What is the best battery operated chain saw

[joecoin]

Thanks John, for providing this information about weights and recommendations. I will continue to check things out. The debate I guess is about whether it is worth it to spend the money to save the additional work of lugging my Rancher 455 up and down some tricky terrain when that is not a frequent task (although I am sure I would find other uses for a lighter saw). I imagine this fence walking/clean up work would be about a once a year trek - or maybe twice a year - two trips to different parts of the fencing.

I should add, most of the time what I find would be trees of 4-10", or smaller branches, or 1-2 inch brush (and that not often as once I take it out once it does not come back for awhile). There have been larger trees that have fallen, but I could likely manage with a 12' saw for the few times that would be an issue. And because some of what I have been cleaning up was there because the fence line had been neglected for a while I am guessing there will be less and less of a need for doing this.

Again - thanks for the input.

I have a cordless pole saw, was going to buy the chain saw that used the same battery but they were unavailable for awhile. I'll be buying that soon.

Here's a thought , you can get a backpack and put the saw in it. That way, you have both hands free when going up and down the hills and the weight would be distributed across your shoulders so your arms would not be fatigued.

You could do the same for a gas saw, but that could ruin the backpack rather quickly.

 

[dfkrug]

I need a longer pro pole saw. The Lynxx is only 8'10".

If your Lynxx is like my Greenworks 40V polesaw, you might try ordering another pole section from HF parts. If you can get thru on the telephone line. In the past, I have bought parts from them, and they were very reasonable.

My Greenworks saw continues to work well, tho I have had to do the same repair to the oil tank, and I had to shave the battery down a bit so it went into the unit and its charger easier. This one is the same as the Poulan Pro 40V polesaw, prob built in the same factory as your Lynxx. Overall, this is a good product.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I have the Makita 36v 12" saw, which is light and works well with two 5ah batteries. I didn't compare with others because I have Makita cordless tools already. Including a Makita 18v reciprocating saw with pruning blade. Between the two I haven't picked up the gas saw in a long time. For trimming and removing fallen trees and branches it is all I need.

 

[John_Mc]

... I might not need a gas saw for most of my cutting if a spare battery could be charged quickly enough. It would be sweet to have a small inverter that could supply the charger from the pickup or tractor.

Actually, Milwaukee sells a version of their M18 charger which can be plugged into either a 110 outlet or a cigarette lighter. You don't see it advertised much, but they are around. I bought it several years ago when I was working with a solar installer. I needed a way to recharge batteries (which were not as high-capacity as those available today) when we were out in the field, working where no 100 VAC was available. It worked well, and did fully charge the battery. It is not as fast as their "RapidCharger", I'm guessing it's similar charging speed to their regular charger. I'm not sure if I would want to wait long enough to charge one of their 12 AH batteries that had been drained.

 

[art]

Stihl has a complete line and we have never seen them back for service or any type of issue. They are not the lowest price but they do seem as good as their gas powered tools!

 

[dragoneggs]

Stihl has a complete line and we have never seen them back for service or any type of issue. They are not the lowest price but they do seem as good as their gas powered tools!

This is the direction I am headed. Cost is definitely steep. To dive in with a couple batteries. Neighbor sure loves his battery Stihl chainsaw. Jealous.

 

[Mike Madison]

I used to use Stihl saws but switched to Echo, which I much prefer. I have five Echo gas chainsaws. Echo also makes a 58volt battery saw. I don't have one, but it would be worth checking out.

 

[Yamforlife]

I used to use Stihl saws but switched to Echo, which I much prefer. I have five Echo gas chainsaws. Echo also makes a 58volt battery saw. I don't have one, but it would be worth checking out.

got one! works awesome - only complaint its heavy. chew threw anything.

 

[Firehawkmph]

I bought an Ego 16" chainsaw this past fall. Main reason is my son works nights at a hospital and sleeps during the day. I have a Stihl .029 super that works great, but I can't use it most of the time earlier in the day. The Ego works very well. Rips through 8-12" trees just as fast. I'm cleaning up a lot of fallen trees in my woods now. I can go back and cut stuff up for a couple hours without the battery showing any signs of slowing down. It has a 56 volt battery. It's not for somebody who's cutting trees all day for firewood or for work. But for the occasional user, no mixing gas, no hard starting, no pulling cords at all. I also got the blower that uses the same battery. For general cleanup it works great, moves more air than my handheld Stihl. When the leaves drop in the fall, I have a big Stihl back pack that I use for that.
Mike Hawkins

 

[dragoneggs]

got one! works awesome - only complaint its heavy. chew threw anything.

Trying to decide... What model and battery do you have? Do you use two batteries?

 

[Yamforlife]

Trying to decide... What model and battery do you have? Do you use two batteries?

58 volt. only purchased one battery. I got it for my wife on our 1km driveway...she can never get the gas chainsaws going . I have used it to cut a bunch of trees...big ones. It cuts awesome...I was truly impressed. I cut allot of wood as we heat with wood.....-36C with the windchill today in Parry Sound.

 

[dragoneggs]

58 volt. only purchased one battery. I got it for my wife on our 1km driveway...she can never get the gas chainsaws going . I have used it to cut a bunch of trees...big ones. It cuts awesome...I was truly impressed. I cut allot of wood as we heat with wood.....-36C with the windchill today in Parry Sound.

Not sure which one you have... a little confused. You say 58volt but my understanding is there are three battery classes AI, AK, and AP and two sizes in each. But all are 36volt.

 

[Yamforlife]

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...UKEwiokvXCgP_fAhXj4IMKHeGmDqwQ9aACCNIB&adurl=


this is the one we have

 

[ernemats]

I have been looking at the cordless chainsaws 35 volts or more and I will probably go with the Ryobi because I already have the 40 volt string trimmer and battery. I like the Echo, Ego and Husqvarna also but I have no other battery tools for any of them. All seem to have fairly good reviews. I will probably get rid of several of my gas chainsaws and just keep a larger one for firewood.

 

[houska]

Another vote for the Kobalt (or the Greenworks) 80V.
I tried it and I think the Stihl battery-powered is a better chainsaw. But I bought the Kobalt so I could get the 18" trimmer, and therefore also brushcutter and pole saw attachments, for the same battery ecosystem. Unfortunately that couldn't be done for the Stihl, Echo, or Oregon (I can't remember about the eGo).

I like the fact I can put the Kobalt in the back and forget about it, and when I need to clear something over the road or path it's there, ready to go at the push of a button. For my use case, that's more important than whether it's the best, highest-use-cycle, or longest-lifespan chainsaw out there. Probably if it were the other way around, I would have picked something else, but so far I'm happy.

[First post on TBN]

 

[dragoneggs]

Not sure which one you have... a little confused. You say 58volt but my understanding is there are three battery classes AI, AK, and AP and two sizes in each. But all are 36volt.

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...UKEwiokvXCgP_fAhXj4IMKHeGmDqwQ9aACCNIB&adurl=


this is the one we have

Oops... my apologies. I misread and thought you had Still not Echo.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Another vote for the Kobalt (or the Greenworks) 80V.
I tried it and I think the Stihl battery-powered is a better chainsaw. But I bought the Kobalt so I could get the 18" trimmer, and therefore also brushcutter and pole saw attachments, for the same battery ecosystem. Unfortunately that couldn't be done for the Stihl, Echo, or Oregon (I can't remember about the eGo).

I like the fact I can put the Kobalt in the back and forget about it, and when I need to clear something over the road or path it's there, ready to go at the push of a button. For my use case, that's more important than whether it's the best, highest-use-cycle, or longest-lifespan chainsaw out there. Probably if it were the other way around, I would have picked something else, but so far I'm happy.

[First post on TBN]

That was my thoughts on the 40v HF line.

Last summer I did see the Kobalt line trimmer and lawnmower in the back of a PU at McDonald's. I am sure the mower would be the right size for small areas without the headache of gas mowers.

 

[KennyG]

How much difference does the battery voltage make? I've got a 20 volt DeWalt system and several large capacity batteries, so I'm considering their 20 volt 12" chainsaw.

 

[houska]

How much difference does the battery voltage make? I've got a 20 volt DeWalt system and several large capacity batteries, so I'm considering their 20 volt 12" chainsaw.

In general, higher voltage means more torque in a motor, and therefore more oomph to do stuff.
So my 14" Ryobi 18V cordless chainsaw will trim a branch or two, but a 80V saw will handle it a lot quicker, and will also power through a log up to what's reasonable for its 18" bar, where my 18V Ryobi would get hopelessly bogged down, or take for ever in comparison.
Oversimplifying, I think your battery Wh (=Ah x voltage) will determine the total amount of cutting (aggregate area in sq in) you can get done on a single charge, while the voltage will determine the ambitiousness of what you can tackle, and how long it will take you to cut it.

Of course, it depends on more than just voltage, and I'm sure a modern DeWalt 20V will beat my crappy old Ryobi 18V by quite a bit. However, it's only been with 40V and higher voltages that people who use gas chainsaws regularly have started saying, "hey, this behaves like a real chainsaw, not a toy". And the 56-80V offerings generally get better reviews than the 36-40V ones.

From what I've understood (reading) and been told (by pros and would-be pros), for full coverage you now do best to invest in 2 ecosystems. 18-20V for hand power tools, and ~60V+ for outdoor power equipment (chainsaws, mowers, etc.) I'm not too familiar with DeWalt (around here it's pretty price premium in general, and very much so, if available at all, for outdoor power equipment like chainsaws and trimmers), but if you're with them I would explore if you can go for their new 60V/20V Flexvolt line. You'd probably get a lot more saw with their 60V brushless, and -- hopefully, please check! -- the batteries would be backwards compatible with your 20V system though I doubt your old batteries would work in the saw. But if a 12" bar to trim the occasional branch or cut off a 4x4 post is all you need, then yes it will be overkill.

 

[beowulf]

Another vote for the Kobalt (or the Greenworks) 80V.[First post on TBN]

Have the Kobalt battery powered units improved? About 3 years ago I bought a Kobalt battery powered leaf blower (an anniversary present for my wife...just kidding) and it did not work well at all. The battery pooped out and would not power the unit - I was very unhappy with it. I decided that was the last Kobalt battery powered tool I would ever buy. But if things have changed I am willing to take another look at Kobalt.