I Bought a New Chainsaw

RJM62

RJM62

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Geek on the Hill
A Husqvarna 120i battery-powered chainsaw, to be exact. Here's the setup and first test cut.


No, I'm not wearing gloves. I rarely do. I question the wisdom of wearing gloves while working with rotating cutters. Others disagree, as is their right.

I bought this chainsaw to replace (for most tasks) a finicky old gas-powered Poulan Pro chainsaw that I bought from some guy on Craigslist. The gas-powered chainsaw does work if you mess with it long enough, but electric is much easier and less of a hassle. I also have a Sun Joe corded electric chainsaw that works fine but is limited by the length of the extension cord (and also wouldn't work during a power failure, of course).

This battery-powered one should be fine for the small- to medium-sized trees that I usually have to deal with. I don't know if I'd want to use it if I were a lumberjack; but I'm not a lumberjack, so this should work out fine. It's rated by Husqvarna for "casual use."

The other reason I bought this particular chainsaw is because I also have a trimmer and a leaf blower made by Husqvarna, and they use the same battery. The battery lists for about $170.00, and I haven't seen it for less than $135.00. But I bought all three tools in packages that included the batteries and chargers. The trimmer cost about $225.00, the blower about $180.00, and the chainsaw about $270.00 -- each including the battery and charger.

So now I have three batteries and three chargers. They should keep me whacking weeds, blowing leaves, or felling trees for as long as I anticipate ever needing to do.

Rich
 
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For applications like this where tq is required more than HP electric makes a lot of sense. Batteries and motors have come such a long ways the only reason not to go electric is commercial grade use.
 
Man, good think you didn't kill any elves, or I'd never get any more of those fudge stripe cookies
 
Seems to have worked pretty hard to get through a hollow log. What am I missing? My consumer grade Farm and Fleet gas chainsaw would have gone through that like butter.
 
172andyou said:
Seems to have worked pretty hard to get through a hollow log. What am I missing? My consumer grade Farm and Fleet gas chainsaw would have gone through that like butter.
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I just let it cut using its own weight for most of the video, and actually held it back toward the end of the cut so I wouldn't slip and hit a rock. The ground was much closer than it appears in the video. At one point about a third of the way through I put some pressure on it, and the chain slowed a bit but cut faster.

But no, it's not as powerful as either my gas or corded electric saws. I really didn't expect it to be. But like I said, I'm not a lumberjack. It'll do just fine for my modest needs.

Rich
 
Looks like a winner for small around the yard jobs.!!

I inherited an old electric chainsaw sold by Montgomery Ward. I bet that thing is 40 years old and cuts like a champ.

Yes, it is rather limited by the length of the electric cord and subject to power failures, but I figure if I do not have enough extension cords or if the power goes out then that is not my day to cut wood.
 
Zeldman said:
Looks like a winner for small around the yard jobs.!!

I inherited an old electric chainsaw sold by Montgomery Ward. I bet that thing is 40 years old and cuts like a champ.

Yes, it is rather limited by the length of the electric cord and subject to power failures, but I figure if I do not have enough extension cords or if the power goes out then that is not my day to cut wood.
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The thing is that the trees falling and the power going out tend to happen simultaneously. Since NYSEG was bought out by Avangrid, they don't respond to precarious tree calls like they used to. I've been calling for months for one that's just waiting for a good wind to topple it, and they still haven't cut it down. (But they don't want me cutting it down either because it's close to their wires. Otherwise it would be gone already.)

Once it actually touches the wires, I can call the Sheriff, and the Sheriff will call NYSEG and tell them to cut it down posthaste. They show up in less than an hour when the Sheriff calls them. But that's one tree among many. It's gotten to the point that any time it's not CAVU and calm winds, we have to worry about power failures: and the same storms that knock trees down across power lines knock them down in other inconvenient places.

Rich
 
RJM62 said:
The thing is that the trees falling and the power going out tend to happen simultaneously.
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That would be a problem.

Good thing there are not any trees around here and the utilities are all buried...pretty modern for being out in the middle of the high desert...:lol::lol:

For trimming the cedars on the property my little electric does really good. Very little maintenance.... just a little oil on the chain and make sure the chain doesn't get loose.
 
Reminds me of my first 12volt Skill drill driver, or that miserable home use Craftsman bench grinder that I wasted my money on. Maybe the chain was dull?
 
Nice! I bought hubby a Husqvarna a few years back, the commercial grade gasoline powered kind because we owned several acres of wooded land and he cut our firewood. We no longer do, now we have a smaller lot but need minor branch and small tree cutting. Maybe I should keep that in mind for him for another Christmas.
 
I recently bought a Ryobi battery powered chainsaw to supplement our Stihl.

It’s no substitute, given we have 4.4 acres in GA and 3.3 acres in TN to keep clear of brush and dead/fallen trees. For “real” work, for now gas-powered is the way to go. I bought the Ryobi for pruning and roots and other “light” jobs. For that it’s very handy - just grab and go.

We also bought a Ryobi pole saw - also very handy. Much handier than the corded one we’ve had for years.
 
I also subscribe to the 'same battery' method of buying, Bosch 18v is our handheld tool of choice, specifically factory refurbished tools that come with new batteries. The sawzall with a landscape blade works well around the yard, but I might have to look into a chainsaw.
 
I have heard good things about the light weight Echo limb saw. My Stihl 200 is getting finicky to start. Any pireps?
 
Briar Rabbit said:
I have heard good things about the light weight Echo limb saw. My Stihl 200 is getting finicky to start. Any pireps?
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Can’t speak to the limb saw, but I’ve got an Echo line trimmer, backpack blower, and Timber Wolf chainsaw. Every one of them fires up each time with no fuss. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy anything in Echo’s lineup.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Art Rose said:
Reminds me of my first 12volt Skill drill driver, or that miserable home use Craftsman bench grinder that I wasted my money on. Maybe the chain was dull?
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No, I just wasn't pushing it. Chainsaws are not the sort of thing I like to push hard the first time I use one out of the box -- especially a lightweight, battery-powered, consumer-grade saw rated for "casual" use. The chain is also narrower than most, so it doesn't take as big a bite.

Rich
 
FastEddieB said:
I recently bought a Ryobi battery powered chainsaw to supplement our Stihl.

It’s no substitute, given we have 4.4 acres in GA and 3.3 acres in TN to keep clear of brush and dead/fallen trees. For “real” work, for now gas-powered is the way to go. I bought the Ryobi for pruning and roots and other “light” jobs. For that it’s very handy - just grab and go.

We also bought a Ryobi pole saw - also very handy. Much handier than the corded one we’ve had for years.
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Prior to this purchase, the only cordless tool I didn't hate was a Ryobi screwdriver. I bought it about 18 years ago, and it just recently got to the point that it no longer holds a charge sufficient for household jobs. It still works well enough for things like removing trim panels in cars, but it won't push screws into wooden studs anymore.

Other than for that one tool, my expectations for cordless tools are lower than for gas or corded electric ones. I would be dissatisfied with a gas chainsaw that performed like the cordless Husqvarna. But it exceeded my expectations for a cordless saw.

Rich
 
catmandu said:
I also subscribe to the 'same battery' method of buying, Bosch 18v is our handheld tool of choice, specifically factory refurbished tools that come with new batteries. The sawzall with a landscape blade works well around the yard, but I might have to look into a chainsaw.
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This chainsaw uses a nominal 40v 4Ah battery. It's too soon to say how long it will power the chainsaw. I suspect it will be longer than I'll need for any of the jobs I contemplate using it for.

The string trimmer and leaf blower that use the same battery are comparable in performance to more conventional ones I've used. The battery life on the string trimmer is also long enough that I can do everything I need to do with it (including cutting the weeds on the shoulder of the road) two or three times on a charge.

As for the leaf blower, based on what testing I was able to do, I expect I'll need two batteries or charges to do the whole property. I have a long driveway. But with three batteries on hand, it'll still handier than messing with two-cycle gas or dragging 150' of heavy-duty extension cord.

Rich
 
weilke said:
My objection to battery powered anything in the yard is that it reduces your 'cylinder index'
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That is a nice quantifier. But no worries, I am a 'Revered Logician', although with the sale of the dump truck, that status will be in jeopardy in as I approach the sixth decade. Time for a new toy. :p
 
The big news here is Rich bought something new... to quote the man himself, he "throws around nickels like they were manhole covers".
 
I have some Kevlar chainsaw chaps. When I read the warning label, it says 'not rated for electric chainsaws'. Apparently those electric suckers are able to chew through the Kevlar as their torque doesn't drop off once the fabric balls up.
 
I have a friend who bought a Dewalt. I asked him how long the battery lasted and he said longer than he wanted to work. :)
 
Obligatory chainsaw meme:

upload_2018-6-27_16-22-42.png
 
I've got a funny story about how I totaled a $500 Stihl chainsaw, but there's no way I'm telling you guys.

I need a chainsaw for about an hour a year. The down side is that chainsaws aren't meant to be used just an hour a year. A friend of mine bought a 40v Greenworks last year and I just borrow that now. I LOVE the thing! Much lighter, plenty of power for what I'm doing and no need to drain the fuel when I'm done.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
The big news here is Rich bought something new... to quote the man himself, he "throws around nickels like they were manhole covers".
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I've learned that cordless tools are usually not good deals when bought used, especially when the battery costs more than the tool does. Lots of people sell them when the batteries no longer hold a charge.

Rich
 
I love my EGO battery-powered mower. I've been thinking about getting the EGO chainsaw and string trimmer that shares the same battery. Sure beats fooling around with gas and oil (and all the cussing that ensures when I can't get things to start!).
 
Since we've bunny-trailed off into the electric tools topic, I just bought the Jonsered 58V String trimmer and leaf blower combo, after my old Ryobi multi-tool seized up (engine on the head stick, attachments for string trimmer, blower, vacuum, small (really small) roto-tiller). I have 2 gas chain saws, but curious for any PIREP on a pole chain saw attachment? Also bringing my cylinder count down ...
 
gkainz said:
...but curious for any PIREP on a pole chain saw attachment?
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I bought a Ryobi “ONE+” pole saw at Home Depot for somewhere around $100. I have a whole slew of “ONE+” Ryobi tools so it was an obvious choice. So far it’s done a great job of pruning limbs and the like. A LOT handier than the similar corded one I bought several years ago which works fine, but extension cords or schlepping my generator is a royal pain.
 
I knew it. Little tiny electric chainsaw. We only ever see his hands...

@RJM62 is AvE’s American stepbrother!

That little thing did look like it chooched... but we need the tear down video now to see if it’s really skookum. :)
 
A friend and I do much to maintain a local paved bike path (best method to get from our small, dense mill town to the commuter rail station ~2mi away).

We had a very heavy, springtime snow in early April that took down a ton of trees - his electric chainsaw made quick work of a surprising amount of debris.

Given the intended application, quiet operation was priority, and cords are out of the question. Doesn't hurt that infrequent use won't cause issues - this thing won't see daylight 10 months out of the year. Call me a convert - I've exhausted my lifetime tolerance for a high "cylinder index".
 
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