Electric chainsaws (who's a fan?)

[ReservoirDawg10]

They have their use. I only have a half acre of property now, so mostly just trimming and small tree use for me these days, and in those roles, a lightweight battery chainsaw is perfect. My favorite is a dewalt 20v hand chainsaw with 8 inch bar. That thing is wonderful. I still have my Stihl Farmboss for if/when the need arises, I am loving my electric saws for general use and offroading needs.

 

[BigMike]

No experience with a battery powered but I love my corded one. I have plenty of drop cords and I plug it in, make sure it had oil in it, and use it. It just works.

 

[My name is Homer]

Not a big fan but for yard work they are fine, maybe use to clear branches on riding trails.

 

[basstracker89]

Worked around some last few days. They were corded. Light duty is all they're good for. I'll stick with my gas stuff

 

[buellbrewer]

i like both the husky 61 and the 257 for bigger stuff but the ego 16in with 5aH battery works great for mid/small stuff and limbing. Main reason I purchased was taking it and 2 batteries when I camp. Quite, not having to carry premix and works good for campfire wood and occasional downed trees on FS roads. Since its not as 'loud and scary" my wife has picked up on using it.

 

[buellbrewer]

I bought a small Stihl for my parents since they no longer can handle a heavy gas saw and it works great for small jobs and limbs. I thought about getting one for my Bronco however the 36” crosscut I have in there now doesn't need gas/oil/batteries, always starts on the first pull and along with a axe and a couple of wedges it will take care of most large trees.

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ive been eyeballing these.... just to get back to KISS. With occasional use (camping, small 12dia pine/hardwood) How often do you have to sharpen?

 

[Torn]

ive been eyeballing these.... just to get back to KISS. With occasional use (camping, small 12dia pine/hardwood) How often do you have to sharpen?

A true crosscut saw that has been filed and set will cut for years if it is kept out of the dirt or not used on burnt or dirt encrusted trees. If you don’t have the tools and knowledge of filing a crosscut (what people call sharpening) which includes setting the rakers, filing each tooth, cleaning the gullets etc. you would be better off with a good handheld bow saw with replaceable blades. A bow saw is great for cutting camping firewood and are light and easy to use.

Crosscuts get a bad reputation for being “hard to use” because the teeth were never set properly, the rakers aren’t cleaning and it is dragging through the wood instead of cutting. Sort of like someone saying a rifle isn’t accurate because they don’t know how to properly sight it in.

 

[Trailrider]

I'm late to the party. I have an electric for small work, but still use the old Stihl gasser for bigger work, harder wood. Electric is definitely great for a little cleanup and smaller limbs, etc. But when I had a big pine come down a couple of years ago it couldn't handle it.

 

[spencer60]

I was just reading an old (2020-ish) article in Backwoods Home about these.

It sounded like the 40v ones were good for light duty or limited use, but if you wanted to use one seriously you would need one of the 60v saws.

The 60v also have enough torque to run a longer cutting bar than the 40v ones.

 

[buellbrewer]

A true crosscut saw that has been filed and set will cut for years if it is kept out of the dirt or not used on burnt or dirt encrusted trees. If you don’t have the tools and knowledge of filing a crosscut (what people call sharpening) which includes setting the rakers, filing each tooth, cleaning the gullets etc. you would be better off with a good handheld bow saw with replaceable blades. A bow saw is great for cutting camping firewood and are light and easy to use.

Crosscuts get a bad reputation for being “hard to use” because the teeth were never set properly, the rakers aren’t cleaning and it is dragging through the wood instead of cutting. Sort of like someone saying a rifle isn’t accurate because they don’t know how to properly sight it in.

honestly i like to tinker and do (and learn) new things. I find just sharpening my regular chainsaw therapeutic.