Author Topic: Battery chain saw (Read 3276 times)

juliem · « **on:** October 05, 2019, 11:58:56 pm »

What's the most powerful battery chainsaw I can buy....I have an electric chainsaw but not practical for working in the fields.Couldnt cope with oil chain saw.....too old now..not prepared to go on a course andI don't think I've got the strength to start one
No great expectation of being able to cut anything to thick with it....not for logging ...just another useful tool that I can leave in the shed on charge,

regen · « **Reply #1 on:** October 06, 2019, 05:47:59 am »

sthil 12 inch battery chainsaw is as good as a petrol machine for up to 4 inch diameter trees. The battery lasts about an hour on a charge and if sharp cuts quickly. Have recently cut,trimmed and logged some 20 m3 of willow,birch and larch. After 40 years of using petrol machines could not believe how good it was. 1/4 pitch chain results in no kick back and great for trimmmg out very small branches quickly. Seems a lot safer to use and chain adjustment is easy and quick. Only down sides -does seem to use a lot of oil and blocks up under sprocket guard if cutting in wet. Recharges in a couple of hours so 2 batteries for continuous use. can cut around 5 barrowloads logs on a charge. However not cheap at around £300 but unlikely to return to petrol model. Very quiet in use and instant start/stop is invaluable when cutting down and trimming out on uneven ground.

juliem · « **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2019, 02:51:11 pm »

thanks for that. thought still would probably be the best...friends are always boasting about something they have picked up in Aldi. Will put it on my Xmas list.
When you say oil is that just the kind of lawn mower oil to keep it lubricated. (Use old oil for my electric)
Would also keep my sons happy when they visit...as I'm reluctant to get an oil chain saw as they are sensible lads in their 20's but aware you really need the equipment and training to handle these chain saws safely.
I always use to keep cutting the electric wire with my old electric hedge trimmer.....have found the battery one I have really liberating and well worth initial investment.

juliem · « **Reply #3 on:** October 06, 2019, 02:55:10 pm »

when you say if sharp......can you just take it to these countryside stores and have new chain fitted

regen · « **Reply #4 on:** October 06, 2019, 10:02:46 pm »

oil is chain saw oil to lubricate the chain and costs about £11 for 5litre. Have used spent engine oil on old chains on a petrol machine but would not on a battery still saw because any extra drag could burn out the motor- the saw stops if you run the chain dry. New chains available from registered still outlets and also from internet. Always sharpen my own until no teeth left!

Womble · « **Reply #5 on:** October 06, 2019, 10:44:28 pm »

Quote from: juliem on October 06, 2019, 02:51:11 pm

I'm reluctant to get an oil chain saw as they are sensible lads in their 20's but aware you really need the equipment and training to handle these chain saws safely.

The thing is, it's just the power source that's different with a battery saw - the risks of injury from the chain or from falling or springing branches are just the same as with a petrol saw. It's not difficult to use one safely, but you do need at least some basic training and then an awareness of what you are and aren't competent to tackle.

Quote from: juliem on October 06, 2019, 02:55:10 pm

when you say if sharp......can you just take it to these countryside stores and have new chain fitted

I guess you could keep a number of chains and then send them all in to be sharpened, but actually you're far better to learn how to sharpen the chain yourself. This needs to be a regular job - almost as regular as refueling / recharging. I do mine every two tanks of fuel, or if it starts to produce 'dust' rather than big chips of wood.

Thinking aloud, if you already have an electric saw you're happy with, could you just buy a petrol generator to turn it into something more portable?

regen · « **Reply #6 on:** October 07, 2019, 06:43:07 am »

"thanks for that. thought still would probably be the best...friends are always boasting about something they have picked up in Aldi."

Sure they are good value but will they still be operational after 10 years of regular use. My old Sthil petrol machine is on its umpteenth chain, fifth bar and 4th sprocket with generic parts readily available on the internet.

pgkevet · « **Reply #7 on:** October 07, 2019, 11:36:29 pm »

As it happens I bought a Lidl electric pole saw a few weeks ago. It has it's limitations and is slow compared to my stihl pole saw but in reality it gets the job done before I've started the stihl and there's no need to leave it ticking over between tugging branches out of the way.
If I was in the market for a new hand chainsaw then it's be electric for the same reasons.
I'd also take issue with statements like 'It's good for a 4" tree'. I had a huge oak fall over off the bank into the drive a few years ago. It was hung up on it's own branches and a potential danger to anyone close cutting. I sectioned it with the stihl pole saw and that has quite a short blade. Yes it took a while cutting wedges out and working from both sides but it got the job done safely. I do have a saw with a 30" bar so it wasn't a case of no options.
I was taking down a tall slim ash tree today with a 10" trunk. I'd have done that with my lidl petrol jobbie but the bloody thing has started throwing the chain and after putting it back for the third time (I think it's stretched beyond tensioning) I had to get the big boy out. I'm sure it's heavier now than it was when i bought it 6yrs ago

- I almost used the electric pole saw for that except the battery needed recharging and I was getting pigged off with all the delays - clearing brambles for access, roping it to direct it away from overhead wires and so-forth.

regen · « **Reply #8 on:** October 08, 2019, 05:31:40 am »

"If I was in the market for a new hand chainsaw then it's be electric for the same reasons."
So do you mean electric mains or battery operated?

"I'd also take issue with statements like 'It's good for a 4" tree'."

Take issue all you like- the OP specifically asked about BATTERY operated chainsaws not recommendations on bar length. Typically "DIY" type battery saws have a small bar and are not intended for cutting very large trees more than about 4 inch diameter safely and quickly. The larger the tree the more drag it places on the saw and the possibility of damaging the motor increases. I too have cut down and trimmed out trees upto 24 inch diameter in all manner of difficult situations using a 12 inch Sthil PETROL saw-It aint rocket science BUT based on my limited experience of a Battery machine I still say its good for a 4 inch tree in most situations

pgkevet · « **Reply #9 on:** October 08, 2019, 07:01:04 am »

It would be battery operated or any convenience is lost on 50 acres if i start carting genny with me.
My electric pole saw is a gentle beast. I've not used any other battery chainsaw (yet) to make a comment but inherently having a motor and battery doesn't need to mean short on power - my battery car will blow most petrol jobbies away in dust.
If a saw is underpowered for the job then it's a matter of patience... you can whittle through with a sharpened teaspoon (or three) given enough time.

TonyG · « **Reply #10 on:** October 08, 2019, 05:40:35 pm »

The most powerful I can find is the Ego range, I haven't got the chainsaw yet but I have the brush cutter and hedge trimmer, both are serious pieces of kit and all the range works off the same 56v batteries.

pgkevet · « **Reply #11 on:** October 08, 2019, 09:38:50 pm »

I had a quick look at some youtube reviews and web articles.. apart from the obvious 'I have this and I love it' comments the only compettaive vid i saw pitched a stihl against some others and won... but the range was limited. Power in terms of KWs wasn't mentioned for many saws.. battery voltage is only part of the story.More intriguing looking at contemporary chainsaws that some are now self-sharpening including by oregon... and you'ld expect they know how to sharpen???
I must admit that my small el cheapo petrol saw has always been a bit of a pain tending to throw chains and has now stretched to the point where there's no adjustment and I'm sorely tempted to get rid instead of new chain and bar and put that towards an electric.

Maysie · « **Reply #12 on:** October 10, 2019, 02:23:12 pm »

Our fencing contractor uses either a Huqvarna, with 2 batteries. He swears by it and would never go back to a regular petrol driven one now.

Not much use fro dropping trees I would suspect, but sounds spot on for what you describe.

pgkevet · « **Reply #13 on:** October 11, 2019, 06:33:19 am »

Thee last couple of days I;ve done a lot o work with my Lidl electric pole saw. Whilst it doesn;t cut as smoothly due to the skip chain and has less ower than my stihl pole saw it really is nicer to use - less weight to lug around and particulalrly with pole saw work one keeps havign to put the saw down and drag brash out of the way so in many ways the simple stop/start gets a lot of work done with a battery. I was cutting 3 and 4 inch branches off an old alder that were rooting into the barn gutters.
One review on the Stihl electric had it beign used to take down 2 x 30 in oaks so it can be done. Indeed the guy doing it cut the usual 'gob' but then did plunge cuts from each side behind his hinge point before finishing off from the back. All power to a professional - I'm not good at plunge cuts. Of course the price o the stihl is eye-watering compared to almost anyone else.