Looking For A Battery Operated Saw.... Small Bar...

[Dix]

With carpal, I can't handle a full size saw any more. The thought of dropping a running saw, even with a dead mans switch is just to scarey

BUT, I figured a light weight battery operated saw that will allow me to cut 3-4" or so branches & small trees after they are down would fit the bill. It will allow me to do quit a bit of trimming, round cutting (I'm a huge fan of small rounds for filling the holes in the firebox of a wood stove for over night burns).

Soooo, 2 batteries would be awesome, and the Dixette is asking what I want for Christmas

Plus I got a chit load of the stuff to be cut up..oak, maple, cherry, pine..........it'll season quick, and get us way ahead.

Fire away !!

 

[Pallet Pete]

Now here’s a game changer in chain saws. Lightweight. Powerful. Easy to start. Quiet. With no mixing. No cords. And almost no sound. (Your neighbors will love this saw as much as you do.) And that’s just for starters. The STIHL MSA 160 C-BQ is the first cordless chain saw tough enough to carry the name STIHL. Powered by a STIHL Lithium-Ion battery, this little workhorse starts instantly, delivering power from its 36 volts from its commercial-grade, high-torque brushless motor. Enough power to take on just about any cutting job in your yard. And the Quick Chain Adjuster allows you to adjust the chain tension without tools for added convenience. Each charge of the AP 160 Lithium-Ion battery gives you up to 35 minutes of cutting time for storm cleanup, carpentry tasks and firewood cutting.

Admittedly 35 minutes is not much but I saw a tree trimmer using one a few months ago and it looked pretty powerful.

Pete

 

[MasterMech]

Admittedly 35 minutes is not much but I saw a tree trimmer using one a few months ago and it looked pretty powerful.

That's 35 minutes of trigger time. (with the bigger AP160 battery) My neighbors will vouch for me, I can do a whole lotta damage to 3-4 inch limbs in 35 minutes.

Dix, these things are not cheap. (In price or quality) By the time you buy a battery, charger, and the saw, you can buy a gas powered saw that will make most of the membership here drool. You could almost pick up a NC-30 (on sale of course!) for the price. They make much more sense when you can spread the cost of the batteries/charger over the cost of several tools. The saw and the blower are my favorites from Stihl's cordless lineup.

The saw: $349.95
The battery: $259.99 (The smaller battery is $149.99)
The charger: $49.99 (The rapid charger is 89.99)

You're looking at $550 minimum to get into this. The big battery and fast charger would take it to $700. That's nearly the cost of an MS362 !

Oregon has a cordless out too. Less $$ than the Stihl but a quick glance at the spec sheet tells me the Stihl is much lighter and going to run a whole lot longer on a charge than the Oregon.

The CS250E is the "Endurance" model with the bigger battery for $499. It's a 2.4aH battery so that would be comparable to the MSA160 with the smaller AP80 battery and standard AL100 charger. IMO I'd drop the extra $50 for the Stihl as it's nearly 2lbs lighter and the AL100 charger will finish off an AP80 battery in 70 minutes as opposed to 120 minutes on the Oregon.

 

[JBinKC]

I am in the market for a backup saw and have considered buying a cordless battery powered saw.. If you are price sensitive perhaps a Ryobi 40 volt lithium ion powered saw would work. The saw was $100 at Home depot and battery and charger at $160 with shipping included on Ebay...I believe the run time is about 30-45 minutes depending upon what you are cutting and takes less than 3 hours to recharge. It weighs 9.7 pounds which is kind of high for a limbing saw. Not sure on the quality or durability but has a 30 day return policy and a 3 year warranty. The reviews on this saw at Home Depot were decent.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You also might look at Bailey's as I think they have a couple of those saws.

 

[thewoodlands]

With carpal, I can't handle a full size saw any more. The thought of dropping a running saw, even with a dead mans switch is just to scarey

BUT, I figured a light weight battery operated saw that will allow me to cut 3-4" or so branches & small trees after they are down would fit the bill. It will allow me to do quit a bit of trimming, round cutting (I'm a huge fan of small rounds for filling the holes in the firebox of a wood stove for over night burns).

Soooo, 2 batteries would be awesome, and the Dixette is asking what I want for Christmas

Plus I got a chit load of the stuff to be cut up..oak, maple, cherry, pine..........it'll season quick, and get us way ahead.

Fire away !!

Hi Dix,
I just saw this at the local stihl dealer this morning, not sure on any of the info but it's worth checking out.
(broken link removed to http://www.drpower.com/navSubDepartment.aspx?Name=dr_lithium_yard_tools)
zap

 

[Dix]

Hi Dix,
I just saw this at the local stihl dealer this morning, not sure on any of the info but it's worth checking out.
(broken link removed to http://www.drpower.com/navSubDepartment.aspx?Name=dr_lithium_yard_tools)
zap

Thanks, Zap !! Way more in the price range, and I'm loving the multiple battery idea !!

 

[thewoodlands]

Thanks, Zap !! Way more in the price range, and I'm loving the multiple battery idea !!

The guy put the battery in it an pulled on the trigger, it had more get up & go than I thought. I'll bring my camera in Friday morning with a cherry branch so I can get a vid cutting it.

 

[Dix]

Awesome Thank you !!

 

[BrotherBart]

An option is an electric chainsaw and an inverter to clip to the battery in the truck. You are probably gonna have that honkin horse hauling truck close by anyway.

 

[Dix]

I thought about electric... I've got upfitter switches on the dash

 

[MasterMech]

Thanks, Zap !! Way more in the price range, and I'm loving the multiple battery idea !!

The question is then, are you looking for a saw that will process your firewood needs or something to just to break down the occasional small branch? Big difference between the Oregon and Stihl saws and the Ryobi/DR saws as far as capability.

I was under the impression you were looking for something to replace a gas powered saw.

 

[HDRock]

For the money, The cordless tools I have used, you can cut 6" dia stuff better with a cordless sawzall and a pruning blade, cuz !! small kerf , equals- less power needed.
I'm talking 19v, and U can do better.
The Ryobi, gas pole saw w pruning blade, will cut fast.
Just what I have observed, and used, but think about it !! , How much wood does a chainsaw blade have to remove compared to a blade the thickness of a sawzall blade ?, how much power does it require to remove that size kerf ? If your cutting bigger than that you are going have spend $$ for cordless
Just my 2 cents

 

[MasterMech]

For the money, The cordless tools I have used, you can cut 6" dia stuff better with a cordless sawzall and a pruning blade, cuz !! small kerf , equals- less power needed.
I'm talking 19v, and U can do better.
The Ryobi, gas pole saw w pruning blade, will cut fast.
Just what I have observed, and used, but think about it !! , How much wood does a chainsaw blade have to remove compared to a blade the thickness of a sawzall blade ?, how much power does it require to remove that size kerf ? If your cutting bigger than that you are going have spend $$ for cordless
Just my 2 cents

30cc chainsaw with sharp chain (espcially .043 3/8 Picco) will whup your sawzall (or mine for that matter ) through anything over 1". I wouldn't expect the electrics to be any different in 1-6" wood. Sawzall is absolutely the slowest way to cut green wood. You want to start cutting stuff with nails in it or pipe, well, you got me there.

 

[Dix]

The question is then, are you looking for a saw that will process your firewood needs or something to just to break down the occasional small branch? Big difference between the Oregon and Stihl saws and the Ryobi/DR saws as far as capability.

I was under the impression you were looking for something to replace a gas powered saw.

My full time saw days are over. The Dixette has taken over that part of the plan these days. I want to help. A light weight saw will allow me to tackle the branches on some downed oaks we have here, and let me clean them up so she can get to the heavy stuff.

 

[thewoodlands]

I thought about electric... I've got upfitter switches on the dash

I stopped by this morning, they will charge the battery up so I can stop by Friday morning with some small Cherry we can cut up.

I'm not sure what they will charge in your area but they have a price of 159.99 plus freight & tax for the saw and battery.

 

[HDRock]

30cc chainsaw with sharp chain (espcially .043 3/8 Picco) will whup your sawzall (or mine for that matter ) through anything over 1". I wouldn't expect the electrics to be any different in 1-6" wood. Sawzall is absolutely the slowest way to cut green wood. You want to start cutting stuff with nails in it or pipe, well, you got me there.

Compared to a 30cc chainsaw , No a sawzall, just doesn't cut the mustard

 

[thewoodlands]

With carpal, I can't handle a full size saw any more. The thought of dropping a running saw, even with a dead mans switch is just to scarey

BUT, I figured a light weight battery operated saw that will allow me to cut 3-4" or so branches & small trees after they are down would fit the bill. It will allow me to do quit a bit of trimming, round cutting (I'm a huge fan of small rounds for filling the holes in the firebox of a wood stove for over night burns).

Soooo, 2 batteries would be awesome, and the Dixette is asking what I want for Christmas

Plus I got a chit load of the stuff to be cut up..oak, maple, cherry, pine..........it'll season quick, and get us way ahead.

Fire away !!

I'll have the Vid uploaded in 30 minutes, not sure how well it will cut Oak.

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[Jags]

Zap - did you get to run the saw? I am asking for a reason. Every electric that I have ran (about 3 different plug in versions), had a pretty high level of vibration. With Dix and the carpet tunnel (sorry, that is what an old Aunt used to call it), the vibration of an electric could be an issue.

I have found that they simply can't spin the chain fast enough to minimize the "bump" of each cutter. Just throwing this out for discussion.

 

[Thistle]

30cc chainsaw with sharp chain (espcially .043 3/8 Picco) will whup your sawzall (or mine for that matter ) through anything over 1". I wouldn't expect the electrics to be any different in 1-6" wood. Sawzall is absolutely the slowest way to cut green wood. You want to start cutting stuff with nails in it or pipe, well, you got me there.

Absolutely.Even my 31 year old wee Echo top handle will fly through 4"-5" dry oak or mulberry compared to the strongest cordless or electric sawzall you can find.No comparison to either one with my 2 miter saws however,1/8" 40 or 80 carbide teeth,they are unbeatable.

 

[thewoodlands]

Zap - did you get to run the saw? I am asking for a reason. Every electric that I have ran (about 3 different plug in versions), had a pretty high level of vibration. With Dix and the carpet tunnel (sorry, that is what an old Aunt used to call it), the vibration of an electric could be an issue.

I have found that they simply can't spin the chain fast enough to minimize the "bump" of each cutter. Just throwing this out for discussion.

No, I never did run it, so I'm not sure on the vibration.

 

[Dix]

Thanks, Zap.

I have the Dixette following this thread as an "observer", so she's checking it out.

 

[Dix]

What about this???

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-LCS120-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B004JMZH1W/ref=pd_sim_lg_3

2 year warranty, and the batteries interchange with A LOT of their battery operated stuff. 8 hours seems like a long time to charge to me, but with a few batteries & 2 chargers, things could move along.

 

[Jack768]

I have the B&D nicad system. For the price, it's fine. Sees a lot of use -- really, more than my gas Echo or electric Husky as a lot of what drops on my property is small. But battery time is short -- I have 5 batteries and often discharge all of them. Lithium B&D system is very likely better, and the Stihl is probably the best option if the price works for you. But for the price -- happy with my older NiCd B&D saw.

 

[RK_MacKendrick]

What about this???

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-LCS120-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B004JMZH1W/ref=pd_sim_lg_3

2 year warranty, and the batteries interchange with A LOT of their battery operated stuff. 8 hours seems like a long time to charge to me, but with a few batteries & 2 chargers, things could move along.

My wife Annie says it is cute and wants one.