Chainsaw: gas vs battery

R

rookie7

Outdoorsman
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 26, 2009
989
251
Georgia
#1
I searched, and the most recent thread was from 2020. Battery technology has evolved since then.

Looking to purchase a new chainsaw - either 16 or 18" bar. I"m already into the Ryobi battery eco system, so I have been looking at their 40v saws.

I did own a 16" Ryobi gas saw 4 or so years back. It ran like a champ until I let the gas sit for 6 months. Now it is a paper weight even after I replaced the carb, lines, and spark plug. No start at all.

I live in a rural area on a very small farm = mini farm.

Hoping to find a quality saw via Black Friday sale that I will use maybe 2 to 3 times a year at most.

If I go gas, I will be more diligent this time and run it out after use.

I have no loyalty to brand. TIA for your input.
 
#2
Did you try tuning the carb on your current saw? L screw 1 turn out from all the way in, h screw 2 out. Idle screw 2 turns out.

Fill it up with new gas. Choke on. Little bit of throttle pull the cord several times till it hits (even the slightest pop like it's trying to ignite fuel) Then choke off. Try again. If it doesn't start go choke off full throttle. Pull cord till it runs.
 
#4
If you need to cut limbs off tree in a gay bar, buy an electric chain saw. While you might find an outlet next to the glory hole in the bathroom, there are no outlets for your charger in the forest.

If you think you are still a man, buy a real big boy chainsaw and cut trees during storms and power outages.
 
#5
On all the news saw you can't adjust the carbs. They are "Auto-tune" keep the environment safe and shit.

Almost as ghey as an electric chainsaw.

Find a good running older saw Husky or Stihl and have a good shop go through it. They adjust the carb on high jet with tacometer to the top RPM the saw is supposed to run at your elevation.

NEVER use ethanol gas in it!
 
#6
I've been using the brushless 16in and 18in ryobi 40v saws for about 4 years. I've had several gas saws over the years, including stihl and homelite. The ryobi's can definitely hold their own for most medium duty work. I have cut down several trees up to approx 25in in diameter. Finally wore the bar out on the 18in and replaced it with a big box store oregon bar. Imo, the battery saws work really well, biggest issue is the shit tier low kick back semi chisel chains most big box stores stock. With a full chisel pro chain the 40v ryobis cut like a hot knife.

I have many ryobi 40v yard tools. Not all are great. The string trimmer is decent, but heavy. The hedge trimmers rock. The brushless push mower is average. The blower is good for light dury, but i have a stihl br600 for the fall leaf season, because battery just wont cut it for the amount of leaves I have to wrestle.

Battery stuff is pretty good these days, but gas is still needed just depends on the tool and the use case.
 
#8
If you only need to cut a few smaller limbs a few times a year a 20v battery saw will be fine. If you need to do any real cutting, for any length of time you'll want gas. The battery saws (20v at least) are slow to cut and will just piss you off if you have to make more than a few cuts. I got the 20v dewalt as a "throw it in the truck in case I have to open a ranch road but hope not to use it saw" and its fine for that and better than nothing. I'll likely be pissed if I have to cut a big tree out of the way. I haven't used any of the 40v saws.
 
#10
I have an old, but well maintained Jonsereds 70E gas saw. While heavy by today's standards, it is reliable and very powerful. With a good chain, you can just about lay on it and it will cut like crazy. Catches revs like an old motocross bike. My Dad bought it when I was maybe 12 years old; I'm 65 now. It was one of the very first saws with electronic ignition, hence the "E" designation. Works great for felling trees or bigger jobs.
I just recently picked up a Dewalt 20V chainsaw and a 20V pole saw. These are both surprisingly capable for smaller jobs. I have a feeling the Josereds will see less use.
 
#11
The biggest I've seen is an 18", and they don't seem to work as well as the 12" bar ones. I cut some dead fall on the trail last week and the electric saw I used worked pretty well, but it did bind up and stop a couple of times on a 8" trunk.

I also like being able to refuel in a minute far away from power (or power out). For small jobs I'd say they're superior. For large trees they just don't make them big enough to do it safely. That said, I have a 12" 162, a 30" 440, and a 36" 661, so I am not investing in a battery saw anytime soon, and between them they they'll probably outlive me.

If I could only have one saw I'd say the 271 Farm Boss turning a 20" bar. It's a hell of a lot lighter and less fatiguing than my 440 Magnum even turning a shorter bar. I got that one for Christmas and my wife was OK with me trading it for the 440 Magnum, and with the amount of clearing and firewood I do I am glad I did. I am much more comfortable using a saw that's too big than trying to do a big job with a saw that's too small.
 
#12
If you’re just doing small limb pruning here and there and will rarely use it and or are carb stupid, the electric saw work fine. My sister has one she loves it…

If you plan on actually cutting down and cutting up some larger trees, just buy a gas saw. The time saved is worth the extra money. if you can’t do maintenance on a chainsaw or keep the engine running… lol

If you’re having issues with your older Saw running, it’s very common that the cheap fuel lines on cheap saws rot out and they must be replaced.

Remove the air filter spray a little bit of gas down the carburetor pull the cord with the ignition on, that’s the fastest way to prime a stubborn saw that doesn’t have a priming bulb.

And I have not seen a modern saw that doesn’t have jet adjustments (San FI) idle adjustment. It’s literally three fucking screws. If you can’t figure it out you probably shouldn’t be using a chainsaw.

Echo, Sthil, Husk all make good saws.

Cheapest best performing 20 inch saw you can get an echo 590/shindawai 591. Unless you go with one of the Chinese clone saws
 
#13
I’m in a similar situation as @1911hombre except that my big saw is a Sthil O44 with a 28” bar. For around home the Dewalt 20v replaced my 50 year old Homelite XL and it does as good of a job for limbing and other things. I replaced the chain with a proper chisel tooth similar to my falling saw and as long as I do my maintenance the Dewalt has fit the bill. My only gripe is battery life and cost. I’ll go through two 6aH batteries on my string trimmer to every tank of premix in my gas one (Sthil also).
 
#14
For most jobs a bigger saw IS better. The only time I REALLY preferred the small saw is when I have to climb a tree. Done it with both saws so I have the experience to compare.
 
#15
Still 261 master race. One saw that will do 90% of the chainsaw work anywhere.
Buy the boughie premixed ethanol free gas and treat it like you hate it. Mine lives unprotected sliding around the back of my truck 24/7 365. Dropped off poles, ran over with sno-cat. Do anything to it except care for it!!
 
#16
When I bought the limbing saw I was going to get the Sthil balanced, tree trimmer saw with the handle over the engine rather than aft, but when I saw it was $400+ instead of $175 I decided that I was much more likely to use it on the ground than in a tree and it just wasn't worth it.

The other thing to note on the two cycle saws is to BUY CLEAN GAS!!! This can't be said enough. Ethanol burns the hell out of your high rpm saw and shortens the life by more than half. It is also mostly responsible for rotting out those fuel lines faster than it should. Alcohol is poision to two cycle engines, so get the clean gas apps on your phone to find pure fuel or go to your nearest MFA that sells the good stuff.
 
#18
Electric saws are great for anything that doesn't involve heavy cutting, but there are a couple of things to be aware of.
1) chainsaw chaps won't stop an electric saw, and 2) moist of us fill the bar lube when we hill the gas tank, so you have to be careful to remember to check the lube tank regularly.
 
#19
I'm a bit biased towards gas saws... I've ran a Stihl 290 Farm Boss for years... I wish everything was as reliable as that saw.

However a few weeks ago I needed to clear some small trees to open a shooting lane out at my sister's and my son-in-law had my Stihl.

My sister told me to take her "truck saw" that my brother-in-law bought for her... It's a Milwaukee. Don't remember the voltage... but it made short work of those small trees.

I wouldn't want to use it to process a big tree into a truckload of firewood. But for clearing limbs off of fence and stuff like that it would work great.

My main gripe about electric/battery saws was that they never had an automatic bar oiler... You had to push the little button to pump bar/chain oil every so many seconds. I like to keep my attention on running the saw when I'm working with one.

I'm betting they've come quite a ways since then... And I didn't notice a manual oiler on the Milwaukee so I assumed it was auto oiling. But ask before you buy one just to be sure.

If they made a battery saw that was as much of a workhorse as a gas one... Get you a solar powered charging station... You'd be set for the Apocalypse. No worries about finding gas to process wood ever again. 🤔

Mike
 
#21
Stihl 262 with 20 inch bar here. It’s the main workhorse around our place. Also have the Stihl 16” gas powered pole saw. Both serve very well.

Bought a Dewalt 20v battery saw for my step dad. Lighter weight works well for him. Also good for my pre-teen boys to help grandpa. It is not a felling saw by any means but is useful for limbing and cutting deadfall.

My main complaint with the battery tools is that they tend to be underpowered. We have quite a few ryobi battery tools and they work fine for little jobs. Many times tho I need to use pneumatic impact wrench, plug in hammer drills, or gas powered cutting tools because the battery tools can’t get it done.

As other have mentioned ethanol fuel kills small engines. We use ethanol free fuel for all our saws, mowers, and generators. That’s all I run in our automobiles too.
 
#22
Our family owns a Christmas tree farm. We’ve always run Stihl. I’ve run many from the 025/26 saws, the 036/044 and 440 Magnum. That 440 was overkill for tree cutting but a beast for firewood.

Right now we run a heard of the 362 Stihls. Awesome saw between size/weight and power.

I also work in a woodyard at a paper mill. We have a 362 stihl there as well. They however prefer us to use our Milwaukee battery powered saw for most stuff as it’s in confined spaces or indoors like giant debarking drums or deice decks.

That Milwaukee is a 20V. Its runtime is impressive on the 12 amp hour battery it comes with. It’s ok with an 8 amp hour and it eats a 5 amp hour like a fat kid downing a cupcake

If you’re just looking for something to clean a few trees up after a storm, cut some firewood for your campfire or camp or just general cleaning up trees/limbs the Milwaukee would be ok. It’s quiet and when kept sharp is good enough for most tasks

If you’re running a saw for 5-8 hours a day, cutting cords of firewood, clearing shooting lanes, cutting trees all day or diving into a decent pile of hardwood trees or logs then gas is better.

I’m not sure how the others stack up but continuous use on Milwaukee batteries especially the smaller ones will fry them. You start stacking up 12 amp hour batteries or frying your 5/8 amp hour batteries and it gets expensive real fast

Electric is nice. It’s quiet. But when you’re doing serious work and need power I still feel the gas is king. I’ve ran the gas in single digit temps. Maybe some minor adjustments to tune it in. I’ve never ran the electric in that. But generally very cold and batteries don’t get along for very long

It should be noted that the chain/bar on the stihls we run are much larger and stronger than the Milwaukee we have. Maybe you can buy bigger for the Milwaukee but it won’t have the power to run it. You can stop the Milwaukee easily if you try cutting to fast into a log. You can bend the bar fairly easily which bogs the saw down as well. Also if you hit some dirt or a rock it’s game over. It just doesn’t have the power to finish the job and will fry the battery attempting to chew through the last bit of your cut. I’d never advise running a dull saw. But the tooth/chain size on the stihl just makes it more aggressive and forgiving
 
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#23
Recently bought a battery powered chainsaw.
(Stihl MSA 220 TC)
16" bar, used it for cleaning up the debris here after the last hurricane.
Cuts through 6" limbs fine.
Over that size, I had to use a gas saw.
I like the "grab & go" and quiet operation.
Also like not having to mess w/ pre-mix.
 
#25
I got out of some tests by helping a teacher pick out new saws and a weed eater then getting them up and running for him. Easy 95, probably would have gotten 100 taking the test, but fuck that.
 
#26
Go make an account on the arborist forum and check the Px

Find you an old but well taken care of Husky 346XP

Or a 350 that was modded to have 346XP guts

Thank me later
 
#27
I recently bought a Echo CS 310 from a big box store to cut some split firewood down to shorter lengths for the Solo Ranger stove. I had about a full cord of split wood, and I knew the little electric saw I had would be a long drawn out process with it. The 310 came with a 14" bar and chain, started up w/o issue, ran and cut the seasoned wood very easily IMO (not an experienced woodsman but I knew which end of the saw to grab hold of). The saw idled well, the oiler worked well, etc., No complaints at all for $230+tax . I did run the gas out and drained the bar oil tank, and cleaned everything up good, and probably won't need it until next year. I treated it just like my 10 y/o Echo weed eater, and it started up everytime I pulled the cord. The electric saw I have just doesn't turn the RPM's needed to cut the amount of firewood I had to deal with, so I bought a gas one.
 
#29
If you are gardening and use a chainsaw to trim up hedges then a battery saw will be fine, no wait even my landscapers
dont use electric shit to do my hedges they use gas.

I bought a electric trimmer for my wife so she dont have to pull my FS131 except she now only wants to use the FS131
because the electric dies fast and when you have a few hundred yards to trim carrying extra batteries gets old quick.

I have 3 chainsaws one is a Husky professional saw with auto tune carb, guess which one always starts in any weather and
runs like a raped ape. You can put the Husky down and come back an half hour later and it will still be sitting there idling,
where my other saws you have to screw with the fuel mixture depending on the weather.

For a small farm you need a new Husky or Stihl gas saw and move on. As far as your old saw unless you are
capable of checking the crankcase for leaks and possibly changing the seals and bearings having a shop do it
will cost more than the saw is worth.
 
#30
I have the 8” Milwaukee one. Never thought I’d use it as much as I do. For setting tree stands and what not it’s super handy.

I wanted mine to live in my truck 24/7 but it seeps oil out and leaves a oil slick wherever it sits for a while
 
#31
A lot of truth here. I was unable to find parts for my Homelite, and when I checked with two shops neither one could find enough of the parts to do an overhaul either. That’s why I ended up with the Dewalt for my small light use saw.
 
#34
Most of my stands are relatively close to where I can drive. Edge of fields or by roads. All our private property

The saw has a spot on the back where you can carabiner it to your belt if you wanted to haul it a ways
 
#36
I bought a dewalt chainsaw to cut trees from a man lift. I was incredibly impressed. They’re slow compared to a gas saw but it’s a work horse on one battery. Worked all day and only uses the one battery. That includes trimming many trees outside of my scope. Don’t hesitate to buy.
 
#37
Sounds like 2 saws are in my future.

Gas it is for the main saw. I have at least 2 Stihl dealers near me, so I’ll tackle that next week. I will 100% climb to the top of a tree to limb it and top it off to make it easier to cut. Will probably buy a small top handle for that.

I have never thought of draining out the bar oil. Now will. Thanks to all for the input.
 
#39
20V Porter Cable sawsall and some brush/pruning blades. I use it all the time. If I am cutting a lot, like a tree into firewood that is over 6 inches around I'll use a gas chainsaw. But you would be surprised how much can be done with this.

 
#40
Keep that chain sharp

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For the main cutting saw get a 3/8’s pitch. It will cut faster.

Thing is a the smallest Stihl with that type chain is an ms 362 and they run about 1k. 260/290’s run .325 pitch.

Telling ya take a look at an Echo590. They are about half the price but have a 59cc engine and pull a 3/8’s pitch chain. I have run it next to my bros 261 and a husk 460, closest thing comparable price wise… it cut faster.

All 3 brands are solid, but price to performance on the 590, in my experience is better.
 
#41
i have a gas stihl i bought back in 2004 when a storm went through and destroyed my yard. i don't run it often, but it always starts up for me. only thing i ever had to do was change the spark plug. once. LOVE that saw.

picked up a m12 milwaukee hatchet. damn nice for pruning and small trees. anything over 4 inches and it struggles.

picked up the m18 chainsaw. and it is great. i use it when i have a quick job that needs doing. and at work where hauling the gas and oil is a problem. i already have the batteries for my other tools, so saving on space is a big advantage there (aerial telecommuncations work). the kickback guard on the milwaukee feels decent too.

so if i have a BIG job to do, the stihl gets the nod. trimming branches/ shooting lanes? the m12 hatchet. a in between job? the milwaukee m18 chainsaw.

oh....and i do have a stihl gas pole saw. love that fucker too.

one thing ya want to keep in mind when buying electric saws....they still have a bar and chain. so IF they do not have a system for chain oil.....stay away from it.
 
#42
Gas, Stihl or Echo. Cheapest guy spends the most - he buys and underpowered tool, then spends the money on what he really needed in the first place.

My saws feed my 35ton splitter, so it's all about efficiency.

My latest buy was an Echo CS-620P, great all around saw.
 
#43
The Stihl 261 is a great saw. Out horses the 40cc saws, but weighs the same or less. If youre running it 3 times a year use the expensive Stihl premix. If you get in a big job with it use ethanol free pump gas and run the last tank as the Stihl gas. Always run your saw out of fuel before you store it for long periods of time.
 
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#45
Stihl 026 used or 261/262 20" bar converted to 3/8. Run the yellow bar and chain. Keep it sharp. I run 40 to 1 mix with stabil added to the mix. Drain the mix and Run the saw empty when storing the saw.
 
#47
I run several several stihl saws one of them I’ve had for about 10 years and sometimes it’s sits for the better of 6 months or so and still fires up every time no issues. I’ve done a tune up on it once and run the stihl oil in it, also have a Milwaukee batt powered pole saw for small stuff and trimming around the bottom of trees it works great for what it is but any real work and the stihl comes out.
 
#48
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Some of the battery saws have issues with certain types of cuts. Been a bit since I watched the video. I think it was cutting upwards. Some lower electric saws you cannot do plunge cuts at all. Can be useful at times.

There is a newer Husqvarna battery (542i) that has a clutch and behaves more like a normal saw with chaps. Problem is the good battery saws are way expensive.

Also seen good about the echo 2511 top handle. He is going away from the Stihl top handle to the Husqvarna gas ones or electric ones or that 2511. (t542i xp and t540xp mkiii gasser).

I have a Stihl 261 18" with yellow chain. Runs great. Took it from 4k feet up to 10k feet and only had issues because of too old of gas. It adjusted and did it's best but wouldn't keep running. My fault.

Recently helped a neighbor take down some dead standing trees. 5 or 6 at 8-10". Quick work. Was fun. Climbed one with spikes cause it was over a fence. 15- 20 ft stub left.

If I ever got a top handle it would be a 2511.
 
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