Anyone carry/use an electric Chain Saw? (2 Viewers)

[e9999]

If they could make it such that the battery pack+adapter is not bigger than the original proprietary battery, that might be OK, but otherwise not so much.
I wonder though if it'd be legal to make adapters that fit a branded tool that has patents and all that for their connectors. No idea. Of course, there are numerous chinese clones that do that already but they are not typically worried about such legalistic details.

 

[carboncycles]

Finally picked up a Makita 16" cordless saw...so much more convenient than the farmboss...

 

[Dr Gil]

I recently sold my Husqvarna 435 and got the Milwaukee M12 w/ their 12ah battery. It's a beast and a pleasure to use. No more spending 10 minutes trying to start the gas saw, letting it warm up, dealing with it stalling, maintaining the carb, etc. Push a button and you're in business. Recently cut a huge pile of wood for a massive campfire and I still had 3/4 of the battery left. Love it.

@eatSleepWoof What would you say is the largest diameter tree limb you cut with that Milwaukee M12 pruning saw?

 

[eatSleepWoof]

@eatSleepWoof What would you say is the largest diameter tree limb you cut with that Milwaukee M12 pruning saw?

I have the Milwaukee Chainsaw, not the prune saw.

I've cut 8" thick wood no problem. I'd imagine that with a little work I can go through 20-24" just fine.

 

[MrMikeyG]

I've cut 6-8" stuff in my yard now with no issues. (with the Milwaukee m12 "hatchet")

 

[Dr Gil]

I've cut 6-8" stuff in my yard now with no issues. (with the Milwaukee m12 "hatchet")

I'm debating between the Pruning hatchet and 16" chainsaw strictly for cutting camp firewood. I'm not the type that needs to cut into big rounds. I really like the more controlled fire with smaller pieces of wood. I'd rather have more saw than less, but space is also a consideration when transporting it. I don't want to buy the smaller device then later wish I had the chainsaw. Cost is not the major consideration, how much space it takes up and can it do the job for me. Another consideration is that I also bring along other Milwaukee tools that use the M18 battery, so I'm bringing those batteries anyway.

 

[MrMikeyG]

It seems like you should get the 16" then. If you already have some m12 stuff though, the little hatchet is nice, and a much better size for keeping in the truck. I'm still curious if one could mount a 12" bar on the M18 saw or if Milwaukee used some strange strange bar format.

 

[e9999]

I'd much rather go with an 18V system than a 12V. Power is important for chainsaws when you're beyond 3 or 4 inches. And it seems to me that if you're on the trail with something serious blocking your way and you can't physically move it, you'll often be glad to have the bigger saw. If it's small stuff, a good Silky handsaw will likely be almost as fast as a little 12V saw.
Altogether, I think a good compromise is a little 18V pruning saw, with a 10" bar or so. How often do you need to cut something bigger than 20" on the trail or in camp?

 

[Dr Gil]

Altogether, I think How often do you need to cut something bigger than 20" on the trail or in camp?

My thoughts exactly which is why I am leaning towards the M 12 pruning hatchet versus the 18 V chainsaw.

 

[carboncycles]

Makita is offering a kit on their new 16" saw that comes with 4 (5 amp) batteries and rapid charger...there is also a 10% code on Acme on the kits.

I grabbed that and a new cordless drill (my old Makita's chuck was starting to slip)...

 

[bkfj40]

My local ace had the refurbished milwaukee chainsaw with no battery for $199. I ran it a little this past weekend. It fills the niche perfectly between the big gas saws that I have and the carona saw that I use for trail limbs when I'm hiking.

 

[Dr Gil]

My local ace had the refurbished milwaukee chainsaw with no battery for $199. I ran it a little this past weekend. It fills the niche perfectly between the big gas saws that I have and the carona saw that I use for trail limbs when I'm hiking.

Did you get the M12 Hatchet pruning saw or the 16" M18 chainsaw?

 

[bkfj40]

Did you get the M12 Hatchet pruning saw or the 16" M18 chainsaw?

16” m18 saw

 

[BMThiker]

Note on interoperability. . . some of the contractor grade tools have locator chips in them for tracking theft. Some brands tag the batteries, some the tool. Can't remember the details on if batteries that are tagged are also coded to a specific tool.

 

[Dr Gil]

Note on interoperability. . . some of the contractor grade tools have locator chips in them for tracking theft. Some brands tag the batteries, some the tool. Can't remember the details on if batteries that are tagged are also coded to a specific tool.

Why is this pertinent to this post about using chainsaws?

 

[BMThiker]

The previous discussion about making battery adapters for interoperability between brands of tools & batteries, that is all.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Are there 2 versions of the Milwuakee M18 saw?
2727-21HD
2727-20
I'll answer my own question. The 2727-21HD is the number they assigned to a "kit" (Battery, charger, etc) Tool itself is the same.

 

[e9999]

today I just saw locally a little top handle 20V Dewalt, a kit with a charger and a 5Ah (12" DCCS620P1 I think, looking at their site). I was surprised how much cheaper it was than the little 06 Makita I've been eyeing for a while. The whole Dewalt kit was less than the cheapest little top handle Makita tool only, that's quite a bit of difference.

Has anybody tried that little Dewalt? How did it do?


added: OK, well, I looked around a bit at some reviews / comparisons and it does look like the Makita is a significantly better tool performance and ergonomics wise than the Dewalt, to the extent that it would justify the price difference in my eyes.

 

[nodor]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned EGO. Their battery technology is pretty impressive and from what I've read online better than the other options out there. I have an EGO leaf blower and multi-head with string trimmer and edger attachments which work incredibly well and better than the ECHO gasoline string trimmer, edger, and blower I had before. The biggest downside is EGO does not make indoor power tools like the other brands do. For these I use DeWalt. Their 20/40/60 volt system is probably the best out there in terms of one system that does all. The 60 FLEXVOLT batteries can be used with the 20 and 40 volt products and the 40 volt batteries can be used with the 20 volt products.

EGO, DeWalt, and Milwaukee also all have power stations that allow you to use the batteries to power other devices. I believe EGO is the only pure sine wave inverter and has a solar panel hook up coming out soon. Neither DeWalt or Milwaukee allow you to hook up a solar panel. With the higher capacity EGO batteries their power station also has the longest run time. I like the idea of these power stations over a Jackery, Goal Zero etc because the batteries are easily removed and used for other applications and can be replaced easily if necessary. I imagine changing out the battery on a Jackery or Goal Zero is much more difficult.

In regards to chain saws, I'm not sure which one I'll get. I'm in love with the EGO system but if I'm bringing my DeWalt tools with me it would be nice to use the same batteries with the chainsaw and vice versa.

 

[BearBio]

I carry a Cold Steel Hudson Bay axe in the 4Runner. I have a DeWalt 20v battery that we use around the house. Goes through batteries fast but they re-charge fast! Just made 24+ cuts of logs to make bee houses for donating to Alzheimer Awareness fundraiser (used a 4amp/hr and a 2 amp/hr battery). Branches were 8 to 12" in diameter. Would have no problem taking it on a trip with a couple of charged batteries!