Cordless Chainsaw & Pole saw system (and cordless pruning)

[KEW]

After having such a good experience with my 40V cordless lawnmower, I decided to look into chainsaws!
I have a Poulan that I used to use on a regular basis when i was turning wood on the lathe, but now it seems like a pain to get it out and get it started for the occasional fallen limb, etc. Gas works fine if you are using it steady/frequently but batteries are the ticket for random/infrequent usage!
So, I am looking for inexpensive consumer grade saw, not the best money can buy for serious use!
After checking prices and reading reviews, I settled on this WEN setup (two purchases) as what appears to be a good fit for a total of ~$265!
16" Saw with 4AH 40V battery and charger for $160:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0711Z1VSX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

10" Pole saw for $105:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XZWDWJR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looking to the future as I age, I really don't need to be climbing ladders leaned against trees and one-handing a chainsaw, that was more exciting than it probably should have been when I was in my 50's!

I also likely need to get a replacement for the chain. One of the reviews commented that while the chain is made by Oregon, it appeared that they had economized the chain by reducing the number of cutting teeth. I decided to wait and see since I can get a good Oregon chain from Mallwart at a moments notice.

What I like about these two units is:
1) Brushless motors
2) Chainsaw reviews say that the bar oil doesn't leak out in storage (I'm hoping they used similar system for Pole saw - I did not read as deep into it)
3) 40V, 4AH battery (most competitors at this price point are ~20V, 2.5AH which seems weak for a chainsaw)
4) WEN is the brand of jigsaw that my dad had when I was a kid. It was a solid unit. AFAIK they disappeared for the past four decades, but they seem to be making a serious effort at good design in this store-brand dominated market of Ryobi, Rigid, Kobalt, and Craftsman. I am a little concerned that they may be gone when I need another battery in say 6 years, but I am hoping that there will be knock off batteries for it by then (that seems to be a huge market - check Amazon prices for replacements for Makita, Milwaukee, etc). Right now, I believe all I need is the one Battery because, being retired, I can suffer the work-time loss of a recharge break (and probably welcome it-aka beer break) if I wear down the 40V 4AH in one session!

As a homeowner who does not use a woodstove as primary source of heat (I did for 7 years in my early 40's) but can use a chainsaw to trim limbs, I think this will be a very good fit!

In any case I thought I would share my conclusions in case there is someone looking for something like this...
... and to welcome comments on what others have bought and their thoughts!
...and if I F'ed up buying this model let me know; I can return it via Amazon Prime


PS: If you don't have that much larger wood on your property, these work great for smaller cuts:

DIABLO 9 in. 5 TPI Fleam Ground-Pruning Reciprocating Saw Blade (5-Pack)-DS0905FG5 - The Home Depot

Visit The Home Depot to buy Diablo 9 in. 5 TPI Fleam Ground Reciprocating Saw Blades for Pruning - 5-Pack DS0905FG5

www.homedepot.com

I have a older Ryobi cordless "sawzall" which works fine, but I don't particularly recommend it because I see lighter, more compact models (Ryobi and others) that would work better (especially since I often find myself stretching up to reach the limb that needs to be trimmed and using one hand! The newer ones are designed to be used with one hand!
I can however recommend the Freud Diablo blades! Blades are pretty much what Freud is about and if they are not the right metal for durability or lose their edge too quickly, they are out of business. Chances are they make and rebadge many of the blades for resale by other companies.

 

[slipperybidness]

I have been happy with my 40V Ryobi chain saw, leaf blower, and weed eater. I am similar to you, just need the chain saw here and there.

The big takeaway--There have been some amazing advancements in batteries in the last 10 years!

Now, I personally tend to avoid knock-off batteries, especially when it comes to LiPos! LiPo is a different animal than the batteries you had when you were young, and they must be treated with more care too. To me, I'm simply not comfortable with cheap knock-off LiPo batteries.

To be fair, the most likely time for a LiPo to fail (and it can be a spectacular failure) is during charging. Never try to charge a LiPo that has been discharged below it's limit, that is trouble too. This is one of the big reasons we see a lot of the smart chargers and LiPos with the battery management ICs built in.

My 10 gallon air compressor is a Wen, bought it online a few months back.

 

[lovinthehd]

I have a bunch of the Milwaukee M18 tools, was looking at their chainsaw recently....kinda pricey but not having to deal with the fuel is a definite plus, particularly for transport. Too bad its a much bigger battery than any of my others but if I'm gonna haul it out into the woods as long a run time as I can get would be cool. Don't really need one except for trail work....never saw anyone on a trail crew bring a battery powered one but that could be changing Thought about a pole saw for around the house but little is within reach....and after I had paid some of the guys doing trimming/brushing for the utilities some cash on the side recently to do my bad spots it'll be a while before I have to worry.

I did order a couple of the imitation/knockoff Milwaukee batteries and they were total crap, not even useable (wouldn't even charge). Got my momey back and lesson learned. OTOH none of my Milwaukee batteries have had an issue at all....so will just pay the price for the needed quality myself.

I agree about the Freud Diablo blades, use one in my circular saw as well as my table saw.

 

[Mr._Clark]

I’ve been happy so far with my Ryobi 40V yard tools (chainsaw, pole saw, weedwacker, push mower). I’m sure these are not the best tools available but they seem decent for the money. I have no idea how they compare to Wen.

My other cordless tools are DeWalt. The DeWalt sawzall is a beast compared to the old one I had (Porter Cable). I use a lot of Diablo blades (unless I need diamond blades for stone)

As far as I know, Milwaukee tools are outstanding but I got started on DeWalt with the sawzall and I decided to stay with DeWalt to make the battery situation easier to deal with

The Ryobi and DeWalt tools have been much better than Black and Decker and Porter Cable cordless tools I had previously. It’s not an entirely fair comparison due to the improvements in batteries over the past 10 years

 

[Mr._Clark]

DeWalt makes a beastly 9 inch cut off saw. I find myself wanting to buy one even though I have no real use for it. I suppose it would come in handy if I happen to see a piece of concrete in need of cutting

 

[slipperybidness]

I have a bunch of the Milwaukee M18 tools, was looking at their chainsaw recently....kinda pricey but not having to deal with the fuel is a definite plus, particularly for transport. Too bad its a much bigger battery than any of my others but if I'm gonna haul it out into the woods as long a run time as I can get would be cool. Don't really need one except for trail work....never saw anyone on a trail crew bring a battery powered one but that could be changing Thought about a pole saw for around the house but little is within reach....and after I had paid some of the guys doing trimming/brushing for the utilities some cash on the side recently to do my bad spots it'll be a while before I have to worry.

I did order a couple of the imitation/knockoff Milwaukee batteries and they were total crap, not even useable (wouldn't even charge). Got my momey back and lesson learned. OTOH none of my Milwaukee batteries have had an issue at all....so will just pay the price for the needed quality myself.

I agree about the Freud Diablo blades, use one in my circular saw as well as my table saw.

Battery packs can have any brand of cells inside. But, in general, Panasonic is typically considered the most desirable brand of battery cells. There are some others that are good, of course.

 

[slipperybidness]

I’ve been happy so far with my Ryobi 40V yard tools (chainsaw, pole saw, weedwacker, push mower). I’m sure these are not the best tools available but they seem decent for the money. I have no idea how they compare to Wen.

My other cordless tools are DeWalt. The DeWalt sawzall is a beast compared to the old one I had (Porter Cable). I use a lot of Diablo blades (unless I need diamond blades for stone)

As far as I know, Milwaukee tools are outstanding but I got started on DeWalt with the sawzall and I decided to stay with DeWalt to make the battery situation easier to deal with

The Ryobi and DeWalt tools have been much better than Black and Decker and Porter Cable cordless tools I had previously. It’s not an entirely fair comparison due to the improvements in batteries over the past 10 years

My old gas push mower is headed towards needing a replacement. I had not really considered the Ryobi 40V options, but that may make a lot of sense because I have already bought into that ecosystem.

Do you know which model push mower you have?

Lately, I have also been looking at the hedge trimmer in that same line from Ryobi, it would be more convenient than 100ft of extension cord. I'm just not sure if I should go dedicated hedge trimmer, or get the attachment that swaps onto the end of the weed eater.

 

[lovinthehd]

Battery packs can have any brand of cells inside. But, in general, Panasonic is typically considered the most desirable brand of battery cells. There are some others that are good, of course.

Have no idea whose cells they were, and the transaction has disappeared from my ebay records altogether....I got a refund but they didn't want the batteries back....never did open them up now that you mention it.

 

[ryanosaur]

I've heard great things about the cordless Makita Chainsaw... used my landlords, my Dad also bought one. Solid apparatus.
I think this is the correct model:

https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XCU03PT1-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Batteries/dp/B0765BPGDR/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=makita+chainsaw&qid=1605206042&sr=8-2

If I were to buy a chainsaw, I'd lean toward Milwaukee's option as I am already in their M18 ecosystem for cordless gear.

That said, I opted out of said ecosystem for the Greenworks Line Trimmer, which is also compatible for pole saw and brush clearing components.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WRNSCJE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Mr._Clark]

My old gas push mower is headed towards needing a replacement. I had not really considered the Ryobi 40V options, but that may make a lot of sense because I have already bought into that ecosystem.

Do you know which model push mower you have?

Lately, I have also been looking at the hedge trimmer in that same line from Ryobi, it would be more convenient than 100ft of extension cord. I'm just not sure if I should go dedicated hedge trimmer, or get the attachment that swaps onto the end of the weed eater.

The Ryobi push mower is Model #RY401110-Y (I bought it at Home Depot). It light and easy to transport.

I use this at my cottage, which has a tiny lawn (roughly 1,000 square feet). I can unload it from my SUV, put the battery in, mow the lawn, hook the battery back up to the charger, and load the mower back up in the SUV in less than 10 minutes. The wheels are not powered, but it is very light and easy to push (my wife is very petite and she has no problems with it).

It is only 20 inches so it would take a long time to mow a large lawn. It's much less powerful than a typical gas mower, and it does seem to leave some blades of grass uncut. I just overlap each pass to get the grass that wasn't cut cleanly on the first pass. This isn't much of an issue for my tiny lawn, but it would be annoying for a larger lawn.

One minor issue is that it is so light and quiet that it almost seems like a toy and it is easy to forget it is still potentially dangerous. My wife was not being very careful with it when she first started using it and I had to remind her that the blades would cause a serious injury if they came into contact with a body part. I have to remind myself of the same thing at times while using it.

I've used it maybe 6-8 times without any issues so far (some reviewers online say they've had problems after a few months).

Roughly speaking, my best guess is that this mower is probably not a very good option for a lawn over .2 acres or so.

I love mine so far, but it's really hard to know if it would be viable option for someone with a larger lawn.

 

[Trebdp83]

I can't believe this thread is here. I have been interested in getting a battery powered chainsaw. I like my Greenworks mower. Anybody use a blower/sucker? I don't like the idea of blowing everything around but does the vacuum feature really work that well?

 

[lovinthehd]

I can't believe this thread is here. I have been interested in getting a battery powered chainsaw. I like my Greenworks mower. Anybody use a blower/sucker? I don't like the idea of blowing everything around but does the vacuum feature really work that well?

I have the Milwaukee M18 leaf blower....but its only one direction.

 

[Mr._Clark]

My old gas push mower is headed towards needing a replacement. I had not really considered the Ryobi 40V options, but that may make a lot of sense because I have already bought into that ecosystem.

Do you know which model push mower you have?

Lately, I have also been looking at the hedge trimmer in that same line from Ryobi, it would be more convenient than 100ft of extension cord. I'm just not sure if I should go dedicated hedge trimmer, or get the attachment that swaps onto the end of the weed eater.

If you do buy the Ryobi hedge trimmer, I'd be interested in your thoughts on it. I have an older B&D cordless hedge trimmer that still works, but it's not very powerful and the batteries only last a few minutes.

 

[Mr._Clark]

I have the Milwaukee M18 leaf blower....but its only one direction.

I have an older B&D corded blower/vacuum ("Leaf Hog" I believe). It's quite powerful (for an electric unit) but it picks up lots of stones and wood chips when vacuuming (I use to vacuum leaves around shrubs by my house, not the lawn). When the stones impact the blades of the impeller it sounds like it's about to blow up but so far this has not happened.

I've never tried to vacuum my entire lawn. I think it would take forever (at least at my house). Also, the cord is a huge pain when trying to cover a larger area.

I have Ryobi 40 volt cordless blower (no vacuum). I think it's the 550 CFM model. It's not quite as powerful as the old corded B&D, but it's much more convenient.

 

[lovinthehd]

I have an older B&D corded blower/vacuum ("Leaf Hog" I believe). It's quite powerful (for an electric unit) but it picks up lots of stones and wood chips when vacuuming (I use to vacuum leaves around shrubs by my house, not the lawn). When the stones impact the blades of the impeller it sounds like it's about to blow up but so far this has not happened.

I've never tried to vacuum my entire lawn. I think it would take forever (at least at my house). Also, the cord is a huge pain when trying to cover a larger area.

I have Ryobi 40 volt cordless blower (no vacuum). I think it's the 550 CFM model. It's not quite as powerful as the old corded B&D, but it's much more convenient.

I've never considered any vacuuming in my yard and didn't realize some of the blowers worked in reverse (was thinking more of a shop vac actually).....I just use the blower to blow tree debris off my decks/walks/driveway and any debris around the shrubs or on the yard go back to nature, don't bag my lawn trimmings either.

 

[slipperybidness]

The Ryobi push mower is Model #RY401110-Y (I bought it at Home Depot). It light and easy to transport.

I use this at my cottage, which has a tiny lawn (roughly 1,000 square feet). I can unload it from my SUV, put the battery in, mow the lawn, hook the battery back up to the charger, and load the mower back up in the SUV in less than 10 minutes. The wheels are not powered, but it is very light and easy to push (my wife is very petite and she has no problems with it).

It is only 20 inches so it would take a long time to mow a large lawn. It's much less powerful than a typical gas mower, and it does seem to leave some blades of grass uncut. I just overlap each pass to get the grass that wasn't cut cleanly on the first pass. This isn't much of an issue for my tiny lawn, but it would be annoying for a larger lawn.

One minor issue is that it is so light and quiet that it almost seems like a toy and it is easy to forget it is still potentially dangerous. My wife was not being very careful with it when she first started using it and I had to remind her that the blades would cause a serious injury if they came into contact with a body part. I have to remind myself of the same thing at times while using it.

I've used it maybe 6-8 times without any issues so far (some reviewers online say they've had problems after a few months).

Roughly speaking, my best guess is that this mower is probably not a very good option for a lawn over .2 acres or so.

I love mine so far, but it's really hard to know if it would be viable option for someone with a larger lawn.

Thanks for the feedback, that would seem to suggest I want to look for something a bit more robust. I'm pretty sure there are a few different models in this line.

I have a ~1 acre yard (front/back combined), and have a riding mower, but can't get the riding mower into every area, so the push mower is a great middle ground between the riding mower and the weed eater.

 

[slipperybidness]

I can't believe this thread is here. I have been interested in getting a battery powered chainsaw. I like my Greenworks mower. Anybody use a blower/sucker? I don't like the idea of blowing everything around but does the vacuum feature really work that well?

We have an electric leaf vac, but it isn't battery operated, requires mains power and extension cord. It works pretty good, and I have considered moving over to the battery powered ones, but likely not even next on my yard tool list.

For my yard with many trees, I have found a pull-behind yard sweeper is an awesome device! It will change your life.

The only time I rake leaves is to rake them out of the corners and away from the fence where I can get them with the sweeper, then I just go dump it all in the back 40 behind my fence. Even after mowing, maybe every 3rd mow or so, I go give the entire yard a good sweep, it makes it look nice and manicured like a golf course.

Edit: I went with the JD sweeper. Reviews that I read claimed that this is one of the best models to pick up stuff on the first pass, and a bit more robust than some other models. Of course, you pay a bit of a premium for JD brand name. The extra $ was worth it for me, but for others a step-down model may perform just as well.

Search Results for john deere yard sweeper at The Home Depot

Search Results for john deere yard sweeper at The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

 

[KEW]

This is interesting - Family Handyman says battery is faster on 6" log and gas faster on 10" log. However, they are two different sizes of bar as well.

And here is a well-executed evaluation of several cordless models to see which performed best (EGO seems to cut the fastest), also has some nice commentary about the feel and cutting performance of battery vs gas saws. It is aimed more at the pro/heavy user than the Joe Homeowner market: (tip - pause the video whenever they show a chart of performance and write down the time so you can go back to it. These do not stay up long enough to allow you to really "drink it in" as I think they want you to read the full article at their website, which is not a horrible thing)

 

[slipperybidness]

My leaf blower and weed eater seem to be just as good/powerful as any gas powered models I have used.

The chain saw does what I need, which is just light work a few times per year. I don't have much gas powered chain saw experience to compare.

 

[highfigh]

4) WEN is the brand of jigsaw that my dad had when I was a kid. It was a solid unit. AFAIK they disappeared for the past four decades, but they seem to be making a serious effort at good design in this store-brand dominated market of Ryobi, Rigid, Kobalt, and Craftsman. I am a little concerned that they may be gone when I need another battery in say 6 years, but I am hoping that there will be knock off batteries for it by then (that seems to be a huge market - check Amazon prices for replacements for Makita, Milwaukee, etc). Right now, I believe all I need is the one Battery because, being retired, I can suffer the work-time loss of a recharge break (and probably welcome it-aka beer break) if I wear down the 40V 4AH in one session!
early 40's) but can use a chainsaw to trim limbs, I think this will be a very good fit!

I can however recommend the Freud Diablo blades! Blades are pretty much what Freud is about and if they are not the right metal for durability or lose their edge too quickly, they are out of business. Chances are they make and rebadge many of the blades for resale by other companies.

I think I would abandon any thoughts about WEM being the same company as when your dad bought that saw- EVERY power tool company has been sold at least once.

WRT not wanting to climb trees and hang on with one hand- Where's your sense of adventure? Chicken!

Most blade 'failures' are due to people using the wrong ones. If you want durability, generally look for Bi-metal because they last much longer and if you want something for pruning, buy a pruning blade- trying to make do with something else is a waste of time, money and it may not be safe if cutting something overhead. Also, for Sawzall and circular saws, look at the blades made for demolition work- they're aggressive and more durable. Some have carbide inserts, for cutting wood and metals.

If you use a saber saw, look at the Bosch 'Progressor' blades and the clones- they cut incredibly well and are so much better than the ones from the past that I'm surprised that type of saw had survived so long- the Progressor blades are insanely sharp and cut ridiculously cleanly. Keep your fingers clear of the blade. This series is also available for Sawzall, too- including carbide.