I need one for cutting fire wood and tree trimming – at my age will never wear it out - have a Stihl gas model for any heavier work but it is not very easy to use these days.

I have reviewed the battery-powered DeWalt, Ryobi, Makita, and EGO so far and open to others – any of those should fill the bill but main issues have to do with WEIGHT and DEPENDABILITY.

Aiming for an 18 inch 40 volt model (56 volt in the EGO) but cannot determine the weight of the various saws with battery installed. Anyone know weights?

Need to know about dependability and user friendliness (recharge time and ease of handling) with the various models.

All experienced replies will be appreciated.

Used Dewalt and it’s good. I’m getting a Ryobi 40V to go with my other equipment. It’s all been good and you can’t beat the warranty.

I have a DeWalt 20Volt, which is not as good as a 60Volt, but the 20 Volt will last longer than me on one charge.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GLI0VRM


If your time is worth $1000/ hour [Live in Seattle and are a level 5 engineer at Google] then the $15 chains are cheaper than your time to re sharpen them. But if you live in Montana and your time is worth $15/hour [retired machinist], then re sharpen:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D230BNM

https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-...-brushless-chainsaw-tool-only-56937.html

I have this from Harbor frieght. Have 6 months of hard use on it. Pleased so far. Light around 10 lbs. You can find them on sale a few times a year. HF has a very good warranty now.

A buddy of mine bought the 14” Kobalt 40v brushless from Lowe’s. I cut with it for a couple minutes and thought it worked well for a $200 saw. For $300 they have the 18” 80v model. Might be what you’re looking for. 5yr saw/3yr battery warranty.

Can’t really comment on the weight other than it was reasonably balanced. Seemed a bit heavier than my MS241 Stihl.

A thread about battery chainsaws....finally!

I know this doesn't fulfill your battery requirement; but, it is cordless. If you try it, let us all know how it works. (Sorry guys. I couldn't resist.)

I love my Echo battery saw. It is the one I grab first for jobs lasting up to 30 minutes. The only negative is the weight. With the battery installed they weigh more than a comparable 18inch bar model. If weight is important stick with a 2 stroke model.

I have used the electric, but the dependence on a battery is planned failure. All the batteries come from China....look before you leap. Gas chain saws have been around forever with a very long shelf life. The Pre mixed gas is good for two years in the saw, 5 years in the can and this ends all issues with gas chain saw starting up.

If you go electric, I urge you to consider a 40V a minimum, but a quality saw and the extra dollars will pay off in many less problems, Oiler quality, blade adjustment ease. As the battery gets weak on the electrics I have used, this causes an undue strain on the saw, keep a sharp blade and an extra battery handy.

Best wishes!.

Paul, I bought a Ryobi from Home Depot, that is 40 voltz. My wife can handle it, and it is no problem to start.... so that was my reason for the purchase...
I did pick up the extra warranty....it was about $300.

after that I bought a Ryobi gas chain saw for $154.00 for those kind of jobs, where the electric one runs out of juice fast.

what motivated was seeing Mark Lee's, that he had on his truck, last time down at your place last March, at our get together...
I figured if it was good enough for Mark and what his uses are.... it'll last me on my 1 acre "Spread"....

I've read about the Heavy Duty Model 2.... they run that with a set of pedals off a bicycle....more power but less maneuverable....

I love my Milwaukee 18V.
Uses same batteries as impacts, drills, grinder, etc etc.

I have joined the DeWalt 20 Volt cult.
I have the money to covert to the Milwaukee religion, but not the will.

So I will continue to be second rate:(

This has been discussed here a few times and those threads had links to video comparisons of a variety of saws. In earlier tests, DeWalt was the top performer. In later tests after Echo introduced their saw, the Echo edged out the DeWalt.

Based on that, I bought the Echo which is a 16" 58v saw. It takes standard Oregon bars and chains so an 18" bar is easy to do. I bought a 14" bar for mine thinking the 16" might be too long for my SxS. I use a gas Husky for firewood and the Echo goes on the SxS and camping for lighter use. I've been quite impressed with the Echo...

I have the Milwaukee, it works splendid and I use the same batteries in it that I use for all my other cordless tools.

Milwaukee does it with 18v while everyone else uses more voltage.

The power for motors does not come from voltage it comes from the amount of amperage that you can supply to the motor, as the voltage goes up it becomes easier to supply that amperage.

I do not know this myself but I have been told by someone who owns both is that the Dewalt chainsaw has a higher rpm but the Milwaukee has more torque.

Good luck.

I bought a Makita a couple years ago. I think it's two 18 volt batteries. I have several other cordless makita tools (circular saw, drill, trimmer) and have had good luck with them. I've had no problems with the saw and really like carrying it in the truck for things like cutting down tress across logging roads and occasionally cutting of small amounts of firewood. For small jobs it works well and avoids the hassle of gas, oil, etc. I have to remember to charge the batteries about once a month or so, but I've never had the batteries go dead on me if they start out fully-charged and I had a big tree that took about 30 minutes to cut up this spring. Seems lighter than my Husqvarna (225? rancher?) but that could just be the balance. Oh the other hand I still carry my gas-powered Husqvarna for larger jobs and in case my batteries have gone dead.

Are you running your dewalt with the 20v batteries from your drills, etc? Or did you spring for the 5a battery....

I have a Stihl battery chainsaw with a 16 inch bar. It works great!

Define big, dead tree

12” diameter
16” diameter
soft pine crap or some type hardwood?

Bunch of limbs or all rotted off.

Appreciate the feedback on this, in the process of making my decision betwen the makita and echo

Milwaukee made in China by PRC.

We use em at work and they are good but not for me.

Easy pass.

🔥 away.

This one:

https://www.amazon.com/Echo-CCS-58V...&hvtargid=pla-412379161887&psc=1

The ones I have been around are okay but you won't cut nearly as fast as a gas powered saw.

Handy for quick jobs. We used one to cut form lumber, 2x4 or 2x6. It works but definitely not a gas saw.

I can see one being handy for clearing shooting lanes, trimming trees where you're putting a tree stand etc.

Yes quieter than a gas saw but smaller gas Stihl saws can't be any more expensive and could be cheaper by the time you buy extra batteries to run on while the first set charges.

Most cordless chainsaws along with the Echo 58V come with a .043 chain and bar, but Tractor Supply has a .050 bar that bolts right up and makes it a much better saw. My advice, when your original chain is done, replace the bar and chain with this.

$33 and it even includes a new chain.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ain-combo-bm1501656-1041tsc?cm_vc=-10005

'I have both the Makita 36 and the Echo 58V. The Makita is very light and handy but it doesn't have near as much torque as the Echo 58V.

I like both for different reasons. But for serious cutting the Echo is a lot more saw.

I've taken down several fairly significant trees with the Echo 58V. Keep a sharp chain on the Echo and it'll throw some chips.

I already have Husqvarna 40V batteries, chargers and battery powered tools. So looking at their 40V chainsaw. They show different models with claims for each, but interested in the 14" just for stuff around the house.

Probably about a 16-18" hard maple with branches and leaves. No problem cutting any of it - just a lot of branches with either end lying in brush and a cautious guy holding the chain saw.

We recently bought a DeWalt 20V Max (12” bar). We lost a fairly large (about 18 to 20” base) Russian Olive tree. I cut it into manageable pieces and hauled it off. The little saw did better than I thought that it would! I only had to charge the battery twice for the job! Pretty pleased so far! memtb

I converted from Dewalt to Milwaukee about 6 yrs back..tired of the damn batteries not holding up.
Bought myself the cordless chainsaw about 18 months ago, and an 9ah battery..
Fugging thing will work you ass off...no stopping for gas and a beer. Felled, limbed, bucked and blocked a pin oak appx 16"- 17" dia. butt on the one battery...still going when finished by noticeably weaker...(so was my old fat ass)..
Since, I've learned ed to just stick a 4 or 5 ah in it, unless I have one of my sons or employee operating it.
If you have Milwaukee cordless tools already, it's a good addition..

Thanks for the comeback on that.

Really appreciate that feedback and ++ on the .050 gauge bar at TS

Look at the reviews at Project Farm on youtube.

The guys does good quality, logical, reviews of a wide variety of things.

Bristo did you purchase from an Amazon retailer? Or a big box, farm store, etc?


I seen Amazon people whining that they got some refurbished batteries and an already used saw on a couple-three reviews. When they got their Echo saws.

Paul, I was hesitant, but bought a Dewalt 20VMax pole saw.

(I have other Dewalt tools, so I had plenty of batteries for it.)

It's a cutting little devil. I can cut more than I want to haul off in just a little while.

The wife wanted a battery powered chainsaw, so we got her a Stihl with a 12” bar. It does a fine job on the small stuff, and I use it a good bit and have learned that it needs to have a sharp chain, in the interest of battery life. But the other day I needed to cut up a downed white Oak for firewood, and I grabbed the Stihl MS250. I had forgotten just what the 250 and a sharp chain can do. Much better than the battery saw. Maybe a bigger battery powered saw would do better.

Prior to getting the MS250, I had a Stihl MS180c with a 14” bar. I’d still have it if I had not accidentally smushed it with my tractor. Great little saw and easy to pull start. When I replaced it, I decided I wanted a bit more power, so got the MS250. But, on small chainsaws, I’d rather have the MS180c than the battery saw, now that I’ve had both.

I've had one go cordless a few times.
Usually not hard to fix, but can be.

Quit pulling it out to the stop.
Pull it out a little before you shut the saw down.
You will have less trouble with the whole starting mechanism.

😉😉😉

Stihl MSA220C by a mile... used it over 2 years so far and it is the bomb!

I bought the Echo off of my brother. So I don't know what the amazon deal is.

Paul,

I bought a 14" 40 V Ryobi last summer for the place in Idaho, so summer use only. I cleared a dense piece of the property loaded with 4" and under trees. It performed well and was ideal for what I was doing as I'd drop a few trees, haul them to the truck and go again. Electric on/off rules to gas in my experience for this application. We'll see how it goes next summer. I have an 18" Husky when needed.

Thanks for these many comments on various cordless saws and components - very educative. The Stihl gas Pro model has been great for all of those years up in the high forest and it will remain, but we are now in high desert so the material is smaller - mostly mesquite for firewood and keeping things trimmed (not much of the latter). The bigger issue is my beat up carcass - thus the focus on saw weight and dependability. I very much appreciate your contributions here.

A nice thing about a battery powered chainsaw is that you can carry one in your wife's SUV without having to deal with the smell of gasoline. I look at battery powered chainsaws as something you use for small jobs or cutting trees that have fallen across a forest road or trail, but not for more demanding work like cutting firewood or felling trees larger than 10" in diameter.

I want the upcale model- runs on gerbils. Just peanuts in running cost...