Strangely enough Norm I concur with your hatred of bar blades, however, I have one exception to the rule.
I curb picked a Husqvarna 4 stroke with a bar blade also an almost new catcher to go with it,
A new spark plug, fresh fuel and 3 pulls and away it went and is still going strong. I use it ONLY for manicuring the granny flat lawn which is like a bowling green almost and it does a superb job.
Edge sharpen and balance the blade myself to ensure a beautiful cut each time. Never running over anything that will cause a bent crankshaft either.