Cordless (electric) chainsaws for light work around the yard ???

[Mabouya]

Anyone here have one? How do you like it?

I ask because when I arrived home last night at 2 AM there were two separate moderate-sized trees across my driveway. (tail end of a 10" snow storm) I have a like-new gas saw in the garage, but no gas mixed for it. I ended up grabbing a corded circular saw and using my longest extension cord was just able to make it to the trees. (they said we might get from more snow or freezing rain, so I didn't want to leave the car out for the night)

I think it might be easier to keep a fully charged battery than it is to manage fresh 2-cycle gas for a variety of 2-cycle tools. (my other one is a line trimmer)

The only real issue it cost - the decent ones are about $300, and I could buy a lot of gas and 2-cycle oil for my existing saw for that kind of money.

Any thoughts on my dilemma?

TIA

[Clyde]

Use non ethanol gas and mix a gallon. The two stroke oil of good quality Stihl or Husqevarna sp? Have stabilizers. Don’t buy electric they suxx.

[11.4]

I got to try out the new 12 amp cordless chainsaw this last year from Milwaukee. It cuts surprisingly fast and actually did a good job on a major fallen tree limb (about 14 inch caliper).

That being said, cordless chainsaws are very expensive and you still have to have charged batteries on hand. Weight depends on what you're comparing it to (chainsaws are not typically lightweights to begin with), but the cordless ones are still a good bit heavier than, say, a Stihl 501c/m, which is designed as a professional arborist's tree saw for use up in the top to cut climbs and section tree trunks. The prices, after you consider a couple batteries in the mix, are roughly equal. Milwaukee, Makita, and others who are releasing these would like arborists to start using them, but I haven't seen any penetration of that market yet.

That Stihl I mentioned is super-lightweight and an amazing precision saw, albeit at about a $500 price tag. If you were going to spend on anything in a decent cordless chainsaw, I'd go for that Stihl instead. Or save money and get a mid-priced Stihl saw in the $350 or so range.

The fuel issue is partly about ethanol in the fuel and partly about the quality of the fuel itself. If you don't use a chainsaw a lot but want it in good shape when you do use it, burn it dry before storing it and then get a couple cans of the long-storage gas that Stihl and others sell. This stuff stores for years and doesn't damage the fuel lines of your saw or gum up the engine. The ethanol issue has to do mostly with how the ethanol would degrade the fuel lines on older saws -- it's been fixed on most saws in the past several years, and can typically be corrected easily with updated fuel line replacement in an older saw. The varnish content in the fuel is what gums things up, but in addition to the better fuel, newer saws are coming with electronic injection rather than a traditional fuel injector which is where the big problems lay. In short, get a newer saw in decent quality, keep some cans of the long-storage gas around, keep your saw dry when stored, and you'll do just fine and for less than a better quality cordless saw.

[SteveP]

I got a battery powered Stihl a year ago to replace my old saw that wore out.
I think it is perfect for what I do with it.
We had several trees removed locally by the power company which I turned into a couple of cords of firewood.
It is small and lightweight and is perfect for maintenance jobs.
Easily took down a couple of Arbor Vitaes that I needed to and a couple of small trees.

I can easily cut a 12" log and could go bigger if I had to.
battery lasts quite awhile... as long as I want to cut pretty much and
I love the no gas hanging around, no mixing gas, no fooling w the gas.

I'm no lumberjack but I do like cutting/splitting wood for the fireplace.

A couple of downed limbs? you will have them cut up and removed before you spill gas on the driveway.
I am a fan.
Some years I use it a lot... ( last year )
sometimes I will go 2-3 yrs without touching it.
The gas goes bad and you have to deal with that...
gas a pita for a rarely used device imo.

[cny rider]

I use my cordless reciprocating saw a few times a year to clear downed trees.
It gets that job done, but you certainly won't make piles of firewood using it.

[lumpy]

I don't know how big a tree you are talking about, but if you were able to get through it with a circular saw, you'd probably be better served with a 21" or 24" bow saw with a blade for green wood. If you haven't used one, you'd be shocked how fast it does the job. And it starts every time.
| BAHCO

[sine]

Have not used a battery powered chainsaw yet.

I'm invested in Ego products......lawn mower and (gasp) leaf blower. Both came with batteries (interchangeable) and chargers, the mower with a fast charger. I enjoy the fact that I just press a button and go to work with no fumes. Great products.

Waiting for my Echo gas trimmer and chainsaw to die (both well used).........so I can invest in more Ego products.

The most I do with a chainsaw is cut down tree's up to 6" in diameter (bit larger but shhh the HOA...) and trimming large branches so I don't need a big chainsaw.

So my recommendation is, if you make the switch to battery powered yard tools, pick the manufacturer that meets your needs/wants so you collect batteries which should be interchangeable with all your tools.

[Mabouya]

I use my cordless reciprocating saw a few times a year to clear downed trees.
It gets that job done, but you certainly won't make piles of firewood using it.

I mentioned my issue to a good buddy at work and he suggested the same thing - I could try a cordless reciprocating saw with a 12" pruning blade. I would use that for anything up to, say, ~8"-10" (so far that would be enough for all of my needs over the last 15 years) and maybe keep a small container of the Stihl long-storage gas for the chainsaw for the really big stuff.

Another benefit of the reciprocating saw is that the blades are relatively inexpensive and easily replaceable, so I don't have to deal with sharpening the chain on the tool that gets the most frequent use.

[caleb]

The fuel issue is partly about ethanol in the fuel and partly about the quality of the fuel itself. If you don't use a chainsaw a lot but want it in good shape when you do use it, burn it dry before storing it and then get a couple cans of the long-storage gas that Stihl and others sell. This stuff stores for years and doesn't damage the fuel lines of your saw or gum up the engine. The ethanol issue has to do mostly with how the ethanol would degrade the fuel lines on older saws -- it's been fixed on most saws in the past several years, and can typically be corrected easily with updated fuel line replacement in an older saw. The varnish content in the fuel is what gums things up, but in addition to the better fuel, newer saws are coming with electronic injection rather than a traditional fuel injector which is where the big problems lay. In short, get a newer saw in decent quality, keep some cans of the long-storage gas around, keep your saw dry when stored, and you'll do just fine and for less than a better quality cordless saw.

I've used the TruFuel canned, stabilized gas mixture for the past few years any time I'm not cutting a bunch, and it's worked great. Never any issue or damage.

[giordana93]

well the pooch has spoken in favor and that is worth something, but since you have a new gas saw, it seems kinda redundant to have cordless to boot, so I would think cordless reciprocating (sawzall) or, along the bow saw line of thinking, take a look at the japanese pull saws (Silky, which I of course discovered through VS). since you are talking more of the "emergency" or quick cut situation, I would go that route. if you'll never need the sawzall otherwise, if you're gonna get out the newish gas saw for extended work, then why not grab one of the mid size hand saws. less expensive, but apparently the real deal even for people who use power saws (easy to climb with or stash in a big pocket or belt loop, gets in tight spots, never need gas, cord, or recharging...neat semi-ancient technology done right....). the Silky saws are available in a number of lengths and with fine tooth or coarse depending on green or dry wood. here's one I've had my eye on, although it's a little big (after getting a smaller one and being pretty impressed). plus you can drag it camping or whatever, since they weigh less than a pound and are pretty compact when folded:

Silky Professional Series BIGBOY 2 Folding Landscaping Hand Saw Extra Large Teeth 356-36 - Hand Pole Saws - Amazon.com

the pic below is from a site where he compares the relative sizes of the silky models (Silky Saws)
Silky_BigBoy_2000.jpg

this guy compares 2 of the big daddy's and cuts a 9" log in about a minute or so with both (skip to 19" to see him make the cuts)

[joosttx]

I have a dewalt battery powered chainsaw. It works perfect for me.... that is removing woody scotchbroom and small to medium limbs.

[Mabouya]

Those Silky's are very cool.

I do have a basic bow saw with coarse teeth that I use for most work. It's surprising how quickly it goes through stuff like 4" softwoods, and I use it quite often. One issue with those is that unlike the Silky, you need a fair amount of clearance for the bow frame, and depending on the type of tree, if you're removing branches so you can move a larger piece, access can get awkward.

[giordana93]

since I got nothing better to do than price track on Amz, this one is bigger than my pocket boy, a hair smaller than the ones above, and cheaper than it's ever been:

Silky New Professional Series Ultra Accel Curved Blade Folding Saw, Large Teeth 24mm, 446-24 - Handsaws - Amazon.com

curved blade version, the straight and curved each has their (dis)advantage