Newer battery powered saws
- Thread starter alabama xl
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The Kobalt charger has a built in fan, and also over temp protection. I've had it flash the over temp light and run the fan until safe to charge, then start charging.
I haven't run a chainsaw off them much, but I've never overheated my milwaukee batteries until a week ago when it was 110 with the heat index, and I was using my M18 SDS-Max drill with a 1 5/16" bit in granite... about half of a 23" deep hole per 5ah battery.
My older model Milwaukee M28 fast charger has this feature as well, and the one that came with my M18 12ah kit.
My Dewalt Li-ion batteries overheat if I look at them wrong & take forever too cool with no fan or vents on the batteries. Flex-volt may be different... I've just got a slew of 4-5 ah packs.
My older model Milwaukee M28 fast charger has this feature as well, and the one that came with my M18 12ah kit.
My Dewalt Li-ion batteries overheat if I look at them wrong & take forever too cool with no fan or vents on the batteries. Flex-volt may be different... I've just got a slew of 4-5 ah packs.
I've overheated my Ridgid batteries and had them shut down. Compressed air will get them to cool faster, but as you say it still takes awhile.
Haven't gotten my Milwaukee stuff to overheat. Tool gets uncomfortable to hold but keeps on trucking, batteries didn't care.
I've never had the Kobalt batteries get warm enough to shut down the tool, but they have had to cool before the charger would do anything.
Pretty happy with the current state of cordless tools. Very seldom have to drag out a cord these days.
Haven't gotten my Milwaukee stuff to overheat. Tool gets uncomfortable to hold but keeps on trucking, batteries didn't care.
I've never had the Kobalt batteries get warm enough to shut down the tool, but they have had to cool before the charger would do anything.
Pretty happy with the current state of cordless tools. Very seldom have to drag out a cord these days.
Heat is reportedly a problem with recharging, which can damage batteries. The 'rapid chargers' typically have a fan, along with circuitry, to keep the batteries cooler while recharging. I get that it is a marketing / price point difference, but there can't be the $25 - $50 additional retail cost to manufacture them. If you are buying a $300 + tool, they should be 'standard'. IMO. However, there are smarter and richer guys who work in marketing than me.
In hindsight, buy the largest capacity (Amp Hours) batteries you can afford, and always more than one. Buy the rapid chargers if you can. Sometimes, it is not much more to buy a second tool (like a string trimmer) which comes with a second battery and a second battery charger, that to just buy a second battery (!). Also, keep an eye out for free / discounted second batteries around 'Black Friday' sales.
Philbert
A lot of the tool kits can be had with a spare battery or tool for the same price, just scroll further down the page. Got my cordless grinder for free with my other Milwaukee stuff, same price as the same kit without the grinder.
I don't usually complain about weight if the power or other benifits are in line with it, but put a 12ah in my milwaukee impact doing drywall & I'll not be liking it very much... the chainsaws, cutoff tools, polesaws & trimmers are power hungry two handed tools so not as critical on weight & that battery is awesome for that usage.
Just cut my lawn, string trimmed, then leaf blowed the walks clean with batter-powered tools. 90°F her today - the batteries were warm when done. I let them cool down before putting them on the charger.
The only time I knowingly overheated a battery is when I left my iPhone on the passenger seat in the car, and went into a store. When I came back the screen said it was too hot, and would have to cool down before being used.
Philbert
The only time I knowingly overheated a battery is when I left my iPhone on the passenger seat in the car, and went into a store. When I came back the screen said it was too hot, and would have to cool down before being used.
Philbert
@Franny K.... So what size chain did they come with?
All the battery chainsaws I have come with 3/8 lp essentially 90px in Oregon labeling. Some Stihl battery products use a mini 1/4 inch pitch chain. The mini one is a 40 drive link loop. The other two, I never mounted those bars. The length is not normal (45,52,56,62). The rear handle double battery one does have solid bar mounting. There are two steel pins and the bolt is in the middle of that. I use stronger bars on it.
Edit, The Husqvarna battery pole saw came with 40dl of essentially 91px.
Edit, The Husqvarna battery pole saw came with 40dl of essentially 91px.
Oregon has released their 80TXL 'Nano' chain, which I believe was specifically designed for battery saws. .325 pitch, low profile and narrow kerf, .043 gauge, semi-chisel cutters. Requires its own, unique drive sprocket and guide bar (nose sprocket) which may be limiting factors on some saws.
https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/p..._for_speedcut_80_txl_cutting_system-imgadjtxt
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-speedcut-nano-release-date.331235/
Philbert
https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/p..._for_speedcut_80_txl_cutting_system-imgadjtxt
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-speedcut-nano-release-date.331235/
Philbert
alabama xl
ArboristSite Operative
Thanks for the info, all. He doesn’t have much in the way of power tools, so it doesn’t matter which one he gets. Any big differences between 80v/60v in terms of number of cuts you get? I don‘t see how the baby Saws Or string trimmers with a pair of 18v batteries would be nearly as good as one with battery back with higher volts. I know watt hours is watt hours, but it seems like higher voltage motors in general are more efficient?
Recently sat through a webinar with a Husqvarna rep who was very convincing that this is not the case. There are a lot of factors, including run time, torque, chain speed, battery discharge rates, etc., etc., etc. Any of these can be misleading when taken by themselves. Best to go by the overall performance of the finished tool.
I used to say '36 Volts or above', but a lot of people like the 18 V Milwaukee chainsaw.
Watt-hours are important: You can quickly see the battery capacity, and get an idea of how much work it can do.
5 Amp-hours @ 18 Volts = 90 Watt-hours (Makita)
2 Amp-hours @ 120 Volts = 240 Watt-hours (Redback)
6 Amp-hours @ 40 Volts = 240 Watt-hours (Oregon)
Philbert
Watt hours really needs to be computed using nominal voltage. Doing otherwise is misleading advertising. Nominal voltage for the common type of lithium ion cell is about 3.6 volts, the max voltage is about 4.0. To act like there are max voltage times amp hours yeilds watt hours is deceptive. In the above example the Makita is using nominal voltage. We have been through this with Oregon before and their exploded view of the battery.
Another thing to note is on the recharge end of things an amp at a lower voltage puts less energy into a battery than an amp at a higher voltage. For electric vehicles this becomes relevant to how long it takes to get fully recharged as I understand most dc fast chargers only put out a maximum of amps and often one pays by time.
Another thing to note is on the recharge end of things an amp at a lower voltage puts less energy into a battery than an amp at a higher voltage. For electric vehicles this becomes relevant to how long it takes to get fully recharged as I understand most dc fast chargers only put out a maximum of amps and often one pays by time.
I have the echo 58v chainsaw the chain on it is something different to me heres a link
What do you think of this chain?
https://www.echo-usa.com/Products/Accessories/Cordless-Accessories/Bar-Chain/16-Chain-90PX-Series
Oregon 90PX56 (Oregon makes the OEM chain for a number of chainsaw manufacturers) is 56 drive links of 3/8 low profile and narrow kerf, 0.043 gauge, chain. It is a low kickback chain (PX), due to the bumpers on the drive links that align with the depth gauges on the cutters.
Because it is a narrow kerf chain, it takes a smaller 'bite' with each cutter, which puts less drag on the powerhead, making it cut like a more powerful saw. But the narrow kerf chain also requires a compatible, narrow kerf bar, due to the, . . . well, . . . narrower kerf that is it cutting. These are used on a lot of Husqvarna saws. Oregon calls it 'Micro-Lite'.
https://www.oregonproducts.com/medi...iYTY3MTcwZDgzZTFmMzc2MTY5NjEzZjMwMzc4ZDk5ZGNi
I have this on a cordless pole saw and really like it.
Note that Oregon recommends filing it with a slightly larger (!) 4.5 mm / 11/64" diameter file, than the 4.0 mm / 5/32" diameter file used on the 'larger', standard kerf 3/8 low profile. I was told that this is due to a different cutter profile. The 4.5 mm file and file holder can be harder to find, but does a nice job on this chain. The 5/32" works too.
Phiblert
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I don't think so...............LOL!!!!
It probably took 10 battery charges but the saw cut the rounds. 14" .043 chain.
Thanks for info
It definitely has a different profile
Do you happen to know of any alternative if for some reason I wanted to try something different?
Battery powered saws are a different animal, in that they are designed to be highly efficient.So switching out a chain might be more noticable than with a gas saw.
Some run 1/4" pitch chain, which does not cut as fast, IMO, and does not provide a lot of cutter material to file / sharpen.
The Type 90 chain you have is pretty popular with these saws, along with Type 91 (3/8 low profile, 0.050). Or the STIHL PS3, which is a full chisel style chain than a lot of guys like.
Or the Oregon 'Nano' chain, mentioned above, and in this link:
https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...-chain-and-speedcut-guide-bars.285694/page-10
*You will need to replace your guide bar for all of these other chains, and your drive sprocket for the 1/4" or 'Nano' chains.
Philbert
