[Closed] Cordless chainsaw ?

I've got a small Stihl and it's great. Not that expensive. I'm on Makita for other tools so considered that but got a good deal on a Stihl mower and strimmer so bought the chainsaw as well. The batteries are bigger than Makita so last pretty well. It's not a big petrol tool so you don't get as much power or runtime but it's pretty decent and done everything I've asked of it. Happy to not be polluting and noisy too. Spending the weekend listening to petrol tools isn't fun for the neighbours. The battery mower is fantastic, too.

I have the DeWalt 12" 18v cordless one.

Plus points are it's quiet, cuts well and is generally decent to use.

Downside is it absolutely hammers batteries. If you envisage yourself working non stop with it you should plan on having 3 5aH batteries or a couple of the big flexvolt batteries. If you don't already have the batteries or have a need for them elsewhere then it would be cheaper to get a very nice petrol saw.

@nickjb thanks - which model Stihl do you have, as I’m only after a light duty chainsaw

@tomd I’m not averse to a new petrol chainsaw, for my usage - now the garden is largely finished and we’ve less tress now - probably doesn’t justify one, and it’s got be easier and less maintenance on a cordless ? I’ve had mains powered before and the cable was painful.

I have the teeny Duc254.
It's a brilliant little saw. I take it mainly for trail clearing on bike or boat.
It's really small so good for kids to play with.
It cuts surprisingly well, but they cane the batteries fairly quick.

Probably not what you're after.

thanks – which model Stihl do you have, as I’m only after a light duty chainsaw

It's an msa120. Quite small but cuts well. It has a thinner chain so takes less effort to cut. You won't be chopping down a redwood but it's great for slicing off branches and cutting logs.

Makita electric chainsaw for me - use the twin 18v version so the same battery system works for all of my tools - one for shed tools (drills etc) and 2 for garden tools (leaf blower, strimmer, hedge trimmer, chainsaw). Initial outlay is highish but once you have batteries and charger, new tools are not too expensive.
I have the 353Z chainsaw. It is a little (but not much) less powerful than my previous petrol one. Leaf blower and hedge trimmer both work as well or better than their petrol predecessors.
Two sets of batteries (ie 4 in total) ideally of 4mAh + are essential though, otherwise there is a lot of waiting around for batteries to charge.

That dewalt looks like just the job, if I can’t find an equivalent makita 12” - as I’ve got 3 5ah makita batteries already

good for kids to play with

YIKES!!!!!!

Our conservation group now have an electric chainsaw and although the runtime is fairly short, it is either running or not, i.e. it's not 'ticking over' like a petrol one. With a spare battery its works well for smaller stuff and gets a fair bit of use.

I have the Makita DUC353Z Twin 18v / 36v Brushless, can't fault it. Have 6 batteries to use and can sometimes rely on others to bring their batteries along as well

@tomd I’m not averse to a new petrol chainsaw, for my usage – now the garden is largely finished and we’ve less tress now – probably doesn’t justify one, and it’s got be easier and less maintenance on a cordless ? I’ve had mains powered before and the cable was painful.

Probably be spot on for that then with 2x5aH and a fast charger. It would be more something like processing firewood where i find it struggles.

Apologies if teaching to suck eggs etc but a basic sharpening file set is a good idea as you really notice a dull chain as it can't be overcome by just burning loads of petrol.

I was in the same situation but with a lawnmower that was being a ass' too.

Went all in and got the complete Stihl AK range. Mower, saw, blower, trimmer, hedge cutter. Its absolutely spot on. None of the petrol hassle, plenty of grunt to do ll the domestic needs.

stihl linky

Def' recommended.

I’ve a 40cm Ego one. It’s pretty good. Definitely not as good as my 2t Stihl though. Canes the batteries, but I’m cutting almost exclusively hardwood.

If you’ve got makita lxt batteries get a makita cordless chainsaw but make sure it’s the 2 x 18v and it’s brushless and rear handled. Top handled are for arborists and more likely to have some accident using it one handed. The rear handled works better as an e chainsaw as you get more leverage. I’ve had both - ex tree professional.

Also - keep it sharp and don’t forget the oil as you’re not putting petrol in it!

I've got a Makita DUC405Z - twin 18v job. Pretty good, so much quieter than a petrol one. Used to to cut up some reasonably medium sized trees that came down in the last storm. Can't really fault it. I've got 2x6ah and 2x5ah batteries. As above, thrashes the batteries but you can get a decent amount done with a pair of 6ah.

My friend who has a petrol stihl is planning on getting a cordless one on the basis of how much easier to use it is. Yes it's slightly less powerful, but with a sharp chain it's fine.

I'd get which ever you have batteries for.

Not sure what difference there is in maintenance. I only have to sharpen the chain and clean mine every few months, which surely is the same whether petrol or electric?

I guess you have to mix up petrol and 2 stroke oil but that takes a couple of minutes.

Plug and filter don't need changing often (for me) and also take minutes.

I've only ever used mine in garden for some small trees and firewood processing. I've had a mains Bosch for 18 years now - all I've ever done is sharpen or replace the chain.
Do you really need cordless? 😉

I have a duc405 like someone above.
A pair of 6aH and a pair of 5aH batteries normally keeps me going for a couple of hours.
Has been great and cut through more than i expected it to

@Matt_outandabout

I’ve only ever used mine in garden for some small trees and firewood processing. I’ve had a mains Bosch for 18 years now – all I’ve ever done is sharpen or replace the chain.
Do you really need cordless? 😉

Outrageous, cordless is clearly the STW standard and exactly what is required 😳 if only VW made one and it was available from John Lewis I’d be set.

Used my quite a few years old chainsaw for a lot of landscaping duties and over the last few years I’ve had to keep taking off the carb, clean it out and generally bugger about with it etc. replaced the plug etc and yet still starting the damn thing is quite the palaver. And yes I’ve had someone with a perchance for mechanics look at it and we can get it going all ok, then 6 months later it’s a bar steward to start. Hence this.
When going it’s great, loads of power, but IIRC it only cost 50-60 on sale. No problem mixing 2 stroke either.

If you do have a petrol saw or hedge trimmer etc and you’re not using it that often and having probs starting it etc consider switching to aspen fuel. You can buy it ore mixed with two stroke and it won’t go off in your tank over the summer/ winter and it won’t destroy your carb diaphragm or make it go hard which will cause starting/ running problems. It’s also more pleasant as it doesn’t have loads of chemicals in it! It is expensive though but convenient for irregular users.

Aspen is definitely an improvement for any petrol tool. My petrol chainsaw was always going wrong and it was a decent Stihl one. Makita cordless is a big improvement for casual use. Would reiterate the importance of a geeky level of chain sharpening.

"When going it’s great, loads of power, but IIRC it only cost 50-60 on sale. No problem mixing 2 stroke either."

Buy cheaply, buy twice...
At that price I'm surprised it runs at all.

I know I'm swimming against the current here ...

But my 14" Husqvarna Rancher is over 45 years old, is easy to maintain, runs well and has so much more grunt than any reasonably priced battery saw.
I cannot see any of these battery units surviving even a quarter of the lifetime and use that this thing has chewed through. So which is the more polluting, when looked at over the lifetime of multiple bodies, motors and particularly batteries? (I don't know the answer!)

re: petrol and use levels, what burko73 said.

But. For once-in-a-sometimes use, corded mains will be the best bet.

I have an old Makita mains saw. Works every time. Which is twice a year... maybe. Chain sharpened occasionally. Oil topped up occasionally.

Batteries aren't a universal panacea for power tools. They have shelf life and maintenance needs.

I'd agree with buy cheap buy twice, but the fuel/carb problems can impact better quality saws too. I'll second Aspen as an option, or good fuel and fuel management. You can avoid ethanol which is a cause of some of the issues, Esso synergy supreme99+ is guaranteed e free. However leaving it in the saw will still cause gumming over time so allways best to empty the saw of fuel, restart it to empty the carb, when it stalls pull the starter again and then again with the choke on until after a few pulls the carb is finally empty.

To refill the carb when you next start you will need to pull the saw over but several slow pulls will do that without feeling like fruitless wasted effort, then put the saw to start and proceed.

Also use reasonably fresh fuel, not stuff a year or more old. The more volatile elements evaporate off and starting gets harder. I'll use up little bits of 2 stroke mix that's older than say 6 months, in my lawn mower (with a bit of fresh fuel added)... Little bits of mix don't cause any terrible to it. Old neat fuel for the lawn mower goes in the car each Spring and I'll buy fresh
Hope that helps any occasional user of any 2 stroke.

Thanks all, “buy cheap buy twice” you’d think I’d learnt by now, but this was some years ago and I genuinely believed I’d hardly use it, but then we moved and it got a whole lot of use.

By stark contract, my Honda powered self propelled lawnmower starts every time, every year and has done for years now, with almost bugger all maintenance.

Agree with the corded mains is the best bet, I did have a ryobi corded mains chainsaw before the petrol one and I was always wondering how the cord got tangled up, where it was, or tripping over it. This has put me off corded chainsaws.

I had a cheap chainsaw, hateful thing.

Then one day when it wouldn't start, yet again and so I went off to our local 'tool' dealer and bought a small petrol Stihl.

The last time I used it was after the big storm, and we'd lost a tree - it started 3rd pull. The previous time I'd used it was in 2020.

We have a pro level battery saw at work equivalent to a 40cc petrol which is brilliant but it be a damn sight cheaper to buy basic modern petrol saw. One of the joys of the battery saw is the lack of noise and near-instant chain stop without using the chain brake.