Went to Lowe's today to pick up a gift for dad and looked at their saw section for laughs. They had the plastic 450 Rancher for $409.00. That's about what the CS-590 goes for. Rural King wants even more than that for the equivalent Farm Boss. I can understand buying the 235/240/MS-170 for under $200.00, they seem to do well for the price and intended market.
Thing is, a 50-60cc saw for over four bills isnt really an occasional light duty proposition like those small saws are. If you are buying a saw of that size you probably are cutting some pretty big stuff with it, and putting a fair number of hours on it. For this use, I don't think you are really getting a good deal or doing yourself any favors by purchasing what is nothing more than an oversized casual use machine for really not much less cost than a proline saw.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a saw snob. I don't even really cut that much. It just irks me when a manufacturer charges a lot for something that isnt really worth it, and people fall for it. If the Rancher and Farm Boss prices actually reflected the value received for the money (like the smaller saws do), I wouldn't have a problem with them.