"I bought this saw and it worked very well for about 4 months, I had about 30 small trees (about 6-8 inch diameter trunk) to cut down after about 25 of them it stopped running and will not start. I called about the warranty (Northen Tool is always very helpful) and found out the closest warranty repair shop was about 600 miles away. So I called them to see if they could tell me what was wrong and maybe just get a part. They were very rude and unhelpful, he said it probably wasn't covered under the warranty, and that this saw isn't made for cutting alot of trees. I guess 25 is alot. I sure hoped for almost $400 I could get a few more then that. Even though Northern tools site says it is "Ideal for more demanding uses like medium-to-large diameter tree cutting and felling". I don't really want to send it ($30 shipping one way) to see if it is covered just to spend at least $60 more dollars for a saw that won't hold up.
Anyway spend your money on a Stihl, or make sure you live close to a warranty repair shop."
What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman
