Small battery chainsaws outperforming gas chainsaws!?

[gtaus]

We had a big blow the other day. I had one 50 foot tall tree fall down, but my neighbor had 6 trees of the same size go down on his property. Today was cleanup day.

I took out my small Ryobi 18v 12 inch chainsaw and used that to trim up the limbs of the tree. I used my Ryobi 40v 14 inch chainsaw to buck up the tree trunk, which was about 18 inches round. I posted an earlier thread where I mentioned that I am down to one 4.0 Ah 40v battery, so I only cut about 5 rounds off the tree trunk with the 40v chainsaw before the battery was spent. Oh well, I put that 40v battery on the charger and continued using the small 18v 12 inch chainsaw to make some initial cuts on the tree trunk, marking every round about 16 inches long.

I even took out my gas Stihl chainsaw with a 16 inch bar and put it into action. I got about 3 rounds cut before it ran out of gas. I'll have to go into town and buy some more 50:1 mixed gas tomorrow, but at least the gas Stihl chainsaw worked good today.

Terrible heat wave today (for Minnesota) with temps at 92F. After I put the 40v battery on the charger, I took a long lunch break to cool off and recharge my own internal battery. Did a few other jobs around the house while the 40v battery was still charging - it takes about 2.5 hours to recharge the battery - then went back to work on the fallen tree after the battery had fully charged. Got everything done before supper time, mostly using the small 18v 12 inch chainsaw and using the 40v chainsaw just for bucking up the tree trunk.

Compare my experience with my neighbor. He had a nice gas chainsaw that worked for about 10 minutes and then just died on him. Probably a carb problem because it does not get used very often. He had to bring it into town to the repair shop. Unfortunately, they are backed up 10 days, so he won't get his chainsaw back for a couple of weeks. He is thinking about buying a new, bigger, gas chainsaw to clean up his property. But that will set him back another $350. Anyways, he saw me finish my job with my battery chainsaws and was impressed. Frankly, I was impressed that I finished the job today with only one recharge on the 40v battery. I was expecting that to be a 2 or 3 day job, but using my 18v 12 inch chainsaw for all the small stuff really helped cut the down the tree to just the trunk.

Let me add that today my 40v chainsaw with a new chain was cutting much better than my gas Stihl chainsaw with an older chain. In fact, I took off the chain on the Stihl and sharpened it up, which worked better, but I think I need to get that chain replaced. Just goes to show that a battery chainsaw with a new sharp chain can actually outperform a gas chainsaw with an older, not so sharp, chain. My only complaint about the battery chainsaws is that you have short run times with the batteries. I have lots of 18v batteries, so I can run that chainsaw all day. But I am down to only one 40v battery and that gives me about 15 minutes cut time before it runs out.

I was considering buying a can of 50:1 for the gas chainsaw earlier this week, but it has been 2 years since I last used the gas chainsaw and decided I was not going to buy more fuel until I needed it. I guess I should have bought the fuel when I was in town. Oh well, my battery chainsaws outperformed themselves today and I got the job done.

FWIW, I probably use my battery chainsaws for about 95% of the jobs around my house. Although I have had gas chainsaws for the past 50 years, I'm not so sure it makes sense for the average homeowner to buy a gas chainsaw today. The battery chainsaws have almost the same cutting power as the homeowner gas chainsaws. Best yet, with a battery chainsaw you never have to worry about the gas carb fouling up from not being used. Just slap a freshly charged battery in the battery chainsaw and you are ready to go to work.

 

[Chickassan]

I can't stand a gas chainsaw, no matter how well you maintain one if it sits idle for any length of time there is going to be some sort of issue.
I'm team battery all day long!

 

[gtaus]

I can't stand a gas chainsaw, no matter how well you maintain one if it sits idle for any length of time there is going to be some sort of issue.
I'm team battery all day long!

I like to think I'm more pro-battery than anti-gas, because, like you, I really don't use my chainsaws very often and in the past, I have had lots of problems with gas carbs getting fouled due to lack of use. I never have a problem with my battery chainsaws not running. Just slap in a charged battery and you can go to work.

I bought my first battery chainsaw maybe 20 years ago. It was terribly slow and the battery lasted maybe 5 minutes. You could not do any serious work with my first battery chainsaw, but it was good enough to trim up some branches that might fall down on the ground after a storm. Fast forward to today, my battery chainsaws are much higher quality and the run time of the batteries is much longer. I estimate that I do about 95% of my chainsaw jobs easily with my battery chainsaws.

I still have a gas Stihl chainsaw, which I only use now if we have a big storm and I lose either lots of trees, or trees that are just too big for my 14 inch battery chainsaw. No doubt the run time of a good gas chainsaw still has the advantage over the run time of a battery chainsaw. If you are cutting wood for heat, then it makes senses to get a gas chainsaw because it will be used all the time. For most of us average homeowners, that only need a chainsaw once or twice a year for cleanup of a few fallen trees and branches after a storm, then I give the advantage to the battery chainsaws.

 

[gtaus]

I'm team battery all day long!

Oh yeah, wanted to ask you if you have a battery chainsaw, what brand/model, and how much run time you get on your battery?

I have been in the Ryobi line of tools for almost 20 years, so I just bought their chainsaws which use my same batteries. I bought my Ryobi chainsaws knowing that there were better battery chainsaws out there, but I just have too much money invested in Ryobi batteries to consider another brand at this time. Having said that, I am completely happy with the cutting performance of my Ryobi chainsaws. Although I now only have one 40v battery, my Ryobi 40v 14 inch chainsaw will cut just as good as my gas Stihl chainsaw, just limited to about 15 minutes run time per charge. I have enough 18v batteries to use my smaller Ryobi 12 inch chainsaw all day.

 

[Chickassan]

Makita XCU04PT 16 inch.
Hubs took my first one after he made fun of it.
Nice though, brushless motor cuts like butter too
Think it was around 300, but it came with two batteries and a charger.
Really hasn't been anything it's had a problem with.
I'm in the same boat battery wise though so that did sway my decision a little.

Oh yeah, wanted to ask you if you have a battery chainsaw, what brand/model, and how much run time you get on your battery?

I have been in the Ryobi line of tools for almost 20 years, so I just bought their chainsaws which use my same batteries. I bought my Ryobi chainsaws knowing that there were better battery chainsaws out there, but I just have too much money invested in Ryobi batteries to consider another brand at this time. Having said that, I am completely happy with the cutting performance of my Ryobi chainsaws. Although I now only have one 40v battery, my Ryobi 40v 14 inch chainsaw will cut just as good as my gas Stihl chainsaw, just limited to about 15 minutes run time per charge. I have enough 18v batteries to use my smaller Ryobi 12 inch chainsaw all day.

 

[gtaus]

I'm in the same boat battery wise though so that did sway my decision a little.

Yep, once you buy into a battery tool line, it's really hard to justify a purchase outside that battery platform. I know it was a big decision for me to stay in the Ryobi line so I could use the same battery on all my other tools.

Speaking of the cost of batteries, I was just in Home Depot today looking at how much a second 40v 4.0Ah battery would cost. If you buy that battery by itself, it would cost you $179.00.

Looking around a bit more, I found a Ryobi 40v weed trimmer kit with the 4.0 Ah battery and charger on sale for $149.00. So, it's cheaper to buy a complete tool kit with battery and charger than just buying a new battery. But I already have too many battery weed trimmers, so that would not be my first option.

I found a new Ryobi 40v 14 inch chainsaw kit with 4.0 Ah battery and charger for $199.00. What?! For the $179.00 price for the 4.0 Ah battery, they will give you a brand new 14 inch chainsaw and another charger for only $20.00 more! I think that is how these tool companies get you sucked into their brand and why it's so hard to leave. They practically give away the tool if you buy their batteries. They must really have a good markup profit on their batteries to give away the tool for next to nothing.

Nothing else looked very promising, so if I decide to buy a second Ryobi battery, I'll probably pull the trigger and get the newest 14 inch chainsaw kit with the battery and charger for only $20.00 more.

 

[Chickassan]

Yeah, it's like a black hole just with batteries once you're in that's it you're a dedicated customer.
They suck you right in.
You'd have to be nuts to switch or just buy a battery so you end up with what I call the bundle syndrome.
It's the reason I've got four of the same darn drill lol.

She’s about a year old, has been laying all winter and spring, only started once rooster was removed

 

[Aunt Angus]

We lost about 2 dozen widowmakers (36'+ diameter) this winter in what we called Snowmageddon which was immediately followed by Treepocalypse. We have both a Ryobi 40v 14 in and a gas-powered Husqvarna 22 in. We like both equally, but those huge trees (almost all were oaks) killed those batteries. We have 4 batteries, and we were changing them very frequently.

Fast forward 6 months, we still have 6 widownakers left, so we got one of those rapid chargers. Pricey, but SO worth it! Charges those batteries in minutes rather than hours. The shorter Ryobi still requires more juice to get through those huge, hardwoods, but it works wonders on the smaller oaks and the softer pines. Just depends on what you need them for. Another case of the right tool for the job.

But, I tell you what, I have PTSD now because of that storm. That night, we were laying bed in the pitch black (power was out for over 2 weeks from trees into poles) listening to all the trees falling, making the ground shake. Had one go through our roof, one take out our carport and my husband's car, several fall on the goat fence. It's amazing none of us nor our animals got hurt/killed.

Now whenever I hear a tree creaking in even the lightest breeze, I get paranoid.

 

[cavemanrich]

It's amazing none of us nor our animals got hurt/killed.

Now whenever I hear a tree creaking in even the lightest breeze, I get paranoid.

I feel for your terror you went thru, I hope all will get back to normal. I'm glad no one got hurt or worse.
It is good you had those saws. In such times,,, all area stores sell out everything.

gtaus​

I know you are the Ryobi Man,, (from previous threads) so have a question for you..
What size Ah lithium battery would you suggest as sufficient for drill/driver??? I know the higher the Ah, the better,,,,,, but I do not want an OVERKILL. The higher the Ah,, the higher the price.
Here are my plans.
I do like to tinker in my garage, and repair items that most peeps would give up,, and scrap out. I do it mainly for my enjoyment,, and personal satisfaction.
I have a few 18 volt drill drivers. About 3 of them ,,,, the batteries are already spent. Of course they are all different models, and I would need to purchase 3 different replacements.
I also have other working 18 volt drivers. "don't ask me why I want so many drill/drivers"
Intend to purchase a Ryobi 18 volt battery, (they are priced reasonable compared to other brands) and charger,,,, and make it adaptable to my drills. Believe me when I say I can do it. This way I could use those 3 obsolete drills, as well as adapt battery to my current working ones in time.
I am doing this because the Ryobi batteries are going to stay same long enough for me.
When I finish doing it,, I post my MacGyvered adapters

 

[Silexian]

I have a battery chainsaw with a 16 inch bar that I use to trim branches and cut smaller trees. I use a professional grade gas chainsaw with a 20 inch bar to cut firewood. Which there is not a battery powered saw on the market. That can hold a candle to the performance of. They both have their downsides. Both are expensive to purchase. The power source for either is expensive. A battery powered saw is quieter and doesn’t produce the smells. That a gas saw does. A gas saw if not used frequently, or stored properly. Will gum up and have carb problems. The fuel will also degrade if left sitting for an extended period of time. A battery saw that sits will have to be charged before use. Batteries can only be charged so many times before they need they to be replaced. A battery will also break down and not hold a charge if left sitting for long periods of time, without being used. With a replacement cost usually higher than buying a whole new saw. If a chainsaw is something that you only need to use every once in awhile. Renting one may be a better option than buying one. No matter which power source you prefer.