New from North Carolina seeking battery chainsaw recommendations.

[kendalltristan]

Hello, I'm Kendall from Hendersonville, North Carolina. Professionally I work as a software developer, but I try to get out in the woods to do volunteer trail maintenance at least once or twice each month (sometimes quite a bit more). I have a B chainsaw certification and feel confident working in fairly complex situations. I'll go for C when I feel more confident about the instruction/evaluation side of things. I'm also crosscut certified. Most of the tree work I do is limited to bucking blowdowns and I don't really ever have a need to fell anything.

The trails I maintain are steep and technical. As such, choosing the right tool for the job is often more a function of how much effort it'd take to get the tool and PPE to the work site than it is of how much work there is to do once there. I prefer battery chainsaws over gas due to size, weight, reduced noise, and the lack of a spillage risk, but, often as not, I'll leave the chainsaw and chaps in the car and carry a Silky Katanaboy instead.

I've started to become a little bit of an axe nerd. I've restored and rehung a couple of old heads I picked up at yard sales, which I've since given away. I also like a lot of the newer stuff that I've tried and my current number one is a Tuatahi camp axe on a 24" Hoffman handle. I also have a Hults Bruk Agdor that's fabulous to use, as well as some Council Tool stuff.

I mostly came here to get recommendations for a new battery saw. I've been using this Ryobi for the past ~3 years and, while it does a pretty good job for what I need, a lot of new stuff has come out in that time. If I can get something that'll give me a marked improvement in regards to either weight, power, or runtime without adversely affecting the other variables, I'm all ears. Doubly so if the rest of the product ecosystem looks to be good. For example, the Ryobi hedge trimmer I have is pretty weak, so I'd be happy to move to another brand with better hedge trimmers.

It's important to me to have an 18" bar. I never feel like I have quite enough reach with a 16" and, while I don't mind a 20", I don't find it necessary either. I was looking at the Husqvarna 350i and the Stihl MSA 220 (the MSA 300 is too heavy and too expensive). I'm happy to consider other options as well. Input is greatly appreciated, and if I need to post this in another forum for better visibility, just let me know. Thanks!

 

[stihlaficionado]

Welcome to AS

There is a forum of Battery Tools/Batteries

 

[Philbert]

Welcome to A.S.!

Key thing to keep in mind is ‘the battery is half the saw’.

Literally.

From the standpoints of cost, availability, performance, warranty, etc.

Look at the whole range of products supported by that battery platform: brand, voltage, format, etc.

As you mentioned, you may want other outdoor power equipment later, that share a common battery.

STIHL and Husqvarna have some ‘Pro’ grade stuff, at Pro grade prices. Greenworks, EGO, and ECHO gave some good stuff, at lower price points.

But, if you can’t get replacement batteries down the road, it’s over. Few places will rebuild Li-ion batteries.

I have some Oregon 40V batteries that are 13 years old, and still hold a charge (likely not full capacity). And some other brands which failed after 3 or 4 cycles (company out of business now, so no replacements). So quality matters. As does being there for you.

Let us know what you decide, and how it works out for you?

Philbert

 

[Seachaser]

I’ll speak only from my experience. I would stay away from Ego and Kobalt. Bad experiences with their batteries. Milwaukee has an endless supply of tools to go with theirs. I have the pole saw and hatchet. They both surpassed my expectations. 2-6 inches is their wheelhouse. But, carry an extra battery or two. But nothing beats gas. No replacement for displacement.

 

[kendalltristan]

@Philbert Thanks for the thorough reply. I'm familiar with the battery support/ecosystem considerations. Fortunately, I only have a couple of battery powered tools at the moment, so I'm not married to any particular brand. And because of the support consideration, I'm somewhat averse to brands I'm not familiar with. Plus my outdoor power tool needs are overwhelmingly limited to trail maintenance so all I really need is a chainsaw, a hedge trimmer, and a brush cutter. So even if I do get invested in a particular brand, I won't be breaking the bank to switch if I ever feel so inclined.

I'm a big fan of taking advantage of new technology, so I'm not looking to buy something I'll still be using in 10 years time. If I can swap saws every few years for something lighter and/or more powerful, I'll certainly do so. Plus my old tools tend to get donated to volunteer organizations, so I don't mind using it as an excuse to pick up something new from time to time.

STIHL and Husqvarna have some ‘Pro’ grade stuff, at Pro grade prices. Greenworks, EGO, and ECHO gave some good stuff, at lower price points.

Thanks for the recommendations. Greenworks has been on my radar, but I wasn't aware they have a commercial line. Their model 82CS27 looks like it ticks all the boxes and might be a winner. Unfortunately, the nearest dealer with one in stock is over an hour away and isn't open on weekends, so I'll need to take a half day at work if I want to go see about it.

I've not been particularly impressed with the Echo saws that I've tried. At least they didn't strike me as a marked improvement over my Ryobi. I've never even seen an Ego saw in real life. They must just not be popular around here or something.

I’ll speak only from my experience. I would stay away from Ego and Kobalt. Bad experiences with their batteries. Milwaukee has an endless supply of tools to go with theirs.

Good to know about Ego and Kobalt. Did you attempt to make use of their warranties at all?

As for Milwaukee, one organization I do a lot of volunteering with has all Milwaukee tools and most of them are excellent (especially their hedge trimmers). But my Ryobi outperforms every Milwaukee battery saw I've picked up. While I have no doubts about their reliability or long-term support, I'd rather keep what I have than consider taking a significant step back in performance.

But, carry an extra battery or two. But nothing beats gas. No replacement for displacement.

Completely agreed. I usually take three batteries in the woods, two 5Ah ones and then the 2Ah one that came with my hedge trimmer in case the second 5Ah one runs out while I'm in the middle of a cut. And yeah, gas saws solidly and consistently outperform battery saws right now, but for me in my specific situation, the benefits of battery saws outweigh the performance of gas. Thanks.

 

[Philbert]

The battery saws just keep getting better. So, if you are happy with a few year life cycle, you have more options (I like things to L-A-S-T a long time!).

Costco even had a good deal recently, on this chainsaw, and compatible, 80V, items. They have a ‘satisfaction guarantee’, in addition to the manufacturer’s warranty.

Something I would consider in the situation you describe.

Philbert

 

[HillyJohn]

I understand why you want a battery saw, Stihl, Husqvarna or Echo will be stronger and better quality than your Ryobi. I hoped to go mainly battery with a MSA 200 five years ago, and have cut alot of wood with it, but it did not replace my gas saws. Stihl MSA 220 should do a solid job for you, but it won't pull 18 inch bar, in Europe it is only sold with 14 inch, which is also what Stihl USA recommend. I was very impressed with how quickly a 20inch diameter Ash tree was cleared by a gang using MSA300s on a suburban street, if you really need 18 inches.

 

[MudgeHollowBeaver]

My brother just got a Kress Commercial electric chainsaw and has happy with it

 

[kendalltristan]

I was very impressed with how quickly a 20inch diameter Ash tree was cleared by a gang using MSA300s on a suburban street, if you really need 18 inches.

Thanks, but unfortunately the MSA 300 is a bit too heavy and a bit outside of the budget. The 220 is pretty much at the limit of what I'm willing to spend at the moment. Stihl USA lists an 18" bar option for the 220 on their website, which is why I was considering it, but I'm not convinced the value proposition is there after having looked at some other options.

My brother just got a Kress Commercial electric chainsaw and has happy with it

I'm not familiar with Kress Commercial, but I'll check them out. Thanks.

 

[Seachaser]

@Philbert Thanks for the thorough reply. I'm familiar with the battery support/ecosystem considerations. Fortunately, I only have a couple of battery powered tools at the moment, so I'm not married to any particular brand. And because of the support consideration, I'm somewhat averse to brands I'm not familiar with. Plus my outdoor power tool needs are overwhelmingly limited to trail maintenance so all I really need is a chainsaw, a hedge trimmer, and a brush cutter. So even if I do get invested in a particular brand, I won't be breaking the bank to switch if I ever feel so inclined.

I'm a big fan of taking advantage of new technology, so I'm not looking to buy something I'll still be using in 10 years time. If I can swap saws every few years for something lighter and/or more powerful, I'll certainly do so. Plus my old tools tend to get donated to volunteer organizations, so I don't mind using it as an excuse to pick up something new from time to time.


Thanks for the recommendations. Greenworks has been on my radar, but I wasn't aware they have a commercial line. Their model 82CS27 looks like it ticks all the boxes and might be a winner. Unfortunately, the nearest dealer with one in stock is over an hour away and isn't open on weekends, so I'll need to take a half day at work if I want to go see about it.

I've not been particularly impressed with the Echo saws that I've tried. At least they didn't strike me as a marked improvement over my Ryobi. I've never even seen an Ego saw in real life. They must just not be popular around here or something.


Good to know about Ego and Kobalt. Did you attempt to make use of their warranties at all?

As for Milwaukee, one organization I do a lot of volunteering with has all Milwaukee tools and most of them are excellent (especially their hedge trimmers). But my Ryobi outperforms every Milwaukee battery saw I've picked up. While I have no doubts about their reliability or long-term support, I'd rather keep what I have than consider taking a significant step back in performance.


Completely agreed. I usually take three batteries in the woods, two 5Ah ones and then the 2Ah one that came with my hedge trimmer in case the second 5Ah one runs out while I'm in the middle of a cut. And yeah, gas saws solidly and consistently outperform battery saws right now, but for me in my specific situation, the benefits of battery saws outweigh the performance of gas. Thanks.

Customer service was a pain. Warranty about what the paper was worth.

 

[IntegrityCarpentry]

Hello, I'm Kendall from Hendersonville, North Carolina. Professionally I work as a software developer, but I try to get out in the woods to do volunteer trail maintenance at least once or twice each month (sometimes quite a bit more). I have a B chainsaw certification and feel confident working in fairly complex situations. I'll go for C when I feel more confident about the instruction/evaluation side of things. I'm also crosscut certified. Most of the tree work I do is limited to bucking blowdowns and I don't really ever have a need to fell anything.

The trails I maintain are steep and technical. As such, choosing the right tool for the job is often more a function of how much effort it'd take to get the tool and PPE to the work site than it is of how much work there is to do once there. I prefer battery chainsaws over gas due to size, weight, reduced noise, and the lack of a spillage risk, but, often as not, I'll leave the chainsaw and chaps in the car and carry a Silky Katanaboy instead.

I've started to become a little bit of an axe nerd. I've restored and rehung a couple of old heads I picked up at yard sales, which I've since given away. I also like a lot of the newer stuff that I've tried and my current number one is a Tuatahi camp axe on a 24" Hoffman handle. I also have a Hults Bruk Agdor that's fabulous to use, as well as some Council Tool stuff.

I mostly came here to get recommendations for a new battery saw. I've been using this Ryobi for the past ~3 years and, while it does a pretty good job for what I need, a lot of new stuff has come out in that time. If I can get something that'll give me a marked improvement in regards to either weight, power, or runtime without adversely affecting the other variables, I'm all ears. Doubly so if the rest of the product ecosystem looks to be good. For example, the Ryobi hedge trimmer I have is pretty weak, so I'd be happy to move to another brand with better hedge trimmers.

It's important to me to have an 18" bar. I never feel like I have quite enough reach with a 16" and, while I don't mind a 20", I don't find it necessary either. I was looking at the Husqvarna 350i and the Stihl MSA 220 (the MSA 300 is too heavy and too expensive). I'm happy to consider other options as well. Input is greatly appreciated, and if I need to post this in another forum for better visibility, just let me know. Thanks!

Welcome! I have multiple chainsaws and finally got the Milwaukee chainsaw since it was an amazing deal and being a carpenter I already had Milwaukee stuff. It is built more heavy duty, and has higher torque but less chain speed which is most likely why you weren’t impressed with it. When my gas saws were having issues I used it to cut some quite large ash up from a storm. I since found a dewalt chainsaw in the dumpster missing some parts. Ordered a parts saw off eBay so my third son could also have a chainsaw. The Dewalt is less heavy duty, but seems lighter and much faster chain speed. Depending on what you are actually cutting, you could need 3 of the largest batteries to pack with you plus bar oil. 18” bar will drain the battery faster then 16. Hence why I am thinking you would need 3 batteries. From hours of cutting 3 batteries would still not be enough, I am talking about largest batteries available for dewalt or Milwaukee. Milwaukee did something different on their top handle saw that recently came out and it uses .325 Oregon nano chain so it’s lo profile .325. Whatever saws get that will cut faster and better battery life. I was comparing saws the other day online and basically the low profile.325 got ten more cuts than low profile 3/8 chain.
I believe husqvarna is already using low profile .325 on some of their battery saws.

I would be hesitant with longevity of the greenworks stuff but with Costco, you should be able to return it if you don’t like it.

Last thing, for batterys, don’t run them dead, try to stop using before or at 25%. Then Charge them, don’t store them in cold or extra heat, and don’t keep them on the charger. Remove them when fully charged. Don’t charge batteries while sleeping or when you leave. A friend had his catch on fire at a clients house while charging. I have batteries that are really old that still work. I also have some newer ones that have sat and hardly used, 12 volt battery for small tools and one is dead and it’s three years old. Normally with care my batteries have lasted much much longer. I have been using battery power tools for over 20 years. Hope you find what works best for you and your situation.

 

[kendalltristan]

I have multiple chainsaws and finally got the Milwaukee chainsaw since it was an amazing deal and being a carpenter I already had Milwaukee stuff. It is built more heavy duty, and has higher torque but less chain speed which is most likely why you weren’t impressed with it.

That makes good sense. Thanks. I'll try to narrow my search to models with higher chain speeds.

Milwaukee did something different on their top handle saw that recently came out and it uses .325 Oregon nano chain so it’s lo profile .325. Whatever saws get that will cut faster and better battery life. I was comparing saws the other day online and basically the low profile.325 got ten more cuts than low profile 3/8 chain.
I believe husqvarna is already using low profile .325 on some of their battery saws.

My Ryobi has a low-pro .325 and it cuts pretty well (relatively speaking; a modest gas saw will run circles around it). This might also contribute to why I didn't care for the Milwaukee saws I've tried.

I would be hesitant with longevity of the greenworks stuff but with Costco, you should be able to return it if you don’t like it.

I was looking at the Greenworks Commercial line, not the regular consumer line. They're claiming 1000 hours of use before requiring significant maintenance. Obviously I'm taking that with an appropriately sized grain of salt, but even a fraction of that would be far beyond how long I would expect to keep it. My Ryobi might have, at most, 50 hours on it after three years.

Last thing, for batterys, don’t run them dead, try to stop using before or at 25%. Then Charge them, don’t store them in cold or extra heat, and don’t keep them on the charger. Remove them when fully charged. Don’t charge batteries while sleeping or when you leave.

Much appreciated.

 

[IntegrityCarpentry]

I was looking at the Greenworks Commercial line, not the regular consumer line. They're claiming 1000 hours of use before requiring significant maintenance. Obviously I'm taking that with an appropriately sized grain of salt, but even a fraction of that would be far beyond how long I would expect to keep it. My Ryobi might have, at most, 50 hours on it after three years.


Much appreciated.

My fault, didn’t even realize that existed! Wow. Definitely let us know what you get and what you’re experiencing with it!

 

[oldbuzzard]

Husky 350i Power Axe, full kit around $400, less if you look around.
I own three, and other members of my saw crew own 3-4 more. (We do volunteer trail work, etc.) I have owned all the Stihls you mentioned. FWIW my power equipment shop dumped their Green Works inventory, didn’t really say why.

 

[bulletpruf]

Milwaukee M18 is what I have, mainly because I have a few dozen M18 powered tools in the garage. I use is sparingly around the house/yard, but I've been pleasantly surprised by it.

 

[rtrsam]

I've been a professional trail worker for... a while. Something I'd really consider would be one of the battery powered pole saws. I have a Makita because that's the battery platform I use on other stuff, but I'm sure there are other brands. I absolutely love being able to stand in one spot and reach out eight feet away to cut small stems and brush with the thing. Uphill, downhill, I reach the bar where it needs to go and zip zip, done. If you actually have to cut something overhead you feel like a genius having that reach. If you're actually bucking logs then this is the wrong tool for the job, but for general trail work it carries the day most of the time. Last year I brushed out 1.4 miles of new trail, 90% done with the Makita pole saw.

 

[Philbert]

Love my pole saws.

Philbert

 

[oldbuzzard]

I was a little disappointed with my Stihl battery pole saw, I still keep it around for light duty but I went back to my Stihl 35cc pole saw. It was too prone to getting the bar pinched. Maybe I don’t use them enough to improve my technique.

 

[Philbert]

The battery pole saws are lighter, up in the air.

Philbert

 

[kendalltristan]

Husky 350i Power Axe, full kit around $400, less if you look around.
I own three, and other members of my saw crew own 3-4 more. (We do volunteer trail work, etc.) I have owned all the Stihls you mentioned. FWIW my power equipment shop dumped their Green Works inventory, didn’t really say why.

Thanks. I've been looking pretty hard at the 350i, but my concern is the chain speed (38.7 ft/s), which is considerably lower than the claimed speed of my Ryobi (72.2 ft/s), which is itself lower than some of the newer battery saws on the market (Greenworks Commercial claims 82 ft/s). Have you observed this to be any sort of a problem? And how is the feel and cutting efficiency compared to saws with higher chain speeds? From what I've found online, the kit weight should be comparable, so I'm not worried about that, but I just don't want to make a lateral or regressive move in regards to cutting efficiency.

Part of this whole process is complicated by the fact that the Ryobi really is a pretty good unit and there simply aren't enough apples-to-apples product comparisons among the abundance of saws on the market. Also there seems to be a lot of confounding variables and bias (often unintentional) in the comparisons that are out there, so any sort of data normalization is tricky at best.

I've been a professional trail worker for... a while. Something I'd really consider would be one of the battery powered pole saws. I have a Makita because that's the battery platform I use on other stuff, but I'm sure there are other brands. I absolutely love being able to stand in one spot and reach out eight feet away to cut small stems and brush with the thing. Uphill, downhill, I reach the bar where it needs to go and zip zip, done. If you actually have to cut something overhead you feel like a genius having that reach. If you're actually bucking logs then this is the wrong tool for the job, but for general trail work it carries the day most of the time. Last year I brushed out 1.4 miles of new trail, 90% done with the Makita pole saw.

Thanks. Pole saws are fabulous, but I usually use a brush cutter and sometimes a hedge trimmer for corridor maintenance. At the moment I'm very much looking for a saw to buck blowdowns. The goal here is to either get something that cuts comparably to what I already have but at a lower weight, or to get something that cuts better/longer than what I already have at a similar weight. The latter of those is ultimately about weight as well. Something that cuts more efficiently means less runtime required to cut any given tree, which means fewer batteries to carry, and of course a longer runtime also means fewer batteries to carry.

Another consideration is how much of the kit weight is tied up in the battery. Say, for instance, we have two equally efficient saws that both weigh exactly 14 pounds when ready to cut, but one has a battery weight of 4 pounds and the other has a battery weight of 6 pounds. Let's also assume that the larger batteries provide equivalently longer runtime (not always the case in real life, but we'll let it go for now for the sake of argument). In this case, I'd rather carry the lighter saw and two heavier batteries than the heavier saw and three lighter batteries. Not only is it less total weight, but the batteries are all going in my pack so that the saw itself is lighter in the hand. 2 pounds less in the hand isn't huge, but becomes increasingly significant proportional to the distance I have to carry it. Often that distance is several miles over steep and/or technical terrain.