The Smallest Chainsaw You will Find?
The answer to this question is not entirely straight forward as it depends on how you define “chainsaw”.
But if you mean it has a motor driven chain that will saw through wood then …without doubt the 4-inch bar chainsaws are the smallest chainsaws on the market.
They are usually called mini chainsaws, but they are very definitely chainsaws!
Mini chainsaws are designed for one handed use and are exclusively battery driven.
The Imola (pictured left) is an example of a 4 inch bar chainsaw.
Of course you will also get difference in sizes and weights of even these small chainsaws. These differences will be small but they exist none the less! 🙂
We will highlight a few of the smallest mini chainsaws in the various bar lengths below.
Apart from 4-inch bar chainsaws,you can also find mini chainsaws with the following bar lengths:
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- 5-inch bar
- 6-inch bar. These are perhaps the most common and popular size of “mini” chainsaws.
- 7-inch bar
- 8-inch bar
- 10-inch bar
Also remember, its no good having a very small chainsaw that keeps breaking or can’t do what you want it to do. So two points to take note of:
- small chainsaws are designed for small, light jobs
- the chainsaws below are chosen due to their track record and functionality. Price has not been taken into account!
If you search hard you may well find something smaller than these highlighted below, but these will give you an idea of what is available.
Small(est) 4-inch Bar Chainsaw
The Gardtech 4-inch Chainsaw
This little guy has the following vital statistics:
Dimensions: 13L x 4w x 4h inches (33 x 10 x10cm)
Weight: 2.4 pounds (1kg)
This one also comes with a bunch of extra bits and pieces which you might want to factor in to your buying decision.
A Small 5-inch Bar Chainsaw
This T Tovia this 5-inch bar mini saw has the following vital statistics:
Length: 17,2(L)x 6,5(h) inches (43.6 x 16.5 cm)
Weight: 2.8 pounds (1.25kg)
This one is equipped with a brushless motor
The Smallest 6-inch Bar Chainsaw
The Taranzy is an upgraded 6 inch chainsaw with the following vital statistics.
Dimensions: 16 x 6 x 7.5 inches (40.5 x 15 x 19cm)
Weight: 2.57 pounds (1.17kg)
7 Inch bar chainsaws are few and far between so we will skip them for the purposes of this article. You can find an example here.
A Small 8-inch Bar Chainsaw
The Kebtek is a small 8 inch bar chainsaw with a brushless motor.
Dimensions: 18.5 x 8.8 x 4.5 inches (47 x 22 x 11.5 cm)
Weight: 3.5 pounds (1.6kg)
The 8 and 10 inch options are where things get slightly confusing because you can also find the more “traditional” design of chainsaws with an 8 or 10 inch bar.
So if your idea of a chainsaw fits with the picture on the left of a Makita 10-inch bar chainsaw, then an 8 or 10 inch bar is about as small as you will find.
The 8 inch options are few and far between and in reality don’t really offer any advantages over the 8-inch bar mini chainsaws.
However, for completeness sake, you could look at these two 8-inch bar offerings:
There are however a great selection of 10-inch chainsaws, and many of them have a solid track record.
These are bigger and more powerful and definitely need 2 hands to operate.
Here is a selection of the most tried and tested:
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- Makita 10 inch chainsaw with brushless motor
- Worx 10 inch 20V Power Share chainsaw
- Black & Dekker 20V Max 10 inch chainsaw
- and there are more options here
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You will notice that none of these are gas powered, nor are many powered from an electrical power source via an electrical cord.
They are thus mostly battery driven with all the advantages/disadvantages that brings with it.
The Smallest Gas Powered Chainsaw
A 14 inch bar is about as small as you can go in terms of gas powered chainsaws.
However, even 14 inch gas driven chainsaws are not very common.
Most gas chainsaws have a 16-inch bar or longer and are designed for use by foresters and others who frequently need to deal with large trees or logs.
They are messy and temperamental and loud and smelly :).
But they are also powerful and get the job done.
In Conclusion
So that about wraps it up for the smallest chainsaws on the market.
Remember though, if you are looking to buy the smallest chainsaw you can, just be realistic about what you expect that chainsaw to do for you.
Small chainsaws are designed for small jobs that need to be done from time to time.
They wont last long if you push them to tackle jobs they weren’t designed for!
If you want to see what else is available, then check more chainsaws here!