Chainsaw

[Castanea]

We generally consider 15" to be a standard medium bar length but it does very much depend on the power of the saw. They are serious bits of kit so I'd suggest a proper chainsaw helmet as an absolute minimum with trousers a close second - all 'round protection is ideal but front protection is generally sufficient. An easy way to improve your safety is to learn to use the chain brake. We don't move our feet without flicking the chain brake on - it becomes second nature after a while - so when you do trip or something unexpected happens the saw is relatively safe. I can understand people who've bought a cheap saw not wanting to spend a lot on safety gear but using the chain brake is free and goes a long way to keeping you safe
Also look on line for safe usage leaflets but beware of YouTube videos - there are some horribly inept people out there doing horribly dangerous things which are best not copied! There are also people showing good practice but they seem to be in the minority.
I looked up some HSE fatality reports recently and it seems that the absolute killer mistake people make is climbing into a tree with a saw (yes - people really do do it!). Keeping both feet on the ground is absolutely essential. If you need work done off the ground either use a hand saw or get a professional in!

 

[dickm]

Older Dolmar seem pretty good. Depending on your age/physique, don't be tempted to go for too big a saw; OK, it will cut bigger stuff easily, but can be pretty heavy and tiring when using for smaller stuff. My Stihl 048 feels like it weighs a ton. (but did only cost me £50)
Interestingly, "my" tree surgeon reckons to buy one model larger power unit, but put on shorter bar. He also buys them three at a time, which apparently can save quite a bit per saw!

 

[dickm]

In case it's of interest to the OP, Aldi have a special offer on an electric chainsaw next week. No idea if it's any good, but for £50, might be a reasonable taster and would leave funds for proper PPE.

 

[duncanh]

I have one of the Aldi electric chainsaws. Bought it earlier this year (or maybe the end of last year) for trimming bits of out of balance wood off blocks which were already mounted on the lathe (don't really want to use petrol in the shed!).
I've ended up using it quite a bit for cutting up blanks in the garden as it has a reasonable length bar and is powerful enough for most things I do. It struggles a bit when cutting along the length of a log (the chain jumps more than mt Stihl 180 in such cuts) but take it slowly and it's fine.

One concern is the narrowness of the threaded bar used for chain tensioning, but it does come with a 3 year warranty.

And the safety switch isn't quite close enough to on button, making it a little awkward to operate, although this could be by design to make it harder to start.

Overall, if it broke and wasn't in warranty I'd buy a replacement at that cost.