Review Oregon PowerNow Cordless Chainsaw

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zogger

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Variation on a meme: go six amps or go home! ;)

I've just spent the last two days, in between my regular work, running the just hitting the markets shortly Oregon PowerNow CS250E.

Fast take: This is a real saw! A real tool you can do real work with. The Oregon guys have done their homework. It's small, but within design parameters, it does the job.

FULL DISCLAIMER: I now own this saw. My opinions and considerations were unsolicited by me towards the company, nor did I do the first day review thinking I was going to wind up owning it. I was approached to give the saw a workout, using it like I normally would my current small saw, and I did just that. I cut the same stuff I normally do during my day to day workday, various species and small to getting on to medium sized wood, one to around eight inches diameter, with a little more "extra" as noted below. I am keeping the saw now and will be providing further observations and notes, both here on this thread as updates, and directly back to the company. There was no "quid pro quo" arrangement of any kind set up in advance for the purposes of testing, nor is there one now, this is all voluntary on my part and the generosity of the company.

Their product page is here, OREGON® PowerNow™ 40V MAX* Cordless Chainsaw Tool System Home, and it is available at a popular online book and merchandise place for pre orders, search for cordless chainsaws.

Background: I was contacted and meeting set up where I live. The company rep came out, and we went to cutting in the afternoon. I had set up a stash of downed wood in advance down where I clear at the creek and fencelines, had targeted some standing dead to take down, and an area where I am thinning small live trees, so we had a nice variety of wood to try it out on. I took it out again today and bucked some more on a larger deadfall tree. I have a few pics I will post as attachments here, and sometime soon I hope to have the professional pics taken by the rep, and perhaps a video, not sure on that yet.

First impression, like I said, this is a real saw. I have seen and hefted a couple other small cordless saws, this one is much more realistic in size and capability. It is roughly equivalent in size to a small gasser. The ergonomics is fine, good spread from front to rear handle, excellent balance with the stock Powersharp system bar and chain. Until you get close, it "looks" like a normal small chainsaw.

The Powersharp system is integrated into the saw, the sharpening stone is under what would be called the clutch cover on a regular saw. There is no clutch though, being electric and direct drive, and the bar attachment is tool less, with a front tensioner, a normal slotted screw. I have been told a regular bar and chain may be used with the system, but you have to remove the sharpening stone. It is primarily intended to be used as shipped, part of the "no hassles" they want to emphasize. It does use regular bar oil, and has a clear window to watch the level. It does oil well.

The battery itself is pretty large, much larger than any cordless drill battery I have ever used. We used the "endurance" 20 cell pack batteries for the testing. In the pictures you can see most, but not all, I what I cut with around three full batteries. I am deducting a little because some of the wood is not in the picture, I left it down to de-ant for a week, some of the dogwood is in another pile for splitting, plus..I had to do it...I buried the thing in a 30 inch oak log and ran it until I was satisfied It would keep cutting. It would as long as long as I didn't push it too hard. The system has a thermal overload protective circuit and it most definitely will kick in if you try to overwork it. It protects the battery and the electric motor. Stay within design parameters, it keeps cutting. Again, part of the no hassles idea, no one wants broken equipment.

Ha, I also cut a ten inch or so hickory cookie..OK, it cut it, won't win any GTG races though,,but it cut it.

I cut wood of various species, a lot of sweetgum thinning, dogwood, some cherry, some maple, just a few little pine cuts, some other hardwood I don't know the name of, grows along the creek and is sort of like an aspen with catkins (burns good, I have cut a lot of it), there's some elm in there and just generic local woods whatever. Eastern deciduous mostly. Size went from around an inch to a lot of two-three inch pieces all the way to beefy enough rounds they should be split, six to eight inches.

By my measure, I can easily cut one day's worth of midwinter wood with one charged battery. Call it at least two full wheel barrows, going on three. That's one to three days for me, shoulder season to midwinter coldest days.

Small pieces make the battery last longer, cutting larger stuff once over around four inches tends to deplete it rapidly.

RPMs are slower than modern gas saws, but fast enough to get the job done.

Oh, BTW, this saw is really quiet! What a bonus! As in much less noise than a circular saw going through plywood. Way quieter than any gasser saw.

The Powersharp chain "bites" different from other chains, the cutter is sharpened on the top. You get different looking chips as well, sort of a cross between noodles and square grind. It tended to want to skate on me until the kerf was started. Then I noticed you just had to really aim it in square and perpendicular and get your first bite solid, then it went. It's just different, that's all.

The sharpener works perfectly fine, takes just a few seconds to go from cutting rough to back smooth. Just give it some gas...err..amps, pull back on the sharpener lever for a few seconds, done. I cut a buncha dirty wood right off the bat, to try and dull it, just so I could use the sharpener.

Speaking of giving it some gas, this is ON/OFF. No sitting there idling, no tuning required, the full torque and speed is just there as soon as it gets going, no yank start, just on, cutting with a fast spool up, or off....that's it. Normal finger throttle with the safety interlock built into the side, that you close with your thumb.


My GF goes "I don't have to yank it!!!cool"! She is just not very fond of yank start devices......

Supposedly the batteries can sit for a pretty long time and retain most of their charge, and they claim they can be recharged like around a thousand times. I don't know that yet of course, but all my other modern Lithium battery devices are similar. That's a lot of cutting. Recharge from full depleted takes around two hours with the 20 cell endurance batteries I have. The charger itself is low watts, looks to me like besides charging from a wall you could use an inexpensive vehicle 12 VDC to 115 VAC inverter to recharge out in the field or like camping. I know from my other experience that a single decent solar panel, with a controller/deepcell batt/inverter, would be way more than enough to keep one of these things going as long as the LiIon battery could hold a charge. That's a couple years plus change full time at a charge a day, or a quite a lot of weekends at your remote camp/cabin, with no worries about gunked up carbs, stale gas, etc. That's pretty spiffy actually if you think about it...

Each battery has its own built in circuitry with the protection features plus the status indicator, LED lights. It fits where the air cleaner and carb usually go, simple lever pops them out, and slap a fresh one back in.

I have no other cordless saw experience except my combo unit drill/jigsaw/sander, so there ya go. I do have a small Remington plugin electric saw, the PowerNow cordless is "more saw" than that, no contest. It isn't as powerful as a small gasser, but it IS powerful enough to do honest real work, and the battery does last long enough to make it practical, especially for smaller jobs. It's bone stock easy to use, the smaller the cut, the longer run time-more cuts you can make on a charge. The larger the cuts, the less cuts you can make. Run it a bit and you get the feel for it, in order to maximize your output with it. It can do light limbing and small diameter bucking, just learn the saw and let the chain do the work and it will keep pulling. The thermal overload protection works, it will not let you damage it. That's cool, too.

I think it has potential for a small saw in your "plan", a car trunk or pickup toolbox saw, trail clearing, keep it handy for those fast backyard cleanups or that oddball "whoops, a little too long" piece you pull from the woodstack..even say if you use your lawn tractor and trailer cart, it will for sure fill that up for you on one charge out at your woodlot out back.

And like I said, I know for a fact now one battery charge can do at least one, going on two day's worth of firewood for me at midwinter heating demand level. More than adequate to deal with some yard trimming and downed branches. I get most of my firewood from these same fenceline trims and cleanups, so in effect it was doing what I normally use my little Husky for. I cut up nice branches, dropped a few standing dead, and some live trees. It worked.

My first impression on just hearing about it and reading about it in the threads here..it worked better than I thought it would.

Any questions, ask! Pics below, I will post more as I receive them, these are just some I took today.
 
I wonder if it would be more battery friendly with a different bar and chain. Does the power sharp do as good a job as say hand filing a standard chain? I understand its a different style chain which is why im wondering if a good hand filed chain would allow the battery to last longer and your cuts faster.
A good idea though, something i would leave in the woodshed for that errant piece thats too long or ?
 
I'll try it

I wonder if it would be more battery friendly with a different bar and chain. Does the power sharp do as good a job as say hand filing a standard chain? I understand its a different style chain which is why im wondering if a good hand filed chain would allow the battery to last longer and your cuts faster.
A good idea though, something i would leave in the woodshed for that errant piece thats too long or ?

I'll poke through my stuff and find a small bar and loop to fit, remove the stone and give it some cuts. Looks to be low pro 3/8ths 50 gauge. The stock powersharp setup (14 inch bar BTW) though was throwing decent chips, sorta long, like I said, almost a noodle. Supposedly it takes a couple of sharpenings with a new stone and chain to get them "matched" well together, so it actually might cut even better after I use it more. And I asked about those little dual thin rakers, the system will keep taking them down at the correct height to keep them below the cutters.

I'm going to keep using it like my small gasser, give it a decent long term test. I mean really it isn't a logging or production firewood saw, it is what it is, a small saw for limbing, trimming trees, shortening that too long piece in the wood pile, camping saw, something someone who isn't a regular hard core cutter could use and not be intimidated by a loud gasser that is hard to start, etc. The main features are the no hassle aspects, just use it. It can sit, then go cut instantly. On a big felled tree I think you could do a lot of the smaller stuff on a batt or two before you switched to a gasser for final bucking. Haven't tried it like that yet though (I don't have any fresh real big trees felled), just a couple small live sweetgums, but it did them all fine, all the way down. The small limbs I took some pieces from, then the trunk. Those are the larger chunks you see in the pictures. The largest one is a little oblong, six inches at the narrowest, eight at the widest.

Now, I cut those short, because I won't be splitting those sweetgum chunks so I wanted them to fit my little heater. With the same amount of battery use, they could have been twice as long and fit as is in a bigger heater (something that could take a 20-24 inch piece), so the wood volume harvested would have been twice as much, or three times if you could fit three footers.

I think it is a decent replacement for all those cheap barely running small gassers you see wind up on craigslist. Ya, costs more upfront, but it will keep working for the owner.

Ha! Try to imagine the sheer volume of cussing and yanking and yanking and yanking with no start on those homeowner gasser saws over the years, with no wood cut. Just eliminating the aggravation factor is a big plus.
 
Try to imagine the sheer volume of cussing and yanking and yanking and yanking with no start on those homeowner gasser saws over the years, with no wood cut. Just eliminating the aggravation factor is a big plus.


That is one thing I really like about my electric chainsaws (3). If they do not start, either the cord pulled out of the outlet or I tripped a breaker. Of course, I am limited by the power cord.

Philbert
 
Well written writeup and thank you for the dial-up friendly pic size.

My reciprocating saw may collect dust if this product finds a home in the garage. It would fit the bill on noise, ability, portability, and can remain behind the truck seat without fumes until needed. Two batteries and a vehicle charger would make it a useful travel saw.

Depending on battery/chain/stone life it may be cheaper to own/operate than a gas saw. That would make it a good investment.

What is the servicability of the unit, will there be parts available or is it a landfill product? How long before the batteries/charger/saw design changes to force an upgrade for profit?
These are issues that would stop me from buying or recommending it to anyone.
 
Parts

Well written writeup and thank you for the dial-up friendly pic size.

My reciprocating saw may collect dust if this product finds a home in the garage. It would fit the bill on noise, ability, portability, and can remain behind the truck seat without fumes until needed. Two batteries and a vehicle charger would make it a useful travel saw.

Depending on battery/chain/stone life it may be cheaper to own/operate than a gas saw. That would make it a good investment.

What is the servicability of the unit, will there be parts available or is it a landfill product? How long before the batteries/charger/saw design changes to force an upgrade for profit?
These are issues that would stop me from buying or recommending it to anyone.

For charging in the vehicle, because it is 40 volt, just use the supplied wall charger, plug that into a vehicle dc to ac inverter, and plug the inverter into the cig lighter. I asked about a dedicated vehicle charger and it was recommended just do it the way I outlined, any truck stop or walmart has vehicle inverters.

As to long term parts, I don't work for the company but the rep indicated they are in it for the long haul, so I imagine there will be some. I mean this is Oregon, they aren't going away. I haven't done a tear down, but this is a simple machine being electric. There's a motor, a controller, the external housing and..that's it, the bar and chain and sharpening stone, and the sprocket for the chain. Looks like a regular old sprocket. More engineering is ongoing with the saw, so ya, there will most likely be upgraded models, so it goes with products in general. I think a lot of the emphasis is just the realtionshiop with the battery and motor and the controller, make all that stuff just keep working together better and better..soo..who knows, maybe there will be an upgrade option in the future?? Can't say, just guessing. Besides that I have no idea on different models coming out (a top handle? A much larger one??) or anything like that, proly depends on how well this unit does.

For what it is worth, the rep told me about some of the internal testing they did, they ran it in some *extreme* conditions and it kept cutting, way outside what most people would encounter out in their woodlot or backyard.
 
Stihl will be releasing their own cordless saw sometime soon. It's good to see cordless saws progressing, I bought one by Ryobi a few years ago but it was total junk. These new saws look much better and we should see some really nice ones in a few years. Thanks for the writeup and keep us posted on the long term performance.
 
No probs!

Stihl will be releasing their own cordless saw sometime soon. It's good to see cordless saws progressing, I bought one by Ryobi a few years ago but it was total junk. These new saws look much better and we should see some really nice ones in a few years. Thanks for the writeup and keep us posted on the long term performance.

I didn't use it a lot today, but I did noodle two pieces. One sweetgum chunk, and a nasty shagbark hickory crotch...well...it did it but..let's say this is a light duty trimming, topping and small bucking saw.....think I'll skip any more noodling with it. Had to try it though.

GF tried it out today, she likes it. She has a hard time because of arthritis in her hands starting and running a gas chainsaw, this one she liked because it was simple lightweight and she could cut with it. I walked her through dealing with a potential pinch point, then we just did some branches and the oddball long piece in the stack. Again, I think this is a plus factor being so easy to use, just about anyone in the family could use it, especially in an emergency, like a branch in the driveway or whatnot.

Anyway, some pics. Some here then I will do another reply and add some more. First batch are the pieces I noodled, then some shots under the bar cover of the sprocket and sharpening stone installed, then the inside of the cover.
 
A few more pics from today

In order will be the sharpening cutter that dresses the stone, the battery housing area, the front facing part of the battery showing the charge indicator lights, the battery removed so you can see the size of it to scale with the saw, then a closeup of the chain after a few sharpenings, you can see how the safety bump and rakers are being taken down right with the cutters.
 
First outing as a truck saw

So, today I am going into town so I wanted to show the new saw to my friend the wrench at the local saw shop. I am also thinking "targets of opportunity" as I am driving, and I didn't have to wait long! A few miles down the road into town I am driving by this stump, with three guys standing there staring at it, and a tiny little poulan on the ground next to it (turned out to be an 1800)

Just too good an opportunity to pass up, to push the envelope a little and see if the batt saw had the guts for a stump flush job, it did!

I pulled over, offered my services, they said go for it man! Their little poulan was a tad neglected and not up to the task (I did adjust reality for them and gave them some chain sharpening and adjustment advice before I left)

They had managed to make one long cut down the middle of the stump, leaving two halves to flush cut off then the saw more or less gave out for them. That's why they were standing around staring at the stump. So, I went at it, success!

Pretty much wayyy outside the design parameters, but sliced through both halves of that decent stump, and still had 25% batt capacity showing on the indicator lights when I got finished. Definitely "bar buried" action.



Just two pics, the bar is 14 inch for scale, you can see the size of the stump, looked to be beech.

Next time out I want to actually nail some decent branches I have been driving by, start grabbing some more real firewood.
 
OREGON 40-Volt Saw - First Impressions

I had the opportunity to try the Oregon ‘PowerNow’ 40 volt, cordless chainsaw today. We used it at a friend’s heavily wooded suburban lot, on a variety of spruce, balsam, juniper, apple, and box elder wood, ranging from branches less than an inch in diameter, up to logs over 18 inches in diameter.

The saw we used has a 14” bar, the Oregon PowerSharp chain (3/8” low-pro), and the extended run battery. Weight with oil was about 12-1/2 pounds.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This is a good saw when used within its capabilities, as long as the battery power lasts. Battery powered saws are not for everybody, but this model would be a good choice if one meets some of your cutting needs.

It would be especially good for trimming tasks, intermittent use, or maintenance activities where the saw is not used everyday, or it is inconvenient to gas up a saw and drain it afterwards, or to store a gasoline saw.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Up front - #1) I am a big fan of electric chainsaws; #2) I have been generally impressed with the PowerSharp chain; #3) 2 of my favorite Oregon reps were present for most of the cutting (*note that there are still opportunities for anyone who wants to become my favorite STIHL, Husqvarna, or other major brand reps!).

The saw has an overall, well-made, quality feel. It is labeled ‘Made in China’, but I was told that it was assembled there with many US made components. The Lithium batteries were reported to be made in Japan.

The saw cut well as long as you let the chain do the work. We were asked to bear down on the saw, which causes it to stop. This was explained as part of the circuitry to prevent overloading. If you are a guy that really likes to lean on your saw, or if you like a high rev saw, this one is not for you. It does not cut as fast as even a modestly powered gasoline saw of the same weight. But it cut through almost everything we asked it to.

The only thing it did not cut well was some large (18” diameter), old, dry, box elder logs that I tried to noodle, just to push its limits. It made slow progress, and would have eventually made it though, but this was clearly beyond the reasonable capability of this size and type of saw.

It cut cleanly though14” spruce logs, 5” apple branches, and some really knotty box elder sections (photo at bottom of post). It did fine for the types of limbs and branches that you would normally expect to cut with a 14” saw.

HANDLING

The saw is well balanced, but slightly heavier than I expected at first; this is really only an issue when held high for cutting branches. The body of the saw is comparable in size to a comparable gasoline powered saw, and has a loop handle (top and left side) comparable to a conventional saw.

There is a trigger with a thumb operated trigger release, similar to many electric tools. There is (obviously) no choke or stop switch, no starter rope, etc. The saw does have a chain brake. We were advised to pop the battery from its slot, via a simple, finger-operated lever, when handling or adjusting the chain, as a safety measure similar to unplugging an electric tool.

I had tried the STIHL 36 volt chainsaw only briefly a few days before, and only on a very limited basis. That saw felt lighter and more streamlined to handle, but did not appear to have the cutting power of this Oregon saw.

CHAIN

The saw uses the PowerSharp chain which has been discussed in other threads. It has a built-in sharpener, operated by a lever, so you do not need to use a separate bar-end cassette. The sharpener is removable with a few screws if you want to run the saw with conventional chain.

Some people like or dislike the PowerSharp chain - that is a separate discussion. What is important is that this saw has the power to pull this fairly aggressive, 3/8” low profile chain. The STIHL 36 volt saw, uses a smaller, 1/4” pitch chain, and subjectively, cuts much slower.

We had some stringy material get caught underneath the sharpener stone and lever. We were able to pull this out after removing the clutch cover, and without removing the sharpener, but it is something that I would watch for with extended use, and depending upon what you cut.

At first glance, the saw appears to have a tool-less chain tensioner. The large, wing-nut-like screw clamps the bar and holds the clutch cover on; no scrench needed. A conventional screwdriver, however, is used to tension the chain from the front. I am not a big fan of tool-less chain tensioners (that is also a separate discussion), but I am a big fan of side access chain tensioners. This seems to be a significant design oversight, as this is such a simple and common feature on modern saws. Perhaps this could be changed on future models.

BATTERIES

The saws use Lithium-Ion batteries. This is a technical topic which is critical for any battery powered tool. However, I do not have expertise in this area and will defer questions to Oregon. I did ask several questions about the batteries.

I was told that these batteries do not develop ‘memory’, and that you can leave them on their smart charger indefinitely. I was told that they will run at a constant level - i.e., you will not have the saw slow down toward the end of a battery charge, but it will simply stop. I was told that the batteries will not work in very cold environments (below 32*F?), so this might not be the saw to take for cutting your ice fishing holes. I was told that battery life and performance can degrade if exposed to high temperatures (above 105*F?), so don’t leave them on the dashboard of your truck.

Cutting time is hard to estimate from one afternoon of use. Because it is an electric tool, it is only using battery life when you are actually cutting, not when you release the trigger, stack or move branches, walk around the tree, etc. It may be obvious, but you will cut more, smaller branches, than large limbs or rounds.

We used the larger capacity batteries, and had charged, replacement batteries to swap out when they wound down. This is important if you are planning on doing extended work with this type of saw. We used 2 batteries over a few hours of non-continuous cutting. The batteries have an LED display to let you know approximately how much charge is left, but take an hour or so to recharge in the 120 volt charger, so if you only have one battery, you need to plan your work accordingly.

As Zogger noted, we were told that we could charge the batteries in a vehicle by using a 12-volt inverter with the 120-volt charger, but were advised to avoid the cheap inverters to optimize battery life and performance. This is important as vehicle-based recharging is common practice for battery powered contractor tools.

OTHER/MISC.

The saw still requires the use of bar and chain oil. Surprisingly, a tank of oil significantly outlasted a couple of batteries. There is a see-through oil level window, but in my experience, this is something that is easier to overlook on an electric saw than on a gas saw.

Another surprise is that the saw we used has been sitting on a piece of newspaper next to my computer for several hours and has not leaked any oil! I thought that that only happened with new saws that have never been filled with oil.

The chain catcher is molded into the plastic clutch/side cover. This is a pet peeve of mine as one of my volunteer storm clean up groups went through several expensive covers for STIHL MS210s and MS250s with a similar design until we discovered a STIHL replacement chain catcher that worked with a modified cover. This is something that I would like to see Oregon do on this saw so that the entire cover does not need to get replaced.

It is an electric tool, so you can't get away with cutting in the rain, or pressure washing the crud off of it, like you can with a gas powered saw.

Somehow, even without the pervasive smell of 2-cycle exhaust, we still needed a shower at the end of the day.

PROS

Handles well.
Pulls a 3/8” low profile chain through reasonable wood.
No gas/oil to buy, mix, store, drain, or dispose of.
Instant ON/OFF (no pull starting, no flooding, etc.).
No idling when not cutting.
No 2-cycle fumes.
Relatively quiet (compared to gasoline saws) - sound level similar to an electric reciprocating saw.
No cord (compared to electric saws).
Stores indoors with no gasoline vapors.

CONS

More expensive than a gasoline saw of the same cutting capacity.
Run time is limited with a single battery.
Front screw chain tensioner.
Some stringy material gets hung up in the built-in chain sharpener mechanism.
Chain catcher molded into clutch/side cover.

Philbert

40V 1.jpg

40V 2.jpg
 
Way cool!

I'm glad you got one or got to use one!

My real impression..just spiffy fun. I felt exactly the same way when I got my first real cordless drill, just WISH I had had one years earlier.

I have held out on a battery saw for a long time now, because they all looked like a waste of time, a joke. This oregon saw though, it is small, but it isn't a joke, it's a *real tool*.

Ya, it ain't a redwoods saw, but for grab and go..I like it. First saw my GF would even consider using. I mean she has tried a few of my other small saws, but has an impossible time starting them or using them becauae of arthritis..this saw..vroom, she was cutting with a smile on her face. similar to when I showed her, yes indeedy, she could drive a tractor.

And I got some for real honest firewood from it! If you milk trees out like I do, it works just great once it is on the ground for the first saw to grab as you work back to the trunk.

I think I will like it better if they get a family of tools for those batteries. Right off the bat as mentioned above, a pole saw attachment thing. It could use the same bar and chain and powerhead for that matter, and keep the powerhead weight down low where it belongs. Take chaincover off, attach pole and adapter (very small chain and pinion gears??), transfer bar and chain to the end of the pole, done. And whatever else, basically your normal yard tool stuff. One powerhead and set of batts, half a dozen tools maybe.

Snort..I am still a kid...already thinking of how I could bolt the thing to a bicycle for a little hill assist...
 
High Tech Battery Cases

Oregon recommends removing the battery for transport and storage. I guess they want to reduce the chance that your pet will trigger the saw. Battery terminals make me nervous - I have seen damage when small batteries short out, let alone these 40 volt things. So, even though the contacts are recessed, I thought about making some kind of slip case to protect them in storage.

First, I thought about cardboard. Then, corrugated plastic (you know, lawn signs from the last election). Then I came up with this high-tech solution. Waddaya think?

Philbert

battery sleeves.jpg
 
Excellent!

Oregon recommends removing the battery for transport and storage. I guess they want to reduce the chance that your pet will trigger the saw. Battery terminals make me nervous - I have seen damage when small batteries short out, let alone these 40 volt things. So, even though the contacts are recessed, I thought about making some kind of slip case to protect them in storage.

First, I thought about cardboard. Then, corrugated plastic (you know, lawn signs from the last election). Then I came up with this high-tech solution. Waddaya think?

Philbert

I was thinking the same thing, but hadn't gotten around to actually doing anything about it. Field expedient genius there man!

I *was* thinking about a batman belt holster though for spare batts, have dug through my spare army junk but don't have the right do-dad to fit. Got to be some web gear would fit those batts...
 
Oh ya, wanted to ask you

Oregon recommends removing the battery for transport and storage. I guess they want to reduce the chance that your pet will trigger the saw. Battery terminals make me nervous - I have seen damage when small batteries short out, let alone these 40 volt things. So, even though the contacts are recessed, I thought about making some kind of slip case to protect them in storage.

First, I thought about cardboard. Then, corrugated plastic (you know, lawn signs from the last election). Then I came up with this high-tech solution. Waddaya think?

Philbert

--just wanted to know if you had run into the "thermal overload" shutdown yet? I've hit a few times now with the "pushing the envelope" experimental cuts. On regular cutting though, on the smaller stuff, never. It takes a few minutes to cool off enough, then it works again. Faked me out at first, thought I was out of battery. Nope, wait a bit, batt comes back to life.

Man, I WISH gas saws had this, in two stages, to save the saw, a warning light at getting a little close to a redline heat reading, then "shutting 'er down, cap'n, I told ye ya couldn't push her so hard"! Just an auto shutoff.
 
--just wanted to know if you had run into the "thermal overload" shutdown yet?

I just had the saw stop when they told me to push it hard - part of the overload circuit. Is that the same thing, or are you talking about battery temps?

Philbert

(BTW - I may cut down some empty 5W30 oil bottles to store the batteries in when the temps drop).
 
Yes, that's it

I just had the saw stop when they told me to push it hard - part of the overload circuit. Is that the same thing, or are you talking about battery temps?

Philbert

(BTW - I may cut down some empty 5W30 oil bottles to store the batteries in when the temps drop).

I believe that is what happens, pushing it hard increases resistance on the motor, which increases the demand on the batts, which causes it to start to get hot, then it stops.
 
Sales / Spam

zogger,..Sorry, I tried to read threw your First post and couldnt,..then Skiped threw the whole barage, and thought, I wouldnt buy it, IF you gave it to me, , I must be just old time,..I see a couple others posted so I wont report spam yet,...LOL.. Eric
 
What?

zogger,..Sorry, I tried to read threw your First post and couldnt,..then Skiped threw the whole barage, and thought, I wouldnt buy it, IF you gave it to me, , I must be just old time,..I see a couple others posted so I wont report spam yet,...LOL.. Eric

It's a saw review on a new saw. I don't get that many new saws. In fact in my whole life it is the number three, three new saws total. That's about it. And there have been other articles/reviews done on the Oregon powersharp system posted on the main chainsaw forum. I'm not selling them per se, and I didn't even link directly to any place that does sell them. Yes I linked to the main product page. Oregon is a big dog manufacturer of saw related stuff, I would imagine the bulk of the site sponsors sell oregon products, and the parent company makes other things like splitters which I am sure have been discussed. OREGON. If you can't talk openly about an Oregon product HERE, wth? That's it. Being a battery saw it is different from most other saw articles and posts here, and I gave my honest opinion of it, with a full disclaimer. If it violated any of the terms of service I am not sure how, but mods are free to do what they do.

I was just asked to give it a full complete workout, real world use, not cutting little demo pieces of wood in a controlled environment. Oregon wants the feedback, because they want to make good useful products, and I was asked at the end of the day to just keep doing that, keep the saw, keep using it (and I did not know this in advance that this would happen) and to see what others think about it, etc. And I was 100% upfront about all this, absolutely nothing hidden. And this is just a single post by me, I'm not talking about it constantly in all my other posts on this site, just mentioning it whenever it actually fits what I am talking about or the thread warrants, same as if anyone else is talking about a new saw to them.

So back atcha-your sig is "kubotakid", which appears on every single one of your posts, all of them, does that mean you are shilling/spamming kubota equipment, for whatever reason, all the time, without being a site sponsor?

Well, it is obvious that is just goofy but if you want to get hyper technical, it is product "spam", but I would think it is a stretch, too and that is why you aren't warned off.

If arboristsite wants to delete this thread, etc, give me a warning, for talking about a sort of radical new Oregon product, they can do it. It's been up long enough now, I am sure it has been looked at and no one in authority has contacted me about it. If any of them wants to chime in that would be cool with me, no problems.
 

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