Why 24V Mini Chainsaws?
It is a fact that most mini chainsaws are NOT powered by a 24V battery. In fact 20V & 21V battery systems are far more common in this class of mini chainsaw with the occasional 36V mini chainsaw option thrown in from time to time.
Of course there are other voltage batteries available as well but they are probably even rarer than the 24V battery powered tools.
So why 24V mini chainsaws?
The obvious answer is that a tool powered by a 24V battery will, in theory, perform more effectively than one powered by say a 20V battery.
However, it is not always that straight forward. You can read an interesting article on voltage in cordless tools here
Now lets throw Brushless Motors into the mix!
Fitting a brushless motor to a small cordless power tool will probably have far better benefits than simply upgrading upgrading it to a 24V system.
Having said that, you could have BOTH! In other words a 24V battery system AND a brushless motor!
The Greenworks 6 inch mini chainsaw pictured above offers this combination AND a well known brand name!
The V-MODEST pictured on the left here is another mini chainsaw that has this combination. It also has 4-inch bar and 6-inch bar options which increases it’s versatility further.
Its still pretty new to the market so the jury is still out on its long term performance, but its a good idea!
The Greenworks 24V (Mini) Chainsaw
So this perhaps would not be regarded as a classic mini chainsaw as it definitely needs two hands to operate it.
However, it has a 10-inch bar so its not very big in those terms. In fact that’s only 2 inches more than the 8-inch mini chainsaws that it might compete with (including price wise).
The other reason it is included here is because if you are dead set on having 24V battery power, then this mini saw is part of a large range of greenworks cordless power tools that utilize the same battery!
That could be useful if you are planning on buying a range of power tools for use around the house and garden.
NB – Unlike the more recently released Greenworks 6 inch 24 V chainsaw, this one does NOT UTILIZE A BRUSHLESS MOTOR (You can compare it to the 10-inch bar Makita chainsaw which uses an 18V battery but has a brushless motor here)
Back to the Greenworks saw. It does have many of the features of a standard chainsaw such as an automatic oiler and auto chain tensioning.
Another NB. It does not come with chain and bar oil so you will need to buy yourself some of that as well.
Lets go look at some other 24V Mini Chainsaws that better fit the definition of “mini.
The 6-inch Seesii 24V Mini Chainsaw
Seesii makes mini chainsaws with both 24V and 21V options available as a 6-inch bar.
They seem to try to cover both options in the 6-inch range with 2 options at more or less the same price.
On the left you will see their 6-inch bar option with all the bells and whistles powered by a 24V battery.
However, they also offer a version stripped of all the extras but with a 21V battery and a brushless motor.
So they seem to have recognized the trade off between battery voltage and a brushless motor and price.
Good for them!
The Gocheer Mini Chainsaw
This Mini Chainsaw is an intriguing prospect in that it is marketed by a company that doesn’t seem to have anything else like it to sell.
However, it has been around a long time and has a consistently good rating by verified buyers.
On top of that, it also has a brushless motor. So again we have the laudable combination of a 24V battery powering a brushless motor.
That is a great combination if you are after small tool power!
Strangely enough that combination only delivers a chain speed of just under 6m/sec which is okay for a mini chainsaw but not brilliant.
As a package though it is very competitive and well worth considering.
Tingmengte Mini Chainsaw
This saw offers a comprehensive package as can be seen from the picture on the left.
Click on that picture if you want to find out the nitty gritty about what this saw offers.
Cost wise its a step down and thats because it doesn’t have a brushless motor or a storage case.
No storage case can actually be a bit of a draw back if you see everything that comes in that package. Keeping it all together and available for when you need the bits and pieces might well be a challenge to many folk.
You will need to decide on that one.
The Fullove Mini Saw
This is a slimline looking 24V battery mini saw that comes in 2 colors that (thankfully) are the same price (at time of writing)
The design of the saw, the colors and the case all tend to point to something different!
The case is very different to any other on offer with a mini chainsaw and claims to be able to hold more than just this mini saw and the goodies that come with it.
Not that that should be the point that clinches your buying decision, but a nice add on all the same.
Now lets go to the really mini chainsaws – the 4-inch bar variety 🙂
There are very few 4-inch mini chainsaws with a brushless motor so it sort of makes sense to try beef their performance up using a 24V battery. Here are two that do just that!
A plus is that they have both been round long enough to have been exposed to a wide variety of users, most of whom have given them a thumbs up rating 🙂
The Shengsite 24V Mini Saw
This Shengsite is pretty typical of a 4-inch bar mini chainsaw package offered in this price range.
But of course the 24V battery is the point of difference when compared to most others in this category.
A slightly unusual feature of this design is the large hand and trigger guard. This might or might not be an advantage.
Yes, it guards the hand and trigger finger to some extent. However, mini chainsaws are often bought to enable work to be down in small or crowded spaces.
If that is the case for you, then this feature might actually be more of a hindrance than anything else.
Worth thinking about.
Two other features worth noting and commenting on are the safety button and the splash guard.
The splash guard is there to stop sawdust and wood chips flying into your face. On small saws they can be problematic. Luckily you can remove this one if you feel you don’t need it, so that is a plus.
The safety button, which you need to push in before you pull the trigger, is located on the left hand side just above the trigger. Ideal for right handers, but a real issue for lefties. Not much you can do about it except perhaps look elsewhere. For starters, you can find some mini chainsaws more suited for left handers here
The Gigilli 4-inch Mini Chainsaw
So straight away you can see that the Gigilli doesn’t have that large hand and trigger guard that might hinder your progress if you want to work in a small space.
On the other hand it is a potential safety issue.
How important is that? You will have to decide that for yourself.
The safety button is in the “normal’ place so this is again a potential issue for lefties.
Many of the negative comments about this saw stem from from either asking it to do more than it’s designed for, OR a simple lack of understanding of how to treat the chain.
These are common problems to most mini chainsaws and so are not a reflection specifically of this tool. And besides, with nearly 1000 ratings with 89% of those either 4 or 5 star (out of 5), it can’t be all bad!
In Conclusion
Is or should 24V battery power be a decisive factor in your choice of mini chainsaw?
As we said at the beginning, there are not that many examples on the market so you will be restricting the size of the pool of mini chainsaws you can choose from.
However, as we have highlighted earlier in this post, Greenworks has now added a 6 inch 24V saw to their range, so things are changing.
Or you can look further for other suitable chainsaws.
Over to you 🙂