Are 4-inch Mini Chainsaws with a Brushless Motor Common?
Brushless vs Brushed
Lets remember 2 things when it comes to 4 inch mini chainsaws with a brushless motor.
Firstly, the actual mini saws are physically small. As such they are limited in terms of what features can be incorporated in their design.
Secondly, while a brushless electrical motor is a major plus factor, it doesn’t turn a 4-inch bar mini saw into a forest munching, cut anything, ninja chainsaw.
So recognize that, brushless motor not withstanding, they still have limitations!
Having said that, lets look at some of the better 4-inch mini chainsaws with a brushless motor available on the market.
The Amazing Omola
At the top of the pile is the peerless Omola 4-inch bar & chain mini chainsaw.
Now if you do want to tackle a whole forest with a (very) small mini chainsaw then this is the one!
Besides the brushless motor, it has a lot of features that are more common in the 6-inch and 8-inch mini chainsaw classes.
These include a bar and chain oiling mechanism which keeps the interface of the bar and chain lubricated. This is vital for both cutting efficiency and longevity of the bar and chain.
And it sure beats having to carry a small bottle of chain and bar oil around with you! (NB – No oil is supplied when purchasing this item, so you will need to get some.)
But don’t fill the tank up to the top – it WILL leak. Its a chainsaw after all!:)
Next comes the splash baffle that cuts down the possibility of sawdust and wood chips from flying into your eyes. It also rotates as you cut through the wood.
However,these guards are not infallible, so a pair of safety goggles or a face safety shield is always an extra piece of equipment worth acquiring.
On with the Omola.
Criticisms of the Omola
Not much to report here. In fact the only criticisms seem to revolve around the fact that no oil is supplied with the mini saw and the general (for ALL makes of mini chainsaw) complaints about the “chinese english” of the instruction manual.
As for the actual performance of the saw. A few niggles with the oil leaking but you just have to be sensible about not putting too much in the tank or storing it lying on its side (or upside down!) with oil still in the tank.
Other useful bits and pieces about the Omola
Although the original purchase does not come with extra chains, they are available and easy to get hold of if required.
A universal battery interface. Although the terminology tends to indicate that they can take ANY battery, closer inspection reveals that the Omola can take Makita batteries as well as their own.
In Conclusion
Probably as good as it gets in this class.
Next up is
The KOHAM
The Koham mini saw is in the same price range as the Omola (at the time of writing – things change)
Although this saw has not been as well market tested as the Omola (above), it comes from a manufacturer who has a lot of experience in making upmarket electric pruning shears so the intricacies of a battery powered small tool is not new to them.
And that has to be a bonus!
Chain speed (6m/sec) is lagging when compared to the Omola (13m/sec) and at 0.4hp (300 Watts) it also lags the Omola (0.8hp or 596hp)
This doesn’t have a self oiler but it does come with a little oil bottle (but no oil) which you can use to oil the bar and chain.
On the positive side, the Koham is lighter and a bit more streamlined in design.
Given its pedigree, this is definitely designed with only pruning in mind while the Omola is more of an all rounder.
Your choice 🙂
And Then Came
The rest. Actually, not much more to offer except the hybrids. These are mini chainsaws that come with more than one size bar (and chain) which you can then change to suit your requirements.
Is this a good idea?
In theory its a brilliant piece of marketing in that you get two for the price of one.
In practice its always a bit of a worry when it comes to this sort of innovation. These small tools are fragile at best and the less you mess with their infrastructure, the better.
So replacing the whole bar and chain could pose challenges in terms of how well this attachment is designed. Not only that, but how robust are the parts you are going to be fiddling with.
And finally. In all good faith, what is the difference, in practical terms, of having a 4-inch or 6-inch bar mini chainsaw? For my money, one or the other would do fine for most people…..
Be that as it may, here follow a few examples of 4-inch mini chainsaws with a brushless motor that can also be 6-inch mini chainsaws with a brushless motor!
The V-MODEST
The V-MODEST is a bit of a conundrum in that it can come as only a 4-inch, or only a 6-inch, or finally as both.
And when it comes with both options it comes with one chain for the 6 inch option but two chains for the four inch bar option.
Curious that.
The other curiosity is that while it has no automatic oiler system (a not unique occurrence in mini chainsaws), the seller advocates using it without oil!
Probably not a good idea.
The Habos
The Habos is not as confused as the V_MODEST and offers one 4-inch bar and chain and one 6-inch bar and chain which seems a logical arrangement.
With a chain speed of 6m/sec it is on a par with the Koham featured further up the page.
As with all these mini chainsaws, chain tension can be an issue, especially if you are new to chainsaws.
This often leads to comments along the lines of “comes off the bar often/easily” etc.
So if you are going to swap the bar lengths regularly, check the chain tension before you get started.
Similarly, new chains WILL stretch with usage so be prepared to tighten the chain tension after a few cuts when its brand new!
Afruey Mini Chainsaw
The Afruey is a no frills option which has the safety feature basics of a chain baffle (to stop sawdust flying up into your eyes) and a safety switch.
The position of the safety switch is awkward for left handers but that is not an uncommon complaint with mini saws in general.
If that is an issue you can find some mini chainsaws suitable for left handers here
One other small plus – the chaisaw fits into the storage box fully assembled! And it wont leak oil as it doesn’t have a self oiler.
But that does of course mean you will need to get a small bottle and some bar and chain oil and apply it as you work.
An (Unusual) Bonus Selection
This Lagatuns mini chainsaw is unusual from 2 aspects.
Firstly it features the unusual combination of a 4-inch bar and a 7-inch bar.
This is probably more sensible than a 4-inch and 6-inch offering as that extra inch could make a material difference in the capabilities of the mini chainsaw.
The same reservations about one tool with 2 different bars voiced further up the page still apply but this option just makes more sense!
The second, again slightly unusual for mini chainsaws, is that an extra battery is readily available from the manufacturer (at time of writing)
So a slightly different option to the rest and worth a look.
In Conclusion
So there you have it.
A (very) few genuine 4-inch mini chainsaws with a brushless motor and then a few hybrids which can’t make up their minds what they want to be.
Although at the top of the price range the Omola is no doubt in a class of its own and deserves to be looked at closely before being discarded as an option.
Or you might like to check out other options?