What is the largest size bar for an electric chainsaw? 18 inches? Haven’t looked into electrics, still using my Stihl 045 with a 20 inch bar.
-
Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details) -
Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details) -
Congratulations to Peter Jacobson for "Red Winged Burl Bowl" being selected as Turning of the Week for April 29, 2024 (click here for details) -
Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.
Cordless chainsaws
- Thread starter John Hicks
- Start date
I'm a bit late to party here but I love my Oregon CS 1500. IT'S ELECTRIC BUT NOT CORDLESS 16" bar, plenty of power and as an added bonus includes a sharpener that works. Story: after using it for six months or so I was cutting a log and hit something metal. You know the sound.... as soon as you hit it you know your saw is dull as a...fill in the blank. I was about to order a new blade when I remembered that hit came with a shapening system. I fired it up, hit the button for twice for 5 seconds each and volie! it cut like it was brand new. Highly reccommend the Oegon. about $120 on amazon
I also picked up a Dewalt 20v cordless.... don't waste your money
On the other hand I have one and it works just fine for my needs. I use it for mostly trimming around the woods. Since I have other 20 volt tools it's a natural fit. While mine has a 16 inch bar there's one in the picture (just to the left of the canoe) with a 12 inch bar some folks took on a camping trip. I bet it was useful for firewood. I don't use mine for large jobs, we have Amish neighbors with gas saws that I hire for that heavy work.
Well, I bit the bullet and settled on the Echo 56v 18” saw. Found a second battery on eBay which arrived today. If I’m going to carry the saw in my car, I like the idea of a spare battery so I don’t run out of power in the middle of a remote situation. So far after using the saw once, I’m very impressed. It cut through this cherry like butter. I’m waiting for a separate soft sided carry case to show up from Amazon. I tried to buy through a local hardware store, Echo retailer, where it would have been a few dollars cheaper, but they told me they can’t take returns on special order items, in case the saw didn’t fit the case. Amazon will always accept a return, though I prefer to support local businesses.
I have been looking at cordless chainsaws for several months. There are 2 maybe 3 coming out that may be worthwhile for my needs, larger logs and bowls. I want a 20" bar, lots of power, and enough battery to cut several blanks.
Right now there are only the 2 I know of are:
DeWalt DCCS677Z1 60V MAX* Brushless Cordless 20 in. 5.0Ah Chainsaw Kit:
www.dewalt.com
Stihl Msa 300, this link is to a review site, Sthil still does not list on their site:
https://www.forestry.com/editorial/stihl-msa-300-a-new-battery-powered-chainsaw/
The DeWalt is supposed to release in a few days, the Stihl sometime in 2022.
VERY IMPORTANT with these types of cordless chainsaws is the batter amp hours. It isn't just how long they will run but also the max power/torque they are capable of. In other words if for example you buy the Dewalt with the 4Ah battery it will not be as powerful as the same saw with the 5Ah battery. Listed below are the saws with the maximum Ah battery available for each saw.
The Stihl is probably a better chainsaw but it is very expensive.
Cost DeWalt is about $550 street price with one 5AH battery.
The Stihl Msa 300 with the AP 500S battery is about $1100, that is an estimate because the stated price of the saw is $800 and the battery is showing a current street price of $350. The street price of the saw may be lower
Note when comparing the 9.4Ah Stihl battery to the 5Ah DeWalt battery they are about equivalent because the DeWalt is 60v and the Stihl 36v.
Here are a few links to view performance and tests of these saws:
Dewalt:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8LcWxTEss4
View: https://youtu.be/6-LX5xZNO20?t=42
Stihl:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbOFc1DfBvA
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG7AScyjPWE
--sdc
Right now there are only the 2 I know of are:
DeWalt DCCS677Z1 60V MAX* Brushless Cordless 20 in. 5.0Ah Chainsaw Kit:
60V MAX* Brushless Cordless 20 in 5.0Ah Chainsaw Kit
Made for professional use, the 60V MAX* 20 in. 5.0Ah Brushless Cordless Chainsaw features peak horsepower of 4 HP using a DCB615 battery. Designed for consistent high-level performance, this Chainsaw features tooled chain tensioning for reliable bar retention. Its brushless motor delivers...
www.dewalt.com
Stihl Msa 300, this link is to a review site, Sthil still does not list on their site:
https://www.forestry.com/editorial/stihl-msa-300-a-new-battery-powered-chainsaw/
The DeWalt is supposed to release in a few days, the Stihl sometime in 2022.
VERY IMPORTANT with these types of cordless chainsaws is the batter amp hours. It isn't just how long they will run but also the max power/torque they are capable of. In other words if for example you buy the Dewalt with the 4Ah battery it will not be as powerful as the same saw with the 5Ah battery. Listed below are the saws with the maximum Ah battery available for each saw.
The Stihl is probably a better chainsaw but it is very expensive.
Cost DeWalt is about $550 street price with one 5AH battery.
The Stihl Msa 300 with the AP 500S battery is about $1100, that is an estimate because the stated price of the saw is $800 and the battery is showing a current street price of $350. The street price of the saw may be lower
Note when comparing the 9.4Ah Stihl battery to the 5Ah DeWalt battery they are about equivalent because the DeWalt is 60v and the Stihl 36v.
Here are a few links to view performance and tests of these saws:
Dewalt:
Stihl:
--sdc
I Bought a greenworks 80 volt with 18" bar going to try it out this week end.
Ed
Ed
I have a Dewalt battery chainsaw. It works well, but the battery doesn’t last long enough for extended use. But it is great for a quick trim! The lack of fussing with a gasoline engine makes it a great addition to the Husky I also have.
Great tip on the second battery, Lou. Looking forward to hearing a review of the case you ordered.
That new 20" Dewalt is nice and heavy duty. But that price!
If you are going to do any cutting with the echo 56volt; may I suggest buying the quick charger (even if you have two batteries). Also if your cutting a bunch of wood with it; have a freeze pack (those blue things) in a cooler handy to cool the battery; as it will not charge if it's hot. It would be nice if they produced an adapter for this one that plugs into where the battery goes and will convert to a 110 outlet for extended use. None of these cordless will have the umph, or cut as well as a good gas chainsaw; but they are nice to have.
Great tip for the freeze/cooler packs to cool the batteries before charging, John. I have a cordless weed trimmer that takes a while to cool before charging.
I also went with the Makita battery model as, like many others, I already had a lot of other Makita kit and batteries.
I did find the toolless bar clamping mechanism on the Makita hopeless. It would just suddenly let go and the sprocket would destroy another chain! With six other chainsaws and many decades of experience I'm more than familiar with chain tensioning and the mechanism on the Makita just wasn't up to the task.
I just replaced the toolless clamping mechanism with a spring washer and nut and use a regular ring spanner on that. Cheap and easy to do and that has worked perfectly ever since.
Because it is so light I only use my my other chainsaws when the task is too much for the Makita. Having a batch of 5Ah batteries I can do a lot of cutting before they all show empty. Occasionally on very long jobs I also take one of my smaller gas/petrol Huskys to finish the job off. And, of course, I always have spare chains with me. A fresh sharp chain gets the job done quicker with less battery use.
I'm more than happy with it. The Husky equivalent might have the edge on it but at an extra cost.