Small battery chainsaws outperforming gas chainsaws!?

[gtaus]

We lost about 2 dozen widowmakers (36'+ diameter) this winter in what we called Snowmageddon which was immediately followed by Treepocalypse.

Sounds like the end of days!

we got one of those rapid chargers. Pricey, but SO worth it! Charges those batteries in minutes rather than hours.

I just saw those on a YouTube video this past week. I don't have one yet. My Ryobi 40v chargers take about 2.5 hours to recharge a 4.0 Ah battery, but I hear the new fast chargers will charge it up in about 30 minutes.

If you need a fast charge to get the battery back into operation, then I think that's a great option. Having said that, from what I have learned using rechargeable batteries for many years, it is better for the battery to be slow charged. Makes the battery last longer and allows for more recharge cycles. I don't know if the new battery chemistry is any different. In any case, if you need a battery now, then a rapid charger is the way to go.

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.

This is what I tell people all the time. I don't need a sledgehammer to pound in a small nail, and I don't need a 22 inch bar on a chainsaw to cut off the small limbs of a fallen tree or most branches that fall off the tree after a storm. My 18v 12 inch Ryobi chainsaw is my go-to saw for most of my jobs around the house, and I have lots of batteries for it to keep it running all day. Over 8-10 inches to cut, then I take out the Ryobi 14 inch chainsaw for those jobs. Anything bigger than about 12 inches to cut, I fight with the gas Stihl chainsaw to get it running for the larger jobs.

But, I tell you what, I have PTSD now because of that storm.

Sorry to hear that, and glad nobody was hurt.

 

[gtaus]

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.

You are absolutely thinking correctly. For almost all my drilling projects at home, I just slap in a small 1.5 Ah battery, drill a few holes, and usually I still have 3 or 4 bars (out of 4) left on the battery charge. The only time I really needed a bigger battery for my drill was when I was building a deck, and then I used my 4 Ah batteries which lasted almost all day.

If you are buying Ryobi batteries, look at kits that go on sale with batteries included. As I have stated, I buy a few new batteries every year to replenish my stock with fresh batteries, and I can usually find the complete tool kits with batteries for less money than just buying the batteries by themselves. And yes, I have about 4 drills, 3 impact drivers, 2 flashlights, 3 circular saws, probably 10 chargers, and at least 6 carrying cases, etc... When Ryobi gives you the tools for free in a kit for less money than the cost of the batteries if bought standalone, you just end up with more tools than you might need. On the other hand, I don't have to worry about breaking my one and only drill because I have extras on the shelf.

I guess you could call me a Ryobi fan. It's not that I think their tools are the best, but they are the most affordable tools that consistently meet my needs, they all share the same battery format for over 20 years so my oldest Ryobi 18v tools work just fine with my new 18v batteries (actually work better), and I have only had one tool die before the warranty period and Ryobi fixed it no hassle.

None of my other brand tools lasted that long. The tool might still be fine, but darned if you can find a new replacement battery for that tool. I assume that is why you want to convert a Ryobi battery to power your existing non-Ryobi drills.

BTW, if you build a nice converter for a Ryobi battery to be used on another brand tool, you might be able to make some money if it works. I don't see any those converters on the market.

 

[gtaus]

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.

I agree. Most homeowners would probably never need anything more than a battery chainsaw with a 14 or 16 inch bar. If you burn wood for heat, then it's time to invest in a gas chainsaw with a bigger bar.

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.

Yep, my Ryobi batteries are warrantied for 3 years, but they typically last much longer. I currently have some 10 year old LI Ryobi batteries that are still working for me. Over 15+ plus years of using the same Ryobi 18v batteries, I have a system where I rotate the use of my batteries, so they all get used in order, one after the other. That ensures no battery is left for months on the shelf without being cycled. Also, because I use the same Ryobi battery in all my tools, it's not sitting on the shelf for just the few times a year I need to use the chainsaw. I am constantly using the batteries in weed trimmers, flashlights, drills, impact wrenches, circular saws, fans, air pumps, nail guns, lawn mowers, etc...

I think using the batteries and cycling them periodically actually keeps the battery in better condition and makes it last longer over many years.

I don't know about other brands, but Ryobi usually runs sales on tool kits with batteries where they basically give you the tools for free if you consider the cost of a standalone battery price.

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.

I have never rented a chainsaw. I think the problem one might have is that everyone would be trying to rent that chainsaw after a big storm and there might not be any to rent when needed. I'm more inclined to buy a tool just to have it available when I need it, but certainly I agree that renting as needed might be a much better option for many people.

 

[Silexian]

I agree. Most homeowners would probably never need anything more than a battery chainsaw with a 14 or 16 inch bar. If you burn wood for heat, then it's time to invest in a gas chainsaw with a bigger bar.



Yep, my Ryobi batteries are warrantied for 3 years, but they typically last much longer. I currently have some 10 year old LI Ryobi batteries that are still working for me. Over 15+ plus years of using the same Ryobi 18v batteries, I have a system where I rotate the use of my batteries, so they all get used in order, one after the other. That ensures no battery is left for months on the shelf without being cycled. Also, because I use the same Ryobi battery in all my tools, it's not sitting on the shelf for just the few times a year I need to use the chainsaw. I am constantly using the batteries in weed trimmers, flashlights, drills, impact wrenches, circular saws, fans, air pumps, nail guns, lawn mowers, etc...

I think using the batteries and cycling them periodically actually keeps the battery in better condition and makes it last longer over many years.

I don't know about other brands, but Ryobi usually runs sales on tool kits with batteries where they basically give you the tools for free if you consider the cost of a standalone battery price.




I have never rented a chainsaw. I think the problem one might have is that everyone would be trying to rent that chainsaw after a big storm and there might not be any to rent when needed. I'm more inclined to buy a tool just to have it available when I need it, but certainly I agree that renting as needed might be a much better option for many people.

Truthfully the average home owner that has only used a chainsaw here and there. Would probably be better off waiting for emergency agencies. Or hiring a professional to do storm cleanup. Hacking into a tangled mess without the experience to tell if what you are cutting is under tension or what it could knock loose when it falls. Is a recipe for disaster.

 

[gtaus]

Truthfully the average home owner that has only used a chainsaw here and there.

I think that's right. I suspect most homeowners probably have never used a chainsaw. Sometimes I forget that I have been using a chainsaw for almost 50 years. We had a wood burning furnace for supplemental/backup heating when I was a young child. I can remember going out into the woods with dad and helping load up the old pickup with wood to burn. Mainly, my dad used the chainsaw back in those days, but I watched and learned. I think I started using a chainsaw, under supervision, in my early teens.

Would probably be better off waiting for emergency agencies. Or hiring a professional to do storm cleanup.

Well, where I live, it would be a very long time before emergency agencies would be out to my property to help me, assuming a bad storm, for example. Also, the tree professionals where I live charge a lot of money, and somehow the rates double or triple after a storm. You can pay someone $2000.00 to remove a large tree, or get yourself a chainsaw and do it yourself for the cost of a chainsaw and gas/batteries.

Hacking into a tangled mess without the experience to tell if what you are cutting is under tension or what it could knock loose when it falls. Is a recipe for disaster.

Yep, I don't want to be on the next YouTube tree felling failures video reel. Too many homeowners out there throwing around a chainsaw putting their lives, and others, in danger. Even the professionals can get caught by surprise and bad things can happen.

If I have a superpower in terms of using a chainsaw, it is in knowing when to walk away from a project that is beyond my skill level, and being man enough to admit that I need someone else to do it.

For example, after our last storm, my neighbor had 6 very large trees come down. 5 of the 6 trees were on the ground and easy to cut up. One 50 foot tall tree, however, was hung up in another tree about 30 feet off the ground, at a slant. I call that situation a widow maker and told him that I would help with all the trees on the ground but I did not have the skill to fell that hung tree. Actually, it's also a matter of getting in some professional equipment like a big caterpillar to pull it down or a bucket ladder that can reach 40 feet high so it can be cut from the top down. We got all the other trees cleaned up but they are looking for someone with the proper equipment to take down that hung tree.

 

[Silexian]

I think that's right. I suspect most homeowners probably have never used a chainsaw. Sometimes I forget that I have been using a chainsaw for almost 50 years. We had a wood burning furnace for supplemental/backup heating when I was a young child. I can remember going out into the woods with dad and helping load up the old pickup with wood to burn. Mainly, my dad used the chainsaw back in those days, but I watched and learned. I think I started using a chainsaw, under supervision, in my early teens.



Well, where I live, it would be a very long time before emergency agencies would be out to my property to help me, assuming a bad storm, for example. Also, the tree professionals where I live charge a lot of money, and somehow the rates double or triple after a storm. You can pay someone $2000.00 to remove a large tree, or get yourself a chainsaw and do it yourself for the cost of a chainsaw and gas/batteries.



Yep, I don't want to be on the next YouTube tree felling failures video reel. Too many homeowners out there throwing around a chainsaw putting their lives, and others, in danger. Even the professionals can get caught by surprise and bad things can happen.

If I have a superpower in terms of using a chainsaw, it is in knowing when to walk away from a project that is beyond my skill level, and being man enough to admit that I need someone else to do it.

For example, after our last storm, my neighbor had 6 very large trees come down. 5 of the 6 trees were on the ground and easy to cut up. One 50 foot tall tree, however, was hung up in another tree about 30 feet off the ground, at a slant. I call that situation a widow maker and told him that I would help with all the trees on the ground but I did not have the skill to fell that hung tree. Actually, it's also a matter of getting in some professional equipment like a big caterpillar to pull it down or a bucket ladder that can reach 40 feet high so it can be cut from the top down. We got all the other trees cleaned up but they are looking for someone with the proper equipment to take down that hung tree.

My dad was an arborist. Growing up my parents had a wood stove and then an outdoor wood burning furnace. To heat their home with. So I grew up helping my dad on side jobs. Plus falling trees in the spring, then processing them into firewood in the fall. I also worked for my uncle clearing power line right of ways. During the summer through high school. So I have quite a bit chainsaw experience myself. You are right in your statement that it is easy to forget. That not everyone has the same kind of background and experience with chainsaws that people like us do.