Welcome to the site.
As a general rule I would avoid Poulan (Homelite, McCulloch, Craftsman, etc.) outdoor power equipment at all costs. They are throwaway brands without any reasonable degree of dealer support for parts, service, etc. Consumers Reports does not really take into consideration the sorts of factors that truly make a difference - long-term reliability, ease of service, availability of dealers for parts and service. I appreciate what they have to say when it comes to the ability of a vacuum cleaner to suck crap out of my rugs, but they don't know a darned thing about most forms of outdoor power equipment.
When I was at about the same point in my life as you are in yours, I decided it was time to get a "real" saw. I had a little Homelite 200Classic and a Ford EagleII, but these saws were small saws for trimming, only. I did a bit of research, taking into consideration which brands were most readily available in the places that I would be running a saw, and settled on Stihl being the best brand to go with.
My next question was budget - I knew that I wanted a saw capable of running a 20" bar and knew that I couldn't justify $500+ for a saw that I'd only be using on occasion. I settled on an MS290, and I remember that I paid $373 for the saw, a couple extra loops of chain, a case, a gallon of bar mix, some 2-stroke oil, and sales tax. For a guy at my point in life, this was the perfect setup. I had a saw that was as reliable as gravity, powerful enough to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time, and easy to maintain. I ran it for a number of years before I finally got other saws and sold the MS290 to my father-in-law.
Figure on spending $400 for a good all-around saw, an extra chain or two, and some protective gear (don't skip the protective gear!!). If you are willing or able to find a good used saw, that would be by far your best bet - you can get a much better saw for the same price as a mediocre new one. Something in the 50cc class is a good place to start. Husqvarna 350 and 353 are good choices, as are Stihl MS250, MS270/280 and MS290, if you're looking at new machines. If you are looking for a lightly used machine or a rebuilt machine, Stihl 026/260, 028, 029/290, 034/036/360 are worth looking at, as are Husqvarna 51 and 55, to name just a few of the good choices out there.
My current 026Pro, a $200 used saw that has been a flawless performer: