Or if you have one of those inverter s on yr truck..
Our forest service crews use small electric saws that way..
Or..
Rent one ?

 

Wait until this fall when Stihl comes out with their version, the MSA 160 C. The others on offer are little more than a cruel joke. Stihl has a large enough battery to give some kind of run time.

The only other contender is the Makita BUC250RD which isn't available in the USA. You could go gray market as Makita does have a 36v charger available in the USA. They do offer a 12v NiMh saw that I feel is really underpowered.

18v or less just isn't really enough battery to make it worth upgrading from a reciprocating saw. If your happy with Black & Decker quality tools, you might find some joy in their current offerings. Ryobi also offers a saw. For me, I can't justify spending money on a cheap tool like them, only to be disappointed in the operation and durability of the tool.

If you need this type of tool for a one off project you would be better off paying the money to hire a man with a saw. If your in it for the long run, do yourself a favor and buy a quality tool.

 

Rick, something to think about is the saws that are on poles that extend. They come electric or gas. You can remove the saw from the pole and use the saw as a standard chain saw too.

- JJ

 

Don't know much about battery operated ones, but I have a 14" McCullough corded electric one that I used for years with my motorhome to cut firewood while out camping, and to clean up fallen branches from the trees here in town. I have a couple of old gas powered ones that I haven't used in 20 years. Gotta give 'em to my son-in-law up in Fairbanks. They are stored in a wooden case I made about 30 plus years ago, and they look exactly like when I put them away. Gas powered chain saws are definitely not good for occasional use. That's why a bought the electric one. That electric one works every time.

Consider the Honda generator/corded saw combo. Probably work without problems for years.

 

Here's a couple of reviews on the 10" model if it helps any.
http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-19-2-Volt-10-quot-Cordless-Chain-Saw-reviews

 

Thanks for the excellent input. I had not thought of a generator or truck inverter. There is a good argument that I should have a generator for other purposes also.

If I want to stay with my cordless electric idea, Stihl looks like it is worth waiting for. However, the reviews on the Sears model are better than I expected and I am sure the Sears model is cheaper than what the Stihl will be.

 

Thanks CessnaPilotBarry - good points.

As I have said before, I could change my name to "PiperPilotRich".

 

Re: richgreer says:
"However, the reviews on the Sears model are better than I expected"

I believe the Craftsman is made by Ryobi. It seems to use their battery.

If you insist on going down toward 18v look into the Makita BUC122Z which at least is Lith-Ion.

I hope your not planning on doing more than a dozen cuts or cutting anything over 3-4 inches…

I would advise you to find some more reviews that are NOT on the site trying to sell you one…...

 

Good points, PutnamEco.

As an FYI, my wife used to own a flower shop. There were several places on the internet where people offered reviews of her store. Most of the reviews were very positive. I know - I wrote most of them myself using different names. I probably should not admit that, but I share it just so other people know that this is a very common practice.

For the record, I never wrote a negative review on a competitor's flower shop. That seemed to "cross a line" I didn't want to cross, but I know it has been done by others.

 

How about this Rich… and yes its real. Good for camping.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/ea93/

 

If your going to choose an electric, there are three competitors in the professional saw market. Stihl again would be my preference. The MSE220 is the most powerful electric saw easily available. Sthil also makes a homeowner grade pair of saws the MS140/180 C-BQ Husquavarna has their 316E which is a fairly good saw, but not as powerful as the big Stihl, nor is it as comfortable for me to use as the Stihl. Third would be the Makita UC3530A which has a real following among the chainsaw carvers, as, I believe, it spins at a higher RPM. To me it seems that this saw is the least powerful, it is however a very comfortable saw to use. All these saws use commonly available saw chains and bars.

A comparison in quality to these saws compared to Worx, Remington, Craftsman, etc. would be like comparing Bosch, Milwaukee, or Makita circular saws to Black & Decker, Ryobi, or Craftsman circular saws.

I made my living with chainsaws for a bunch of years and still work with them often.

 

Re: EricS says
How about this?_

Wire saws can be easier to use and carry. I like the Military survival saw (NSN 5110-00-570-6896)

 

PutnamEco, the link I posted was a new item posted yesterday on a site I regularly visit earlier.

I'm pretty sure the one you posted would be much better quality. Thanks for your link to it. I've never heard of these.

 

If you don't have too many to do, a hand saw cuts green limbs faster than a reciprocating saw. That is what I use most of the time for small work rather than fiddle with my chainsaws.

 

I've been thinking the same thing. Then just the other day, I saw an infomercial on a new Oregon, electric chainsaw they are just introducing. Looks sweet!! They never said the price, so I,m thinking they are not cheap.

The Computer address is, GetPowerNowSaw.com…........
1-800-728-7503…...............

Check it out, I thought it looked pretty good. Course that's what the commercial is supposed to do…......

 

I'm just curious, what kind of blade are you using on the reciprocating saw. I've had good luck with a pruning blade meant to cut branches.

 

When things look too good to be true, they usually are. This Oregon saw almost looks too good to be true.

I see there are 2 versions with one having a heavier battery and longer running time. Total weight of 9.5 or 10.5 is higher than most gas chainsaws, but I won't be using it all day (I hope).

I'd be curious to see if anyone else can comment on this saw.

 

I just looked at it. 4 payments of 99.99 + S&H The problem I see with battery chainsaws is lack of use is very hard on batteries. I have some 18 volt drill batteries that weren't used much and they are definitely showing low power and short run times vs the ones I wore out using ;-((

 

For that kind of money, I would go with a Home owner's level Stihl and keep $150 in my pocket ;-)) HF sells a Poulan I did a review on for < $100. It starts better with a differnt spark plug than teh facotry sent. Just a couple of other options.

How much cutting are you talkig about Rich?

 

just curious about your opinions of gas-powered chainsaws.. Have you completely ruled them out? If not, you can usually find nice stihl's or echo's on craigslist very reasonably. I think the problem you'll run into (as others have alluded to) is that to find something cordless that performs anywhere near as well as a gas-powered saw, you're going to pay a ton. If you do go that route (gas), steer clear of anything you can buy at Home Depot/Lowes/etc. They're basically all the same saw, re-badged. I bought a Homelite at HD this year because I had no choice - I needed it ASAP & it was a weekend. It leaked bar oil all over my garage floor, started hard, I mean, REALLY hard, and the chain tensioner came off while I was using it (!). It's really scary to see that the chain is held in place by a wing nut & a big hunk of plastic..

 

Those cheap saws leak are oil because of pressure in the tank to run the oiling. If you crack the filler lid when you are done to relieve the pressure, it will stop the oil leak. I got tired of cleaning up the mess and figured out the why ;-))

 

Topamax makes a valid point. This saw will get used 2-3 times per year. That is probably just enough usage to justify buying a saw as opposed to renting when I need one. However, both gasoline chainsaws and batteries suffer from lack of use.

Still thinking. I need to get some stuff cut down and cleared out this fall. Hopefully, that means I still have a couple of months.

 

I'd buy a small Echo. I did lawn maintenance for 24 years, either as a full time job or as a part time job. All our trimming gear was Echo. I consider it the Festool of such tools, without the steep price. The tree guys just attach them to their belt and whip it out faster than lightning. I never had a Echo product break…and when we bought new ones, it was just to get something new. They start the same way every time…they have a very even temperament…and they only get dirty if you cut roots with them. Keeping them clean isn't a big deal…you wouldn't think of letting your Festools stay dirty, would you?

Otherwise, using a corded saw plugged into an inverter in the truck is a real easy way to get the job done.

 

I have a Sears 14" electric that has been really serviceable. Note that I don't use it but two or three times a year.

 

I have a Remington electric chain saw.it is on a 10' poll for trimming trees I am happey with its preformance.I have vsed 100' cord on it several times no ill effects yet. I bought it at Tractor Supply several years ago