What are the Best Brands of Cordless Chainsaws?
Makita – hard to beat!
Many well known chainsaw brands are now producing cordless chainsaws which are rapidly becoming the chainsaws of choice for many home owners.
This is because these chainsaws have evolved to a point where they are now a viable alternative to gas powered chainsaws.
Be aware that there are different types of cordless chainsaws!
We are NOT talking here about MINI cordless chainsaws. That is an entirely different field and range of (mostly less recognized) brands.
There are also top handle cordless chainsaws. This is a design feature (like the Makita pictured left) and we will include brands which incorporate top handle cordless chainsaws in their ranges.
So here we go. The best brands to look at for cordless chainsaws – in our opinion. But that opinion is supported by many positive experiences from happy users!
First up – our vote for THE Best Brand of Cordless Chainsaws is:
The Makita Range of Cordless Chainsaws
Reasons For Its No.1 Ranking
Here are the reasons we have put Makita at the top of the list of cordless chainsaw brands.
– Makita have an impressive range of cordless chainsaws.
– They have 10-inch, 12-inch,14-inch & 16-inch bar sizes and often more than one option within that bar length.
– They have models with top handle designs and models with the more conventional design as seen on the left here.
– You can buy them as a bare tool alone or with a battery and charger.
– Batteries are fundamental to cordless tools and Makita has a great range of batteries to choose from
– The same battery can power an extensive range of other Makita power tools.
– Makita cordless chainsaws are powered by Brushless Electric Motors! This is a big deal as brushless motors have so many advantages over the older technology brushed electric motors that are still found in many cordless chainsaws.
– Extraordinary Chain Speed! There is no way around it. The cutting prowess of a chainsaw is directly linked to chain speed (assuming the chain is sharp and everything else is working as it should). The higher the chain speed, the quicker and more efficient the cutting. The Makita Brand of chainsaws is probably the only brand of cordless chainsaws that comes close to matching gas powered chainsaws for chain speed! That is mighty impressive!
– Chain Speed Part 2. Lets look at a quick comparison. The Makita 10-inch bar 18V LXT model tops out with a chain speed of 4720 feet per minute. That is 24 meters/second. By comparison, the well respected Worx 20V Powershare 10 inch cordless chainsaw manages 750 feet per minute (3.8 meters/second). Case closed – as a brand they are the best performance cordless chainsaws out there!
Reasons You Might Hesitate
- Cost….and that is about it!
Conclusion
It may not be too far fetched to say that Makita are the best brand of cordless chainsaws in the world.
Other Good Brands of Cordless Chainsaws To Consider
All the brands mentioned below are solid choices. The reasons they are rated below the Makita range include one or more of the following factors.
- Not all models powered by a brushless electric motor
- Smaller range of bar-length options
- A range of battery options that can be confusing and/or inconvenient.
- Mediocre chain speed
Their one advantage they almost all have over the Makita Cordless chainsaw range is price.
However, as we know, looking only at price can be a double edged sword. So be careful on that point.
ALSO NB. When comparing prices, make sure you are comparing apples with apples. This can be easier said than done because
–Some cordless chainsaws are offered as “bare tools” i.e. you buy only the tool with no battery or charger. So you would need to compare the price of bare tool vs bare tool.
– It becomes more challenging when batteries are included. Batteries are universally expensive, but don’t all have the same capacity and performance characteristics. As a rough guide then, compare Amp Hours (Ah) of batteries. The higher the Ah, the longer the battery should last with a single charge.
So with that out the way, lets take a brief look at these other top of the line Cordless Chainsaws.
Greenworks Cordless Chainsaws
The Greenworks brand offers a mixed variety of cordless chainsaws.
Some would say its downright confusing!
They do however have a great bar length selection! They offer cordless chainsaws with 10,12,14,16 and 18-inch bar lengths.
Here are some of the factors that vary and which will need closer inspection by you if you go this route.
- Brushless motor. Some models do have a brushless motor, and others do not.
- Variety of battery systems. Some of the chainsaws are powered by 24V batteries some by 40V batteries, and one even by an 80V battery. And they are not interchangeable.
- Each battery size has a range of tools that it will power. But again, only those tools designed for the same voltage battery
- Some unusual combinations. We don’t see the sense in selling an 80V powered brushless motor chainsaw with a 2.0 Ah battery! Kind of defeats the purpose of having a big chainsaw especially as they have a 5.0 Ah battery available. But then the price of that 5.0Ah battery…..
- Chain speed not that great. The 80V model is credited with a chain speed of 15meters/second.
In Summary
A well respected brand but lacks a bit in consistency and clarity in the cordless chainsaw department!
Worx Brand
Worx offers 10, 12,14 and 16-inch bar cordless chainsaws all powered by either one or two 20V batteries.
So at least there is some consistency in the battery issue. Except to say that they have other tools that run using a single 40V battery and these ARE NOT suitable for the 40V cordless chainsaws!
An abject lesson in how to confuse the consumer and potential customer.
Brushless Electric Motors? Some Worx chainsaw models have them, the majority don’t.
And, as a brand, that factor alone pushes them down the list.
EGO Power + Cordless Chainsaws
EGO have cordless chainsaws with 14-inch, 16-inch and 18-inch bars.
So their range is somewhat limited due to the lack of a 10 and 12-inch bar model.
On the positive front.
- They are all powered by a brushless electric motor
- They are all powered by a 56V battery that comes in 2,5Ah, 5,0Ah or 7.0 Ah configuration. All batteries are interchangeable with all tools. Bonus!
- Overall not a bad option if you are considering a bigger bar length and are not willing to splash out the extra cash for a Makita
Ryobi Cordless Chainsaws
Ryobi has a good range of different bar lengths in their cordless chainsaw line up.
They have models in the 10, 12, 14, 16, & 18 inch bar length categories.
And then things get a bit complicated.
The 10 and 12 – inch bar models are powered by an 18V battery.
The 14 to 18 – inch models use 40V batteries.
They all are equipped with brushless motors – except for the 10-inch bar model.
Overall however, their review ratings are not as good as one would hope, so keep that in mind.
An Outlier
Sneaking the Dewalt 12-inch Cordless Chainsaw in here because it is probably the closest challenger there is to the Makita 10 & 12 – inch bar cordless chainsaws!
Only problem is, that’s the range!
That is a pity but perhaps at some stage in the future they will expand to a full range of equally well made, feature full cordless chainsaws.
Then it will be game on for the top brand position!
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