The best feature -- trivial, but you can see how much bar oil is remaining through the side of the saw.)
I learned a lot from it, especially that light weight chainsaws are safer than heavy ones. At any rate, I have read reviews of the replacement chain for this saw saying the the chains don't last. Now I have this Poulan ES-350. It weighed about 10 lbs and cut fire wood for my stove for 15 years. The electric is light weight, and I have been able to easily saw through 12 in. bar that weighed about 20 lbs. green maple logs. extension cords. 12 guage cord plugged into the wall, and 150 ft. I literally used this saw up, but it would still crank and cut wood when I got rid of it. The main reason a chain goes dull is that it hits dirt, sand, rocks or wet wood. I don't recommend the following, but I have heard that this saw can run with 150 ft of 14 ga. The Poulan comes with a "low kick back" chain. I won't name the brand because it was a real mess on the ground, leaking bar oil all over the place in spite of repeated attempts to have it repaired. My first chain saw was an antique McCullouch with a 24 in. My second chain saw was a HomeLite E-Z 16" that was recommended by someone who once rented chain saws. You can feel the sharp edge of a cutter blade just as you can feel the sharp edge of a knife.This is a good chainsaw. I have only used it about 3 hours, so any reliability or wear issues are moot at this point. A word about chains. If it feel smooth, instead of "grabbing" your finger, it needs sharpening. The lighter the saw, the less likely it is that this will happen in an uncontrolled fashion. The hidden cost of this saw is a 100 ft. My next saw was a LED High Bay Light Housing saw that a professional tree cutter took up a 90 foot tree and topped it with the saw supported by his fully extended arm. (The longer the cord, the more likely you are to cut through it. I got it because I am too old to go deeper than an extension cord into the woods, and I am tired of the hazards and frustration associated with cranking the gas models. The saw will fall onto your thigh. A word about extension cords. 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. I REALLY don't recommend this, but I have heard that the saw can run with a 100 ft. 14 gauge extension cord (most of the ones you have at home are probably 16 guage - not big enough). It isn't as fast at cutting as the above three saws, but it is light enough that one can safely cut at extended arm lengths (if one is careful). of 14 guage exetension cords plugged into the 12 guage cord. This brings the total cost of the saw to around $125, compared to $250 or even $350 for the gasoline saws I mentioned above. I don't know why they make them, probably some regulatory-liability thing, because no chainsaw is kick-back proof, so Beware!. I have been unable to identify a chain that isn't "low kick back" for this saw, so I will use the Poulan replacement chain (after sharpening the original for a year or so).