Poulan Pro PP4218AVX 18-Inch 42cc 2-Cycle Gas-Powered Anti-Vibration Chain Saw with Case

Comment: I bought this saw today in order to clear out a couple of trees that fell in a storm last night. I've never owned a chainsaw before and I am the first to admit that I know nothing about them. I had not read any reviews and only picked this one because of the price. I got home took it out of the box followed the quick setup instructions and started cutting. This saw did everything I could have hoped that it would do. My father-in-law, who has owned a few saws of his own, was also very impressed. Being the first time I've ever cute trees, I made a beginers mistake and got the chain bound in the process of getting out the chain was pulled loose. I can't imagin having to use a tool to retighten the chain, this was so easy. It did seem to take a few more pulls to start than what I would have expected but nothing bad (maybe 12-15 pulls). All-in-all this is the best chainsaw I've ever owned, at least after my first day of use. Now I just need to find more trees to cut.

Comment: I think this must be one of those items that truly is a YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) product. Almost equal numbers of 1 star & 5 star reviews. My personal experience has been a mix between both extremes. I have used it for all kinds of cutting around my yard and neighborhood (our neighborhood has lots of pear trees, with weak wood & branches that get damaged during thunderstorms in summer & snow/ice, not that we get much snow & ice, in winter). It has cut everything I have thrown at it, but keep in mind that I have not done anything super-heavy-duty, and I agree with those who say if you need a heavy-duty saw to spend your money wisely and buy a Stihl or something. But for my purposes, which is a handful of times a year, it has been great.

Not perfect, as there have been a few frustrations. Chain does tend to come off easily - and it took me a while to figure out the correct tightness (so that it would neither bind or fall off). But once I figured that out (trial & error, though honestly, the easy adjust thing makes it so there is only so much you can tweak in adjusting), it has been very solid, with minimal problems. Still does have to be adjusted occasionally, but with practice it is really pretty easy, even for a novice like me.

Starting can be a real pain in the butt, but that is something that also has gotten easier over time (figuring how much to prime & pull and when to go to 1/2 choke, etc). All in all, I recommend this product - not perfect, but well worth it, for me. But be aware going in, there are some real frustrations you may experience, so don't say you weren't warned :-)

Comment: I have two of these (one for 2 yrs, one for about 16 months). One had issues after about 9 months and Poulan replaced it for me (took a little longer than I'd like, but I got a new one, and a new chain and case, so I was happy). I've cut about 20 or so cords of wood with them and rotate between about 5 or 6 chains (so I don't have to sharpen them out in the field) and am very happy with them. There's probably better brands out there, but for the money, this can't be beat.

Comment: This chainsaw was purchased my husky 350 bit the dust.I must say this saw is doing everything my husky did for a third of the price. The only thing I needed to adjust was the low idle screw after it would routinely stall during use.The no tool chain adjuster has not given me any problems. Keep in mind I've been cutting up 3 ash trees that fell at my brothers house. The trees are approximately 35-40ft tall with 18-24" diameter. I am modestly impressed with this saws performance

Comment: This thing eats wood. I didn't have any of the start up problems lots of other people have, one thing though is youve really got to watch the oil reservoir- it might be a little undersized and empties quickly but no big deal just refill.