My  husband bought one of the 18" electric chainsaws from Menard's last year.  We tried using it once and ended up taking it back.  We had these big overgrown shrubs up around the house that needed to be taken out, and it didn't last through cutting them back before we were having problems with it.  We went back and got a gas one, and haven't had any problem with it other than the normal stuff (dulling the chain, etc.) and we've actually cut several dead/dying trees on our property with it without any problem.  Same thing with electric weedwhackers... I've burned out two of them with very little use... maybe our yard is too big?  Anyway, even though I didn't want to have to lug around a big gas-powered one, I ended up buying one on clearance at the end of summer a few years ago and haven't regretted it.

Hard to beat a good gas one.  

Machine -- I'm talking about machines here... weedwhackers - saws etc.

A good tough electric one has to cost a bit more as they have to use better components - bearings, gears etc.  Most of the problems I have had with the cheap electrics involved cheap plastic gears - parts etc.

I bumped into this today:
http://www.choppingchainsaws.com/schedulredmaintenance.htm

Good stuff, Daddymem.

Let me add to it.

Keep the chain sharp.  One touch to the ground can dull a chain.  There are electric sharpeners with angle guides available.  Any pulling to one side means the teeth on one side have hit something.  Bark often has rocks lodged in it.  If in doubt, remove the bark in the cut area with an ax.

In general a chain will need to be sharpened between every one or two tanks of gas use unless you hit something sooner.  Any resistance to free cutting usually indicates a dull chain.

Keep the oil reservoir full -usually at each gas fill up.

After lots of use even with a sharp chain, a saw can run sideways binding in the cut.  If this happens to you, then the groove in the bar probably needs to be trued up.  A good saw shop has a grinder to do this.  You will not necessarily need a new bar.  Once your chain is worn out they can also make you a new one and they have optional chains without the anti-kickback features made for homeowner saws.  These will cut way faster, but may kick back if you are not careful possibly giving you a nasty limb removal or gash in your forehead.  I always use the unsafe chains the pros use.

Glen-
Yes I have only used it with my old tools. In fact I did not buy and of the new green tools. My expierence is with the orignal blue one + tools.
Dan

Thanks, Dan.  I looked at the new ones because I got a 50% off one tool coupon with the purchase of a kit, but went for more of the cheaper stuff instead.

QuoteI bumped into this today:
http://www.choppingchainsaws.com/schedulredmaintenance.htm

Hope it wasn't running.  

They missed the air filter servicing.

Glenn if I may.  You might want to occassionally turn the bar over so that the wear is uniform on both sides it will prolong the life of your bar.

The electric files are good in fact too good. They are good to get back to the right angle every once in a while but if used that frequent you will be out of chain before too long.

My biggest problem is getting both side the same when hand filing so that it will cut true dead center and not wonder off.  Not too noticable in small stuff but when cutting things 18-24" it sometime can wonder 2" or more on the bottom.

If that happens in the future I will ship the ends to don and he can put them on his wall. The water would run right off.

Shiplap rounds... Hmmm.  :-/

That's true.  A trick at Mike's saw shop per Al is to put the blade on with the writing upside down.  The owner will usually put it back on right side up thereby rotating it at least once.

The taking off to the side can be either the bar worn on one side or the chain dull on one side.

I view chains as use items and if not sharpened well enough then they are of little use -- only frustration anyway, so I would rather get them sharpened right the first time.  Dremel makes an attachment with the proper angle lines to follow as do the electric saw sharpeners.  I went to diamond files on the Dremel so they cut slower than the stones but still give a good sharp.