Poulan ES350 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw

This is a good chainsaw. I have only used it about 3 hours, so any reliability or wear issues are moot at this point. The best feature -- trivial, but you can see how much bar oil is remaining through the side of the saw.

My first chain saw was an antique McCullouch with a 24 in. bar that weighed about 20 lbs. I learned a lot from it, especially that light weight chainsaws are safer than heavy ones.

My second chain saw was a HomeLite E-Z 16" that was recommended by someone who once rented chain saws. It weighed about 10 lbs and cut fire wood for my stove for 15 years. I literally used this saw up, but it would still crank and cut wood when I got rid of it.

What I learned from these two saws is that the most dangerous thing to do is to try and cut a limb or log above your head. The saw will fall onto your thigh. The lighter the saw, the less likely it is that this will happen in an uncontrolled fashion.

My next saw was a saw...Read more

I purchased this saw for a 'yard' tool on my acreage, to break tree trunks and limbs down to firewood length. Delivery was prompt, the price was right, and my first impressions of the Poulan 3 1/2 hp are very favorable. The bar and chain are the same size and type as my old Homelite saw, and the weight is similar. I'm using a 25' #14ga. extension cord at present, with no sign of excessive heat in the cord. This is my first a.c. electric saw, and I'm very impressed with the torque, cutting ability, and overall utility of this unit. I'd buy it again, and although I nearly purchased the larger four hp. version, I am very satisfied with this saw. After forty plus years of chain saw usage, I've never owned and seldom needed a bar length of greater than 16". The 'light' saws have always performed and lasted well for me, and this Poulan fits my needs.
Tips: The electric motor develops full torque and horsepower the moment the switch is triggered, unlike gas-powered saw which...Read more

Moved into a house with overgrown trees in back. Had to do a lot of cutting. Was using a reciprocating saw which worked well but time consuming. Cutting a 10 inch branch took a lot of effort and most often than not bent the saw blade. Was constantly changing blades and the cost was rapidly adding up!

So I decided to see what I could get for around $125.00 and was surprised to see that I could get a pretty powerful saw for around $100 bucks! I had a cheapie electric chain saw a long time ago that someone left at the old house we lived in. Having a pretty good experience using it, I decided to go for this saw.

Suffice to say, I AM NOT DISSAPOINTED. This works very well and I can cut things down in record time! My only contention is that it uses a lot of oil, but if it saves the saw blade .. so be it! The other is that it's a bit heavy to lug up a tree for a person under 145 lbs. It's hard to handle one handed (sawing a large branch while trying to hold...Read more