Husqvarna Battery Chainsaw. 535, 540, 542i XP

[Big_eddy]

Husqvarna Canada is having a sale this month where you get a free battery and charger if you buy a professional battery saw.  That's enough to tempt me to make the leap. 

Now I have to decide which one. My options are the 535i, 540i and 542i XP.  The 535i is $200 less than the 540i, then it's only $50 more to the 542i.  The cost difference is not really a concern but I want to buy the best one for my needs. My intention is to use it primarily for limbing (standing) trees, and for trimming next to the chipper, splitter and hopefully soon, sawmill.  My wife also intends to use it for limbing and trimming by the splitter. She has a bad left shoulder, so weight is a concern.  The 535i is about a pound lighter than the 542i. In fact, the 542i weighs about the same as a gas 550XP, so certainly not alight weight.

I've read all I can find on here about these saws. Interested in hearing any others thoughts or impressions from anyone who has use one, or researched them.  Right now I'm leaning towards the lightest option possible, the 535i, thinking for limbing, it'll still be more than enough for my needs 

[lxskllr]

I only just now looked, but two things stand out to me. The 540 has significantly faster chain speed(79 fts vs 65.6 fts), and significantly more oil delivery(19ml/min vs 8ml/min)

[DHansen]

Plenty of chain bar oil on my chain and bar from my Husqvarna 540XPi.  I do use winter grade (weight) chain bar oil based on no heat from the combustion engine keeping the bar oil tank warm.  But always has adequate oil supply.  Would be nice if the saw would have a low bar oil light.  I was warned about keeping an eye on the bar oil level as the battery will outlast the oil tank.  Very convenient saw to have on hand for stop and go cutting jobs.

[Big_eddy]

Thanks both. Dhansen, I read all your comments, including the new clutch cover for the 542i.  Right now it's a choice between the 535i for cheap and light, or the 542i for more saw. The 540/542 difference seems negligible with the 542 being a newer (improved?) design.

[DHansen]

There is a place for the battery operated saw.  I had an Echo 2511P 25cc saw for light weight and easy of use.  My son wanted it, so I gave that to him.  I have a 338XP from 2007 and that gets used when I am doing more cutting and less moving and hauling.  The gas saws can still get more work (cutting work) done in less time.  But if you are stopping and starting to move debris, branches and to load, the electric is so convenient and can save on that unrelated (moving work) time.  So easy to just push a button and start to cut.  I have no complaints with run time of the batteries or charge time.  It is best to not file the rakers down too low compared to cutter height. It will get grabby.  I question the cost if the saw will not see enough use to justify it.  It works good for me when I want to be quietly working.

[Big_eddy]

I ended up buying the 535i XP and a pole saw too.  When I have had a chance to use them, will share my thoughts here.

I have two 562XP and a 50.im not expecting to replace either of those for serious cutting. This is intended for smaller jobs like pruning yard trees, trail maintenance, and to keep handy by the chipper or splitter for a quick trim job.

[Al_Smith]

Battery saws have their place as do 100 plus cc  chainsaws , I've got several of the later but only one of the former and it's a micro saw .It's a handy little thing,always starts if the battery is up .Cost me all of $65 direct shipped from WW Grainger via an e-commerce seller on e-bay for less cost than Grainger listed it .There are deals out there you just have to look for them .
I've got a 600 foot tree lined driveway of "self pruners " commonly called soft maples .As such it's a never ending job cleaning up the wind falls and the micro is a very good tool for that application .I might say a much better option than a 100 cc Paul Bunyan saw.

[Big_eddy]

So we gave the new 535i XP a good workout on the weekend. The battery I have is the BLi300, with the QC500 charger.
The saw came with a 14" bar and SP21G 0.325 mini chain.

First thing you notice is the battery is monstrous! It feels like it doubles the weight of the saw when you install it. The saw still feels light and well balanced once the battery is installed. The power switch is conveniently located right where your thumb goes and easy to operate. You need to hold it for a second or so to power on, which prevents accidental power ups. Once on, a simple touch turns it back off. The trigger is exactly what you expect, with a grip safety on the top. Pulling the trigger, the chain comes up to speed quickly. Touch the wood and the speed drops slightly when the chain engages the wood and cuts through without ever seeming to slow down more. The saw had no problem powering through a 16" diameter log with the bar buried fully.

To give it a good test, we put a fully charged battery on it and went to the woods to cut some dead ash. My wife did all the bucking with the 535i, while I collected the blocks and loaded the trailer. The plan was to see how much wood we could cut on a battery. Short story - I was impressed. We cut 5 ash from 10"-12" in diameter, and each one was 30'-40' long. We were able to fill our firewood trailer completely, which is roughly a face cord of wood once split. She didn't run the battery right to zero (we were out of space in the trailer) but it was down to a flashing power indicator and 1 bar on the battery. Side note. You have to power off the saw to check the battery level. Not sure why, but you do.

Bucking was not really what we bought the saw for, but my wife wanted to get used to it, and give it a good test. Once we got back, she then used it one of the uses we originally intended it for. She was trimming off the lower limbs from a number of spruces. The limbs were mostly 1-2" in diameter and there were 20 or so trees to do. It excelled at that. Light and easy to handle, buzzed through them easily. Truth be told, it was much faster trimming limbs than using the 562xp. No stopping and restarting, no noise, no fumes, and a lot lighter and more maneuverable.

The only complaint so far is my own fault. When we returned from the woods, I swapped out the depleted battery and she went off to trim limbs while I split and stacked the blocks. When I went over to help chip branches later, I noticed the chain oil reservoir was empty. Because I hadn't put gas in it, I hadn't even thought about chain oil, and there is no warning or indicator on the saw (There is a warning icon if the chain brake is on, and the trigger won't operate until reset) I'll need to modify my process to top it off each time the battery is installed. For our usual usage, I expect we will rarely use up a full battery in a single run so starting with a full reservoir will be fine.

Overall, she is very pleased with it, as am I.