Gave up my gas out side tools in AZ. Got a EGO string trimmer and Blower. Perfect for my 2 acres. No gas/oil, is it gonna start? hassle.

Back to the east coast and looking for a chain saw. Medium duty. I see EGO has a chainsaw that uses the same 56v batteries as my other 2.

Sold on the other 2 but skeptical on a chain saw. Anyone have experience with them?

No experience with an Ego chainsaw as I'm invested in the Ryobi 40V ecosystem. If I were you, I'd go with Ego as you're already invested in their 56V batteries and batteries are the expensive part of battery tools.

However, I would point you to the YouTube channel Project Farm where they did 2 head to head tests on electric chainsaws:

I have a 40v Greenworks chainsaw... just a small bar, maybe 14"? It cuts well and the chain is sharp, but it is a slow performer compared to the real saws I've used (very limited experience with chainsaws). I believe it is because the Greenworks chain as less teeth per inch than traditional saws. I assume because it doesn't have the power for more.

It works fine for my uses in the middle of a city... not sure I'd want my particular model for use on a 2 acre plot of land. Maybe newer models are better as mine is several years old .

quote:

Originally posted by mike56:

Back to the east coast and looking for a chain saw. Medium duty. I see EGO has a chainsaw that uses the same 56v batteries as my other 2.

Sold on the other 2 but skeptical on a chain saw. Anyone have experience with them?

I'm not familiar with Ego's saw but I do like my battery chainsaw. Were I you I think I'd go with an Ego and save having to buy a battery and charger since you already have them (unless you find consistently bad reviews on it).

If you’re already invested in the EGO battery ecosystem, then that’s what you should get. Like ridewv said.

Corded ?
Or
Cordless?

I have a DeWalt pole saw that I love and works great for limbing the pines around the yard. Limbs branches up to 6" If I need more saw than that the gas Stihl comes out. I did get a knock off brand hand held battery operated chain saw sent to me to test and review the other day. It has a 6" blade. Just so happens I got a lilac bush laying on the ground right now from all the heavy snow. Perfect to test that gadget out on when enough snow goes away to get to it.

Bottom line is once your invested into a certain battery system it just makes sense to stick to that brand.

Depending on what size batteries your other tools use may have some bearing on if it matters sticking with the same system. I love my Milwaukee saw just because I pull the trigger and it’s working. I have come to loathe small gas engines. I’ve had it where my Stihl saws (MS 250 and 290) have run fine, stop for a bit and then they don’t. I’ll keep them around for heavy work but my Milwaukee sees more time because I don’t procrastinate because I’m wondering if they’ll start which will put me in a foul mood if they don’t.

My Milwaukee saw uses a 12 amp hr battery which is bigger than any other tool I have though I do use it on my weed whip and portable vacuum for the Shelby. It makes the saw a little heavy but I rarely am harvesting trees with it. Plenty of power.

I primarily have Milwaukee electric tools but I’ve also come to squire DeWalt and Makita by the way of winning/earning them. I feel now I have an advantage that I’m not pigeonholed into one brand if I see something else I like and it’s not red.

I bought a Milwaukee M18 electric chainsaw a few years ago. For around my house its all I need and it does a great job.

I have Ego Chain Saw to go with my trimmer and blower.
Works VERY well . Not as good as my gas powered Hisky , but does the job
No complaints at all

My B-I-L purchased an EGO saw for my sister in the summer of 2019. "Her" smaller Husky gas saw was heavy and it didn't run well. I tried her EGO saw over that labor day weekend and liked it. I bought my own Ego chainsaw in October 2019.

Our family manages about 120 acres of pine forests. In March 2019 our land was hit with devastating snow and wind storms, which snapped an untold number of trees and branches. Since that time we've cleaned up close to 100 acres. We cut most of the branches and smaller trees with the Ego saws. I find the Egos are effective up to 8 or 9 inches, but larger cuts are more effectively done with our gas Stihl saws. I have felled trees up to 16" in diameter with the Ego, however.

Right up front, I don't like that EGO is a Chinese company. I would much rather own American battery saws, or a Stihl. So be it.

The Ego is easy to handle, fairly light, and cuts well with sharp chains. The 2.5 Ah batteries don't have much oomph, but they weigh a lot less, making the saw easier to use for overhead trimming. The 5 AH batteries are pretty much mandatory for any extended cutting.

Ego's weakness is its oiling system. Most likely driven via a plastic worm gear, with plastic feed tubes. I've turned in 2 saws for warranty replacement. The first saw ran for almost 2 years before crapping out. The second one a little less than a year. Saw #3 is going OK, but I did have a few weeks in late summer 2022 where oil flow was down noticeably -- but it seemed to recover. I use the Ego maybe 35-40 days a year, consuming an average of 7-8 Ah a day. At least Ego & Ace Hardware are honoring the 5 year warranty, so far. My first 5 Ah batter crapped out a few weeks before the 3-year warranty on it, and Ego/Ace replaced it for free.

Bottom line -- the Ego battery saw works. It's not perfect, and it's not the best for my near-commercial-duty use. I suspect for most home owner's applications, it's just about ideal.

FWIW, I've looked into Stihl's new 300-series battery saw. Nice looking unit, with decent cutting capabilities. IMO it's a little heavy for its size. When my current Stihl 310 craps out, most likely a Stihl 261 will become our lighter gas saw. For bigger cuts we use a Stihl 390. The monster trees get our Stihl 400, with either the 20" or 24" bar.

I'm not really certain what I will do when my current Ego saw gives up the ghost. Maybe the newer Ego model, which is supposed to be more powerful. And maybe a better oiler.

Great info all. Helps alot.

My two gas chainsaws are an old McCulloch Eager Beaver and a Stihl MS361 (with a variety of different bar lengths). That being said also have a bunch of different EGO products as well as the 18" chainsaw and love it !

As said above, if already have a few EGO products then do get the bare tool EGO chainsaw.

My son bought me an Ego and I love it. He ponied up for the 5Mah battery. When it was new, I had it out, but didn't want to use up the big 5mah battery, so I carried a 2.5mah that was off the string trimmer. That chainsaw, with my weakest battery, made 13 consecutive cuts through a 12" Douglas fir tree before the battery ran out.

I absolutely love the thing. That said, if you are serious, look into a gas fired Stihl. But for pulling the thing out and having it run, these Ego batterys are solid. The chain is the weak part of the Ego chainsaw, being smaller so that they don't get many resharpenings. So keep a spare new chain handy. Easy and fast to replace on the fly with no tools though.

My light battery saw is a Makita XCUO6Z 18v 10", no complaints and buy again. Medium duty says gas saw to me. I use a Stihl MS260 (current model MS261) with 16" or 18" bar.

I have the Ego for light duty stuff around the yard (had a couple 8" trees blown down, etc). I already had blower & weedeater + 2x 2.5Ahr batteries & I bought the kit with the 5Ahr. The 2.5s are enough for most of what I've used it for, but I did use the 5Ahr to cut up a fallen ~25ft flowering pear tree enough to load it on the trailer & haul to the spot we dump such things. It wasn't anywhere near empty.

I haven't cleaned fencerow, cut down a large tree or turned big logs into firewood in a long time, but I'd probably go find the stihl in the shed & get it running for the big jobs. Now that I typed that out, I'm rethinking it because when I grab stuff from the farm, I always have to fix it and whatever else they can't figure out, so I'd likely be better off with the Ego.

As fritz mentioned, the bar oiler is a PITA. Seems that way with most battery saws. Either drain & clean after use or keep it in a tub, on it's side, with some rags like I do - it WILL leak.

quote:

Originally posted by mke229:
My light battery saw is a Makita XCUO6Z 18v 10", no complaints and buy again.

I'd have to research a lot more thoroughly, but, at first blush that looks like it'd be a good way to go for me.

Top-handle, so good for elevated work. 10 in. bar. Li-Ion and brushless. Gets good reviews. The Makita name. Around $300 with a pair of batteries and a charger, so not hideously spendy.

One thing about those who think gas equipment is a PITA. It’s because you aren’t doing what’s required. Nearly all eqipment will run perfectly for years if you use eth-free, stabilized fuel, and drain it dry after use. About 3/4 of chainsaw maintenance is bar/chain, and electric won’t let you escape that.

It only takes a minute to turn your saw upside down to drain the gas and let it idle the carb dry. Do it and your gas saw will serve you well for years,

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
One thing about those who think gas equipment is a PITA. It’s because you aren’t doing what’s required. Nearly all eqipment will run perfectly for years if you use eth-free, stabilized fuel, and drain it dry after use. About 3/4 of chainsaw maintenance is bar/chain, and electric won’t let you escape that.

It only takes a minute to turn your saw upside down to drain the gas and let it idle the carb dry. Do it and your gas saw will serve you well for years,

I'm still running a Stihl 031AVE from 1982 and sigcrazy7 speaks the truth.

My son has the DeWalt chainsaw and I have used around the yard and it was great. But I am really happy with this 20V hedge trimmer. I don't even have to get the ladder out to touch up the hedges.

DeWalt Trimmer