Those of us that cut a lot or are in business invest more money in the pro grade saws because more power with less overall size and weight just makes sense. It also places less wear on both the saw and user thus reducing the long term cost. If the saw doesn’t have to work as hard then there is less wear on the saw. I believe this is why many here say to buy the pro saws because they have all the good attributes.
That being said money is always a factor and so is accessibility to dealer and parts when they are needed. In your situation I would decide how much money you are willing to spend then find the best saw for your use. It also means a compromise for sure. You need to do what works for you and only you know how much weight and size you can and want to handle.
A properly sharpened chain with the right cutter angle, chisel type and “raker” depth is essential to keeping chain speed up. Also for how much the saw “self feeds”. I might anger a few people but you should never have to push on a saw to get it to cut. This doesn’t mean you can’t “lean on it” a bit, but you need a saw that has the torque to do that and a ms170 is not the saw to do that with. When I am cutting, the saw basically just pulls itself thru the wood. When it stops doing that it needs attention.
A picco chain makes a difference in speed because it cuts less width in the wood reducing the power needed from the saw, which in turn increases your chain speed. I put a non-picco chain on my top handle and tried it out. It was very noticeably slower in all the cuts, so I took it off and never use anything but picco chains on my climbing saws.
I would also buy a saw that has the same bar mount as the one you currently use, which means buying a Stihl. That way you can have different size bars and interchange them if needed.
Just some more to think about.
