My bigger saws are Husqvarna, but I have a little Echo 310 I use for bucking limbs and such. It's been a good little saw.

I have four chainsaws, A Poulan 20" Wild Thing, Sthil 14", Craftsman 18" corded electric, and Harbor Freight corded electric pole saw.

First thing you should probably know, you can buy about every part you can think of for a gas chainsaw on Amazon.  My Wild Thing though its been a fantastic little saw for home use, I have to put a repair kit in it pretty often, ever 2-3 years.  That's mostly replacing the fuel lines, plastic charging bulb, and filter.  That said its a beast and looking at kits it sure looks like a Poulan gas and Craftsman are the same animal.  My little Sthil is light easy to use and I haven't found about anything I can't cut with it.  Though odd how they start, it starts way easier than Wild Thing.  By far, the easiest and what I use the most is the corded electrics.  Though absolutely not a good choice for cutting a tree down, the chain just doesn't move as fast, they do fantastic for fallen limbs or annual tree trimming which for me is 90% of what I need a saw for.  They require almost no maintenance.  Its just ads some chain oil, plug in, and flip it on.  

In my opinion, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on blades and chains other than to know you will be changing those out eventually even if you sharpen regularly.  In this, the size of the motor is pretty important because you can always put a smaller blade on a bigger motor but maybe somewhat limited the other way around.  

How easy it starts is a big deal and in this brand is indeed important.  Sthil for the win.  Weight is too because the heavier a saw is the faster you poop out.  Now you know why I have four.  Its a good thing like all things to buy what works best for the majority of the jobs.  

Keeping in mind, I'm not a lumberjack, I'm a big fan of premixed fuels.  The mixtures are way more homogeneous it cuts way down on gummed lines and carbs which is way better for those of us with infrequent use.  Here too is where Sthil comes in for the win.  They are designed to back flow the carb and leave fuel in the tank longer.  

Last but not least is how well or how long these saws last depends a lot on you skill level which is a learned trait.  Handle them right, they last one very long time without replacing something.  Don't, and its put a new this or do that every day.  You watch the guys who use these things every day and man do they know what they are doing.  Like shooting a gun, they keep their skill level fine tuned.  Most of us however are somewhere between brand new to it and their level.  

Eventually you will need to put a repair kit/maintenance kit in all these saws but it is pretty simple stuff.  Just me, for home use, I think its kind of hard to really go wrong depending on which brand.  Just my experience, its not quite a buy it once and forget it thing like many suggest so it will come down to your application and valuing you initial cash outlay.  So far, I haven't regretted a one of mine.  I'm sort of fond of the Sthil because its my smallest, lightest, and starts so damn easy.  

Tj