Good Experiment Snuffyinati! That makes it worth the time.

Switching to a non self sharpening chain made a world of difference in quality cutting with a 12 Electric McCulloch. I did remove that stone for in the attachment that had chiseling type teeth vs barracuda (that dig in vs chiseling).

Porting the barâÂÂs oil port (approx a 32nd) made a world of difference in quality of oiling the bar and chain. I feel the porting cleaned the port that was partially blocked. Since porting by manually twisting a drill into the port I have had a clean flow at last 2 yrs. I checked the depth to not over drill with wire. Plus I back-flush the port and pump with naphtha.

The porting insures cleaning and more output. At some point IMO porting will possibly have an affect on the designed flow other than louder noise. With my Ringing Ears I will use Muffs and Plugs If I feel I am hearing too much.

Yep, it is quite a bit louder than it was before, so hearing protection is a must....it has a quite unpleasant sound, but has a nice gurgle when idling. I may check out the oiling on this one, as it does seem to turn quite a bit more rpms than it did before. All in all, I am pleased with how it turned out, made quite a difference in a 100 dollar saw!

I have found that sharpening the barracuda chainâÂÂs angles are as critical as the number of teeth in the cutting production of saws. Such as:

1. The wrong angles per manufactureâÂÂs suggestions can allow the saw to try and cut too much for its power. I never put dremel type sharpener away w/o testing the chain. The angle guides and practice are handy in getting a good straight productive cut.

2. I feel the number of teeth are designed for fine pruning or course cutting firewood or clearing.

3. The Shark looks like the 3 Polan Saws given to a friend from a yard. It was like they left them where they stopped and purchased another. They all looked New. WhatâÂÂs the deal? Can they be that Low End Quality?? Or! A Non DIY knew they were not worth the repair cost??

They are pretty bad as far as how they are tuned from the factory, and the muffler is very restrictive, and are way low on power. BUT....if you take a little time with them, open up the muffler, adjust the carburetor so it isn't running so lean, it makes a HUGE difference. I am running a different chain than factory, too, and that also made a big difference. The chain they come with just wont dig in and cut, and it seems to be very soft metal. I got an Oregon chain with no nanny links, full chisel, and the saw seems to handle it quite well. The saw also seems to run a bit cooler than it did before the mods, too....I have a couple acres of second growth pine/sweetgum woods to clear off, so we will see how it holds up as far as durability. So far, for it to be as cheap a saw as it is, with modifications I wouldn't hesitate to by another one.