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Anything but a Poulan, notorious for being hard to start.. Stihl are the best I've used. Always get a bar a bit longer than you'll think you need and a saw more heavy duty than you think. Those $99 chainsaws won't last long and are more headaches that their savings.
Stihl pro are really really good AND have parts available.
Husky comes in second. I have a Husky rancher and overall I like it.
Echo is OK
Poulan is a lot better than they used to be.
If you are only doing work around a yard, consider getting two electric chain saws. One, a Muculloch with about 2 HP (much more and the motor gets hot quick, even with gloves). The second is a little (Remington?) chain-saw on a stick for limbing and finishing cut in dangerous spots. It allows you to be away from the kick-back or twist that a tree or branch under stress can have.
Even with the Husky, sometimes I stick a portable generator in a wheelbarrow and use the little electric saw when working brush. It is much lighter, I don't have to be yanking start cords, and I can go for longer stretches.
Get proper protective gear, or at least go for gloves and pants AND long johns to slow a blade. Always carry a cellphone or walkie talkie.
I own a Stihl. It has been great. Because of my experience with the Stihl chainsaw, I bought a Stihl leafblower and it has also been great. Both start easily as long as you follow directions and don't flood the engine. Their distributors will tell you to use only 89 octane gas with no ethanol.
You can frequently buy a good Stihl or Husky at a pawn shop for about what you would pay for a hobby type saw new. I grabbed a Husky 272 for $250, easy to get parts for, modular construction so any in-field breakdown is easily taken care of - for example on the Husky you can buy a spare starter pull, it goes on the saw with 4 screws, so if you have the spare, given a broken starter rope, you can be back up in minutes. Hobby saws you will need a full tool kit and a place to work where you can keep all the fiddly little parts straight to fix.
Like *certain* old cars, old Stihl and Husky saws have a following, lot of people still use them, so outfits like Bailey's have all the common parts in their catalog. Older Poulan, etc. - I can find parts but not as easily.
Around here if you look you can find Conoco 91 octane no-ethanol gas, failing that you are probably better off buying those little cans of gas/oil mix.
If you know what you are doing with the saw, a professional type (not anti-kickback) chain does offer higher cutting performance. A pro-type chain on a small saw will improve cutting remarkably, but handle it properly so you don't get hurt.
I have been using a Mcculough Eager Beaver to cut about a cord a year that I got in 1987 yes 1987. I looked ot get it tuned up last year and the guy told me it wasn't worth it since it was a $150 saw back in the day and parts who knows since they don't make them anymore. Though it is still running I ended up biting the inevitable and bought a Husky 550 I think it is. I have only used it once so far but it is amazing and in this case you really do get what you pay for. I hope it gives me 26 years and if it does have problems it is good enough to rebuild and not toss.
I would suggest paying a bit more and getting a good saw and taking care of it which will give you years of good cutting.
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