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

[Omega Woods]

I have gas tools at the farm and battery at the house. I do love my battery powered chainsaw for light brush trimming in any case.

 

[hunt4570]

I'm retired and no longer have to work all day with stuff and over the years have slowly gone electric on a lot of stuff, ALL my battery powered stuff is either Dewalt or Makita, proven tools of the trade(s). I have Dewalt pole saw, hedge trimmer, weed whacker,12" chain saw, blower, 21" lawnmower, framing nailer, recipro saw.. and probably a few others I've forgotten right now. Also Makita finish nailer, drill, impact driver, circular saw and again probably a couple that slip my mind right now. For me they all work great, I got the lawnmower just for trimming maybe 15-20 minutes at a crack and got tired of the gas/oil/starting of the gas mower. I still maintain lots of gas stuff, pole saw, chain saws (5) Sthil brush cutter etc for the bigger jobs , but the battery stuff is good for convenience. BUT you need to have enough batteries, I think I have 5 Makitas and 10-12 Dewalts...always carry a spare or two!

 

[tom_k]

I jumped in on the electric blower, chainsaw and weed wacker eagerly, thinking they would replace the Stihl gas pieces I previously run.
...

Anyone else try electric, go back to gas?

I'm a homeowner with a 16 acre property. Last summer I bought EGO electric power equipment, including a ZTR mower, leaf blower, and weed whacker. I also own a New Holland 33HP diesel tractor with a flail mower attached, a Stihl chainsaw, and a Stihl weed wacker (string trimmer). Short answer? I don't foresee going back.

In my opinion, the EGO weed wacker is far superior to the Stihl gas-powered weed waker. The EGO tool starts more easily, is a little quieter, emits no fumes ... and is very powerful. No more messing around with fuel mixing. I have not kept careful track of how long it runs on a charge, but this hasn't been much of an issue for me. Maybe it would be for a lawn care pro.

The electric blower is the only blower I've ever owned, so I cannot compare it to gas blowers. It is very powerful.

The ZTR mower? More of a mixed bag. I don't use my diesel rig much anymore, except to cut very tall grass and brush. The ZTR is quieter, quite powerful, emits no fumes, and is far more maneuverable. I love not having to mess with fuel. But then ... it has virtually no suspension other than what's under the seat. So it's a pretty jarring ride. And I do worry about getting it serviced when the time comes. It is very expensive for what you get, and about half that cost probably is tied up in the batteries (not in an otherwise better mower). I'm not unhappy I bought it, and on balance do prefer using it to using the diesel tractor and flail mower.

One nice benefit of the electric equipment is that I can use the batteries during a power outage. EGO sells a battery powered generator that accepts the power tool batteries, and also less expensive devices that can be used with a single battery to power a laptop, recharge a smart phone, etc.

 

[aircommuter]

I never really left the gas versions of my tools. This doesn’t apply to drills and impact wrenches because they were electric anyway. Just corded, air or not. To touch on that, drill and impacts are handy in the cordless version but quite expensive especially when batteries get old. Hand held grinders and circular saws are ok for small jobs but still cost more. I still like drilling on my big drill presses. For a metal cutting I use my handheld corded Milwaukee or Porter Cable. For bigger cutting it’s a plasma or torch. If I have a lot of metal cutting I use my Kalamazoo band saw. In my woodworking shop cordless tools are not used much except for drilling and screw driving. Otherwise corded and some of that is three phase.

For blowers I like the cordless for my concrete parking apron but one of the largest Milwaukee batteries won’t finish the job. When fall comes it is next to useless. Then it’s time for the Husqvarna torso twister. For chainsaws I bought the 60v Dewalt but it is a narrow kerf chain that binds more often and in continuous cutting on a soft wood like cedar it only cuts for 8 minutes and much slower than my Stihl MS400c. So it it is next to useless . Plus it leaks bar oil. When they can replace the arc welder and plasma cutter then they will have something unless it costs too much. When Air Force One goes electric I might look at a truck unless it costs more.

 

[mrgreenjeanstx]

The professional tree crew that took down a Redwood for me has all battery chainsaws for their climbing work. And for bucking the downed tree into chunks. I think Milwaukee.

Then when cutting the 30 inch stump flush at ground level, their best battery saw was struggling so they got the larger gas saw off the truck for that one cut.


My Ryobi 18v shop tools are mostly ok. I like the little 5" saw, the drill and right angle drill, the small impact driver, and the recipro saw. These are handy. It's rare that I need to get out my 110v equivalents - Skilsaw etc. But Ryobi's 18v angle grinder isn't any stronger than HF's $10 version - not recommended.

The Ryobi 18v leaf blower and string trimmer I found at Goodwill for $10 each are hardly worth that, they're wimpy. I can see why they were donated in new condition - user frustration. The leaf blower won't move wet leaves very well. There's also two Remington 18v hedge trimmers from Goodwill, cheap. Their battery and charger are NLA but they take Ryobi 18v batteries. One for the ranch, one for my home in town. Not heavy duty but really convenient.

I haven't gone back to gas. No stock of gas onsite is a real convenience.

If I were buying battery tools today I would see what Project Farm (YouTube) recommends and go with that.

Alot of that may be where you are located and the restrictions placed on the companies and equipment. Out door tools I have stayed with gas. Use electric for drills and shop tools. That seems to have worked well. I would agree from the outdoor electric tools I have seen they would be fine for smaller jobs and have thought about one of the small electric saws for quick trimming of limbs

 

[crhunts]

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?

The Makita 36 volt (2 18 volt batteries) is a beast!

 

[jrsavoie]

I have both Milwaukee and DeWalt.
I got the adapters so I can use the DeWalt batteries on the Milwaukee tools.

I don't have enough Milwaukee chargers. Don't use my tools like I used to.

So it's not worth investing a lot in tools right now.

 

[klm]

When I'm checking fences or cows on the SXS I always have my battery chainsaw, if I know there is a big tree or several down I take the gas Stihl. But am always amazed at the capacity of the battery saw, and it starts a lot easier.

 

[1428v]

I have converted to electric. Chainsaw, polesaw, weed eater. Makita 36v (2 18v batteries). Works really well for maintaining an 8 acre property, processing firewood, etc. Really happy with them for that. I grew to hate carb adjustments on my Stihl gear and yanking on chainsaw pull cords forever—these just go when you need them.

I don’t think they’re realistic (yet?) for professional purposes and all-day production. I now rent a big saw when I need to take down a tree that requires a saw with a long bar. Maintenance and repair is someone else’s problem.

 

[ttouring]

I have a question. I've noticed all these post most everyone still uses gas equipment in some form. Question is would t it be cheaper to take the money spent on electric and just buy gas??