How Expensive Are Mini Chainsaws?
How much will you pay?
Mini chainsaws (defined as chainsaws that are battery driven and usually used with one hand only) vary quite considerably in price.
Lets say roughly between $35 & $200 (see below for a more detailed breakdown)
This is not really surprising because, despite their small size, they can vary quite significantly in features and capabilities.
And because of this fact, no discussion around price should ignore the issue of value for money and quality.
That’s where things get tricky. Everyone has the same understanding of a price e.g. Mini chainsaw X costs US$50 is straight forward and everyone knows they will have to produce $50 to take mini saw X home with them.
But is $50 a good price for that mini chainsaw? Enter the variable concepts of value and quality and now the clear picture starts to get murky!
Another confounding factor when looking at the cost of mini chainsaws is that they are often sold as a mini chainsaw “package”. So you are obliged to not only buy the mini chainsaw, but also a bunch of extra stuff e.g. an extra battery, extra chains, protective gloves and so on.
They often come lumped together, particularly in the lower price ranges, and the extras are included to increase the attractiveness of the offering.
But we digress. Lets stick to straight pricing for now.
Examples of Expensive Mini Chainsaws
The bigger, the more expensive?
These are mini chainsaws that will cost you more than $100.Some quite a lot more!
The more expensive mini chainsaws tend to have one or more of the following features (but not always)
- A longer bar chain than the average 6-inch variety
- Are powered by a brushless electric motor
- Include a self oiling mechanism of some sort
Examples of these more expensive mini chainsaws that also have a good performance track record include:
The Milwaukee M12 Fuel Hatchett
The Kebteck 8 – inch bar electric compact chainsaw
An Upgraded Imoumlive 6-incher (perhaps the best value for money here?) and the Jenseries 8-inch mini saw.
The maverick in this cost bracket is the Worx 20V PowerShare 5-inch mini saw.
This little chainsaw has an offset 5-inch bar and is not powered by a brushless motor! It does however feature a self oiling component.
Its advantage is that this tool forms part of the very large 20V PowerShare platform of tools. In other words, the battery used for this saw can also be used to power a whole range of other tools.
Examples of Cheap Mini Chainsaws
As the price goes down, so does the size of the tool.
So almost all the mini saws in the < $35 – $55 bracket will be 4-inch bar saws, although a smattering of 6-inch bar mini saws will also fall into that price range.
As you can imagine, you will not find many mini chainsaws equipped with a brushless motor or self oiler in this price range.
That’s not to say you can’t find a useful tool that will do a job for you. Just don’t expect it to last too long or perform above its pay grade.
Some examples brands sold in this segment include:
Cobroz(with a brushless motor!)
There are many more with equally unheard of brand names, but they are in the market because they fulfill a need.
So don’t ignore them based on name or price alone.
Middle of the Road
A contender for the best value mini chainsaw out there
Here we are looking at mini chainsaws that cost between $50 and $100.
The vast majority of mini saws on the market fall into this price range.
The sheer volume of mini saws on offer in this price range is confusing enough. But then add in:
- you will encounter every size and shape of saw
- its very difficult to compare apples with apples due to the variety of extras that are often included in the price.
- Some of them look like they are made in the same factory but branded differently
- As with the cheaper mini chainsaws, you wont find many (any?) well known brand names in this price bracket.
Again, the above doesn’t mean there are no good and worthwhile buying mini chainsaws in this sector. It just means its pretty hard to decide what to get that will suit your requirements!
A few do stand out.
1) The Omola pictured above just squeezes into this price range (at the top….not the bottom!) It is a contender for the best value mini chainsaw on the market at the moment. It only has a 4-inch bar so it is pretty small and that can be viewed as either a plus or a negative. Depends what you want to use it for.
You can read more about the Omola here
2) The Bei & Hong 6-inch bar is a very reasonably priced offering with a good track record.
3) SeeSii markets a range of mini saws of various sizes that mostly fall into this price range. The good thing about this scenario is that they should know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to these small tools.
A Final Word
When you look at the cost of mini chainsaws (as defined by ChainsawChoices.com,) the vast majority fall within a seventy dollar range i.e. $50 – $120.
There is thus not a huge difference in how much you will pay for your mini chainsaw, irrespective of which one you choose to buy.
The trick is to match your requirements of the tool to its capabilities. If you get that right, then the cost factor should not be an over riding consideration.
The key to the above is to be realistic in your expectations of what these small tools can accomplish. Rather buy one that can easily meet your needs than one which will be operating at its outer limits to accomplish the task.
That is a recipe for disappointment…..and further costs as the tool will inevitably fail sooner or later!
You have been warned 🙂