Anyone have any ideas on a cordless chainsaw. Thinking about getting one for cutting wood for turning wood. Any ideas pro con size battery size bar size etc.
[OP]
Contributor
Anyone have any ideas on a cordless chainsaw. Thinking about getting one for cutting wood for turning wood. Any ideas pro con size battery size bar size etc.
Member
Did you read the one I posted a few days ago? Scroll down. DeWalt 20v chainsaw. It's a good one.
Contributor
Robert, I have the 14" Lynxx 40v chainsaw (Harbor Freight private label). Used it for several months to clean up storm damage, and for jobs where I didn't want to bother with fuel mix. Largest material I've cut is 10" black walnut, and it easily handled that. Impressive power and battery life between charges, in fact I've yet to have to stop to recharge or switch batteries during a job. Also have the other Lynxx 40v tools, and the lithium batteries are interchangeable and quick charge.Originally Posted by Robert Willing
Member
I have an 80v "Kobalt" from Lowes. It seems to be identical to the similar "Greenworks." It's fine for discrete cutting or for indoors work. But pretty much all cordless or electric chainsaws have a lack of power and a light duty construction for the ripping cuts you often do preparing wood for turning. Still, it's a nice thing to have.
Member
I have the same saw and have been impressed with how well and how long it cuts. It has handled mesquite etc with no problems.
Moderator
Robert, will you be using it near the shop or out in the woods? If near or in the shop, I haven't found anything better than a Stihl electric. The one I have cuts as well as my gasoline powered saws. Not cheap, but funny thing, sometimes you get what you pay for.
I know nothing about battery-powered chain saws except for two things - the one I tried was incredibly wimpy compared to both the gas and corded Stihl saws, and I avoid battery-powered tools unless necessary since in my experience the batteries eventually go and replacements are high. I prefer a Stihl gasoline-powered saw (I use two MS250 saws and one larger saw) for away from electrical power. They are definitely cordless. Just pour in more liquid battery as needed.
However, much depends on how much and under what conditions you will use the chainsaw. A little battery-powered saw may be perfect for limited but regular use.
JKJ
Member
I have the Greenworks 16-inch 40v cordless saw and am very pleased. It will cut for a very long time between charges and power is comparable to a gas saw. Of course, when choosing, you basically commit to the "family" of cordless tools that use the same (expensive) battery pack. I subsequently bought the Greenworks pole hedge trimmer and it also works great.
One point in making my decision last year is that Stihl reportedly purchased a minority share in Greenworks in 2016. Bottom line: A cordless chain saw is perfect for keeping in the car for those fallen tree opportunities... and does not make the noise or odors/mess of the gas versions...
Ely
Member
The 80v kobalt / greenworks actually has pretty good power, comparable to a plugged in saw pulling 12 amps or so. But like most "consumer" chainsaws, the whole thing is just not sturdy enough for ripping (it tends to chatter). The battery life is also very poor when under heavy load. I once used the saw to rip a huge (bigger than 20") crepe myrtle trunk in half. It had the power for the cut but the battery didn't last long enough to finish it.
Contributor
Recent post mentioned: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....t-20v-Chainsaw
I personally have the EGO 56V chainsaw and very satisfied with it.
Member
I hav ethe same one, and my only gripe is the quality of the chain, but thats easily replaced. I have a small stihl gas powered saw, but my defibrillator manufacturer says to stay away from small gas engines.... I think that is a wise idea, spark plugs and sensors do not get along well.
Retired - when every day is Saturday (unless it's Sunday).
Member
I would not buy the corded Stihl MSE250 ELETRIC. After recommending it often for the last year and a half since I bought it, it blew up about 2 days ago ... motor is shot ... $350 fix.
Moderator
Gary, curious, when you said "blew up" do you mean it exploded or made a sudden noise and locked up or quit? Did they say what caused it?
Or do you mean the motor just quit, perhaps smelled hot?
Had you been using it heavily for a time just before? Was it plugged directly into an outlet or on an extension cord? usually or always?
JKJ
Member
Thank you for the update.
I have been considering the Makita with cord as number 1. Seemed like I had not heard many people talk up their Stihl.
But if I here good things about a cordless saw that runs off some of the batteries that match other tools I have I may go cordless.
"If a tree falls in the forrest, and no one is around, do you make a bowl out of it?" (Jerry Rhoads)
Moderator
I can't remember if I mentioned it in this thread, but I have four Stihl chainsaws, one of them a corded electric. I love that saw and use it when I'm within a few hundred feet of power but I've run it with as much as 400' of 10 and 12 ga extension cord. I use it just outside the shop a lot to prepare log sections for cutting turning blanks on the shop bandsaw or trimming logs for the sawmill. I use it inside the shop at times when it's freezing or pouring rain outside.
It cuts extremely well. I have an electric chainsaw sharpener so it's easy to keep it sharp. The only downside for me is it was not cheap.
Just like all electrics, corded or cordless, I like that I don't have to mix gas and oil, pull to start, warm up the saw before use, or keep it running while I do something else. It stops very quickly. Lighter weight than my gasoline powered Stihl chainsaws, don't know how it compares to battery powered. Being corded I never have to charge or buy replacements when batteries die. I don't have to worry about old gasoline in the tank and carburetor - I can get it out two years later and it starts and runs the same!
A few years ago I cleaned up and organized too aggressively and put the saw safely towards the back of a deep shelf in the shop. I didn't need it for a year or so and when I did I forgot I had put it up and couldn't find it! I had almost decided I'd left it outside and someone carried it off, difficult with our gates and fences and guard animals but I couldn't think of anything else. Fortunately I found it the morning of the day I was headed out to buy a new one - I get a lot of use from my gasoline saws but I'd really hate to be without the electric.
JKJ
Contributor
I feel the same way as John. I have a Husqvarna corded that is brilliant and as nuts as it sounds if I had to do work away from the shop I'd take a generator to power it over getting a battery powered version. My father got a Stihl corded saw when he was in his late 70's. He would get a logging truck load of logs every couple years and use the corded saw exclusively to cut the logs into firewood to heat his place. He went through 4 or 5 loads before the saw gave out. It probably would have run a lot longer if he was into checking brushes etc.
If I were to get a cordless the Husqvarna and Stihl saws would be the first saws I would look at.
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