Battery powered chainsaw

[John_Mc]

I don't think comparing battery weight to gas weight means anything. An electric saw without the battery is lighter than a gas saw with an empty tank.

Except that an empty gas tank or without a battery is not how you use the saw. I own 1 battery chainsaw and 3 gas saws.

My Milwaukee electric saw is about the equivalent of a 40cc gas saw. Its spec. weight is 13.9 lbs without the battery. The 12 AH, high output battery weighs 3.4 lbs. That's 17.3 lbs total without bar oil. (It's not clear if the Milwaukee weight spec is for PHO or includes the bar and chain. I'll assume they are included.)

My smallest gas saw is my old 50cc Jonsered 2152. weighs 11 lbs (powerhead only). A full tank of fuel (16.9 fluid ounces) weighs 0.8 lbs. The 16" bar & chain adds about 1.0 lbs. This gives a total weight without bar oil of 12.8 lbs.

The Jonsered 2152 will cut rings around the Milwaukee M18, will run much longer without refueling/recharging, and weighs 4.5 lbs less.

I use different saws for different applications. There are times I prefer the Milwaukee M18. It's great when noise is an issue (when I don't want to disturb the neighbors, or when cleaning up the outdoor classroom area behind the local elementary school). It can be more convenient when I'm just cleaning up, making a few cuts around the yard or when taking a quick spin to clean up minor blockages on our trails.

I don't even consider the battery saw when doing even a half day (let alone a full day) of tree felling or storm damage cleanup out in the woods.

Why is the minor weight difference an issue? I often carry a second battery in my pocket, but wouldn't consider carrying a container of gas that way.

I spend more to buy pro-level saws to save a pound or so (in addition to the better long-term reliability and repairability). 4.5 pounds is a big difference when using a saw all day. My battery saw weighs about what a 90cc gas saw weighs. Maybe I would have considered it a form of weight training when I was 20-something. These days, weight training is not on my mind when working in the woods.

 

[arto98607]

Interesting comparison - thank you!
Friend of mine bought a DeWalt electric chainsaw and the first thing we noticed was the weight...

My smallest saw is a reliable 1997 Shindaiwa 360 and I use it more than my other 5 saws combined.

8.8 lbs without 16" bar, no idea how much weight bar & chain adds.

 

[Grumpycat]

I did. See post #869 on the prior page. Ignoring relative efficiencies, it's a 110x ratio. We know the battery saw has much higher efficiency than an ICE, but what's the gross ratio? Even if the ICE is only 30% and the battery saw is 90%, that only takes the 110x input efficiency down to 37x output efficiency difference, measured as wood cut per pound of fuel carried.

Based on dirtbikes, a 2-stroke is perhaps half as efficient as a 4-stroke.

Based on real world experience, a proper sized chainsaw battery is very close to the equivalent of one tank of premix.

Inexperience and poor education breeds a lot of ignorance of electricity. Marketers have found the ignorant consumer thinks "voltage" is a measure of battery-electric tool quality. Sorry but an 80V 4Ah battery is not better than a 56V 7.5Ah, the two are roughly the same at 400Wh and 420Wh. I don't care to use my EGo 18" with 7.5Ah batteries due to weight, prefer the 5.0Ah. It has no guts with the 2.0Ah.

Agree that many really should have both gas and battery chainsaws. For trail clearing the battery tools are great because one spends a lot of time moving to a "face slapper", cutting, then moving on. Lots of start/stop. My preferred tool is an EGo hedge trimmer.

 

[ultrarunner]

The Stihl battery saws are around $400+ for the saw. One AP300S battery is about $300. So, a $700 investment that requires you to stop and recharge every 30 minutes?
I suppose there are a lot of situations where you may only want to cut for 30 minutes at a time. Our use is just much different. We travel hours with a crew to work 7-8 hour days cutting and clearing. We all volunteer our time, so we try to be as effective as possible, while we are on site.

For the tree farm the AP saws have exceeded all expectations.

I was able to get a little better price with a battery incentive and preferred dealer.

But yes more expensive up front.

2 battery saws replace 3 gas Stihl saws and the gas saws needed annual servicing to be ready for the intense Christmas season.

Not having to pull a rope starter thousands of times is no small benefit plus the only tree farm complaint ever was about the noise from the gas saws after dark which comes very early at Christmas.

The silent battery saws eliminated that...

 

[John_Mc]

8.8 lbs without 16" bar, no idea how much weight bar & chain adds.

I got my 1 lbs estimate for a 16” bar and chain by looking at the shipping weight from a mail order place. Probably not exactly correct, but I bet it’s close. The narrow kerf bars used on most battery saws are probably a bit lighter.

 

[MarkNC]

DEWALT 20V chainsaw and polesaw. There may be stronger ones out there, but these always did what I needed them to, and best part use the batteries I have and use often so I can buy 'tool only'. No regrets. Project Farm rated Dewalt pretty favorably.

 

[Hay Dude]

The Stihl MS 300 battery saw impresses me.

One advantage with a saw like that in MY situation is battery saws end the stress about fuel going stale and related tune-ups or mixing fresh fuel to ensure dependable performance if you are doing other work for a few weeks.

You just pick it up and it rolls.

I’d say if the Stihl MS 300 gets any better, I may try one. My first electric saw was a DeWalt 18” and I wasn’t very impressed, but it wasn’t very expensive, either AND it used my DeWalt 60V batteries.

I hear DeWalt has improved their electric saws and now offers a 20”.

I see me taking another chance on an electric 20” in the near future. My customers absolutely rave at the quiet and no exhaust smell.

 

[LouNY]

I've got the Atlas 80Volt from Harbor Freight and I'm well pleased with what it does. My most critical use is after storms to get the driveway open. This saw has done an excellent job of that. I don't do any more cutting then needed to be able to shove stuff off the driveway with the loader. Trying to start a gas saw after a year of sitting is a pain.

 

[Hay Dude]

What saw and battery do you have? Do you have spare batteries?

How close are you to a power source? I usually have one battery on the charger while I'm cutting, and can get a full charge in about a half hour or so. I have at least 200 or 300 yards worth of extension cords I can use if needed.

I have an older 40V Greenworks (16" or 18"), Greenworks 60V 20", and Greenworks Commercial 82V 20".

The 60V 20" and 82V 20" saws are pretty similar, although the 82V batteries have a slightly larger capacity. I'm still exploring a bit, but I like the 60V, 8Ah batteries and the 80 or 82V 4Ah, 5Ah, or 6Ah batteries. 80V and 82V batteries are similar enough to power the saw. I'll modify my saw to take both shortly.

The older 40V saw has a thinner blade, so it doesn't suck down battery juice as quickly. But the newer 20" saws really throw a pile of chips!!! But, unfortunately bigger batteries are still drained eventually. An hour or so of cutting for a larger battery? Then it is time for a brief break, change the battery, check the oil, etc.

EGO is coming up with a unique remote charging system:

2.2kWh (40Ah) High-Capacity Battery

The EGO 2.2kWh (40Ah) High-Capacity Battery enables off-grid charging of EGO 56V ARC Lithium™ batteries via the PGX™ Commercial Charging Power Bank (batteries and Power Bank available separately).

egopowerplus.com

PGX™ Commercial Charging Power Bank Kit

The PGX™ Commercial Charging Power Bank uses a 2.2kWh (40Ah) High-Capacity Battery to charge smaller EGO 56V ARC Lithium™ batteries off the grid and in the field anytime, anywhere.

egopowerplus.com

EGO PGX3100K PGX™ Commercial Charging Power Bank Kit with 2.2kWh (40Ah) High-Capacity and (2) 7.5Ah Batteries

EGO Commercial’s PGX™ Commercial Charging system is a flexible charging solution that scales to your business. Each PGX™ Commercial Charging Power Bank uses a 2.2kWh (40Ah) High-Capacity Battery to charge smaller EGO 56V ARC Lithium™ batteries off the grid and in the field anytime, anywhere...

powerplusparts.com

It isn't going to be particularly cheap, but it would allow recharging tools on the road. Although, for that price, perhaps one is better just getting a pile of batteries.

Greenworks is putting big "suitcase batteries" in their mowers. But, I don't see a remote charging solution yet. Undoubtedly it is coming.

They do have inverters.

I tried doing this with my Ram truck & DeWalt batteries. I would keep a 60V 9 a/h or 12 a/h battery on the 60V charger and run my 60V chainsaw or weed wacker, but the batteries die pretty quick. I’d get maybe 20 min of weed wacking or 15 min of intermittent sawing done and it was time to change batteries.

Problem is, the batteries take at least 1/2 hour to charge and that means you need 3 or 4 very expensive batteries to run constantly.

I’d like to put together a cost for a Stihl MS 300, charger and 2 batteries and maybe give one a shot. Would like to see if Stihl offers a weed wacker that takes the same “500” battery as chainsaw. That would be a big plus for me as I like versatility of having one type of battery power at least 2 tools (blower, chainsaw, weed wacker, etc.)

I will probably relegate my DeWalt batteries & charger to my hand tools.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

My Echo often sits for 6-12 months. I’ve never had it not start on the second pull. I must be lucky