Electric Chain Saw recommendation, please

Honestly I got far too many years of work out of a cheap Black & Decker electric chainsaw from Walmart. I cut all kinds of crap with it. Father-in-law finally killed it after clearing an astounding amount of hardwood limbs with it. I think we paid $40 for it 10 years ago. I consider a corded chainsaw disposable like I would a corded weed trimmer. My HF pole saw is going on 10 years at this point, still rocking.

That being said, I got a 40v Ryobi chainsaw for Christmas and I absolutely love it.

I have this one. It will work as a pole saw or a handheld saw. It's probably 10 years old and has cut everything I've needed cut around the house. Made by Remington.

Edit: Looks like that one is discontinued but they do have a newer version. 

+1 for pole saw. Much safer, and it actually works quite well for cutting shrubs, etc. near to the ground because you can get the saw parrallel and very very close to the ground as opposed to a chainsaw and get a very good nearly flush cut.

You want cordless unless you aren't roaming very far from an outlet of course.

I've had a harbor freight lynx model polesaw for a couple years, and its honestly way too good for the money.   I have the older "lynx" model and now they have "atlas" models, probably just a different battery.  I also have a lynx chainsaw, which is terrible, compared to the pole saw.  I've cleared acres of buckthorn up to 3" with the pole saw, the battery lasts at least 30-45min of constant cutting (chainsaw is maybe 10min tops).  It also has built in extension, which lots of name brand cordless polesaws do not have.  I've used it WAY harder than what its made for, cutting down near the dirt for hours going through multiple batteries and it just keeps going.

https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tools/pole-saws/40v-lithium-cordless-pole-saw-64718.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tools/pole-saws/40v-lithium-ion-cordless-10-in-pole-saw-tool-only-56934.html

Yes, the battery system sucks with HF tools but you're going to spend WAY more with a "name brand" like Ego ($350+, requires multi head + pole saw + extension), or greenworks ($380), and is it worth another $150-200 to be in the same battery ecosystem? Maybe, it depends on what else you have.  To me, even though I have an Ego chainsaw, Ego lawnmower, and Ego string trimmer, it didn't make sense to get the Ego polesaw due to cost.

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

I have this one. It will work as a pole saw or a handheld sway. It's probably 10 years old and has cut everything I've needed cut around the house. Made by Remington.

Edit: Looks like that one is discontinued but they do have a newer version. 

 

Hey, I have one of those too.  Works fine on smaller stuff, the adjustable length pole is great, and as noted, can be used without the pole (but you have to deal with screws to separate them). 

In reply to 03Panther :

I use my M18 Hackzall for tree pruning all of the time. I much prefer it over the chainsaw for all but really large stuff. I use the Diablo carbide pruning blades. The nice thing about the Hackzall is that it is meant to be used 1 handed, so easy to use on a ladder or when climbing in the tree. My chainsaw is a cheaper 16" Craftsman electric from Lowe's, and it works just fine. I don't need a chainsaw often enough to justify a gas unit.  

I purchased the available pole chainsaw at Lowe's for some cleanup around the house in 2019. Owning a house in the woods it has been extremely useful and I don't feel bad abusing it because it was less than $100. Still going strong, I've probably cut down a hundred branches and small trees with it. Yes, I've hooked up way too long a series of extension cords but it worked. 
 

The only concern is safety with a chainsaw... I actually like to keep mine on the pole even when cutting something near the ground since I tend to get careless. Other safety issue I failed to think of was cutting directly above my head and not having a hard hat on, scared myself that day. 
 

Most of the issues with the cheap plug in models tend to be leaking oil. 

What systems of tools do you already own? I'm a big fan of cordless over corded whenever possible, especially with things like saws.

A set of Fiskars loppers will likely do most of the job for you, in combination with a limb cutting saw for the larger ones. I have this one (or a very similar model) and use it all the time for stuff like you've shown: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Corona-13-in-Curved-Razor-Tooth-Pruning-Saw-RS7120/206178713

I've become a Milwaukee fanboy after using their gear, the M12 Fuel Hackzall will also do what you're described well. The pole saw is even better, and I love the M18 chainsaw, it out-cuts my Stihl MS-290 Farm Boss, with none of the two cycle disadvantages (starting issues, buying non-ethanol gas, noise, and smell). I love that I can be ripping it up in my yard at 6:30AM and my wife and neighbors are still asleep.

I also have a Black and Decker 20V with a manual oiler that didn't work from the factory, but I've still found that saw to be useful (after fixing the oiling issue). 

Many options will work well for you your current job, do you have any others in mind?

I got tired of the cheap electric chain saws from the big box stores that seem to last about a year before something breaks on them. Have had good luck with one from Harbor Freight. Have had it a couple years and works when I need it to. And was half the price of one from the big box stores. I've got my moneys-worth out of it already. Have a 1 acre wooded lot and have to shorten branches that fell off the trees and sometimes trees that fell down in the yard from the woods behind my house. Usually just spring clean up.

The pole saw I have is an add-on for my gas weed-eater that takes attachments. Have several add-on attachments for it. It does the higher up and smaller stuff pretty well.

wlkelley3 said:

I got tired of the cheap electric chain saws from the big box stores that seem to last about a year before something breaks on them. Have had good luck with one from Harbor Freight. Have had it a couple years and works when I need it to. And was half the price of one from the big box stores. I've got my moneys-worth out of it already. Have a 1 acre wooded lot and have to shorten branches that fell off the trees and sometimes trees that fell down in the yard from the woods behind my house. Usually just spring clean up.

The pole saw I have is an add-on for my gas weed-eater that takes attachments. Have several add-on attachments for it. It does the higher up and smaller stuff pretty well.

Do you have the Lynx or newer model?  I just can't get my Lynx chainsaw to run for more than 10-20 cuts, with sharpened blade and oil.  But the Lynx polesaw runs for 60+ cuts easy, on similar size branches.  Maybe it just takes more energy to spin up the 14in bar, or I got a lemon? The Ego 16in chainsaw runs for 60+ cuts as well, but thats higher voltage and higher capacity.

Arrived today.  It really did arrive in 2 days even though at one point Amazon was saying it wouldn't be here until Friday which would be 4 days.  

Seems nice so far.  We'll know more on Saturday.  

PS: Yes, Andy, I spent the $9.99 for the Harbor Freight hard hat and picked up a fresh pair of unscratched eye protection.  Thanks for the suggestion. 

I made a "first cut", test cut at 5:55pm

Then, I made some more cuts... 

By 6:40 I had this much down and loaded

I started "in the sun."  As I progressed it got colder and darker.  It's now snowing. Current view out my back window... 

engiekev said:

wlkelley3 said:

I got tired of the cheap electric chain saws from the big box stores that seem to last about a year before something breaks on them. Have had good luck with one from Harbor Freight. Have had it a couple years and works when I need it to. And was half the price of one from the big box stores. I've got my moneys-worth out of it already. Have a 1 acre wooded lot and have to shorten branches that fell off the trees and sometimes trees that fell down in the yard from the woods behind my house. Usually just spring clean up.

The pole saw I have is an add-on for my gas weed-eater that takes attachments. Have several add-on attachments for it. It does the higher up and smaller stuff pretty well.

Do you have the Lynx or newer model?  I just can't get my Lynx chainsaw to run for more than 10-20 cuts, with sharpened blade and oil.  But the Lynx polesaw runs for 60+ cuts easy, on similar size branches.  Maybe it just takes more energy to spin up the 14in bar, or I got a lemon? The Ego 16in chainsaw runs for 60+ cuts as well, but thats higher voltage and higher capacity.

The Portland.

Things are happen today... 

So far, two runs to the county compost site which happens to be just about a mile from home. 

The pole saw was fantastic. A set of regular old loppers for the small stuff. Big impact made from 8:00am - 4:30pm.  A total of 5 trips (4.5 truckloads) to the county compost dump site. 

Tomorrow I'll work on some more detail work like taking and sweeping up pine needles off the concrete.   

Then, I want to get some grass seed on the bare spots that were previously covered by the canopy. 

Definitely created a good amount of yard space in a short period of time. 

In reply to Andy Neuman :

For you and your recommendation, I took this...

I wasn't going to post it, generally because of the stupid, grumpy looking expression. 

I know you already bought one, but I have to recommend this thing:



Kobalt 80V (!!!!) 18" chainsaw. I have a pair of old Jonsered 16" gas saws my dad gave me, but they haven't run right in years. Last year, I got sick of messing with them after a tree fell in my yard, so I got this. I've now chopped up two large trees with this. It is awesome and way more powerful than my Worx corded 16" saw. Only gripe is that I wish I had a 2nd battery. At least the one it comes with charges in under an hour, which gives me time to take a break and move what I cut up. 

Tony Sestito said:

I know you already bought one, but I have to recommend this thing:



Kobalt 80V (!!!!) 18" chainsaw. I have a pair of old Jonsered 16" gas saws my dad gave me, but they haven't run right in years. Last year, I got sick of messing with them after a tree fell in my yard, so I got this. I've now chopped up two large trees with this. It is awesome and way more powerful than my Worx corded 16" saw. Only gripe is that I wish I had a 2nd battery. At least the one it comes with charges in under an hour, which gives me time to take a break and move what I cut up. 

Where/when did you get that? I have the Kobalt trimmer that uses the same battery and have thought about the chainsaw version, although reviews of it have been mixed at best.  Although looking at the Lowes website, it appears the current model is updated from the previous version.  It is interesting how many 80v tools they are selling now.  Given how rarely I use the 2-stroke gas tools I have, converting to all 80V could make my life a lot more simple.  

FWIW, the Kobalt trimmer I have can take typical weed-whacker attachments. I have a blower attachment I use after mowing to clear grass clippings off the sidewalk and driveway.  I also have a pole saw attachment for it that works great, as well as hedge trimmer and tiller attachments I haven't needed yet.

I agree - those batteries recharge really fast. I'll usually trim the yard prior to mowing, then if the battery is down to one bar I'll put it one charger and it'll be fully charged by the time I'm done mowing.  I can usually get two trimming/sweeping sessions out of a charge.  I have a small lot, but do have a fair amount of linear feet of trimming to do.

^The battery comment is a good reason to check out Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc. tools.  The yard tools and all the rest of the power tools use the same batteries.  If you already have any tools in that 'ecosystem', you'll have plenty of batteries to swap between.

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

Tony Sestito said:

I know you already bought one, but I have to recommend this thing:



Kobalt 80V (!!!!) 18" chainsaw. I have a pair of old Jonsered 16" gas saws my dad gave me, but they haven't run right in years. Last year, I got sick of messing with them after a tree fell in my yard, so I got this. I've now chopped up two large trees with this. It is awesome and way more powerful than my Worx corded 16" saw. Only gripe is that I wish I had a 2nd battery. At least the one it comes with charges in under an hour, which gives me time to take a break and move what I cut up. 

Where/when did you get that? I have the Kobalt trimmer that uses the same battery and have thought about the chainsaw version, although reviews of it have been mixed at best.  Although looking at the Lowes website, it appears the current model is updated from the previous version.  It is interesting how many 80v tools they are selling now.  Given how rarely I use the 2-stroke gas tools I have, converting to all 80V could make my life a lot more simple. 

I bought the 80V chainsaw pictured to go with my other 80v Kobalt stuff last summer. I originally bought it to help clear brush in a tree line (much like John Welsh's but about 475' long). I already had the pole saw and needed a traditional saw too. It's a beast. It did so well with the small stuff in the treeline that I cut up 4 36" ash with it last fall and I used it to take down two 24" diameter maples with it early this spring. I've got 2 batteries, and the saw gets them hot so I've needed to let mine cool off naturally before I could recharge them, but overall I could work with minimal downtime for most of a day by rotating between the two.

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

I bought mine either last summer or last fall after a big storm knocked down a tree in my backyard. I've cut up two pretty big trees with it and a bunch of smaller stuff so far. It's as powerful, if not more powerful, than my other gas saws were. I don't have anything else in the Kobalt "ecosystem" nor do I plan on getting anything else in the near future, but I 100% get that comment. I still want a spare battery for continuous use, but I haven't really needed one yet since they charge from dead to full in about an hour.

Amazon link
 

this one, right? I need to get fighting our trees ASAP

Also, did I mention this already? With all the tool recommendation threads, GRM totally needs an affiliation link/code or something to make some $$ from referrals