Small battery chain saw recommendations

[dragoneggs]

New chain stretches...

I tend to err on loose opposed to tight which can be problematic in dense brush.

Yes and the tensioning on a Stihl is quick and easy. My chain seems to glide very nice so I run a little tighter than on my gasser.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep... no tool tensioning is nice on the fly...

The thin chain does glide...

 

[Catie Kimoda]

I have the 12 Makita chainsaw also light and reliable.

Using the same too. Haven't encountered any problem so far

 

[shooterdon]

This year I got a HF Lynxx on the recommendation of a friend who is an arborist who works for a power company. I have been very pleased with it for the occasional job i need a saw for. I have a Shindiawa 488 and Husqvarna 455 but they are a pain to use for a 15-20 minute job. I do not use a saw often enough to keep it gassed up so need to drain and/or run the fuel out between uses.

I used to use the gas saws a lot. But it is more efficient for me to use a processor to put up firewood. I will likely sell one of the gas saws as a result. I will always have an electric saw. I have never used one of the higher end battery saws so I may not know how "bad" the HF saw is but it does the job for now.

Just an update....the thing died on me. Likely have less than an hour on the tool. Will see if HF will replace it but it is out of the 90 day return window. If anyone decides to get one, buy the extended warranty. I am on the fence as to whether I will buy another if HF will not give me some kind of credit. For a few more $$ it may be smarter to get a better saw that comes with a longer warranty.

 

[fried1765]

More voltage => more power. That isn't a marketing thing. I think this is why you see most of the "pro" grade saws in the 80V range.
The higher the voltage the more expensive / bigger / lower the capacity the battery. All things being equal the same size/cost battery will be 2Ah in 80V but 4Ah at 40V.

I'm not going near the 18-20V saws. That just isn't enough power for the task at hand IMO. I'd rather just use my cordless 18V sawsall. ... Which I'm doing right now BTW. I bought a set of special "wood cutting" blades for cheap and figure that is worth a try.

I also rolled into HD for some other necessities this weekend and pawed over the Ryobi 40V system. I like it. I figured I was looking for a 12" pruning or limb saw. But their 14" saw seems very light and easy to manage. Maybe a good all around replacement for my gas saw except for the big jobs and long days of cutting. A longer bar would not offend me for limbing. I'm also impressed with the plethora of other tools in the lineup. $140 for a 14" saw with battery seems pretty fair to me. Dug the other goodies too including a backpack blower! Wonder how well that works..





I have a close friend that works at Dewalt and as such I usually try to default to Dewalt. Many of my corded woodworking tools are Dewalt. But I'm not much for their cordless lines. I have a 20V impact and that will likely be the only Dewalt cordless tool I ever own.

The DeWalt battery powered grease gun is great!

 

[Grumpycat]

More voltage => more power. That isn't a marketing thing. I think this is why you see most of the "pro" grade saws in the 80V range.
The higher the voltage the more expensive / bigger / lower the capacity the battery. All things being equal the same size/cost battery will be 2Ah in 80V but 4Ah at 40V.

It is a "marketing thing" and you proved it with your statement above. Marketing promotes voltage as a handle for comparing "grades". Marketing always gives bigger numbers to the items they want you to believe are superior to their lesser "value oriented" lines.

Higher voltage uses a lower gauge wire to carry lower current in the motor windings. But it is the power in the windings which determines the field strength. Lower current would result in lower voltage drop but the smaller higher voltage wires are longer. Yes, engineers would rather design for high voltage but it isn't the cut and dry night and day clear choice you infer.

Higher voltage is preferred for semiconductors which are current devices. An amp of current results in same voltage drop across the semiconductor no matter the voltage.

 

[crashz]

I started buying Milwaukee cordless tools when the 1/2 impact gun wit 1400ft-lbs of loosening torque came out. From there I bought a few more tools, but recently bought the chain saw and blower (not as a kit). With 6amp batteries these these are great! I cut up a 24" tree that fell in my pool area a few weeks ago. Couldn't get the gas saw started. The battery saw trimmed and bucked up the tree into 4ft lengths so that i could carry a few on the forks. Very impressed, but its not a one handed saw. The blower is even better.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I also have a couple of days on my Milwaukee cordless chainsaw, so far so good. I also have their string trimmer, likewise so far so good. The blower won't win any power awards, but it's nice and convenient, and was bundled with a promotion on the chainsaw.

 

[daugen]

because most of the name brand cordless saws seem pretty similar in capability, if one already has a number of battery operated tools
using the same battery system, seems sensible to stick with what you have. My experience with Makita cordless tools has been simply outstanding.
However...when it came time to buy a cordless saw to supplement my Echo 600 and 450 I went with a self sharpening Oregon. Maybe I've hit the dirt too many times
and dulled the chain on conventional saws, or hit a nail, but it is really a treat to simply pull back on the sharpening lever, see the sparks fly for a few seconds, and voila
a razor sharp chain again. Downside is it's a top sharpening chain and has smaller teeth, so less capacity than some others. But having a really sharp chain all the time
was very satisfying to use. Saw was very quiet in operation and held up for five years with only two chain replacements. But not particularly light in weight I thought.
It's an interesting alternative if you aren't in bed with any one cordless company.

Amazon.com : Oregon Cordless 16-inch Self-Sharpening Chainsaw with 4. Ah Battery and Charger : Garden & Outdoor

 

[cdaigle430]

I had a second day to try my new Milwaukee battery powered chain saw yesterday. Worked great except for the fact that the chain came off three times in rapid succession. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt for now, as I was cutting dense dry branches in a grove of spruce, and it was easy to jam branches of all sizes and angles into the chain/body, heck, I was bodily jammed in the branches myself (with multiple levels of head protection) just trying to access the branch where it connects to the tree. It was very dense. However if that chain derailure occurs again in more conventional settings I'm going to think there's a problem. Perhaps I need metalbender's pole saw. Though contrary to his notion about being tempted to cut one-handed, I'm getting a good workout using the chainsaw two handed, that thing is heavy.

I have one too-the M18 chainsaw has a tension-er similar to that of a gas chains saw. The bar and chain is made by Oregon Bar and Chain so its not a cheap quality. Unless your talking about the m12 which I dont have yet.