Battery powered chainsaws


 
Timothy F. Lewis

Timothy F. Lewis

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Well, this is about as “Just conversation” as I can get.
I don’t need a massive chainsaw but, I do find I find one might be very handy from time to time, I have some nasty mulberry saplings which need to be dispatched and small trimming projects which I need to address from time to time. Do any of you folks have any experience with any of the various battery pack style saws? DeWalt, Stihl, Craftsman, etc? Like I say, I don’t need anything very massive 12-14” more than enough for pretty much everything I have to deal with at home.
Now, that said, would I be better (have better flexibility with a sawzall type reciprocating saw? I’m not married to “cordless“ either.
I just want to shed some of this annoying sapling nuisance and break down a RR tie. Any opinions?
 
I don't have one, but I want one. I have DeWalt tools and batteries. I have the reciprocating saw and I suppose it meets my needs, but a battery chainsaw would be so much better.

Say goodbye to fuel stabilizer. Say goodbye to mixing gas/oil. Saw goodbye to warming up. Say goodbye to gummed up carbs. Say goodbye air filters. Say goodbye to your spark plug and wrench. Say goodbye to noise and vibration (mostly). Say goodbye to recoil starters. Say goodbye to full choke and half choke. Say goodbye to hard starting. Say goodbye to smell.

Battery saws also have full torque even at low RPMs. They will eat right through many kinds of protective gear.

I think any of these saws would be a game changer for the occasional user.
 
Lynn, that link had a lot of good intel. Especially for someone looking to start from scratch. Or for some one with specific usage requirements.

Scott nailed all of the pros on battery power. Most of my outdoor equipment is battery powered. My stuff is all Milwaukee in large part due to the fact that my work tools are Milwaukee and can use the same batteries. That 12.0 AH battery is a beast. I keep trying to justify pulling the trigger on the Milwaukee chain saw.

Timothy re the flexibility of the sawzall style, that is definitely a plus. I have the M12 and M18 versions of their “Hackzall” line. They are awesome and very versatile. They are the pistol grip style so they are better in tight spaces. The various blade types and lengths really give you a lot of options. I have definitely gotten my money worth from those saws. The M12 might make you take an extra beer break to get through the RR Tie but the M18 with a decent AH battery shouldn’t have a problem.
 
For day to day use the M12 is hard to beat. The blade selection alone might make the Hackzall your better option based on your needs.
 
Somebody should invent this for you - A 12" electric chainsaw with a plug for auxiliary control and a special pole so you can easily convert it back and forth between a chainsaw and a pole saw.
 
If you go the saw zall route buy pruning blades.
6" , 9" or 12".
I took down a storm damaged tree in my front yard with my Dewalt cordless sawzall with 9 " and 12" pruning blades.
 
I have the Milwaukee M18 chainsaw and their M18 pole saw pruner. I bought the chainsaw more than a couple of years ago now from Home Depot for $399. I made the purchase as much for the 2 big 12.0 battery packs that were included which run about $300 each on their own as the rest of my tools are Milwaukee as well. The pole saw came as part of a twin pack combo with a string trimmer and I can’t recall what I paid. Both perform flawlessly and the batteries outlast my own personal reserve of energy. On the down side, both leak bar oil while in storage which seems to be a known problem with them. Milwaukee now has a shorter single hand pruner saw that is getting rave reviews but I can’t see where it would be a fit for me when I already have the other 2. I do like not having to worry about having to mix fuel and/or a saw not starting for projects around the house and now only use my trusty Husqvarna for putting in a bulk load of wood for hunting camp each season.
 
I became a huge fan of battery powered yard equipment several years ago when I purchased an Echo string trimmer model CDST-58V. It worked so well on our 4 acre property that I later bought the CHT-58V hedge trimmer and then the CCS-58V chainsaw. I've only used the chainsaw once but we use the string and hedge trimmers annually and love everything about them (though they aren't cheap).
 
The little $40 Harbor Freight 14" corded electric saw, will do everything I need here at the house. It would probably even take care of the railroad tie. I've cut through some pretty big logs with it, at least 10" diameter.

I was wanting a chain saw for harvesting wood from around the area. Having a mobile chainsaw was the only thing keeping me from collecting a backyard full of pecan and oak when we had an ice storm last winter. I really regret not taking advantage of that situation.

But the battery powered electrics are still a bit out of my price range, except maybe that 16" Ryobi.
 
To add to Lynn's last comment, any chainsaw's bar length should be matched to its "motor" such that you can cut along the full length of the bar easily. Roughly double that number to get the full diameter you can cut by going from both sides.
 
Thanks for that Larry, my dear wife reminded me that there are branches in the trees in the side yard and front that are asking for a little help too, the pole unit might prove more versatile in the long run!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Thanks for that Larry, my dear wife reminded me that there are branches in the trees in the side yard and front that are asking for a little help too, the pole unit might prove more versatile in the long run!
Click to expand...
Yeah after I hurt myself trying to trim one of our trees last year wife said maybe I should get one of the powered pole saws. Now come on. What better excuse to buy ANOTHER tool? :D
 
Just sent you a PM but, really this is a fair public question. What is battery life like?
And which battery pack?
 
Last edited:
I have an old Ryobi (Blue one) that was made for NiCad batteries and use it with my 18V Li batteries and it works really well for light use around the house.
1648390623471.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top