Chainsaws petrol/electric

[gazdkw82]

I have a log burner and I'm finding myself cutting more and more wood.

In the past I've borrowed chainsaws from friends and family. Stihl's, husqvarna etc all petrol ones.

I've never really been that impressed. They've all had good sharp chains on them and fairly new.


I borrowed my uncle's aldi electric chainsaw and I thought it would be rubbish, however it was brilliant. Cut really easily, easy to control etc

Is it down to user technique? I've always assumed electric chainsaws were not as good as petrol ones?

 

[The Ghost]

I have used petrol chain saws a lot. At home I use an electric chain saw. I think if you are cutting down a 100ft tree, a petrol chain saw in the country is absolutely required. At home an electric is just fine. I cut down a 20 foot tree with it and cut it into burnable chunks. I maintain it very well and it is perfect for cutting small amounts. But Petrol is better for the power in bigger jobs. As to differences in cutting efficiency I think there is none. It is down to a well set up chain saw personally.

 

[Leesparkykent]

A builder I do bits for has just brought the dewalt 54V chainsaw and says it's better that his petrol one.

 

[Andy78]

My brother is an arborist and has replaced all his Stihl liquid fuel climbing saws with Husqvarna battery saws. He has been running them for maybe three years now and he is still impressed. They sound weedy as anything but will provide the power to cope with branches as thick as your leg. As long as the chain is sharp and you look after the tool it doesn't need heaps of power.

If you have a tractor pto though, this may get your logging done quicker.

 

[Squid]

V8 Petrol all the way,

 

[pirate]

Aye, you'll be hanging that bast**d off a karabineer on yer toolbelt...not!
Electric on the ground, petrol (sensibly sized) in the tree...
and frankly, a simple hydraulic splitter to finish the job. Quiet, efficient, satisfying...like a good...errm...now, what was I thinking of there?
Victoria sponge!

 

[PEG]

Hi,for an electric saw,to out-perform a quality petrol counterpart,the latter must have had issues.
The chains may have appeared sharp,but what about the depth stops?

The cutting principle is identical,so with the petrol saws having an advantage power and speed wise,they should only be cutting faster.

I would agree,after a lifetime of using such weapons,that at home,a mains powered saw will cheer the neighbours up,and high work is made safer with a battery saw.

If it's ringing a fallen,30ft oak,non-stop,starting at one end,my old Stihl AV 038 will take on any cordless newcomer

A pal of mine,collects old Danarms,and he has a 1950's model,with no chain-brake,or many other required features,yet uses it as his work saw,and it sounds fantastic

 

[SparkySy]

I have both petrol and electric too, in the field you can't beat petrol or the new battery ones. I have a tree felling mate also who has gone to battery for his climbing saw and says he wouldn't go back. The electric one I got runs a bit slower than the stihl but is much quieter and lighter and you don't have to mix fuel for it either, both have 16" bar and are really useful saws! Next one I buy will be a battery one, you can never have enough chainsaws in my opinion!

 

[snowhead]

If you have a tractor pto though, this may get your logging done quicker.

That looks like it will cut limbs into convenient sized pieces as well..

 

[FatAlan]

There’s some cracking videos on YouTube on how not to cut down trees .

 

[LeeH]

I have a baby Stihl MS181 which seems to do the job for pruning, logging and the odd felling at home

Keeping your chain sharp is key, they soon dull but only take 10 mins to put an edge back on then correctly.

Loads of vids online. Just be sensible with them.

I can imagine the cordless stuff would be great with the motor and battery tech now available.

 

[gazdkw82]

Could you recommend a good battery one?

 

[LeeH]

Stihl
Husqvarna
Dewalt.

 

[gazdkw82]

Those are the brands I suspected would be first choice.

Is there a variety of levels? 18v? 36v?

 

[PEG]

I have a baby Stihl MS181 which seems to do the job for pruning, logging and the odd felling at home

Keeping your chain sharp is key, they soon dull but only take 10 mins to put an edge back on then correctly.

Loads of vids online. Just be sensible with them.

I can imagine the cordless stuff would be great with the motor and battery tech now available.

Good saw- i have an MS181c,just put a drum,chain and mounts on it.

These are a semi-prof model,but with a bit of love,can perform and last.

Only two rules,for that,always use the best oil (chain and mix),and never,ever lend it to anyone

 

[LeeH]

Yep all OEM stuff for me PEG. Stihl HP Ultra oil in the fuel and the synthetic stuff for the bar and chain.

 

[Squid]

As a petrol head I like the sound of a petrol machine running, it also f!!cks the neighbours off.

 

[SparkySy]

You really can't beat the sound or smell of 2stroke in the morning!

 

[brains-lans]

Ive had several electric ones over the years, one was a Bosch from B&Q when we first got the log burner installed and I had a few logs delivered that were just too big for my tiny log burner.

Also had two Einhell GH-EC 2040 from amazon, both of which let the magic smoke out of the motor and were returned.

I now have a Stihl MS181-C as I was annoyed with the above collection, had the Stihl two years, its cut hundreds of logs to size and two reasonably large trees down and hasn't missed a beat. Feed it oil and fuel and sharpen the chain and it should be able to be passed down to my kids...

I also have a Forest Master FM10 and the stand which has made the whole splitting logs thing so easy the wife volunteered to do it

I think the new battery stuff might be good but i was angry and wanted something petrol based

Brian

 

[Pete E]

I have an electric chainsaw...I don't recall the brand but I managed to pick it up in a sale at B&Q for £60

I bought to cut a hedge that had gone rogue and which was beyond the capabilities of an electric hedge trimmer.

For that job plus some serious "pruning" of some trees in the garden, its been excellent and well worth the money.

That said, I would not consider it a replacement of a small petrol saw when it comes to things like logging ect...

I am sure it would work initially, but I do wonder how long they would hold up doing regular/prolonged relatively heavy work....

 

[Squid]

 

[Raeb]

I have a dewalt 54v and two 3ah batteries, it cuts well and is quiet enough to not annoy sensitive neighbours.
The only problem I have with it is the batteries don’t last very long when rip cutting large logs.
I think I might have to add a petrol saw to the shopping list. Can’t have too many tools.

 

[gnuuser]

Only two rules,for that,always use the best oil (chain and mix),and never,ever lend it to anyone

i definitely echo that statement!
i own a stihl 011 av and its one heck of a nice saw, any chainsaw will do its work best if kept in top shape.
knowing how to properly sharpen the chain (including trimming the rakers) does not take long to learn but gets a lot easier with practice.
I was a logger when I was younger so I learned it fairly early, I also learned never get complacent with any chainsaw. (saw a seasoned logger take his own leg off by accident, Not pleasant!