Looking for large battery chainsaw to replace one of mine.

[cwatkin]

I own several gas saws and two battery powered saws. I am finding myself gravitating to the battery saws for small jobs or stuff after work where you want to cut without the sound and smell of gas. One of mine is a Milwaukee 18V. This is a great saw but leaves a little to be desired on power for larger jobs.

Then I have a Redback 120V max saw that I bought for $99 with a battery and a charger as the company went bankrupt. I liked it so well I went back and bought another saw (last one available) as well as a blower for the same price so that I would have two extra batteries from the combo deals. I wish I had bought 5 more at this price! The diodes in the first saw decided to let the smoke out after lots of use so I moved over to the other saw at that time. I kept the broken saw for hard parts in case I need to repair the newer of the two. The 2nd saw continues to work well but two of the three batteries will no longer accept a charge. Of course since this model is no longer made, any new batteries available are new old stock which can be questionable with batteries. They also cost a small fortune.

I don't know if power tool batteries can be rebuilt or if this is even worth it but was thinking that I need to be in the market for a new larger battery saw. How are the models in the 72V/80V max lines? There are Greenworks/Kobalt 80V models which I think are basically the same thing, one just branded for Lowes. Also, I know SunJoe/SnowJoe makes a 100V as well. I know voltage isn't the full measure of capability but I want something that can hang with a 45cc or so gas saw and run an 18 inch bar without any trouble like the Redback.

I have had very mixed experiences with tools from Harbor Freight but see they sell an 80V Atlas. Again, this isn't cheap so I wouldn't want to throw away a bunch of money on something from there. Also, I have had experiences with their tools in the past where I needed a new battery or charger and there is no continuity in the lines. Everything is changed and/or each tool category takes a different battery and charger even if the voltage is the same.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Stihl battery saw I used. It just seemed puny but I don't know which size or voltage I was using but suspect it was on the smaller side. It would have been fine for trimming but I want something that can actually cut.

I use my equipment and am willing to pay more for a commercial option if those here know of something that might better suit my needs. I bought the first $99 Redback on a whim as a gamble and never thought I would be as impressed as I have been. Something comparable or better than this is what I want.

Any suggestions are welcom.

Thanks,

Conor

 

[link]

I don't know if power tool batteries can be rebuilt

Standard Lithium ION cells: "18650" - usually.
When you solder batteries have a wet cloth ready to cool down immediately after soldering, use solder acid fluid or flux to make it flow quickly. Pre-solder the surfaces before you join anything, makes the joining really quick.

 

[FabianRW]

Just put the smallest bar you can on and you'll get more power, I have a Stihl 120C single battery and it was pretty useless with the 12" it came with, I put an 8" panther bar on and it's absolutely brilliant now.

 

[sawfun]

I bought a Greenworks 80v saw and it can easily hang with a 45cc, maybe 50cc saw in the torque category, though a lot less chain speed. It feels lighter than my 026 and would be a great firewood saw with an extra battery. It has way more power than the 36v Makitas I have and just slows down a bit when pushed hard, where the Makitas shut off. I do like that 80v saw a lot.

 

[cwatkin]

I bought a Greenworks 80v saw and it can easily hang with a 45cc, maybe 50cc saw in the torque category, though a lot less chain speed. It feels lighter than my 026 and would be a great firewood saw with an extra battery. It has way more power than the 36v Makitas I have and just slows down a bit when pushed hard, where the Makitas shut off. I do like that 80v saw a lot.

That is more what I want to hear! I like my M18 Milwaukee but overload it even with the 12.0 battery. 18V just isn't enough. The 120V I had was great so figure an 80V will be more what I need.

Conor

 

[Homer6679]

Check out project farm on YouTube, he has 2 separate videos comparing all the different battery powered saws. He tests all metrics you can think of. Very quality and informative videos.

 

[Philbert]

I also liked the performance of the Redback 120V tools. I have a lawnmower, chainsaw, pole saw, leaf blower, etc.

I also have had a high failure rate with their batteries, which are NLA.

This goes back to something I have posted many times here: ‘The batteries are half the tool’. The quality of the batteries, the availability of replacements, the company being there to stand behind them down the road, etc., is important for any tool that you plan to keep for a while.

Sometimes it’s just one bad cell in a battery pack that keeps the entire pack from charging. As noted, it is sometimes possible to disassemble the battery pack, and replace bad cells, but places like Batteries Plus won’t touch Li-ion battery packs, due to the risks of fire.

I can’t encourage you to try this either.

Philbert

 

[OM617YOTA]

I have the Kobalt 80v, which is a rebadged Greenworks. It'll cut anything a gas 18" saw will cut, just at 2/3rds the speed. Bar fully buried in oak, no problem. One year, this saw cut all the wood we burned the entire year. Very happy with it. Easily my most used saw.

 

[wde_1978]

DISCLAIMER:
Unless You know EXACTLY what You are doing and getting into DO NOT MESS WITH LITHIUM ION BATTERY PACKS, especially any beyond 40Volt!!!

That been said, unless all Your defective Redback batteries have a defective BMS (power output and charge control circuitry) they can be rebuilt.
The two defective packs should contain more than enough healthy cells to rebuild one.

120 Volt is dangerous, be very careful handling that battery pack!

When rebuilding a multi-cell battery pack You want to connect the individual cells with nickel strips and spot welds, not solder!
Small battery powered spot welders made exactly for this DIY application can be purchased for as low as 30ish$.

Look into Echo, their battery powered chainsaw beat every other in a YouTube guys two part comparison test.
Unfortunately, I personally can neither confirm nor deny this claim.

For what You need them for stay away from Makita battery powered chainsaws.
I have a DUC353 18+18Volt and it performs below average for me - it feels comparable to LESS than my 30cc 2-stroke PS-311TH.

My mini spot welder (can double as an external battery pack)

The welds it generates on a 0.15mm steel strip. The welder features 9 power levels, it melted holes in both strip layers set to level 6 with a freshly charged battery.


I have a big defective 56Volt EGO battery incoming.
It is intended for cell retrieval, but I will first check the 40A fuse on its BMS that apparently likes to pop rendering the battery pack inoperable.
It would be interesting to disect those Redback battery packs and try figure out their common faults.

 

[Philbert]

DISCLAIMER:
Unless You know EXACTLY what You are doing and getting into DO NOT MESS WITH LITHIUM ION BATTERY PACKS, especially any beyond 40Volt!!!

That been said, unless all Your defective Redback batteries have a defective BMS (power output and charge control circuitry) they can be rebuilt.
The two defective packs should contain more than enough healthy cells to rebuild one.

120 Volt is dangerous, be very careful handling that battery pack!

When rebuilding a multi-cell battery pack You want to connect the individual cells with nickel strips and spot welds, not solder!
Small battery powered spot welders made exactly for this DIY application can be purchased for as low as 30ish$.

Look into Echo, their battery powered chainsaw beat every other in a YouTube guys two part comparison test.
Unfortunately, I personally can neither confirm nor deny this claim.

For what You need them for stay away from Makita battery powered chainsaws.
I have a DUC353 18+18Volt and it performs below average for me - it feels comparable to LESS than my 30cc 2-stroke PS-311TH.

My mini spot welder (can double as an external battery pack)View attachment 1013262

The welds it generates on a 0.15mm steel strip. The welder features 9 power levels, it melted holes in both strip layers set to level 6 with a freshly charged battery.
View attachment 1013263

I have a big defective 56Volt EGO battery incoming.
It is intended for cell retrieval, but I will first check the 40A fuse on its BMS that apparently likes to pop rendering the battery pack inoperable.
It would be interesting to disect those Redback battery packs and try figure out their common faults.

I ALMOST understood most of what you said, so I guess that it is best that I don’t open up any battery packs.

Philbert

 

[wde_1978]

I have a couple "dead" Makita 36Volt battery packs that I need to inspect.
I am not looking forward to it as the innards feature circuitry on four sides of the stacked cells.

The 14.4 & 18Volt Makita battery packs that I opened so far were built simple, easy disassembly and access to the cells.

 

[OM617YOTA]

I did understand what he said, and would be hesitant to tear into one of those packs.

 

[davidwyby]

Check out project farm on YouTube, he has 2 separate videos comparing all the different battery powered saws. He tests all metrics you can think of. Very quality and informative videos.

Who came out on top?

 

[wde_1978]

I think it would be worth looking into the EGO 56Volt system.
They offer battery packs of up to 12Ah.

I got me a defective EGO battery and it is too nice to tear down for cell salvage.



Yes, the EGO 56V is huge, but it also packs a bunch of energy.
The EGO system products don't seem to be any more expensive than the competition.

 

[wde_1978]

Who came out on top?

Echo, in terms of performance compared to a 2-stroke chainsaw!

 

[wde_1978]

I have a couple "dead" Makita 36Volt battery packs that I need to inspect.
I am not looking forward to it as the innards feature circuitry on four sides of the stacked cells.

The 14.4 & 18Volt Makita battery packs that I opened so far were built simple, easy disassembly and access to the cells.

Makita 36Volt battery pack innards.

 

[Philbert]

I think this part is very interesting. Battery packs are more than just cells soldered together.

That Makita was not designed to be disassembled for service, but to be compact in use. Some to fit a specific shape. Others for cooling. Etc.

Philbert

 

[OM617YOTA]

Almost no battery pack is meant to be disassembled for service. When it comes to lithium batteries, the BMS is every bit as important as the actual power storage cells themselves.

 

[Philbert]

Almost no battery pack is meant to be disassembled for service. When it comes to lithium batteries, the BMS is every bit as important as the actual power storage cells themselves.

You might think that an authorized factory service center could replace a dead cell on a $200 battery pack, under warranty.

‘Designed for Service’, competes with ‘Designed for Manufacturability’ , and ‘Planned Obsolescence’.

Philbert

 

[OM617YOTA]

You might think that an authorized factory service center could replace a dead cell on a $200 battery pack, under warranty.

‘Designed for Service’, competes with ‘Designed for Manufacturability’ , and ‘Planned Obsolescence’.

Philbert

What costs you $200 to buy, costs the manufacturer less than $100 to build. Start adding up costs to make the pack serviceable to begin with, then to have factory authorized service centers at all(a small engine mechanic isn't a battery tech), have people trained to do the work, pay those people, accept liability for a pack that was opened and monkeyed with by minimally qualified people, which now has mismatched cells and thus a shorter life, etc etc etc. Doesn't take too long for the manufacturer to say nooooooope, we'll just give you a new sub-$100 pack, and a QR code directing you to your local battery recycling center.