I’ve needed a chainsaw about a half a dozen times over the last 10-12 years, and have up to this point talked myself out of buying one. I’m back to needing one again and I’m wondering if a battery powered one would be a good happy-medium type solution. I don’t however like throwing good money after bad.

What say ye?

Kinda depends on what you need it to do. Felling trees, the typical battery-powered unit will struggle, but for limbing, cutting up fallen branches, etc. So maybe up to about a 14" bar or so, you are good to go. Mine is a Ryobi 40V model, I think with a 12" bar (too lazy to go out and measure). I have several 2-cycle gas saws that I have not started up since I got the Ryobi.

I also have a 4" micro-mini saw that is incredibly handy for pruning, etc. like this one.

I own a battery powdered pole chainsaw, and an 110V electric chainsaw. Have owned the 110V unit for years and have used it a gob of times. I plan to purchase a battery pruning chainsaw when the sales come on. I wouldn't be without one(or three).

I have the Kobalt 40 volt and I LOVE it. I can cut a solid 30-40 minutes on a fully charged battery and only have to fill the oil reservoir every three batteries. Mine has the 12” bar and chain.

I also ordered two extra chains so with two batteries in total, I am ready for a break at the end of that second battery…..

Short answer: Yes, they are, depending upon the saw and your needs.

If I didn't already have a capable 10 in. bar top-handle gas-powered small saw I'd probably get an electric at this point.

I may, anyway, to throw in the Jeep for when we go up north to my buddy's place, in order to cut stuff back from the two-tracks we travel to get to his cabin. Don't want to be driving 3+ hours with a gas chainsaw in the vehicle.

I've been thinking the same thing for some time now. I have DeWalt tools/batteries and figure if I ever pull the trigger, it'll be for a 12" DeWalt. In the meantime, I don't mind using my handy buck saw.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
I've been thinking the same thing for some time now. I have DeWalt tools/batteries and figure if I ever pull the trigger, it'll be for a 12" DeWalt. In the meantime, I don't mind using my handy buck saw.

I have the dewalt….works great for my needs….limbing and cutting up fallen trees (small)

^^^ Good to hear! Thank you!

I've told this story on here and other places.

My yard has tons of oak trees. I was a direct hit with hurricane Ian, a category 5 storm. Every tree was damaged and at least 50% of the oak trees were down or ripped to shreds. I had two trees down on my roof.

The next morning I walked out and was just overwhelmed and flabbergasted. I did not know what to do. To say it was a LOT, was an understatement.

My neighborhood (160 homes) had several massive trees down and no one could get in or out basically. Out came the tractors, the guys with the chainsaws, and we cleared the roads in about 6 hours or so.

I saw several tree companies in my neighborhood. I asked them to give me a quote to clean up my yard and was told "about $7500". Thats not happening. Work told me I was off until further notice, so I put on some gloves and got to work.

I have an Echo 16" gas chainsaw, and a Ryobi 18V brushless 10" chainsaw. I got to work with that Ryobi and I basically used it nonstop for about 4 days straight. I only used the gas saw for like 5 or 10 minutes. I much preferred the little saw that could.

I'll be honest, I thought the little Ryobi saw was a toy initially when I bought it. But after using it like a real deal lumberjack for days straight, it never broke, and worked perfectly. I just swapped a new chain on after a few days, and kept the chain tight and lubed, and it worked perfect.

Im a big fan of electric chainsaws and they are perfect for the average homeowner. Even if you own 10 or 20 acres, I think you'll still find that you will use the battery saws far more than you would a gas saw.

And I have basically the cheapest, lowest quality battery chainsaw made (Ryobi) and Im a huge fan. The Echo, Stihl, Dewalt, Ego and others all get really good reviews.

I think it makes sense to stick with whatever battery platform you already have. I already had a ton of Ryobi 18V batteries and tools.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bubbatime,

I also have the DeWalt 12" 20V Max saw, and it's been great for cutting up downed limbs, which has been my typical use for a chainsaw. Battery life is very good, and it's nice not having to mix gas/oil and struggle getting a saw started that is used infrequently.

It depends on what you are using it for. I have a 24V one that is awesome for cutting large limbs or small trees. Lightweight, battery has decent life, and easy to use. If you are clearing land, I would go gas for sure.

Get ths best you can afford. I like Stihl.

There are dozens of you tubes about them,
Individually, comparisons and reviews.
Be sure to read the comments afterwards.

They are as helpful as the vids.

I'm very happy with my Milwaukee 18v chainsaw.
If it won't do the job I need to call a tree service.

In 2000, I bought a Ryobi 18V kit and the chainsaw was the only tool that sucked. In the last couple years, I've been able to try some 18V as well as the bigger batteries (e.g. 40V) and I'm pretty impressed at how much battery chainsaws have progressed.

Project Farm has tested battery chainsaws a couple times. If you're already invested in a battery ecosystem (e.g. Ryobi 40V) then just stick with that. The mainline brands (Ego, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, Ryobi) are all good, but the Amazon specials don't do well.

In Project Farm's round 1, the DeWalt won and the test included a gasoline Stihl MS170.


In Project Farm's round 2, he included some commercial grade battery sawsn(Echo, Stihl, and Husqvarna), an Ego (usually wins most battery tests), and the DeWalt. Echo won, and the Ego beat the DeWalt.

I have a battery powered Stihl with a 14 inch bar for trimming branches and such.

I also had a 75' pine fall across my driveway. I was able to do the entire tree with it, but the trunk I had to saw into smaller sections because the trunk was more than the 14" bar could reach from either side.

The battery lasted longer than I did. When it got low, it charged while I was moving all the wood with some hand trucks. That took two days and four chains.

I find my tiny Makita saw extremely handy for small odd wood cutting jobs. At times I do wish I had the larger dual battery version for bigger jobs. It’s supper handy to just snap on a battery and cut, sit it down a few minutes, cut, repeat…
If you’re already married to one of the cordless tool makers it’s a must have addition to the tool set.

I'm a big fanboy of battery powered chainsaws. I bought a Milwaukee battery powered chainsaw three years ago when I found that my shoulders were causing me problems with my pull start saws. One of the best decisions I've made. I bought it because the Stihl I bought the year before (one of the worst decisions I've made) would never start and my shoulders couldn't handle constant cranking.

Now if something needs trimming or cut down all I have to do is grab the Milwaukee and slap in a battery and start cutting. I've found that I can do a lot of damage on one battery charge.

I haven’t had to use my Stihl since buying a DeWalt 12” 20V chainsaw. If I was laying in a winter’s supply of firewood, I’d probably get the gas powered saw out. But for typical yard chores the battery powered saw is great.

I have a Ryobi battery chainsaw along with many other Ryobi lawn equipment items. I have several batteries. I have used the chainsaw MANY times and 3 times during all the downed trees in ice storms and it has worked perfectly! By the time one battery runs out, I put that battery on a quick charger and put a new battery in the chainsaw. By the time that battery runs out, the other one is charged again and I keep repeating the process until I am done.