Looked at a few previous posts here in regards to chainsaws, but could not see what I was looking for.

Has anyone got experiences of the Ryobi One cordless chainsaws? I have a few of their tools with the One+ battery, so seems like a good idea to get the body only version of the chainsaws.

It would be for only smallish trees say 6-8 inches thick max. A corded is not really an option due to garden size and where I would potentially use it.

I’ve no experience of battery ones, but that Ryobi looks ok for the money.
Keep chain sharp, oil topped up and take your time and you should be fine.

Oh and of course proper PPE and training is required.

What’s the battery life like? Unless your jobs are very small and light I’d be worried about spending a lot of time waiting for the battery to charge. No experience of them though, I may be way off base.

It would be for only smallish trees say 6-8 inches thick max.

I’d wager 6″ of wet wood is beyond the abilities of an 18v saw. Makita make a saw that takes two of their LXT batteries and seems pretty capable, – there are youtube demonstration of it in action (although I’ve only seen demonstrations of it cutting logs rather than gelling) but if you don’t already have the batteries (ideally the 5amp/hr ones) and charger then the cost would be pretty eye watering

How many smallish tress do you have in your garden? – McMoonter quantities? or just the same amount of trees as everyone else? It only cost a couple of hundred quid to pay someone to fell the trees in my gf’s mums garden – and I don’t think they’ll grow back in the time it takes to recharge a battery

To be honest if 6-8″ is the max size I would use a bow saw.

I can’t comment on the Ryobi one but my Husqvarna is a great wee saw. Cuts every bit as well as the smaller petrol saws without the hassle of fuel, mix, struggling to start it after 6 months etc.

I use it mainly for snedding/limbing and bucking smaller trees but it’s perfectly capable of felling small to medium sized stuff. Not cheap though and I have bigger saws too. Handy to have beside the splitting stump too because it’s not idling and doesn’t require a pull every time you need to make a cut.

It’s ideal for stuff like this

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32mFVr3S22E[/video]

and this

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhrez6Dee68[/video]

I’d been sceptical about a battery powered saw. That’s quite impressive, Id like to see it deal with some bigger stuff.

Will check out the Husqvana, I also saw a Stihl one that is similar.First thing will be to book on to a course.

We have a small bit of woodland behind the house, so definitely more than the average garden. Along with a piece of land at the top of our track where some trees came down in the winds last night. Made me realise that if one did come down over the track, we don’t have anyone to get it out of the way without paying.

I have a cheap £50 Petrol one from Homebase. It has lasted me 9 years so far. I’ve used it maybe 10 times, but at that price it’s cheaper than hiring. Starts first time even after 1 or 2 years of inactivity with the same 2 stroke Petrol that was sat in it from previous. Given you seem to have a more justifiable reason for a chainsaw than me, I reckon a petrol one shouldn’t be dismissed.

If you don’t learn how to sharpen a chain and by least I mean properly sharp it will eat batteries.

That 536Li xp is a nice bit of kit but once you’ve bought the saw, the charger and a couple of batteries then you might as well get a petrol saw like the 435 – it’d work out cheaper and probably do everything you need.
The 536 is only worth considering if noise levels are an issue and, as long as you’re not working at unreasonable times, why would they be?

I actually wouldn’t mind one (the 536Li) for trail clearing but I can’t justify spending that much.

Andy R – Member
That 536Li xp is a nice bit of kit but once you’ve bought the saw, the charger and a couple of batteries then you might as well get a petrol saw like the 435 – it’d work out cheaper and probably do everything you need

It would certainly. I was well aware of that but noise, mess, portability and intermittent storage/ lack of usage is a factor…and I have bigger petrol saws.

The 536 is only worth considering if noise levels are an issue and, as long as you’re not working at unreasonable times, why would they be?

One of the main things is not having a running saw while processing firewood, either in a residential area, semi residential, a shed etc. …so when you’re in a work flow where you either have a running saw making constant noise or you are constantly restarting it you don’t have to make that choice.

A perfect example where it makes a lot of sense in a professional context is top handled saws for climbing. Starting a saw up a tree can be tricky and tiresome. It also shares the battery and charger with a ton of other husqvarna tools.

Ultimately most power tools are going this way and most home owners don’t really need a petrol saw , cost is the main downside at the minute.

The guys who manage our business park’s gardens etc all use electric power tools with a massive battery pack that has a built in ruck sack. It runs leaf blowers, strimmers, chain saws etc. Looks like a neat solution.

I wouldn’t go for battery.

If it’s a job you could do in one charge, use a bow saw or pull saw like a silky sugoi – good option if you’re walking around or climbing with it as it comes with a leg sheath.

If it’s a big job that’s going to take you a the best part of a day or more, then you’re going to put the saw away for a couple of years, get an electric mains power one and an extension cord.

I’ve got a black and decker one that used to be my dad’s. It’s 30 years old, still going strong. I did a lot of processing ove the past couple of years, probably 20 hours over a few days. It’s now back in the shed again and will go perfectly next time I need it, which might be 5 years from now. (might be next week if something comes down!) the only maintenance it’s ever had is chain sharpening, tensioning and replacement, and refilling of the bar oil reservoir. It just keeps going.

No worrying about spare batteries, losing chargers, what charge level to store at, fire safety concerns, environmental concerns about lithium, whether you’ll be able to get replacement batteries in 5 year’s time…

also no worries about noise of petrol motor, premix ratios, storing petrol, leaving old petrol in the saw, what to do with the 3 litres of gone off petrol that you bought for the last job 3 years ago, why the thing won’t start…

I thought I would bump this as I spent yesterday working with my battery saw – light felling, snedding and prepping wood for the chipper, all done on a single charge. The main reason I am posting though is my friend who has been a tree surgeon for some years now is getting increasingly interested in battery equipment. He is starting to worry that he is doing irreparable damage to his hearing, and his hands are numb/stiff after prolonged use on the top handled saw.

The vibration levels on the pro level battery saws are almost half that of their petrol equivalents, and whilst they are still loud, they are a few decibels lower than petrol and silent when not cutting as opposed to constant idle. Also if he buys into battery tech for his saw he can use it on leaf blowers, strimmers and hedge trimmers to save his ears/habds with those too. Not entirely relevant to most, but I thought it was worth posting.

Professional user here. We trialled some electric Huskies last last year and in summary we found, the top handled one was nice up the tree, the pole saw one is a great application and the std. chainsaw type is ideal at the side of the chipper to cut any akward branchwood.
The std. chainsaw would be great for X-cutting smallish and softwood firewood.
Not a lot of torque, so learn how to sharpen properly.
Not cheap but I think it would be an ideal tool to have down in the woods to assist in trail building, hide the saw and just take the batteries home to recharge.

most home owners don’t really need a petrol saw

Yeah but when has ‘need’ mattered when buying a highly tuned 2-Stoke? 😉

PeterPoddy – Member

most home owners don’t really need a petrol saw

Yeah but when has ‘need’ mattered when buying a highly tuned 2-Stoke? [/quote]

No I totally agree, you should absolutely be able to buy whatever you want, that’s why I almost always see people playing with the big saws when I go to my local arb/chainsaw dealers. Apparently the Husqy 372 (a huge 70cc saw) is the number one selling saw in Ireland.

I try to use the smallest or lightest saw I can get away with for a given task.

After going in to my local chainsaw dealer and going through the options with them, I came out with a Husqvana 435. Had a tree around 14inch diameter come down the other day across our track, with a few more of that size dotted along. So should deal with any others. They thought the cordless may not have been up to the job.

Also booked myself on to a proper 2 day course and got all the PPE gear.

mrwhyte – Member

After going in to my local chainsaw dealer and going through the options with them, I came out with a Husqvana 435.

That’s a decent choice. Of course you should have bought something with at least a 22″ bar and 70cc’s 😀

Haha, funnily enough they did say most go in after buying a big chainsaw online and realising they needed something smaller.

I got an Ego 1400 for Christmas.
https://egopowerplus.co.uk/products/chainsaws/cs1401e-35cm-chain-saw

I chose an Ego because of the 56v battery. I got the kit version that comes with the 2ah battery and costs around £250 for chainsaw, battery and charger. It charges up in about an hour or less (never really timed it) with the standard charger. I’ve never used any chainsaw before, but I used it a lot over Christmas and it’s great. Light, quiet, only on when you need it to be, little window for the oil (surprised how quickly it can go through oil) and a nice manual with it that gives you lots of tips and stuff on how to be a lumberjack.

I’ve chopped down old dead oak trees, loads of fallen stuff, etc. Fantastic bit of kit. Difficult to say how long the battery lasts, but I think the 4ah would have been perfect. Sometimes I’m still OK to carry on cutting and lumping logs about, but it runs out. Not a major bother, just pop back home for a bit of lunch and the battery is charged by the time you want to go back out.

We haven’t got and battery chainsaws in our area but have spoken to some that use them in other areas and they say good things about them. We do have a large battery Sthil disc cutter that has pretty impressive battery life.