The Brushless Electric Motor Rules!
Brushless Electric Motor
The invention of brushless electric motors in 1962 paved the way for the development of powerful and efficient electrical tools, including chainsaws.
Today that development has reached the point where even mini chainsaws with a 4 inch bar and weighing only a kilogram (2.2 pounds) come fitted with brushless electric motors!
While electrical chainsaws don’t quite yet match the power of their gas driven counterparts, it is just a matter of time before they catch up. Tesla cars and the Formula E racing series are examples of how electrically driven cars are now right up there with vehicles driven by the more traditional internal combustion engine!
So Why Brushless?
There are many advantages that the brushless electric motor has over the more conventional non brushed motor.
These include:
- Better performance – i.e. more power output
- Compact – thus giving a high torque to weight ratio
- lower noise output
- Less friction inside the motor and thus
- less heat generation and
- longer life span and
- lower maintenance requirements
All of the above ensure that cordless or battery operated chainsaws driven by brushless motors have an inbuilt advantage over their non brushless motor competitors.
Price used to be a differentiating factor with tools utilizing brushless motors being more expensive.
Today, the gap has closed significantly and in many cases no longer exists.
Make no mistake, there are still many good or even great electrical electric chainsaws on the market that don’t utilize brushless electric motors. They still do a great job.
However, their days are almost certainly numbered. Its fair to say that brushless is now the way to go because it just makes good sense.
So when considering which electrically powered chainsaw you would like to buy, make sure to find out what sort of electrical motor powers the saw.
Getting that wrong, or assuming it is brushless without checking, might come back to bite you 🙂
If you want to know more about exactly how a brushless electrical motor works, then click here!
Examples of mini chainsaws with a brushless motor
4-inch bar mini chainsaws with brushless motor
6-inch bar mini chainsaws with brushless motor
8-inch bar mini chainsaw with brushless motor