DeWalt vs Makita Chainsaws - Which one for heavy weekend use?

Hey folks, looking to upgrade my old gas chainsaw and torn between DeWalt and Makita. I'm a weekend warrior - mostly cutting firewood, clearing fallen trees after storms, and some light trail maintenance on my property. Need something reliable that won't quit after a few seasons. Budget around $400. Anyone have real-world experience with both brands? Leaning toward DeWalt because I already have their batteries, but heard Makita's brushless motors are beasts.

I've had my Makita 36V for 3 years now and it's been solid for my woodworking projects. Cuts through oak and maple like butter when I'm milling slabs. The battery life is decent - get about 45 mins of continuous cutting per charge. Only complaint is the chain tensioning system feels a bit finicky compared to my buddy's Stihl. If you're already in the DeWalt ecosystem though, might make sense to stick with them for battery compatibility?

Just finished my apprenticeship at a landscaping company and we used both! DeWalt DCCS620B is what we had for smaller jobs - light, good balance, cuts fast. But our Makita XCU03PT1 lasted longer through daily abuse. The Makita felt more heavy-duty in the hand, better anti-vibration too. Pro tip: check the bar oil capacity, DeWalt's runs out quicker during long sessions. Both are good tho!

Thanks both! Larry - good point about battery compatibility, but I'm willing to invest in new batteries if the tool is significantly better. Pete - that vibration comment is huge, my old saw makes my hands numb after an hour. How's the safety features compare? My wife's making me get something with better kickback protection since our kid helps stack wood now.

Makita's chain brake has saved my bacon twice when cutting at awkward angles. Their inertia-activated system works well. Can't speak to DeWalt's newer models but my old corded DeWalt had a manual chain brake that was slower to engage. For family safety, maybe lean Makita? Though honestly both major brands meet ANSI standards. Maybe watch some comparison vids on YouTube - Project Farm did a great chainsaw shootout last month!