Need powerful electric chainsaw

[SDHNTR]

I have a little 12” 20v DeWalt and it sucks. Not enough balls to cut through oak. I need something better and more powerful. Before someone says it, I already have a big, gas pro-grade 24” Husqvarna. I just need something that rides in the truck for occasional light cutting. I’m not stockpiling cords with it. Want the most powerful electric saw without spending $500+. Any suggestions?

 

[Rich M]

I have a ryobi 18 inch battery saw. I took 150 ft maple with it and an electric cord 14 inch for when the batteries were charging.

It will cut 8-12 inch wood fine. Just dont push it, sucks battery dead fast if you try to cut 18 inch wood.

 

[ericacymcdonald]

That project farm guy on YouTube has some good battery chainsaw comparisons.

 

[Mike Islander]

Go to the Treebuzz.com forum and see what the arborists are using/recommending to each other. It's mostly Husky and Stihl.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Echo dcs2500t

 

[SWDutchman]

Anyone have experience with Milwaukee's electric?

 

[copperhead04]

I have the Milwaukee 14” top handle amd it’s a beast for its size. I run it with a 12.0 battery and it lasts for a surprising amount of time. I was able to cut up a big old apple tree that fell on our property with it with ease.

 

[SDHNTR]

Echo dcs2500t

Do you own that saw? It’s a bit more than I’d like to spend. How’s it so on hardwoods?

 

[*zap*]

Maybe look at the silky katanaboy 500? Not electric thou....

 

[Bears]

Do you own that saw? It’s a bit more than I’d like to spend. How’s it so on hardwoods?

Don't go with the top handle saw. Get the Echo DCS5000 if you go Echo for what you stated is your use case. (I have both of them.)
Just picked up a Husqvarna power Axe 350, haven't used it so no thoughts there but it seems like a great value.
My favorite is a Greenworks 60v 16" bar I got on BF for $150 at TSC.

I'd suggest you focus on your preferred battery family and then pick a saw from there.

 

[Bears]

 

[Alaska92]

Anyone have experience with Milwaukee's electric?

Yes. I have had very good luck with them. We use them at work quite a bit these days. They would be a good choice for the OP intended use.

 

[SDHNTR]

Don't go with the top handle saw. Get the Echo DCS5000 if you go Echo for what you stated is your use case. (I have both of them.)
Just picked up a Husqvarna power Axe 350, haven't used it so no thoughts there but it seems like a great value.
My favorite is a Greenworks 60v 16" bar I got on BF for $150 at TSC.

I'd suggest you focus on your preferred battery family and then pick a saw from there.

Why not a top handle saw?

 

[Maverick1]

I have the Milwaukee 18v. It works really well for lighter duty work. Anything hardwood or significant size it doesn’t do really well. Also overheats batteries in the summer. I used it to cut through a 20-24” oak and had to bring 4 batteries with and cycle through them as they overheated one by one, but weren’t fully drained. Does great for backyard chores though.

 

[Alaska92]

I have the Milwaukee 18v. It works really well for lighter duty work. Anything hardwood or significant size it doesn’t do really well. Also overheats batteries in the summer. I used it to cut through a 20-24” oak and had to bring 4 batteries with and cycle through them as they overheated one by one, but weren’t fully drained. Does great for backyard chores though.

That’s interesting. I haven’t seen that issue, although I haven’t tried cutting through that diameter of hardwood. One thing that is certainly helpful is to keep the chain super sharp. We do and they easily cut quickly through anything we’ve used them on including large diameter creosoted power poles.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I have an EGO with a 14” bar. 56 volt battery. great for yard work and light demo. Any of them will run the battery down if the chain gets dull. Works for me cuz I also have their mower, blower, and weed wacker.

 

[johnnycake]

My DeWalt 60v with the 16" bar is a work horse

 

[Alaska92]

Any of them will run the battery down if the chain gets dull.

This. The key with battery operated chainsaws especially is to be over zealous in keeping them sharp.

 

[IDLassie]

We went with a Silky Katana saw.

 

[Bears]

Why not a top handle saw?

Top handle saws are extremely unbalanced for any "real" cutting. They're lightweight limbing saws for tree climbers to use in close quarters. Easy to slip and get a hand in the chain, or nick your arms/legs. I keep my GW in my truck box, have another one in the SxS - all rear handle.

Why Choose a Top-Handle Chainsaw?

Top-handle chainsaws are the perfect choice for professional users and arborists. In this article, Husqvarna will explain why this type of chainsaw might be the right choice for your application.

www.husqvarna.com