Justin
Old Mossy Horns
I second the eye and ear pro. Sorry, it's second nature, and took it for granted, but unfortunately, some don't bother with any PPE.
If 8 to 10 inch trees is all your cutting I would go smaller.Leaning towards the 271 stihl due to reviews and dealer location. I know the 261 is a much better saw but just can't justify the extra $$ to myself for the amount of use it will see after the lot is done.
If you go stihl, i would make sure to get a 6pack if their oil to get a 4 year warranty instead of 2 year warranty. Id also stay away from the saws they have with usb connections that plug into the computer. The shops say it is for tuning and i bet it helps a bundle on that, but they can do a lot of things with that. I feel like it is more for warranty claims.