Or, as we discovered in Consumer Reports recent tests of chain saws, you can buy a $60 kit that's compatible with most major-brand chain saws and lets you sharpen the saw yourself in seconds.

A pruning saw is a key tool for pruning your trees the right way yourself. This tool works well for trimming small branches that are greater than 1½ inches in diameter from a tree or larger shrub.

“What’s the problem?” The man asked. “My saw’s blunt and won’t cut the tree properly.” The man asked, “Why don’t you just sharpen it?” “Because then I would have to stop sawing,” said the lumberjack. ...