On 11/29/2011 9:07 PM, David Combs wrote:
Thanks, all, for the responses, and the varied suggestions offered.

One obvious questsion: just how dangerous are these things to use?

What are the bad things that can happen, and how likely are they
to happen when cutting tree branches (that have fallen to the ground)?


What kind of safety equipment should one wear?


An excellent book covering all those concerns:

To Fell a Tree by Jeff Jepson


Is there anything that the expensive ones, like a $250 Husquavarna (sp?),
have that makes owning and using it a *lot* simpler (or safer, too)?


I used to own a Chinasaw I bought at McLowes Depot. I got tired of
constantly repairing it. So I bought a Stihl. That was years ago and I
Stihl have not had to repair it yet.