Yo, my local power equipment shop tells me Husky is no longer a great
brand.... he's pushing shindaiwa products...

On his advice, I bought one of their blade/string trimmers, and while it
seems to be a nice powerful unit, the blade guard makes it a nightmare to
use in thick bamboo. It might last longer than the other brands, but I'm not
sure it's been all that better than others I've owned. It starts with one
pull, but so does my 15 year old weed eater brand.

Now I'm looking for a chain saw that will last... is the dealer right about
the Shindawia being top dog, or are the Stihls, Huskies and maybe Echo's
fine saws too?

If so are there any "dogs" in their line-ups ( I hear some Husky saws are
made by Poulan, and the only good Stihls are the ones with even model
numbers and only the very top 2 Echo's are any good).

Which brands would require the fewest steps and tools to change air filters
and spark plugs, etc.???

I don't need anything larger than 18 inches.