The Echo is really great and also has a very good and long warranty, BUT it does come with a hefty price tag. The 8000 goes for about $800.00 but it is worth it if you give it a lot of use.
Well, I agree with your choice of chainsaws as far as it goes, but at my home in Upstate NY I use an Echo CS8000 and it is a horse. As far as splitting wood, just can't do it anymore so we strictly use a gas splitter and it sure does work fine for us. We have a woodlot with a bit over 100...