Redback 18", 120V Lithium, Cordless (Battery) Chainsaw

[DHT]

By the way guys....
This chainsaw is available at some local TSC stores starting this week!!
Along with the 120v blower, 0.095" 120v string trimmer, and 21" 120v mower!

Lastly here are some other products now available... played with the new drone a little too!!

 

[Philbert]

Thanks!

Insulated sleeves might be nice for cold weather use. I am mostly concerned with protection against moisture, and accidental contact with the battery terminals, even in a backpack, saw box, etc. But something with a belt loop might also make it easier to carry a spare battery in the field, secure it to an ATV, etc.

Philbert

('ice augers' . . . interesting . . . .)

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Why is an ice auger "interesting"? How else do you fish in the winter?

 

[svk]

If you should need to get rid of a demo brush mower in the midwest please keep me in mind!

 

[DHT]

You can see images of the battery bags here: https://www.trophystrike.com/product/120v-ice-auger/

Also some videos: https://www.trophystrike.com/videos/

 

[DHT]

If you should need to get rid of a demo brush mower in the midwest please keep me in mind!

I think we'll be up that way with some demo models next month!

 

[Philbert]

Why is an ice auger "interesting"?

120 Volt, cordless ice auger, versus schlepping another gasoline engine out onto the ice is 'interesting'. Really amazing where cordless tools are going.

Philbert

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I have to saw the battery lasts a long time. I've used the saw quite a bit (at least 2 tanks of bar oil, maybe 3) and still haven't had to charge the battery!

 

[rayjay257]

Took It To A GTG

Clean up day at the Interfaith firewood ministry - regular AS project for many MN / WI members. Could not 'compete' for speed with the larger gas saws, but able to get in a lot of limbing, and some bucking and felling, if I ran ahead of the other guys and got there first! Mostly red oak. Had about 4 guys try it; at least one had never used any cordless saw before.

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Philbert

I bought a Husqvarna helmet from Lowes and discovered that the ear muffs are easy to remove for use with quiet saws. You basically just slide the pivot tab downward and it slides off but leaves the helmet mounted bracket on the helmet so you still have the face shield. I have been working in a bunch of dense brush and fallen tree tops and it's nice not having stuff hang up on the muffs when they are parked on top of the helmet. Plus they aren't getting bugs and dirt in them since they are in a plastic bag on a shelf in the garage

 

[Philbert]

The 3Ah battery weighs almost 4 ounces more than the 2Ah battery (about 6%). Good deal for 50% more run time?

Philbert

 

[DHT]

Now available at (some) local TSC stores...look for this display. They have a 21" mower, blower, string trimmer and the 18" saw. I think the saw is $349.

 

[Philbert]

Took it to the races!

I'm not much of a chainsaw racer, and this is not a racing saw, but I took it to the local GTG / race just for fun. Challenged anyone with a stock 45cc or under saw *as long as we started with both saws in the 'off' position*. 2 cuts down; 1 cut up in a cottonwood cant.

Won one and lost one! Not too shabby, considering all of the piped, modified, and tweaked saws there. I used the OEM supplied, Tri-Link, reduced kickback chain. Posted the best times for a battery powered saw!




Got a few other guys to try it:





Philbert

 

[Philbert]

A Few More



Philbert

 

[bikemike]

I ran Phils 120 v saw at the race's it was something I could se being very handy as a clean up saw or to use at the fire pit at night it is whisper quite and it pulls nice in hard ash 12 inch I had to push on it a bit to get it to smooth out. With it being electric I could se myself forgetting to refill the oil before the pack is dead. I kinda like the saw.

 

[Philbert]

Change of Chains

A couple of people asked me to try the 120V saw with some other chains - they must have assumed that I had some?

I have several concerns about these comparisons - not enough space for all the asterisks ('*') in one post, but here are a few:

* To be objective really requires an automated, instrumented test fixture (something I can't afford) that applies uniform pressure, and that measures things like chain speed, motor load, etc.

* To be consistent requires clear, uniform test wood (something else that I can't afford) to make sure that all cuts are in the same material.

* Might the results be different in different wood (hard vs. soft, green vs. dead, different species, etc.)?

* Is it more fair to use all 'new-out-of-the-box' chains, or to grind / file all chains to the exact same angles?

* Are we testing the saw, or really comparing the chains?

* These timed cuts do not measure how long a chain remains sharp, 'stretches', lasts, etc.

With all of those disclaimers, I did what I could.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

The Line Up

Here is what I assembled, at a secret facility operated by 'Calibrate This!' testing. All chains are 3/8, low profile pitch:


PS, ST, TL, VG, PX chains (top to bottom)

'TL' - TriLink (OEM supplied), semi-chisel, reduced kickback drive links, 61 DL on 18" TriLink (OEM supplied) guide bar. Sharpened about 3 times.
'PX' - Oregon 91PX, semi-chisel, reduced kickback drive links, 62 DL on same guide bar. New
'VG' - Oregon 91VG, semi-chisel, reduced kickback tie straps, 61 DL on same guide bar. Well-used chain, with about half its life remaining.
'ST' - STIHL PS, full-chisel, NOT reduced kickback, 56DL on 16" Oregon guide bar. New.
'PS' - Oregon PowerSharp, top ground chisel, reduced kickback drive links, 56DL on 16" Oregon PowerSharp guide bar. Used, with more than half its life remaining.



For cuts I used fairly uniform logs from my test pile:
Ash - cut live about 2 months ago.
Birch - somewhat punky, cut a few years ago.
Silver Maple - slightly spalted, cut 1+ years ago.






Rigorous test supervision and site security.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Results

I made at least 4 cuts with each chain, in each log, resulting in over 80 test cuts. Times were estimated (' . . .one Husqvarna, two Husqvarna . . . '), with light pressure applied. Approximate time, in seconds listed.


Cookie Factory!

It was good to have a tool-less chain tensioner for this much chain swapping. I now know that it takes exactly 8 turns (16 half turns) of the large wheel to remove and replace the clutch cover.



Are these results surprising? expected? conclusive? significant?
Did the worn TL and VG chains perform better than they would have if new?
Should the full-chisel, NOT reduced kickback STIHL PS chain shown more of a difference?
I noted that the PS chain cut better in the softer wood than the harder wood (it out-cut some VG and PX chains in other comparisons I did in different wood, several years ago).

For the type of cutting that this type of saw would normally be used for, I don't think that the differences in cut times between the conventional chains are practically significant.

However, since run time is a key issue with battery-powered saws, a more efficient chain could mean getting a few more cuts in before recharging or swapping batteries (think Gary Sinise in Apollo 13). The chain I would like to try (did not have a compatible bar) would be a narrow kerf, 3/8, low profile (e.g. Oregon Type 90) chain, on a 16 inch bar. Even though this saw has the power to pull the 18 bar, I would probably be using it mostly on smaller stuff, and would look forward to the extra cuts.


Coolies and Chips!

Philbert

 

[DHT]

Great work!! Impressive testing!

 

[bikemike]

Was the non saftey chain smoother in the cut vs saftey chain? I notice on gas saws saftey chain is much more rough or chatters vs non safety. Just wondering if you noticed a difference with a slower chain speed.

 

[Philbert]

Was the non saftey chain smoother in the cut vs saftey chain?

I did not really look at that Mike - I was busy counting seconds!

But that is counter to my assumptions, especially in smaller wood. I read somewhere that Oregon actually introduced the bumpers to fill in the spaces, and make a smoother cut, then later found that they also reduced the risk of kickback. Probably not as much an issue in larger diameter wood, where many teeth are in contact at the same time. I like the VG chain on my pole saw, for example, where I am cutting smaller branches at a distance.

Similarly, the reduced kickback chains did not post significantly slower times in the wood I tested, as it is still easy to clear chips in 8" diameter wood. In larger wood, you might see biger differences.

Philbert