RETAILERS SAY TO CHOOSE, USE CHAIN SAWS WITH UTMOST CARE.

Byline: Deb Acord Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph

To power-tool fans, the chain saw is nearly perfect: It's powerful and noisy. It requires skill and strength. It's able to fell tall trees in a matter of minutes.

If - and this is a big if - it's the right chain saw and it's used properly.

A chain saw is a simple tool - basically a bar with a sharp saw-tooth chain pulled along its edge by an engine.

But it can also be deadly if used improperly.

"You can imagine how easily it can cut through flesh and bone," said Bill Baughman, owner of Baughman's Outdoor Power Equipment in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"We see a lot of people who are inexperienced trying to operate chain saws," said Baughman, who has sold chain saws for 15 years. "Mostly they just end up with performance problems, and occasionally have an accident."

Part of the inherent danger of a chain saw is that it is used outside, where conditions are unpredictable.

"People are walking through rough country, or they are trying to cut in areas where the terrain is uneven," said Baughman.

Sand, dirt and rock can damage chain saws, as well as chain-saw operators. And chain saws don't operate well if they are the wrong size or the wrong tool for the intended job. Chain saws are job-specific, only suited to cutting firewood, trimming and felling trees, and some construction demolition work, but they can reduce a tedious, strenuous job to a matter of minutes.

So how does a chain-saw novice choose the perfect tool?

First, consumers must choose between electric and gas-powered chain saws. Electric models are the cheapest, starting around $100, but Baughman said, "they are also lower in power, and most are suited only to very light around-the-home trimming."

For those who want to cut firewood or cut down trees, gas-powered saws are required, and buyers have to choose from a variety of sizes and prices, from about $200 to $600.

Different models are described in a variety of ways, but all chain-saw buyers will be faced with a choice of bar and chain length and engine size (usually listed in cubic inches or horsepower).

"The most important thing is not the bar and chain length - that would be like buying a car for its tire size - but its cubic-inch displacement," Baughman said. "That's the amount of power it gets you."

Jerry Mascorro, service manager at Baughman's, advises buyers to buy the saw that is fit for their intended job.

"The smallest saws have the smallest engines, are the lightest, and are only for the lightest trimming jobs," he said.

For firewood cutting and heavier trimming jobs, Baughman suggests buyers choose a chain saw that is more than 3 cubic inches, with a chain length of 16 to 20 inches.