E Go chainsaw

[arojay]

I'm curious about the E GO brand.  Does anyone have experience wit E GO chainsaws or power tools in general?

[RPF2509]

I have a blower and a lawnmower and really like them both.  My lawn is small (10 minutes and done) and one charge lasted all summer.  The mower is mostly plastic so it is light, easy to maneuver and keep clean.  Seems rugged enough even though its plastic.  No earplugs needed.  Winter storage was pull the battery, fold it up and put it away.  It stores compactly on end, the handle telescopes down and locks securely when its time to get back in action.  Its battery is bigger than the blower's which accounts for the longer run time.  Mine is not self propelled which contributes to longer lasting battery.  Has plenty of power as long as the grass is kept reasonable.  Has auto power burst to get through thicker bits.  The blower is not the most powerful model (i think its the 530 model) but gets the job done.  Works well on pavement - less so on rough surfaces like grass.  Has a power boost button when things get thick that works well.  Battery is small so I get about 15 minutes before needing recharge.  If I have a big job, I use the mower battery (all batteries exchange between all tools) which runs it longer than I want to hold it (gets heavy).  I'm looking at the chainsaw as a possible purchase but would probably only use it for around the yard stuff when I do not want the noise and fumes.  Firewood cutting in the woods still remains a gas powered affair.    I tried a friends Makita battery pole saw and that was the cat's meow except a bit heavy after a bit.  Still, I was less tired than using my Fiskars muscle powered one.  The battery powered one was particularly satisfying to use on big branches - way faster and less tiring.  The mower is going on its third year with just a quick sharpen and a clean off before storage for maintenance.  My first blower motor conked out after about a year so I bought another instead of hassling with the warranty.  Got an extra battery out of that so its easy to swap out when one runs down. Charging is fairly quick with either size and the charging stand has a fan to keep things cool.  Very satisfied with both tools and looking hard to see if I really the saw.

[CJ154SG]

EGO makes good-quality products, in my experience. They come from the lawncare end of things originally, which explains their slower evolution when it comes to chainsaw ergonomics.

I have the non-self-propelled lawnmower with the 5.0ah battery. Very happy with it. EGO's approach to batteries is one of maximizing heat removal to prolong the overall lifespan of the battery pack. They use the U-shape to keep the cells spaced further apart to aid in active cooling when charging and for better passive cooling when operating a tool. This approach is very effective, but at the cost of bulk. 

Which isn't a problem, for lawnmowers and other push-type implements, but not so good for handheld implements, such as chainsaws.

EGO also didn't help matters with their initial residential-grade chainsaw designs which locate the battery pack directly under the rear handle, which is not advantageous for weight-distribution and balance. With their latest-generation 20" saw, however, they have moved the battery pack closer to the motor and ahead of the rear handle, which should make a big difference. I have had the older-style saws in my hands in-store to get a feel for them, and I didn't buy them as they simply didn't meet my ergonomic standards. I am curious about the new-gen 20" model as far as the ergonomic changes are concerned, and am going to get one in my hands hopefully soon, just to compare with the older models.

One other caveat. The new saw is capable of three power levels, but with an understandable catch: you have to use at least the 6.0ah battery pack (6.2 lbs) + saw weight of 8.6 lbs to access the highest power setting. With the 5.0ah pack (4.8 lbs) you can only access the low and medium power settings. Any pack under 5.0ah can only be used on the lowest power setting, which kind of defeats the purpose.

So that leaves you with an almost 15 lbs saw that "supposedly" offers power to a 55cc gas saw. Still not quite there for me, but I give them credit for improving with each generation of saw. All of EGOs saws use 3/8" low-profile 0.050"-gauge chain, including this newest model.

My best suggestion is to go try the saws in your hands in-store with the battery to see if the ergos will work for you.

[arojay]

Thanks guys!  I went ahead and bought one last week.  It's not for myself but I wanted to donate something to a raffle for minor hockey.  It looks like a decent consumer grade product.