where you are pivoting the dogs on a horizontal log. It's not like you're holding that extra pound out at arms length all day. I think old time loggers would have a good laugh at people griping about a lb. They'd probably say man up.
Usually the saws with a poor power/weight ratio are less expensive. Look at some of the top dogs in p/w. The 500i is $1,300. Granted its also because it fuel injected. Look at the Stihl 200T, or the 241, or the 346 Husky On one hand the power to weight ratio is terrible, but the saw is reasonably priced. On the other hand the power to weight ratio is great but the saw is 1/3rd again what other similar spec saws cost. Got to pick your poison. A lot of people buy based on price, not specs, so there is a market for those porkers. Everyone wants to date the Swedish supermodel, but not everyone wants to pay for her.
The power head on my echo 8000 is 16.3 pounds. It seemed a bit heavy at first but I got used to it. Is that considered a porker?
That is heavy for an 80cc saw. That’s similar weight to a 92cc 660. A good weight for 80 cc would be 14-15 lbs. Great would be 13-14 lbs. Heavy would be 15 lbs plus. My Dolmar 7900 is 79cc and was advertised at 6.3hp and 13.4 lb power head. So three pounds lighter than your Echo
If you're married to buying a husky, skip the 390 and go 395. They are awesome. If you don't like wrestling a long bar with an external clutch and want a side chain tensioner, then still skip the 390 and go Stihl 661. I've run all three saws and that would be my advice. 395s are built like tanks and should last you a long time.
Tree company I work for replaced our old 395 last spring with a new one, has a 36" bar for flushing big stumps. Realized the first time I ran it how tired the old saw was. The saw is an absolute beast!! That being said it is heavy, not sure I would want to buck logs with it all day.