I was skeptical about electric to replace my 30 year old Stihl FS74 which still runs great. Snagged a Dewalt on a deal at Xmas time and i'll never go back...i get a solid 45 minutes of use on a 5AH battery.
I have a 10 yr old Husky 345 from lowes. Its been a fantastic saw....hours and hours of use and starts by the 2nd pull every time. I too just put an X-cut on it and it works great.My only complaint is if i dont store it on its side it seeps chain oil.
I bought the Ryobi and the Dewalt. I liked the Ryobi far better much to my surprise and returned the dewalt. A couple thousand screws later i still like it.
+1 on the Titanium 125, ive had one a couple months now and its great. I don't think you'll find a bad review on it. $199 but is commonly on sale for less.
Pro-pex and expansion fittings are the way to go.Tools will cost more up front but you'll make up for it in time. The milwaukee M12 expander tool is what most plumbers are using.