Battery powered chainsaw recommendations? (2017)

[California]

My personal opinion is battery powered units are best used around the property...trimming, dropping smaller trees and branches . I don't think they're really designed for heavy duty field work

I agree for heavier work. But I found the charger for my Ryobi 18 volt Li-Ions runs fine from a portable inverter fed from the tractor's charging system. If I started the day with several charged batteries plus using this charger as soon as the first battery is exhausted, I could get a substantial amount of work done. A charger designed to run from a tradesman truck 12 volt system would be even better for this application. With multiple batteries and maybe multiple chargers, I think a day's light chainsaw work - clearing storm damage for example, not a day preparing firewood - should be possible. Battery tools have come a long way recently.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have not tried the Stihl charger on inverter power from the truck...

I have had issue with DeWalt and Makita not charging well on my 30 year old inverter... it is not sine wave power and one simply would not work and the other was very loud...

Two days making Fresh Cuts on $25,000 worth of trees sold with one battery charged at the end of the day...

 

[Oldpath05]

Well that was short lived, anyone know why this 80 volt Kobalt chain saw went belly up so soon>>> Shop Kobalt 8-volt Max Lithium Ion 18-in Brushless Cordless Electric Chainsaw at Lowes.com <<<<So what is it now when this battery takes it's last charge? and I wanted to do some midnight chainsaw work to.

Here's an old fashion Mainer doing a short review on the used to be new 80v Kobalt saw>>> Review of 8V Kobalt Chainsaw - YouTube

 

[RoyJackson]

Well that was short lived, anyone know why this 80 volt Kobalt chain saw went belly up so soon>>> Shop Kobalt 8-volt Max Lithium Ion 18-in Brushless Cordless Electric Chainsaw at Lowes.com <<<<So what is it now when this battery takes it's last charge? and I wanted to do some midnight chainsaw work to

Did the saw die, or was it the battery?
I've had one EGO battery that gave it up over last winter. I have three (including the one that died (meaning, it won't charge). It was still under warranty, I'm sure...couldn't find the receipt though. BTW, it was the battery that came with my EGO saw.

Anyway, I would think your saw or battery may still be under warranty

 

[ultrarunner]

It's only been about a month with the Stihl and nothing bad to say... it is now the go to saw for the tree farm...

Even my Sister in Law who would never touch a gas saw loves the Stihl battery chain saw...

Remains to be seen the longevity of the battery....

 

[4get gto]

Did the saw die, or was it the battery?
I've had one EGO battery that gave it up over last winter. I have three (including the one that died (meaning, it won't charge). It was still under warranty, I'm sure...couldn't find the receipt though. BTW, it was the battery that came with my EGO saw.

Anyway, I would think your saw or battery may still be under warranty

Out of curiosity did you register your saw with EGO?. Asking because I have a few myself. Wondering how their warranty is.

 

[Oldpath05]

8V 18-Inch Cordless Chainsaw - Greenworks

My question to Greenworks about their battery powered chainsaw>>>>>>In my mind the bigger the number the more power, So why is the chainsaw 80v model rated at 2 ah and the 40v is rated 4ah?

Here's their answer, I'll probably have to read 10 times before I can begin to understand it>>>>>>>>

"An Ah is a measure of capacity not power. For instance a 1 Ah battery contains enough energy charge to allow 1 Ampere of current to flow for 1 hour. An 80V 2 .0Ah battery will provide 160W (80V x 2A) of power for 1 hour or 80W (80V x 1A) for 2 hours. A 40V 4.0Ah battery will provide 160W (40V x 4A) of power for 1 hour, 80W (40V x 2A) for 2 hours or 40V (40V x 1A) for 2 hours. Power is produced by both voltage and current combined. So a lower Voltage battery will usually produce less power. A high Ah battery will usually result in an increased run time."

I wonder if this is one of those products where it's better try before buying, I would like to try that saw first just to be sure and I'm quite sure that if I bought a battery powered chainsaw I'd want TWO batteries.

Greenworks | Chainsaws | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[California]

Volts times Amps = Watts. Those two examples get the same energy, they just do it differently.

 

[k0ua]

One thing you need to have under your belt is an understanding of ohms law E=IR.

The above example of a an 80 volt 2 amp hour battery and a 40 volt 4 amp hour battery will both provide the 160 watt hours of energy .....Theoretically.. But there are always more to it than simple math. There are reasons that designers often go with higher voltages (pressure) and lower current (flow rate) And it has to do with ohms law and relationship between voltage, current and resistance. Again this gets complicated, but something to keep in your mind is that when you need to draw more current as in the above example, the wiring in the device will have to be bigger. If you can increase the voltage and cut the current in half, then the wiring in the device including winding's in motors can be smaller. This saves money, and weight.

Also there are marketing considerations. As stated above. Anything that uses higher voltage will automatically in the consumers mind be a better product. It isn't necessarily a better product, but consumer perception is an important consideration. There are many other considerations in designing a product like this, but those are some of the things that run thru the engineering and marketing departments.

 

[ultrarunner]

I remember the first time I was doing electrical work in Austria... the wires looked like speaker wire with circuit breakers sized 8 amp and 12 amp due to the standard voltage being 230V in residential.

It sure was a lot easier to work the smaller diameter wire and fishing it through conduit embedded in the concrete and cinder block walls.

My first experience adding a circuit involved chipping a path under the stucco... all conduit is plastic and pulls were easy.

 

[k0ua]

I remember the first time I was doing electrical work in Austria... the wires looked like speaker wire with circuit breakers sized 8 amp and 12 amp due to the standard voltage being 230V in residential.

It sure was a lot easier to work the smaller diameter wire and fishing it through conduit embedded in the concrete and cinder block walls.

My first experience adding a circuit involved chipping a path under the stucco... all conduit is plastic and pulls were easy.

It makes you wonder why we went with the "1/2 voltage" and "twice the current" method doesn't it. When much of the rest of the world seems to get along fine with a 230 volt system. I think some of it is peoples perception that 115 volts is safer in every day appliances than a 230 volt system.

On the DC automotive side of things, as engines got larger and harder to spin in the 50's, we went away from the 6 volt systems due to the very high currents needed and the very thick wires needed, and went to 12 volt system. But why didn't we go the next step like the military did and go to the 24 (nominal battery voltage) 28 volt charging voltage system? The currents needed to spin the starter is 1/2 of a 12 volt system. All the wiring can be smaller including the winding's in the motors. All of the Telephony central office power plant is a 48 volt system for the same reasons. I don't know for sure why things shake out the way they do. :confused3:

 

[4570Man]

It makes you wonder why we went with the "1/2 voltage" and "twice the current" method doesn't it. When much of the rest of the world seems to get along fine with a 230 volt system. I think some of it is peoples perception that 115 volts is safer in every day appliances than a 230 volt system.

On the DC automotive side of things, as engines got larger and harder to spin in the 50's, we went away from the 6 volt systems due to the very high currents needed and the very thick wires needed, and went to 12 volt system. But why didn't we go the next step like the military did and go to the 24 (nominal battery voltage) 28 volt charging voltage system? The currents needed to spin the starter is 1/2 of a 12 volt system. All the wiring can be smaller including the winding's in the motors. All of the Telephony central office power plant is a 48 volt system for the same reasons. I don't know for sure why things shake out the way they do. :confused3:

I guess for the same reason we went with the idiotic measurement system.

 

[fried1765]

I guess for the same reason we went with the idiotic measurement system.

Yup!
We still use the length of the kings foot as our standard of measurement.
Amazingly stupid!

 

[k0ua]

I guess for the same reason we went with the idiotic measurement system.

Well, there you go..We just don't always make the right choices.

 

[Oldpath05]

"(One thing you need to have under your belt is an understanding of ohms law E=IR.)"<<<Are you kidding, if I loosen my belt all the way it's still over my head and landed out in the gulf of Me, glad you was talking to someone else.

"(The above example of a an 80 volt 2 amp hour battery and a 40 volt 4 amp hour battery will both provide the 160 watt hours of energy .....Theoretically..)"
<<<See that's where GreenWorks lost me, both battery chainsaws, 40v&80v produce 160W, but I take their word for it cause they know more than I do.

The only part I understood from GreenWorks was this>> "(So a lower Voltage battery will usually produce less power. A high Ah battery will usually result in an increased run time.")

 

[Oldpath05]

I still like the Kings foot measurement, cant understand metric to save my soul, when I go to Subway and order a footlong, I know what I'm getting....same with chainsaws etc, 22 mm bar, what's that, I don know, 18" bar yup got that, some more sawdust to pile up.

 

[bcp]

I still like the Kings foot measurement, cant understand metric to save my soul, when I go to Subway and order a footlong, I know what I'm getting....same with chainsaws etc, 22 mm bar, what's that, I don know, 18" bar yup got that, some more sawdust to pile up.

I wouldn't have much use for a saw with a 22mm bar, either.

Bruce

 

[4570Man]

I still like the Kings foot measurement, cant understand metric to save my soul, when I go to Subway and order a footlong, I know what I'm getting....same with chainsaws etc, 22 mm bar, what's that, I don know, 18" bar yup got that, some more sawdust to pile up.

I have a basic idea of the metric system. The problem is I can't eyeball a metric bolt and tell what's size it is or guesstimate the length of a log in centimeters, etc.

 

[ultrarunner]

It makes you wonder why we went with the "1/2 voltage" and "twice the current" method doesn't it. When much of the rest of the world seems to get along fine with a 230 volt system. I think some of it is peoples perception that 115 volts is safer in every day appliances than a 230 volt system.

On the DC automotive side of things, as engines got larger and harder to spin in the 50's, we went away from the 6 volt systems due to the very high currents needed and the very thick wires needed, and went to 12 volt system. But why didn't we go the next step like the military did and go to the 24 (nominal battery voltage) 28 volt charging voltage system? The currents needed to spin the starter is 1/2 of a 12 volt system. All the wiring can be smaller including the winding's in the motors. All of the Telephony central office power plant is a 48 volt system for the same reasons. I don't know for sure why things shake out the way they do. :confused3:

Even seen some 8-volt systems for DC and I think some planes are 24-volt...

My Hospital Gensets are 24 volt with two 12 volts in series...

 

[4570Man]

I would have much use for a saw with a 22mm bar, either.

View attachment 531766

Bruce

Did you photoshop shop that or is it for chainsaw carving or something?