Electric Chainsaw

[Gary Keedwell]

I have had a chain saw for years but now that I have down-sized my living accommodations, I'm thinking of going electric. I know, I know...:rolleyes: I'm whimping-out but I heard they are making electric saws much better. Anybody own one? Are they worth it? Sure would like some comments. Thanks.:)

Gary K.

[Gary Keedwell]

Never mind....found it on Search....thanx:)

[Ed Blough]

Gary
I don't know what you found but remember two things.
Better is not always better. The bigger the saw the more amps it draws, if you don't supply a big enough cord it will get very hot very quickly (read it will burn up). Anthing drawing more than 10 amps is almost impossible to get an extension cord for unless it is very short or you have a lot of money.

The extension cord you use will determine your satisfaction with the saw. If the cord is too small a gauge you will hate the saw and probably burn it up. If the cord gauge is larger than you need you will love the saw and probably tell stories about the saw no one will believe.

My electric saw's extension cord costs more than the saw and I love my saw.
Good luck

[Dave MacArthur]

Gary,
I just used a Makita electic that I rented from HD 3 days ago to take down a 16" tree. I was hesitant to rent it vs. the gas-powered, but in truth it performed very well. HD doesn't sell that sort (their rentals are usually higher quality than they sell) and the ones they did sell looked pretty wimpy.

Reason for the post is this: my local Home Depot has rental tools, and they are replacing them with new inventory. This particular Makita is $217 new, and they are selling it for $100. Rental true, but they kid in there said they change the chain on every single rental with a new chain each time, and few folks rent the electric ones--he looked up the serial # of the one I had in my hand, and informed me it had been rented a total of 14 times, and always for pretty short/light jobs, or folks would have rented the gas ones.

Anyways, not a LOT of experience, but I would feel very comfortable paying $100 for one of those used Makita electics from a nearby HD.

[Al Willits]

Don't sweat the wimping Gary, just spent Sunday getting reacquainted with my old McCulloch 610 saw, I don't remember it being quite so heavy and quite so tiring to use....:)

Let us know which one ya pick and if it works for ya.

Al.....who's been looking at wimping out for a bit.

[Jim Becker]

I have a Remmington electric chain saw to compliment my Stihl gas machine. The electric comes in handy for small jobs when a cord is handy and can also be used indoors "safely"...nice for whacking up turning stock in the dead of winter when the shop is 65º warm. :) I wouldn't consider the electric for "heavy" work, but it does a nice job for around the house jobs. I actually cut down a 35' ornamental tree next to where our former deck was with the electric and it did a fine job.

One small thing...come electrics tend to have thin-kerf chains (mine included) so that means it's a little tougher to source replacements. Learn to sharpen with a file...

[Ed Breen]

Gary, I've got several gas xchain saws including an orange one and a yellow one. However, I also have a small 8" Black & Decker 18 volt that I love. It runs for about twop hours which is just as long as I can go. I have cut a lot of limbs with it since the ice storm in January.
The other "big boys" really tire these old 78 year old muscles.
Ed:) :)

[Tyler Howell]

I've had a Milwaukee for 15 years and it's still going strong. It's not the same tool as the Farm Boss but it does real good work and was fine till last year.

[Mike Seals]

Iv'e three chain saws, one gas and two electric. I find the electric as powerful as the gas for small trees and such. The biggest plus and the reason I love the electrics, plug in, pull trigger and go. You know what happens when gas sits too long.

[Per Swenson]

My electric chain saw is....well it's a sawzall with a skil pruning blade.

Skil pruning blade, looks like the teeth of a bowsaw.

Works wonders.

If that helps any one.

per

[William Nimmo]

What I like about an electric chainsaw is you can climb a ladder and then just press a button and cut, instead of climbing with a running chain saw, or pulling a cord at 12 feet above the ground on a ladder.

[John Shuk]

I have a Stihl electric saw that is pretty powerful. Pricey but it cuts really nicely.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

As Per stated above...don't underestimate a reciprocating saw with a pruning blade on it. I use a Milwaukee pruning blade. The special blade was expensive...I think the blade was about $25. It's very agressive on green wood.

I've used two electric chainsaws and they worked fine for me. But I'm no lumberjack either. The best part about electric stuff is that it always starts.

-Jeff :)

[Lance Norris]

My wife has an electric chainsaw that was her uncles, who has long since passed away. I dont know what brand it is, but it cuts like a gas saw. I was amazed how much power it has, so here is another vote for electric. Of course, the only problem is having a cord. I bought a Ryobi 18 volt saw and it works, but is slow. It was only $60, and for that money ...works, but not like our corded saw.

[Gary Keedwell]

Wow, I didn't expect this response. Man you guys are something else. What alot of great advice. I feel alot better now about "wimping-out".
Funny story about about reciprocating saw. About 12 years ago I was doing some de-construction on my old ranch and for weeks every time I went to use it I noticed that there was pitch on the blade. Months later LOML finally fessed-up she was using it to prune tree limbs when I was at work.
My God, was I ever livid. I never seen her use a tool like that , ever. All I could think of was her bleeding to death in our back yard.:(
Ed...thanks for the "heads-up" on the extension cord. I never thought of that.:rolleyes:
Gary K.

[Frank Stolten]

I have both a Stihl 260 gas model and a Makita UC4000 electric. Unless I'm cutting away from the house or on something really large I prefer to use the Makita almost every time. It has plenty of power (unlike some cheapie electrics I've had), runs very smooth, is built like a tank, and always starts which is something I've come to appreciate after dealing with gas models that don't get used frequently.

At one time I also had the largest Remington electric and, in all honesty, it was a decent saw but not in the same league as the Makita. Of course, the Makita cost 4 times as much as the Remington so it's a matter of how much you plan to use it. Stihl also makes excellent electrics at prices comparable to Makita.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Gary,
I've had a couple of electrics over the years.
No complaints - other than people tend to want to borrow them and not return them in working condition :mad: .
1- bent bar
1 -siezed chain

= 1 electric saw owner that no longer lends his out to anyone.

The instant start feature plus not having to have to mess w/2 cycle gas sold me on electric.

Don't underestimate the value of a bow saw either. I have a cheap one I paid under $10.00 for that zips through wrist sized limbs like a hot knife through butter. Lot's of times it's faster to grab the bow saw than it is to get out the chain saw, adjust the chain tension, fill it with oil, drag out the extension cord,,,etc.

[Al Willits]

""""""""""
Iv'e three chain saws, one gas and two electric. I find the electric as powerful as the gas for small trees and such. The biggest plus and the reason I love the electrics, plug in, pull trigger and go. You know what happens when gas sits too long.
"""""""

Little tip that works for me, is I use non oxygenated gas in anything that sits for a while, also a bit of Sta-Bil and Seafoam mixed in.
Last Sunday my chain saw started on about the eight pull after sitting with gas in the tank for almost three years, it usually takes about that many pulls for me to remember the right combination of choke and throttle...fwiw

Sawsall's a good idea Per, started with that on the limbs, but between constant cutting and 94 degree heat, its gets a bit warmer than I like to run electrics at, darn McCoulloch will run in any temp, always said I'd get a Stil when it broke....but it just keeps running... :)

Al

[Jim Becker]

Don't underestimate the value of a bow saw either. I have a cheap one I paid under $10.00 for that zips through wrist sized limbs like a hot knife through butter. Lot's of times it's faster to grab the bow saw than it is to get out the chain saw, adjust the chain tension, fill it with oil, drag out the extension cord,,,etc.

Oh, absolutely...I have a bow saw, too, and I'll grab that even before I think about the power tool in many cases. Cuts easy even for a weakling like me!

[James Ayars]

My dad has been using a Remington 14" electric for 15+ years. Works fine for bushes and smaller trees. I have a 16" Poulan that I prefer, but mainly because I hate dragging cords. And add me to the list that will pull out the bow saw for smaller jobs.

[Gary Keedwell]

I just thought I would follow up on the thread I started about 10 days ago. With the help and encouragement of my fellow creekers, I took the plunge and purchased an electric chain saw. After alot of research and reviews, I received my new Husqvarna 316 the other day. I took the advice of Ed and bought a heavy duty extention cord ( 12 gauge X 100') ;)
Man, this thing cuts through trees like a hot knife through butter. I did a two tree clean-up in less then 1/2 hour. I'm telling you this was a big surprise. I will not hesitate to recommend an electric chain saw in the future:)
Gary K.

[Bruce Benjamin]

Gary
Anthing drawing more than 10 amps is almost impossible to get an extension cord for unless it is very short or you have a lot of money.


This isn't true at all. You must have stores in your area that sell 12ga. cords. A 100' 12ga. cord will easily handle 15 amps and according to this chart it will handle up to 18 amps. http://nevadawalrus.com/index-wired.html My table saw draws 15 amps. My planer draws 15 amps. My router draws 15 amps. My DC draws 16 amps. They all do just fine with a 12ga. cord and they are even recommended by the manufacturers. I don't have an electric chainsaw yet but do any of them draw more than 15 amps? Unless you want more than 100', finding the proper cord for an electric chainsaw isn't an issue.

Bruce

[Gary Keedwell]

This isn't true at all. You must have stores in your area that sell 12ga. cords. A 100' 12ga. cord will easily handle 15 amps and according to this chart it will handle up to 18 amps. http://nevadawalrus.com/index-wired.html My table saw draws 15 amps. My planer draws 15 amps. My router draws 15 amps. My DC draws 16 amps. They all do just fine with a 12ga. cord and they are even recommended by the manufacturers. I don't have an electric chainsaw yet but do any of them draw more than 15 amps? Unless you want more than 100', finding the proper cord for an electric chainsaw isn't an issue.

Bruce
I just got my manual out and it says (it talks to me:p ) Amps 13
Overload protection Mechanical
Gary K.

[John Eaton]

I use an 18v Dewalt Recip for most pruning, armed with an "ugly" blade. Best thing about it is it can be handled one handed so you have more reach from a ladder. I've also got a 18" Poulan gas powered that I hardly use - I usually reach for the Dewalt.

-- John

[joe greiner]

I have two gas and about a dozen electrics. The electrics were all from garage sales, and often were sold simply because they needed sharpening. Maximum price ever was about $15, I think. Mostly light-duty Remington types, but a few more like McCullough. Even the light-duty ones can fell a tree about 12 inches diameter.

Electrics do have the power access problem, but I don't need more than 100ft cord for anything on my property. I generally sharpen all of them in a marathon session, and just switch saws in the middle of a project vs stopping to sharpen. Here's my storage tree for eight saws. The rings indicate which saws need sharpening. The cutoff Rolaids bottles catch draining oil. The mascot came from Goodwill by chance only a few days after I finished the tree.

I'm not too keen on reciprocating saws for thicknesses greater than the stroke; also they only cut half the time, and can be somewhat bouncy, leading to operator fatigue.

Joe

[Gary Keedwell]

Joe , That's quite the system you have there. Do you store the tree outdoors? Do you mind telling me what size wire your 100' cord has? I have a 12 gage...maybe over-kill but I feel better about it. So far , I really like my Husqvarna. ( I have to look at the manual to spell it right:p )

Gary K.

[joe greiner]

Hi, Gary. Thanks for the assessment. No, I don't store it outdoors. It's on casters, and I keep it the garage, usually wheel it to the door or the driveway apron for use. I moved it outdoors just for the pic. I'm not sure about the wire gage; I have several all the same, but no markings on any of them. 5/16" OD, 3 conductor; There's probably a chart someplace, but I'd guess 14, maybe 16. Seems to work well enough.

Spelling? I once worked with a fellow with a complicated German name. When introduced, I asked him, "How do you spell that?" He answered, "You don't.":D

Joe

[Gary Keedwell]

Hi, Gary. Thanks for the assessment. No, I don't store it outdoors. It's on casters, and I keep it the garage, usually wheel it to the door or the driveway apron for use. I moved it outdoors just for the pic. I'm not sure about the wire gage; I have several all the same, but no markings on any of them. 5/16" OD, 3 conductor; There's probably a chart someplace, but I'd guess 14, maybe 16. Seems to work well enough.

Spelling? I once worked with a fellow with a complicated German name. When introduced, I asked him, "How do you spell that?" He answered, "You don't.":D

Joe
Joe...I kinda thought you you keep it indoors....looks too nice to be out in weather. I have tons of outdoor extention cords ( from my Christmas decoration days) but I thought I would get a dedicated 12 gage for the saw. It probably is overkill but that is my MO. lol Cost me over $50 for the cord. Oh well, Ya gonna play...ya gotta pay!!! :D
Gary K.