Battery chainsaw

[maineshops]

Starting to slow down a bit. Just cutting dead and down in the woods,and an occasional sawlog. What is a good battery saw o tha stop and start work. Light weight. I use an 80v kobalt and it is getting heavy. Tx dan

[Southside]

I have a 40V Kobalt and an 18V Milwaukee we use around the mill.  The Milwaukee is by far a much better saw. 

[upnut]

I have a Stihl MS 200c, shown here with my son's DeWalt saw for comparison...


I bought a Stihl MS120 c-b originally, it has been a good little saw. The MS200 c is a couple steps up in power, battery life, and features like variable speed throttle and metal dogs. I put the same size bar/chain on the 200 just to simplify the spare parts issue, and the 14" bar does all I need in a battery saw. They have been good saws...

Scott B.

[John Mc]

I have used some surprisingly good battery chainsaws, but none of the good ones are light weight, at least not as compared to a similar-powered gas saw.

[maple flats]

For years I stayed away from battery powered chainsaws, but at 77 I jumped in with both feet. I now have 2 DeWalt 20V cordless a 14" saw and a 16" saw plus a DeWalt 60V 9A 20" saw. That last one bucked all of my firewaad this past year. I also have a 14" Kobalt 20V saw, a 16" Kobalt 24V saw and a Kobalt 40V polesaw. The last 2 were used mainly in my 4.5 acres of blueberries for pruning and removing a never ending fight with unwanted trees growing in between the bushes. 
None of those saws cut as fast as my Husky 543XP, nor are they as loud. I've come to like these "toy" saws, but I've learned they are no longer just toys. Today's batteries for cordless tools have made huge gains in their ability. 
I do still tend to use my Husky 543XP or my Husky 359 or my Husky 65 when felling trees, unless maybe a dead ash for firewood often falls to the hum of the DeWalt 60V saw. The hemlock coming down for the sawmill still get one of the 2 smaller Huskies, the 65 is only used to buck huge trees, it wears a 34" full skip chain, and it' too much to start and handle when not absolutely needed. 
In fact the 65 has only been used 5-6 times in the 10 yrs 'ive had it. It came with a 24" bar, but I had one log on my old Peterson that wanted a 36" bar, but when I went to buy it, the dealer gave me the price as well as the price he had on some 34" bars, ($50) and I got the 34". It seems he got them by mistake and the vendor gave him a very special price if he kept them. He wanted just under $120 for the 36" bar. Both were roller nose bars.

[OddInTheForrest]

My 2 cents are these : 

I've looked for light saws for years. I do a lot of TSI work, thinning and in general selective thinning or clearing. In poorly managed woodlands. This often leads to day after day of slinging a saw. This has led me to test a MS 192, 193, 200, and eventually a MS151. 

This then led me to batterysaws. I think I tried them all. But never found the rigth one. Ofcourse, price also matters. I run a one-man part time show, and dont want to spend too much. 

I concluded with a Ryobi. 1830, cheapes one with a 00.43 chain. It runs on my chipper, just for the occational use. Not a saw I'd use for felling. The chain speed is just too slow. 

I am however more than willing to try new saws, and think you should too ! Try a MSA 70, or the MS151, at least I know the 151 is worth the money. Saw runs long on a single tank, and after 5 years of cutting with mine 90-120 days a year, I know what its capable of. 

Best regards
Odd
Norways westcoast

[esteadle]

Starting to slow down a bit. Just cutting dead and down in the woods,and an occasional sawlog. What is a good battery saw o tha stop and start work. Light weight. I use an 80v kobalt and it is getting heavy. Tx dan

How old is it? You charged it more than 100 times yet? 

Sharper chains are always the answer to any torque limit on a saw head.

How do you sharpen?

[PNWRusty]

Starting to slow down a bit. Just cutting dead and down in the woods,and an occasional sawlog. What is a good battery saw o tha stop and start work. Light weight. I use an 80v kobalt and it is getting heavy. Tx dan

I like my Husqvarna 350i. Cuts a lot of wood fast.



Before I bought the 350i I looked for a comparison to the Husqvarna 540i XP but couldn't find any direct comparisons of anyone who had used both and could intelligently compare them. The 350i is a lot more budget friendly, so I got that and it exceeded my expectations by a good amount. 

I can cut non-stop with two batteries by fast charging one in the back of the truck while cutting with the other. I didn't even need to fire up my Stihl 261 CM and the 350i cuts just as fast, or very close to it, with a lot less fumes and noise.

[axeman2021]

I am using a Hart 18" 40 volt it might not be what you need but it has done a really good job for me, and at around for $350 saw battery and charger with a nice carrying case not a bad deal.
And with being it's sold at Walmart if unhappy you get 90 days to just return it.

[PNWRusty]

I'm still looking for anyone who can compare the Husqvarna 540i XP to the Husqvarna 350i (which I have). I find it very odd that no one has written up a comparison anywhere on the Internet (at least not one that I can find).

I would say the 350i cuts as fast as my old Stihl 026 and my new Stihl MS 261 CM (both of which I consider equal in cutting speed). All three weigh about the same too.

I also have a DeWalt with a Max20 battery and 16" bar and, IMO, it's just not a good saw. It feels lacking in smoothness, power and efficiency (battery life) while having a not very pleasant balance in the hands. It's not as quiet as my other electric saws. It functions good enough, it's just no fun to use. Awkward.

I really like my Milwaukee M12 PowerAxe with a 5 or 6 Ah 12V battery. It only has about a 5" bar but it's handy for small cuts because it's so easy to one-hand. Smooth and quiet with good battery life for what it is, it runs smooth. I don't know why the DeWalt feels like it runs and cuts rough, I think part of it is I don't like the chain it came with.

[DHansen]

Just my input with my use of my 540iXP and my friends Ryobi.  I also have a 026 Stihl, 338XP and 550XP.  I like my 540iXP because it is quiet and very handy.  It has limitations in speed.  The speed of the cut is noticeable in 10" or more oak.  10" and under and it is a great saw to get jobs done.  The 026 and 550XP are faster and I can get more work completed in the same time frame if there are lots on 10" and larger diameter cuts.  Cutting off limbs and lots of 3"-6" cuts the 540iXP is a great tool.  Today a friend called and needed help with two small live burr Oaks.  14" at the base 30' tall.  He has a 2050 Jonsered and the Ryobi.  He also has a 12-year-old son who really wanted to help and cut.  So, in the end we only used the two battery saws for these two trees.  3.5 hours of cutting.  Neither saw needed a battery change.  Filled both with bar oil twice.  With the young cutter I was able to talk with him and show him as he cut.  This was a big plus for being able to communicate.  I started off with a 30-minute talk about protective gear.  Then about chain safety and common injuries.  How to hold the saw and how to let the saw cut.  After the job was done, here are my thoughts.  There was nothing wrong with that Ryobi.  It cut well; it was strong enough to pull that 3/8" LP chain with the 14" bar buried in the oak.  It does not have a chain brake whereas the 540iXP does.  Made me question the price difference based on performance.  I think the Husqvarna is safer, has steel felling spikes vs plastic molded in on the Ryobi.  I know this doesn't answer the 350i power axe vs 540I XP question, but hopefully my comparison to my 026 helps.

[Al_Smith]

Like I've said little battery saws have their place .I've got a micro with 24 volt batteries and 4 and 6 inch bars .Handy as a pocket on a shirt for light duty stuff like cleaning up wind blown limbs .I would not even think of attacking a 24 inch oak tree with it but on the other hand a 90 plus cc chain saw is not a good tool for 2 inch limbs .Match the tool for the job .

[AndyVT]

I picked up a used ryobi 14" saw and 3  40 volt batteries for $125 for my wife. She used it to limb the tops of the hemlocks we were cutting for pulp and it was a solid dependable saw. I now use it as a trim saw around my sawmill and it is perfect for that job. I still use the husky 562 for felling and lengthing logs but 
I will always have an e-saw as part of my logging kit 

[Magicman]

I have the same saw and @ $125, you got a bargain. 

[old 030]

I own two of the Greenworks 40 volt saws like the one pictured. I have no complaint with them. I also have a different Greenworks 40 volt that doesn't seam to work quite as well (seams to run a lower chain speed), I keep it around as a back-up.

[OlJarhead]

Echo DCS5000

I watched a video a few years ago testing all battery saws (top ones anyway) side by side and the echo beat them all...so I bought one.  Two years later and I must admit I love this little saw.

[gspren]

I also have one of the Greenworks saws and agree it's good enough for occasianal work. Now that I'm invested in the Milwaukee M18 tools I'd buy one of theirs if/when the Greenworks dies. I mainly use it for branches and keep it in the Rover during hunting season.

[PNWRusty]

Before you buy the M18 Milwaukee, try the Husqvarna 350i, I think it's hard to beat the price or performance. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Really? I am not seeing that price comparison and not sure what Husky gets for the batteries, but for folks that already have a lot of Milwaukee tools, the M18 makes a lot of sense (with a bar change to a better bar. My buddy has every chainsaw style Milwaukee works and he loves them all.

[Dave Shepard]

I have the M18 Top Handle. Mostly for timber framing, but also for anything that doesn't require a big saw. Very impressive. Slow chain speed isn't great for tickling little branches while pruning, but dog it in on a 10" diameter piece of wood and it really goes to town.

[barbender]

 Dave, I just picked up that same Milwaukee 18v top handle to use out at the mill. It is very impressive for the small amount I used it. I was out forwarding today and had a couple of 12"+ aspen logs that needed bucked, I was kinda of shocked/pleasantly surprised by how well that thing cuts. Maybe not quite as fast as a 50cc gas saw, but not far behind at all.

[Dave Shepard]

Milwaukee has new motor technology coming out in the third gen circular saws. I'm expecting to see a gen 2 top handle with it at some point, and maybe a change in chain speed. 

[John Mc]

Dave, I just picked up that same Milwaukee 18v top handle to use out at the mill. It is very impressive for the small amount I used it. I was out forwarding today and had a couple of 12"+ aspen logs that needed bucked, I was kinda of shocked/pleasantly surprised by how well that thing cuts. Maybe not quite as fast as a 50cc gas saw, but not far behind at all.

I've found my Milwaukee saw cuts about like a decent 40cc gas saw. I don't own any 40cc saws at the moment (though I used to own one), but I do know it will not keep up with my old Jonsered 2152 (51.7 cc)

[hedgerow]

I bought the larger M18 Milwaukee chain saw with the 12 amp battery and charger on sale just before Christmas and have used it a lot this year trimming trees with my bucket lift. Went to help a buddy a couple weeks ago after a wind storm went threw his area and his sister was there with the Milwaukee M18 eight inch hatchet saw and after I used it some in the bucket lift that day I went home and ordered one of them to. I really like it in the bucket lift. 

[barbender]

I hate to use the term incredible, but they are very, very impressive! I was looking at that pruning saw too, once I realized how awesome this top handle saw cuts.