OK. I'll admit it. If it plugs-in, has something very sharp moving insidiously fast, and you can ruin lots of expensive materials (or body bits) while learning how to tame each beast, then I've probably got it.

However, I've never bought anything that runs on a petroleum product, yet has no wheels (powered, of course).

Time to buy a chainsaw. I'll bet that there's, like, a 30% ownership ratio here, at least. Haven't some of you actually built your houses with one?

Anyway, as always, any advice from "you's guys'" [sic] re: brand experience would be very helpful. And, since someone will ask, we have 11 deciduous trees, all over 30'. None is coming down. It's mostly for what Mummy Naturebitch partly rips away or hurls onto the pachysandra.

Oh, and there's the dead ash branches up in the power lines that have always bugged me.

Chain saws and power lines. Hmmm, now there's an opportunity.

That kind of stuck out at me too. Sounds like an excellent plan.

Stihl is my prefered saw. Make sure you learn how to use a file though, or any saw will not only be worthless, but you'll eventully end up cutting off body parts using a dull chain.

I researched the same thing a just last year. It was between an Echo and a Stihl and while the Echo had a better warranty the Stihl got better reviews.

I ended up getting the Stihl and never looked back. It is very good running machine. I haven't had a problem as of yet.

Another vote for Stihl, although there are a half dozen good ones to choose from. I was torn between similar Husqvarna and Stihl models and ended up going with Stihl because there was a good dealer nearby.

I ended up with an MS260, mostly because it was sufficiently light that I could comfortably hold it away from me, so that if it ever kicked up hard there would be a better chance of it not going through throat and head. The downside, of course, is that a light powerful saw is a bit more likely to kick back in the first place.

That said, there is some "milking the brand" going on with a number of companies, ie introducing inexpensive products with few or none of the things that made the brand great in the first place. Whatever you choose, check for reviews of that specific model.

We've had our oak trees trimmed annually for the past 11 years and every tree trimmer has used Stihl ... I personally have a Poulan that is currently sitting on a shelf in the garage broke. My next chainsaw will be a Stihl.

Stihl and Husqvarna appear to be the top names from what I've seen amongst the cottage crowd. My neighbour has a Homelite that has run perfectly for over 20 yrs, as well.

Rick, Bridge, Adrian, Rick F., Mike D.:

Mui muchas gracias for all of your advice. Screw web research and forum after forum. You all make it too easy and, for some demented reason, I trust your opinions more than those I would uncover elsewhere.

And whaddya know, I have a friend who runs a sharpening service, so he can pull my chain.

You guys are always a great help.

Stihl it is. I feel better that they don't make sewing machines.

Ash tree/power lines, here I come! And if I'm a noshow in Dwight, no guesswork needed.

Back on the farm we had a big old stihl with a 3' blade. Heavy beast, but it never quit. Used it to cut down a number of 100+ year old maples as they started to die.

Thanks, Fred. Stihl is the #1 answer here, so I HAVE to get one.

I'm coming over when you get this thing.

I can see the headlines now:

Half of trees in quiet Gangland neighbourhood cut down to chord. Two men seen sneaking off.

How did you know?? I mean the part about the "quiet" gangland neighborhood!

Half of the trees in the 'hood are ours, so no need to sneak off, unless ours are THE eleven ones left standing!

And no lie, as I write this, my town cop neighbor (very cool guy) is Poulan-ing a 30' maple branch.

I went over in my jammies earlier to tell him that vinca or ivy are way easier to maintain for a lawn cover, though I like the feng-shui of the wispy vertical maple branches. He smiled and gave me the finger! Imagine!

I feel compelled to mention that the combining chainsaws, big trees, and being up in the air make for probably the most dangerous activity you are likely to encounter. Make sure you have appropriate protective equipment and read up on safety-related practices, and make sure you use/follow them religiously for anything but the most basic cutting. Small things falling on you stop being funny when you are holding a running chainsaw, and big things falling on you are always a Bad Thing.

Stihl and others make small "arborist saws" which are extraordinarily good for trimming branches and probably safer for that type of work than a regular chainsaw -- my brother-in-law uses one as his primary chainsaw (mostly camping-type cutting) with great success.

I don't own one but I seem to borrow one regularly and I once had a summer job in high school running a brush cutter & chainsaw. It's really a wonder I still have all my limbs.

Just wanted to echo that you need to realllly learn how to sharpen the blade well. You will need to do it surprisingly often and most people who think they know how to do it, end up ruining blades and, as others have said, making it even more dangerous than if it were sharp.

It's not difficult but there truly is a knack to it. If you are going to use it regularly, you will need to learn how to do it yourself.

On the lighter side, my eyes/brain played a funny trick on me when I read the title of this post. I though for a second there it said, "Texas Poulet Massacre" or as translated from French, "Texas Chicken Massacre."

Then I had a brief vision of Bob running around slaughtering chickens while us Canadian's ran after him trying to throw fries, gravy and cheese curds on them to make Chicken Poutine.

Why did the chicken cross the border?
To get away from BobKay.

Hmmm ... just noticed, "BobKay" is Pig Latin for "kabob" ...

Mmmm ... chicken kabob ... [drool]

Stihl or Husqvarna depending on who provides the best service in your area. I cut 12 - 15 cords a year as we heat our old house with wood. I've got a Stihl ms270 and Stihl ms361 and like them both.

Thanks, Jorge. You're with the majority here. Stihl won on this forum by a landslide.