My first battery-powered chainsaw!

[Hasufel]

OK, I bet a lot of people are laughing at the subject line, but this is actually a decent saw. It's a Greenworks 80V saw with 18" bar. My trial run was a dead 8-inch diameter red oak. I felled and bucked it on just one charge of the battery. In fact, the chain got dull before the battery gave out. It's not exactly a powerhouse but it has one HUGE advantage over my old gas saws--it's incredibly convenient. No gasoline mix, no cord pulling. (Also no smell, and less noise.) Just add bar & chain oil, slap in a charged battery, and turn it on. I've got some heavier-duty projects in mind, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it can handle them!

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Not laughing at all , I have several electric saws. Got an 18 " for most applications and a 12' limb trimmer. Dont have any battery powered ones but i use my craftsman battery powered sawzall i use in the woods a lot. They ALWAYS START right up no ethanol degradation on the fuel lines ect ect . If i have a plug nearby i will always go with my electric plug ins..

 

[Riff]

Not laughing here. I have a Worx 16" plug in saw that I use just as often as I would any gas saw for bucking logs. Also have a Kobalt 40V pole saw that has had no issues going through 6" of white oak, considering picking up their 40V chainsaw for the wife. They're lighter, start right up, and you don't need to deal with the downfalls of ethanol or forgetting to drain out old fuel. Love my gas saws but the electric/battery ones have a place too.

 

[Z33]

The battery powered lawn care items have actually come a long way. I bought a set of 40V ryobi hedge clippers from depot last month with great trepidation and to say I was impressed would be an understatement.

I trimmed about 65 or 70 feet of badly over grown bushes and shrubs along the front of my rental property and still had half a charge left. I am not sure about the longevity but if they last a couple more years I am sold!

 

[JSeery]

Sounds about right. I have the Greenworks 40V and I have been very pleased with it.

 

[iamlucky13]

I hadn't heard of the brand, but it looks like they've got a decent selection of 40V and 80V tools.

Higher voltages than your standard 18V cordless tools doesn't change the amount of energy stored in the battery, but it does help keep down the weight of the motor and power controller. And their batteries are bigger - Their smaller pack holds 1.6 times as much juice as Dewalts biggest battery, and their bigger pack holds 3.2 times as much (10.7 times as much as Dewalt's standard 1500 mAh battery):
http://www.greenworkstools.com/80v-pro/

They claim the same power as a 45cc saw, which I have to wonder if that's not at least a little exaggerated, but even matching the power of the smallest gas saws would be an impressive achievement for an electric tool.

 

[Hasufel]

I hadn't heard of the brand, but it looks like they've got a decent selection of 40V and 80V tools.

Higher voltages than your standard 18V cordless tools doesn't change the amount of energy stored in the battery, but it does help keep down the weight of the motor and power controller. And their batteries are bigger - Their smaller pack holds 1.6 times as much juice as Dewalts biggest battery, and their bigger pack holds 3.2 times as much (10.7 times as much as Dewalt's standard 1500 mAh battery):
http://www.greenworkstools.com/80v-pro/

They claim the same power as a 45cc saw, which I have to wonder if that's not at least a little exaggerated, but even matching the power of the smallest gas saws would be an impressive achievement for an electric tool.

The 2Ah battery comes standard but I ordered a 4Ah that should be arriving any day...it's heavier but would let me do more if I took the saw "on the road." I also have one of their blowers, which I'm really impressed with. I had some wet leaves packed down on the driveway and it took care of them in short order, almost like a band-aid getting ripped off!

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

My trial run was a dead 8-inch diameter red oak. I felled and bucked it on just one charge of the battery.

Are you saying that one 8" log drained the battery? And your chain was dull after ONE log????

 

[Hasufel]

Are you saying that one 8" log drained the battery? And your chain was dull after ONE log????

I meant that the battery still had juice in it after I finished bucking the log, which was maybe a couple dozen cuts. Once I get around to some bigger trees, I'll have a better sense of how long the battery will hold out. But yeah, the chain got noticeably dull toward the end. Not sure if I hit something (though I was being careful). I've heard that fresh oak can be hard on chains but this had been dead for a while...

 

[Hasufel]

Are you saying that one 8" log drained the battery? And your chain was dull after ONE log????

Update: I bucked a maple today (still green) and the chips coming out on the last cut were just as big as when I started, so either that last job was a fluke or there's something about the oak that caused it. But great performance by the Greenworks 80V!

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Thanks for the update. FYI, dry oak can make sawdust and make you think your chain is dull. Sycamore does that, too. Sawdust, even with a freshly sharpened chain.

 

[Hasufel]

Thanks for the update. FYI, dry oak can make sawdust and make you think your chain is dull. Sycamore does that, too. Sawdust, even with a freshly sharpened chain.

I swapped chains and the original one was definitely chewed up. I'm really curious how my next oak will work out! Thanks...