McCulloch has been around for longer than most. They used to build mostly large saws, 36" to 72" bars, 50-100cc engines, their focus was on the logging industry. Many of those engines can still be found on racing go-karts and mini-bikes. With the decline of that industry they shifted to prunning saws, 12" to 18". Still a very good saw, but hard to compete in some areas. Here on the west coast it's mostly orange/white and green with alittle sprinkle of red. I have 2 old McCulloch's, both 40+ years old and still running. I don't use them anymore because the're way to heavy for this old man to handle.
As to the problem your friend had, well, stuff happens. I've had that with all makes and models of equipment. That's why we have warranties.