Honestly, I never felt any need for a chain saw. It was when I experienced the repercussions of a hurricane that I really had no choice but to buy one. Although I was pressured to acquire a chainsaw immediately, I took time in researching. In this difficult economic times, I had to be very cautious with my spending. So I saw lots of results pertaining to chain saws. I was torn between a gas powered and an electric one. I read all the pros and cons. Since I'm usually the lazy type, the idea of a gas powered chain saw was not appealing to me. Of course, the stratospheric price of gas was my major consideration. Also,based on reviews, maintenance for gas-powered chain saws is very costly. I do not want to be bothered by additional fees especially if I will be using a product for once or twice a year only.
I was torn between the Makita chain saw and the Poulan 400E. Reading the reviews somewhat made me an expert on chain saws already. I had to constantly remind myself that I should stick to my original budget. I'll just risk for this measly and very affordable Poulan chainsaw. Amazon was on time with their delivery. That's something commendable.
The Poulan Pro 400E well was easy to set up. It was light weight, thank God! You really have to read the instructions if you want to save your fingers for future use. The extension cord is not that long, so if you have a big backyard then you better buy a longer one. I just find it annoying that the Poulan provided a cheap plastic protector for the blade. I wouldn't mind paying extra just to have a sturdier casing.
Being a newbie I never had difficulties cutting fallen trunks and branches as thick as 8" or more. I noticed that it has minimal oil leakage. Also, when using it, there are oil sprays. To be cost-effective, it's best to buy the bar and chain oil in your local hardware store. It is easy to clean. You must make sure that you drain the oil for storage to avoid leakage. I definitely made the right choice!
