Chainsaws
The first Chainsaws were manufactured almost 100 years ago in 1926 by Stihl Inc. and were actually electric powered! Stihl is a household name but when it comes to lawn equipment the choices for chainsaws have increased dramatically. Gone are the days when the only choice was a big, heavy, gas-guzzling, loud saw that breaks down all the time.
There are mini handheld battery-powered chainsaws, electric corded chainsaws, gas-powered chainsaws, and larger battery-powered saws that rival the gas-powered saws. Finding the right saw for the job can be challenging. If you live in small urban or suburban areas a chainsaw like the DeWalt Flexvolt 60v max 16-inch chainsaw might be a perfect fit. If you need something with a little more power and cutting size Dewalt introduced the Flexvolt 60v max 20inch saw which was designed to be used on everything from small urban and suburban residential lots to large wooded lots, farms and ranches.
Math class teaches us volts/amps = watts. Wattage is a good way to measure actual energy being consumed by electrical or mechanical machines. A typical gas-powered chain saw produces about 1600 to 1800 watts of power. This varies, of course. Smaller units may be as low as 400, while larger commercial chain saws may use as much as 2400+ watts.
The above-mentioned DeWalt Flexvolt 60v Max 20-inch electric chainsaw produces a whopping 3100 watts of power and is one of TekEons’ top picks. Batteries for this model can be purchased in sizes up to 15AH. The 20-inch model is incredibly powerful. The DeWalt Flexvolt 60v Max 16-inch bar is still powerful and can get the job done. It’s one of the best watts per cut on the market today.
When deciding on which brand of battery-powered chain saw to purchase, battery technology and voltage will likely be important factors in your decision-making process. Some tools like DeWalt or Ego have higher voltages. This can translate to more energy available to your chainsaw, thus rivaling gas-like power in an electric unit.
Our TekResearchers are still compiling data about battery-powered chainsaws. We have started an Article about Battery-powered Chainsaws but admittedly it can use some help from our users. If you have some input about battery-powered chainsaws that you would like to share please feel free to submit it in the form at the bottom of the page.
Corded Electric Chainsaws present their own set of pros and cons. Firstly, you are limited to an operating space that is only reachable by the length of the extension cord you have. this may be ok for homeowners with smaller lots and but it’s probably the worst case for someone with a larger wooded lot, a ranch, or farming homestead. Another factor is operating costs. If you live in an area that has high electric costs you have to weigh if it is less expensive to charge batteries for a battery-powered chainsaw versus the cost to operate an electric corded chainsaw.
There are pros to this type of saw too. it’s quieter between cuts so you won’t have to listen to an idling small engine. There are no harmful emissions, you don’t have to worry about pulling a cord, mixing oil and gas, or wait on the saw to warm up. You literally can plug it in and go right to work.
We will be completing our Article about battery-powered chainsaws in the near future. You can help contribute to its content by submitting feedback via the form at the bottom of any TekEons page.
Because there is a large number of chainsaws on the market today we haven’t tested and reviewed every one of them. If you have an experience, positive or negative, with a certain brand or model and would like to give us feedback please fill out the form at the bottom of the page.
Even though the battery-powered chainsaws come in longer bar lengths, gas power chainsaws have a huge benefit over electric. They can put much more energy into the cutting action for a longer time. To achieve the same result you might have to buy hundreds of dollars worth of batteries or have a huge electricity bill if you are using a corded electric chainsaw. If you are willing to invest hundreds of dollars into electric batteries, some brands will do a similar job as gas and you may consider these a viable option. Always remember that gas-powered chainsaws require not only gasoline but also bar and chain oil. Oftentimes people will put a bad review for a product and claim it’s broken when in fact they failed to add the bar and chain oil to the saw and it seized up on them because of this.
We are still reviewing and comparing different brands and models of gas-powered chainsaws. We will be sharing the results here in this Article about gas powered chainsaws. Your feedback can help us craft the article from just a small stub article into a full-fledged informative article. Feedback can be submitted in the form at the bottom of this or any TekEons page.