Battery operated chainsaws

[Bob Harding]

Any opinions on brands to buy or avoid

Hints n tips appreciated cause thats gunna

Most likely be my next purchase cause its

Next on the wanted list

[nat_89]

I'm not to familiar with either petrol or 2 stroke but I see Husqvarna and Stihl have some pretty sharp deals on their small saws at the moment under the $300 mark, but I've seen a few articles about the battery operatored Oregon model I think it is in a few 4WD magazines lately looks pretty awesome and how it can self sharpen in 3 seconds that's pretty good to I mean id probably get one if I was traveling and didn't want to carry and mix fuel.

[ade]

Yep avoid battery chainsaws and buy a stihl

[pop058]

Glen (Zulu Delta 534) swears by his for camping use at least. He may (or may not) see your thread, so it might be worth a PM to him.

[CraigE]

Again buy stihl even if it is the most basic. I would not buy battery operated as the batteries do not last and all manufacturers have a tendency to change their batteries every couple of years and when they fail or lose their memory can be hard or impossible to replace.
A petrol version is much better.
If you insist going battery look at a brand that the battery is interchangeable between tools and run at least 2 to 4 batteries.

[Homestar]

I'm looking at these as well for cutting up small stuff for the arken ****en (see thread in GC about that). Don't want to carry fuel or dick around starting one up to cut up half a dozen bits that will last me an evening. That and I have no need for cutting anything between camping trips, so a petrol powered unit would need checking every time I went camping to ensure it would start.

The Sthil unit looks about the best and has good reviews - Stihl cordless chainsaw - MSA160 (http://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Products/Chain-Saws/Cordless-Chain-Saws/21846-1615/MSA-160-C-BQ.aspx) or its bigger brother - Stihl cordless chainsaw - MSA200 (http://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Products/Chain-Saws/Cordless-Chain-Saws/22182-1615/MSA-200-C-BQ.aspx)

Like many things, it looks like you get what you pay for. Some of the cheaper units don't look like they could cut through much.

[Bob Harding]

Well I camp in the back of me Landy

And a petrol saw gives off strong smells

Which I prefer to do without and I am

Hoping my new solar set up when completed

Will suffice to charge the thing

(200 watt panel n 105amp battery )

And run my fridge a 55 liter thingy

[Don 130]

Battery packs can reliably and economically be repacked these days.
Don.

[Homestar]

Yep avoid battery chainsaws and buy a stihl

What about a Stihl battery chainsaw? They make a couple of models now.:)

[Homestar]

Well I camp in the back of me Landy

And a petrol saw gives off strong smells

Which I prefer to do without and I am

Hoping my new solar set up when completed

Will suffice to charge the thing

(200 watt panel n 105amp battery )

And run my fridge a 55 liter thingy

I run a 120 watt panel into a 100Ah battery and run a 38 litre fridge, and when it's sunny my battery gets back to 100% every day, so there should be plenty in your setup to charge a battery if needed. The good battery saws (Stihl) will run for a surprisingly long time - one report said 90 cuts of 5" maple - on the smaller battery pack without issue. I think you could go for several days cutting small amounts for a modest fire without issues.:)

I'll be getting one in the next couple of months as funds permit - I'll report back when I have one if you haven't beaten me to it.:)

[redrovertdi]

This hackzall is brilliant for cutting fire wood 15-20cm round and a universal tool to have, just change the blade to suit

[uninformed]

Battery packs can reliably and economically be repacked these days.
Don.

Really? I never have found that to be the case, on top of which, the performance of the repack never seems as good as original.

How much for say 18v 3 amh Lithium?

[Vern]

I think these are a great idea for camping, you can cut some firewood, recharge you batteries with an inverter, and its all relatively quiet to use, unlike a two stroke saw, where you have to carry an extra fuel, and oil to mix, and they are messy, smelly, and noisy to use.
I wouldn't cut my year supply of wood with it (that's what the real saws are for), but for camping I think they would be great.:)

[Blknight.aus]

I have the ryobi 36v one.

I mainly use it for trimming logs down to size for splitting with the axe for the fireplace at home.

The chain speed isnt as high as for a petrol saw or a decent 240v job and the cuts are significantly slower but its very hard to beat for all up job speed when it comes to making just one or two small cuts.

The main reason we got it was because it runs the same batteries as the ryobi battery mower and whippersnipper and so far the hassles having them has saved me when it comes to the wrong fuel going in the wrong place or at the wrong concentration or being left in to go stale has more than made up for the cost difference between buying petrol VS battery

[bee utey]

A friend of mine has a Stihl 240V electric saw, a battery powered saw and finds both useful in their own ways. The 240V saw runs happily off a cheap 2000W inverter in his Rangie, together with a 120A alternator and a N70ZZ battery. He carries an extension cord for collecting firewood out in the paddocks.

[zulu Delta 534]

If you want to be all macho and chop down complete trees so that you can boil a kettle of water, I agree, buy a petrol chain saw. They are also very handy if you drive a petrol engined car as then you can siphon some fuel out of the tank when needed, although there are countless horror stories out there about modern fuels and small petrol engines.
If you want to simply cut/trim some wood to cook a meal or perhaps keep warm, then you cannot go past a battery chain saw. The particular brand I have had for the past couple of years happens to be a Black and Decker and I have no complaints.
I can recharge it anytime from a reasonably small inverter hooked up to the car's electric system (best portable power system there is) although over a general 4-5 day campout I have never had the need to do so.
Conversely I am the type of camper who cooks a meal on a few small one or two inch branches and sits close to the fire usually rather than light a "white man's fire" and sit 6 feet away and dodge sparks.
In other words, there are horses for courses, and if all you want to do is trim down some firewood to cook on, or for personal warmth, then carrying extra fuel mixtures plus a smelly noisy petrol engined chain saw is absolute overkill, and any reputable battery operated chain saw will more than admirably suffice.
Regards
Glen

[korg20000bc]

Well I camp in the back of me Landy

And a petrol saw gives off strong smells

Which I prefer to do without and I am

Hoping my new solar set up when completed

Will suffice to charge the thing

(200 watt panel n 105amp battery )

And run my fridge a 55 liter thingy
G'day mate.
Just wanting to know- Are you writing verse?
:)

[nat_89]

I like this one, self sharpening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK8u7dCAVFE

[Blknight.aus]

If you want to be all macho and chop down complete trees so that you can boil a kettle of water, I agree, buy a petrol chain saw. They are also very handy if you drive a petrol engined car as then you can siphon some fuel out of the tank when needed, although there are countless horror stories out there about modern fuels and small petrol engines.
If you want to simply cut/trim some wood to cook a meal or perhaps keep warm, then you cannot go past a battery chain saw. The particular brand I have had for the past couple of years happens to be a Black and Decker and I have no complaints.
I can recharge it anytime from a reasonably small inverter hooked up to the car's electric system (best portable power system there is) although over a general 4-5 day campout I have never had the need to do so.
Conversely I am the type of camper who cooks a meal on a few small one or two inch branches and sits close to the fire usually rather than light a "white man's fire" and sit 6 feet away and dodge sparks.
In other words, there are horses for courses, and if all you want to do is trim down some firewood to cook on, or for personal warmth, then carrying extra fuel mixtures plus a smelly noisy petrol engined chain saw is absolute overkill, and any reputable battery operated chain saw will more than admirably suffice.
Regards
Glen


FWIW,

ryobi advertise the life of each battery as 100 cuts through 10cm of wood

With a new battery its a lot more than that and on the oldest battery I have so far Im getting about 150 mixed cuts through stuff as small as my upper arm and up to as thick as my thigh plus who knows how many "dressing cuts" on the way. most of that is through fairly hard dry wood.

Just dont bog any of the electric saws down, give them a break every few cuts for a couple of minutes and keep the chain sharp then you should get maximum life from everything involved. I give mine a quick dress off every time I top up the bar oil.

The aldi inverter, even though on paper it should drive the aldi electric chainsaw, wont drive the electric chainsaw.

[Homestar]

I like this one, self sharpening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK8u7dCAVFE

Looks good, but it would want to be for $600...

[Bob Harding]

G'day mate.
Just wanting to know- Are you writing verse?
:)


Nope not clever enough

For that tis just me and

The way i write fings

[DeanoH]

Looks good, but it would want to be for $600...

All very well and good, but how is it going to go cutting through 100 mm old dried mulga, desert oak and gidgee ?

Deano :)

[nat_89]

All very well and good, but how is it going to go cutting through 100 mm old dried mulga, desert oak and gidgee ?

Deano :)

Probably the same as any other chainsaw i guess horses for courses, i mean if you just want to have an easy to use recharge saw for out bush getting some fire wood and so forth I'm guessing it will be okay, but if your going to be a commercial tree lopper than its probably not for you.

[Homestar]

All very well and good, but how is it going to go cutting through 100 mm old dried mulga, desert oak and gidgee ?

Deano :)

Not that there is any of that around here, and I wouldn't dream of forking out that much - the Sthil is about half that. Again, only looking at cutting small stuff - up to around 50mm to feed the arken ****en to cook on. Still think an electric saw would be heaps easier, quicker, lighter and more practical for that. I have beautiful warm central heating at home, so I'll never need to use it for collecting anything big enough to come close to worrying it.:)

[Searover]

Stihl have a new model out in spring the MSA160T,it seams a lisle more compact than the others.

[DoubleChevron]

Urrghh.... battery powered tools :( Quality ones are great, but not for limited use, I find the batteries are always dead when you need them and have a very short lifespan if left un-used for months at a time.

Do you guys carry a small inverter generator ?? What I do have is an electric chainsaw, a dinky little fragile looking plastic thing. A little makita with a 16" blade.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-UC4030A-Commercial-Grade-Tool-Less-Adjustments/product-reviews/B001ASOZLG/ref=dpx_acr_txt'showViewpoints=1

What can I say, it's bloody brilliant, slower than a petrol saw, but that's about it, quiet, heaps of grunt ... the trick is to keep the chain sharp (I've learnt I suck at sharpening chains :( ).

One of these little toys with an generator would be vastly better than anything with a battery. They will cut anything, even full depth of the bar, without bogging down and dying.

Makita UC-4030 A - YouTube

bloody amazing for something that's less than 250bucks online including delivery. Don't you love the chaps, google, earmuffs and eye protection the poeple using electric chainsaws use :rolleyes: They mustn't cut people 'cos they use electricity :eek:

seeya,
Shane L.

[Ranga]

I copped a bit of ribbing from my mates when I pulled out the little Ryobi 18V battery powered chainsaw. I'm now fairly confident that they all reconsidered their opinion when we were able to quickly retrieve some otherwise not possible firewood from a semi-submerged tree branch. This was in a private 4WD park at about 11:30pm :)

In all reality, if you have plenty of solar power and/or batteries they are pretty much self-sufficient, quiet and very handy for small logs required by a typical campfire.

I have a full Ryobi kit of tools (good for home DIY, but not tradie quality), so hence have 4 batteries that I charge up and throw in the Trayon before heading off, to power the torch, lamp, chainsaw (and to keep SWMBO happy, the portable vacuum). Very handy indeed.

[DiscoMick]

You go camping with a portable vacum? Don't let my wife hear that.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

[Vern]

Yeah mine as well:D

[DiscoMick]

Actually, re. battery power, I had similar thoughts the other day when looking at battery powered landmowers. Would it do the job? Would the battery always be flat when I wanted to mow the lawn? Would my mates laugh at me?

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

[Ranga]

You go camping with a portable vacum? Don't let my wife hear that.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

I'd be a liar if I said no. It's hidden away in the Trayon camper, and rarely see's the light of day. Not even sure why she bothers taking it!

[weeds]

I copped a bit of ribbing from my mates when I pulled out the little Ryobi 18V battery powered chainsaw. I'm now fairly confident that they all reconsidered their opinion when we were able to quickly retrieve some otherwise not possible firewood from a semi-submerged tree branch. This was in a private 4WD park at about 11:30pm :)

In all reality, if you have plenty of solar power and/or batteries they are pretty much self-sufficient, quiet and very handy for small logs required by a typical campfire.

I have a full Ryobi kit of tools (good for home DIY, but not tradie quality), so hence have 4 batteries that I charge up and throw in the Trayon before heading off, to power the torch, lamp, chainsaw (and to keep SWMBO happy, the portable vacuum). Very handy indeed.

Ranga's chainsaw finished on top of the pile this weekend....sadly my MS180 couldn't go the distance.

[DeanoH]

Checked out the Stihl offering a couple of weeks ago. Can't remember the model number but 16" battery operated saw with spare battery and charger came to well over $1000. :eek:

I reckon the old 009L has got a few miles left in her at this price. :)

My mates got a Bunnings special Ozito 16" with a hardened tip 3/8" chain that he's just come off a 3 month top end holiday with and he reckons it's the best thing since sliced bread. At sub $300 worth a look.

Deano :)

[DiscoMick]

Yep, I agree. As a cheap throw in the back that might only get a small amount ofuse on a long trip it's a good idea, since no fuel need be carried. I see Roothy has one so I'm with him.

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[becollier]

Agree with the earlier post about getting more than one battery and also other tools that will take it. We have been very pleased with our 32 volt Ryobi Battery Chainsaw (12" from memory) which we brought in 2012. Took it to Tassie for a month of camping and it lasted the whole time. I now have several tools that use the same battery. Take the charger with you and you can charge the battery off an inverter while you drive. Only takes about an hour. We did a big trip up to the Kimberly last year and I left the charger behind. I was able to get another one at Bunnings in Broome (came with another battery though). The chainsaw is brilliant. Operates at a constant rpm, is relatively quiet, it's compact (I fit it down the rear side pocket of our D2 - I've removed the actual case that was there and now have a cavity beside a pair of drawers) and when you release the trigger it just stops. The original lithium battery that came with it is still going strong.

[isuzurover]

I was just looking at battery powered Huskys the other day. The dealer said a lot of pros are switching as it means they can start earlier and not worry about noise complaints.

Stihl make equivalent gear as well.

But the pros use these batteries...
http://cdn2.husqvarna.com/qs_mh=920&mw=920&ver=00000000T000000/~/media/dam/husqvarna/forest%20chain%20saws%20electric%20saws%20power%20 cutters%20and%20saw%20mills/product%20accessories/2014/12/08/09/44/h110-0393.ashx

[Ranga]

Holy ****, that's a serious battery!

[isuzurover]

Holy ****, that's a serious battery!

Yes. It means the tool is extremely light though. I saw the grounds staff at UNSW using them.