Anyone go from gas to electric, then back to gas?

[mikester]

I switched to the stihl battery combi system so I could re-use my string trimmer, hedge trimmer and pole saw heads. I was surprised how well it did eliminating pull starts and keeping me from smelling like 2-stroke for days. I then bought the stihl battery chainsaw with 18" blade. I get about 45-60 minutes use on a charge.

I still bring both my electric and gas powered saw each time for work. The gas saw has a 22" blade better for the bigger trees and for the times when I manage to get the saw chain wedged. My goto is the electric saw because of the light weight and ease of use. I can easily cut down and de-limb two to three 12-18 inch diameter trees.

Battery life will vary based on outdoor temps, saw sharpness and type of tree. Typically 45 minutes, down to 30 minutes at below freezing and cutting dead and dry ash. The electric saw flies through live maple and soft woods.

The gas powered saw cuts faster with a faster blade speed. The trade off is twice the weight, 4x the vibration and noise, and quicker operator fatigue.

My only complaint about the electric stihl is one of my batteries tends to overheat during use and it stops running and needs to cool down.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Morning HayDude,
Yes, I am with you on staying with gas ! My oldest son tried to convince me to go with an electric weed trimmer, I tried his and was not impressed ! Good for very short duration work right around the house and then needs a charge !

I will stick with my Stihl chainsaws, Echo back pack blower, and Echo weed trimmer ! JMO !

 

[jgmo]

I recently purchased an electric weed eater and an electric chainsaw. Both are Greenworks 80 volt tools with interchangeable batteries.
I chose to go that route PRIMARILY because I seldom need either and dealing with today's crappy gas problems has me hacked off.

Secondarily, the prices for the electric tools have come down.

Things I like about the Greenworks 80 volt tools:
They are BEASTS! More power than I expected.

Easy to operate. No yanking, choking, priming, filling or oil changing. Just pull the trigger.
(Well, there is the chain lube and string replacement)

Things I don't like (so far):
They are a bit heavy. Largely due to the BIG battery.

The cost of the batteries is pretty stiff....1/4. the cost of the chainsaw WITH battery.

One thing I've learned about electrics is that, if you don't keep the batteries charged ALWAYS, you're going to be needing a new one soon.
So, if you go electric, keep them plugged in.

 

[laabk2]

Living on a farm I have both. Keep the Battery Saw on the tractor when out in the field bush hogging, plowing, planting to get rid of possible limbs and trees that have fallen, keep the blower handy to blow off equipment. I know that if I have to cut firewood for the winter, I might bring my battery saw for limb removal but as far as cutting, I have 5 gas saws to choose from. As others have said, know your limits and the limits of the equipment you are operating.

 

[Tetryegras]

I jumped in on the electric blower, chainsaw and weed wacker eagerly, thinking they would replace the Stihl gas pieces I previously run.
Fast forward to today and I am once again back to my Stihl gas blower, Stihl gas weed walkers and never really left my Stihl & makita gas chainsaws.
The electric tools are all 60V DeWalt. Nothing wrong with them. They all work fine, but after running both in a commercial business for 2+ years, I really only use the electric weed wacker periodically for light jobs I know will be done in under 15 minutes.

Not disappointed, just have found gas revs higher & keeps running when far away from the truck for hours on a full tank. Gas chainsaws are screamers and will cut circles around the electric. Electric only really good for quick 10 minute pruning jobs. Gas blower just keeps on running & running.

Anyone else try electric, go back to gas?

My brother won a give away at the Equip Expo in Kentucky. He ended up with 6 M18 trimmers! (He was only expecting 1!) So he gave some away. I got one for my birthday.
My experience has been similar to others here. The rpm's are slower than gas, even in turbo mode. Probably the biggest reason I bought a gas was the heat issue. I was knocking back a grassy hillside from 6" - 8" down to 1½". I apparently was working it too hard because one of the terminals got hot enough to melt the battery a bit around the connection. The battery still works fine, so does the trimmer but it kinda made me nervous to push it very hard! For reference, I was using the 8.0 battery that came with it. Also I expected the electronics to shut it down if it got that warm! Also, this was back at the end of April, so it wasn't like I was using it in 100° weather. That was when I went out and bought an Echo 3020. Haven't regretted it one bit!
Edit: As others have mentioned, weight is an issue. The Echo is much easier on me. It's a few pounds lighter. Also runtime was a real problem. It took 5 8.0 batteries to do what the Echo 3020 will do with one tank of gas

 

[Hermio]

I jumped in on the electric blower, chainsaw and weed wacker eagerly, thinking they would replace the Stihl gas pieces I previously run.
Fast forward to today and I am once again back to my Stihl gas blower, Stihl gas weed walkers and never really left my Stihl & makita gas chainsaws.
The electric tools are all 60V DeWalt. Nothing wrong with them. They all work fine, but after running both in a commercial business for 2+ years, I really only use the electric weed wacker periodically for light jobs I know will be done in under 15 minutes.

Not disappointed, just have found gas revs higher & keeps running when far away from the truck for hours on a full tank. Gas chainsaws are screamers and will cut circles around the electric. Electric only really good for quick 10 minute pruning jobs. Gas blower just keeps on running & running.

Anyone else try electric, go back to gas?

I actually have both an electric and a gas chainsaw. I am aware that the best electric saws can match the capability of some of the smaller chainsaws, but my gas chainsaw is a Stihl MS500i. I would say it cuts 6-10 times as fast as my Kobalt saw. But my Kobalt electric is handy for quick jobs where I only need to use it for 30 minutes or less. And I can start it any time; I do not need to empty out gasoline and run it dry for off-season storage, as I do with the gas saw. So, I think they both have their place. But if I had to choose 1, I would go with the gas.

 

[NoTrespassing]

This thread just reminded me, I left the battery for my drill on the charger in the shed. Will the battery be ruined or the shed burned to the ground with my mower in it when I get home?

I still use my Chinese 2 stroke monster clearing saw for a weed eater. I only have 2 battery tools, a drill and a small tiller.

 

[Tinhack]

This thread just reminded me, I left the battery for my drill on the charger in the shed. Will the battery be ruined or the shed burned to the ground with my mower in it when I get home?

Not if it's a DeWalt. Can't say for other brands. I've had mine on for three or four days at a time.

I switched to battery ever since I couldn't pull a 2-cycle cord with my arthritic hands. It hurt too much. I'd about cry if it popped back. It would take about a week to recover from that. Everything is electric now except the backpack blower. It's electric start though.

 

[Tetryegras]

I see some people reporting favorably about brands that specialize in outdoor power equipment. It reinforces a theory I have. That is, a company like Milwaukee, DeWalt, etc, that started out making drills doesn't do as good a job at making OPE (outdoor power equipment). It seems the companies that are doing a good job at it are using higher voltage (40+). To be fair, I don't have a lot of experience with many different brands. But if you look at what the companies that make a dedicated ope lineup are doing, it seems to say something. Unlike Milwaukee just throwing their battery on a trimmer and selling it to all the people on their platform. (Again, just my opinion) Don't get me wrong, I'm fully invested in Milwaukee in mechanic tools and a reasonable amount of carpentry tools. I just don't think they have it with ope yet

 

[Highflier450]

We have a large rural property and a B&B. I do not use equipment like a commercial operator would, but much more than the average homeowner. In my younger years I made my living with a chainsaw and have always hade a variety of saws and still do. The ethanol in gas has created a real problem in motors that sit for a time. Yes, you can drain things and keep fresh gas, but I’m quite a drive from the nearest gas station. I would agree that the 18-20V equipment is lacking in power and running time, however 80V is quite different. I have a weed wacker and an 18” chainsaw and 2 batteries. This past spring I had to cut down several trees, up to 20” at the butt. I dropped, limbed and cut everything into firewood with less delay changing a battery than filling with gas. My weeder can do all my trimming twice on a full battery. This is my third year I have not taken my gas equipment out. It all depends on your situation. I would not go full electric if I were commercial, but it works well for me.