It's been windy these days. I've heard a number of chain saws in the neighborhood - presumably branches and/or trees coming down.

I'm thinking I should get one although I've never had one / used one in my life.

I have a M18 drill and an Ego weed trimmer. I'm thinking a battery one may be good enough. Maybe something like this: https://egopowerplus.com/18-inch-chain-saw/

Thoughts? Is this good enough for emergency use and maybe off pavement driving? Ego or M18 Fuel better?

Or stick w/ gas (Stihl MS 180 C-BE or Husqvarna 120 Mark II)?

I have been thinking of an electric chainsaw as well. I am starting to “Off-road” in my Bronco and have already come across a couple spots where one would have come in handy. Definitely want electric for carrying it in vehicle.

I have EGO lawnmower, blower, and weed trimmer and have been happy with all. The one you posted is definitely a contender. I was thinking about something a little smaller and cheaper (14-16”, <$200) but there is something to be said for “Buy once, cry once” and the 5AH battery alone makes that a pretty good deal (they run ~$200 or so standalone).


Hmm… in stock at my local Lowe’s and Ace also, you might have just decided for me.

quote:

I'm thinking a battery one may be good enough.

Been there done that. Nope. for emergency use you want a real one, i.e. gas.

I would also get chaps if you don't have any. No, not the buttless chaps, the type used for chain-saw safety.

Stihl. Get one of the mid-range models. there's not that much difference in price and this is for an emergency. A 16" model will be plenty.
Run it on Avgas 100LL using their oil. Much better storage life, no ethanol, etc. Get it (Avgas) at local small general aviation airport.

Get some practice using the saw. There are plenty of videos to show the technique. Cutting trees that are half down can be really dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

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Originally posted by radioman:

quote:

I'm thinking a battery one may be good enough.

Been there done that. Nope. for emergency use you want a real one, i.e. gas.

I would also get chaps if you don't have any. No, not the buttless chaps, the type used for chain-saws.

And a logging helmet. Integral face shield and earmuffs. They're inexpensive.

My next door neighbor had a limb come down from his huge tulip tree that blocked his back door. I lent him my 15" Poulan Pro gas chain saw. He promptly pulled out the started cord trying to start it (he's a pretty fit guy), even though it isn't a hard-to-start saw. For someone with little chain saw experience, I'd suggest an electric, either corded or battery, with corded being less desired because downed trees and limbs often come with power outages. If your saw battery matches your other tools, it might be that you have a better chance of having a charged battery on hand when needed.

Chain saw, you definitely want gas, anything between 15-20" bar. Stihl would be my choice, Husqvarna is the other big brand. You see a fair amount of Echo's also. With the weather we've been having, and the threat of earthquakes, having gas powered tools will be superior to electric powered as charging will be impossible in a catastrophe if lines are down. Considering you already have an Ego tool, you could just stick with that brand and maintain commonality with your batteries.

CA legislature pushed a law through last year banning gas powered lawnmowers, chain saws, leaf blowers, weed-walkers, generators and other small two-stroke engines by 2024, which is why you're seeing more and more battery powered tools. Get'em while you can.

You can look into renting a chainsaw from a place like sunbelt if they're in your area, home depot rents tools also so another option to rent. No need to waste money buying a chainsaw for what might happen or just have it sitting in your garage gathering dust.

My concerns:

Gas powered (Stihl / Husqvarna):
* Perhaps better suited for emergencies but I need to keep gas stored in the garage. And keep a tank for road trips.
* Need for maintenance. I had a gas 4 cycle weed whacker that got very little use. I had to run it dry after every use. Had to store gas. And was always wondering about maintenance (cost, where to take it, when to do it, etc).

But aside from gas storage and maintenance, it's probably a better choice.


Battery powered (M18 Fuel / Ego):
* I don't use these tools on a regular basis so likely the battery will not be fully charged in an emergency.
* While I can charge the battery in advance for road trips, if I use the saw on the road and deplete the battery, it's done. No way to charge it on the road until I get back to my room.
* No point in buying an M18 saw - when the drills and/or the M18 batteries fail, I'll likely buy Bosch to replace.
* Ego might be longer - I may buy replacement Ego products in the future. But again, who knows. 20 years from now, I may not have Ego any more and that may render the saw useless.


Seems like gas powered may be the way to go. But I need to figure out gas storage and maintenance.

Is the Husqvarna 120 Mark II good to go here? Or a Stihl a better choice (something comparable to the 120 Mark II)? Or something different altogether?

I believe a battery saw such as the one linked would be ideal to have for emergencies like branch, limb, and small to medium size tree clean up. No way I'd want a gas saw for such infrequent use.
I frequently have limbs and small trees down on the trails that are too large to move by hand and 90% of the time the 14" battery saw is all that's needed. So that's what rides along in the SXS every time I take it out. I can have the limb sectioned, tossed off to the side, and be back on my way in the time it takes to get the gas saw started, off choke and warmed up.

If I qualify emergencies as not exactly immediate but rather "response / action in about an hour or two" that provides time to charge the batteries, then perhaps the Ego is in the running. At $250, I guess I could just treat that as somewhat disposable; when the batteries fail, I can buy new ones or just toss the Ego saw as well. Given expected usage, the batteries will likely die before the saw does.

Going Ego would alleviate the gas storage/transport and maintenance concerns.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
My concerns:

Gas powered (Stihl / Husqvarna):
* Perhaps better suited for emergencies but I need to keep gas stored in the garage. And keep a tank for road trips.
* Need for maintenance. I had a gas 4 cycle weed whacker that got very little use. I had to run it dry after every use. Had to store gas. And was always wondering about maintenance (cost, where to take it, when to do it, etc).

Agreed! For occasional use, I much prefer battery even if “weaker” to an extent.

quote:

Battery powered (M18 Fuel / Ego):
* I don't use these tools on a regular basis so likely the battery will not be fully charged in an emergency.
* While I can charge the battery in advance for road trips, if I use the saw on the road and deplete the battery, it's done. No way to charge it on the road until I get back to my room.

Don’t be too quick to rule out battery for road use. The chargers draw very little current. Does your car have a 110 outlet? Problem solved. If not, you can get get 12vdc to 120ac inverters pretty cheap. The manual for the included charger says it draws 210 watts. 300w inverter is less than $30 on Amazon

I think the truck has an outlet (never used it). But not sure what the power limitations are - I'll have to check.

These inverters - direct connect to the battery? Or can work through the lighter?

I have many electric and gas chainsaws.
In a SHTF situation I want one of my gas saws. Much easier to get 2 stroke gas than to find a place to charge a battery.
Electric saws are good for trimming limbs.

Take heed to what someone else said above: Cutting partially downed trees brings about its own set of difficulty and very real danger.

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These inverters - direct connect to the battery? Or can work through the lighter?

Mine plugs into the lighter.

Does California still allow gasoline fueled chainsaws? I'm waiting for New York to ban them.

I cut fairly regularly but would think a small, gas fired saw would be best for infrequent applications (Stihl MS-170). Even with a battery powered saw you've got to keep the batteries charged. How often do you lose power? I admit, I know little about battery powered saws.

I have both gas and electric, as said above, trimming limbs, the electric is fine.

Every big wind storm seems to bring a tree or two down across a road around here. If you need to cut a downed tree, you’re going to be there for a while cutting it in pieces you can move. Unfortunately the battery powered chainsaw just doesn’t seem to have battery life, bar length, or durability required to cut up and move a tree.

I have a 20" Husky 455 Rancher. Been using saws for over 50 years. I just recently picked up a 12" battery saw that I plan on using for mild branch trimming. Yeah, I admit it, at 75, my Rancher is getting a bit much for over head work.

Whichever you decide I would suggest you find someone well versed in chainsaws and ask them to work with you for a while. A video might work as well. Remember: Any broken tree, leaning tree, hung-up tree or dead tree is always a potential widow maker.

I have an old school McCulloch Eager Beaver, a Stihl MS361 and the Ego 18 inch battery. I love all three. I have numerous bars and chains for the MS361 up to 24 inch.

Agree regarding the chaps. I have Labonville full-wrap 10-ply chainsaw chaps. The 10-ply is over doing it for the chaps but when I bought them years ago they had an outstanding sale. Chainsaw chaps get overly warm in the summer, but since I am not working wearing them everyday/all day ... I get along fine. Definitively want chaps, it can happen to have a chainsaw kick back and slide across the front of your thighs. Worth the investment.

Thanks guys. I'm waffling a lot here because I really don't know anything about these things. Honestly, (giving up my man card), I'm a little apprehensive using circular saws. Table, reciprocating, jigsaw and miter saws are okay though. For some reason, circular saws and chain saws seemed more dangerous to me (perhaps I've heard more horror stories in my youth with those saws than the other types).

Since I'm not limiting to limbs (who knows what the emergency will be), perhaps gas powered is the way to go. Battery may be all I really need but gas sounds more universal. And if I buy something now, gas may be the way to go; I can always buy a battery one but this may be my last change to buy gas powered in this stupid area.

I don't know anybody with a chain saw. I'll need to find videos on how to use them. And what to look for in these chaps things. And why broken / leaning / hung / dead trees are so dangerous and how to handle them.

Lots to learn I guess.