Remember that you will need to buy appropriate protective clothing, too. See our roundup of the top five chainsaws to find a bargain Best Buy. See all the gardening tools we review. Before you start sawing, you'll need to buy a full set of protective clothing. We recommend a safety helmet, boots and ear defenders as well as chainsaw gloves and chainsaw trousers. Find out more by reading our guide to using a chainsaw safely.
Test score. Whether you want a petrol, cordless or corded electric chainsaw, our expert buying guide will help you pick the best model. We also reveal how much you should spend and the features to look out for. AD Adele Dyer. In this article Video: how to buy the best chainsaw What type of chainsaw should I use? How much do I need to pay for a good chainsaw?
Which chainsaw features do I need? Batteries and chargers for cordless models What protective clothing do I need? Make more of your garden - get our free Gardening newsletter for top tips from our experts Video: how to buy the best chainsaw Watch our video to see the key things to look out for when you're on the hunt for a new chainsaw. How does a cordless chainsaw work?
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Nine free ways to freshen up your garden. How much do you really need to spend on a lawn mower? A new chain stretches out pretty quickly. You need to snug it up at least a few times as it breaks in.
If your chain gets tight rather suddenly, it usually means the bar is not getting oil. Pro Tip: Get into the habit of loosening your chain at the end of the day.
Cold weather can cause it to tighten as it cools and damage parts. They loosen the bar, move the bar forward or back to properly tension the chain, and lock the bar down tight again. Saws with tool-free adjusters use a single stud a. Not for modest-sized saws anyway. However, the biggest and strongest chainsaws made all have dual stud bar mounts.
Pro Tip: Be sure to snug the nuts evenly because torquing down on only one can loosen the other. Lost bar nuts are a frequent occurrence during regular use in the field.
To keep your adjustment tool close at hand, look for models that have storage slots built into the saws. Your preferences may vary, but I can appreciate both adjustment methods.
I like the speed and convenience of tool-free adjustments for my small saws. For my big saws, I feel more confident securing the business end of these powerful tools down with a wrench.
The best battery-powered chainsaw for you is the one that instills a sense of both confidence and convenience. Pulling a lever atop the saw pushes a curved sharpening stone against the special chain for easy sharpening on the fly. Bar and chain oil is the lifeblood of a chainsaw as the saw cannot run without it for very long. Throughout our testing, most of the saws oiled readily, but we occasionally run across models that have issues.
The ease of filling the oil reservoir is a noteworthy convenience factor when considering the best battery-powered chainsaw. Be careful when filling your chainsaw.
Some have a large section of the cap that goes inside the tank and displaces a surprising amount of oil when you fill it anywhere close to the top. Wiping gooey oil off a chainsaw is an annoying waste of time. Another cause of spills is an oil tank with a filler neck that is too narrow. Bar and chain oil is thick and tacky. While filling most chainsaws proves passable, some designs have a narrow neck or sit at an angle that makes the target even smaller. Providing another challenge, plastic filters at the inlet of its tank can constrict the diameter.
The other part of this cleaner, greener, lithium-ion-powered story is you can pair your battery chainsaw with biodegradable bar and chain oil made of vegetable-based ingredients. Those barrels of useful wood waste we mentioned also contain a few gallons of oil from the saws. PTR contributor, Michael Springer, decided to switch to bio-oils a decade ago after seeing the huge pile of sawdust he generated during a chainsaw test sit outside for years in his compost area without decomposing.
Or dispense your oil from a syrup bottle that has a tapered, pull-to-open tip. It works like a charm, and you can push the tip against the inside of the filler neck to stop the flow for one-handed control when your other hand is steadying the saw. Chainsaws often leak oil while sitting because daily heating and cooling shrinks and expands a plastic tank like a rudimentary pump.
Some saws are messier than others. Wherever you store your saw, put a piece of cardboard underneath it to collect any oil. You can switch it out as needed and whenever an Amazon order arrives. For pushing a saw through wood more efficiently, chainsaws come fitted with bucking spikes a. These spikes sit against the body of the saw alongside the bar and anchor the saw in place while the bar pivots through the cut.
The spikes allow you to apply a lifting motion of the rear hand instead of pushing downward. Holding the saw tight to the wood, the motor can exert its maximum pulling power. This saves you from some of the cutting vibrations and especially the jerking common to holding a saw away from your work. Our battery-powered saws all have some semblance of spikes.
We prefer those to the simple plastic ridges on other models. Pro Tip: Applying leverage with spikes adds control, but go easy and listen to the pitch of the motor. You can overload battery chainsaws with too much pressure, and the weaker models stall easily. Following the traditional design—perhaps blindly—of gas chainsaws that need to idle and rev, some chainsaws feature variable-speed triggers.
On the other hand, a feature all chainsaws could benefit from is a coast-down brake like those we rely on with circular saws and miter saws. Most Pros and experienced homeowners can immediately tell. I believe that thoughtful design intention and execution do come through for the majority of users. For the best battery-powered chainsaw, a balanced feel in your hands and the ability to cut straight without introducing a twisting motion to overcome are both important ergonomic factors.
Holding a saw with your left hand on the front handle in front of you should have the saw balancing fairly flat. Being a bit front heavy is okay, but a rear-heavy saw lifts the cutting end of the saw up towards you and requires more effort and vigilance to use and carry safely.
Determining a good feel for felling cuts while holding the chainsaw sideways is more about the comfort of applying force to the front and rear handles as you grasp it from the side, and also the ease of operating the trigger while sideways. In general, chainsaws with thicker handles are more comfortable to grasp in use because their broader radiused edges serve to soften the contact with your hand.
Of course, rubber handle surfaces help too, not only for padding but also for the increased grippiness they provide. Most cordless chainsaw triggers are large enough for two fingers to fit on them. Some have an extra-long trigger with more room to vary your grip stance for comfort. The best feeling triggers retract flush with the handle instead of leaving a raised bump your fingers have to push against.
The dry weight of the best battery chainsaws can be as low as 12 pounds to well over 15 pounds. But carrying around and positioning a heavy saw can certainly be more taxing over a long workday. The catch with these saws is that the batteries are a major part of the weight. So the stronger, longer-lasting saws with high-capacity battery packs and longer bars that we prefer end up being the heaviest. Higher voltage means more power, right?
Power is measured in watts and that comes from multiplying the voltage times the current. You can make a 36V chainsaw with the same power as a 56V model. The lower voltage simply has to produce more amps current to get there.
Another thing that is interesting to note is the discrepancy between the amp-hour and watt-hour ratings on some of the batteries in our tests for their given voltage. If you have other battery-powered outdoor gear, you should consider buying a chainsaw from the same brand—the batteries are usually interchangeable. If using a chainsaw strikes fear in your heart but you still need to cut through the occasional small limb, consider a light-duty power lopper.
The cutting apparatus is mounted 2 feet away from the hand grips and shielded within a pair of safety jaws. The lighter one makes it easier to reach a cut, especially if you use the optional extension pole, which adds up to 10 feet of reach for higher limbs.
Both models feature a 6-inch retractable blade, making them safe for storage. These formidable tools are involved in more than 27, accidents annually, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Chainsaws now have safeguards, including an automatic chain brake, that are designed to reduce the hazard of kickbacks. Dress Smart Start with snug-fitting clothing and sturdy work boots, preferably steel-toed. Shield your legs with cut-resistant chaps and the backs of your hands with protective gloves, and wear a helmet with a face shield.
Get a Grip and Stay Grounded Grip gas-powered saws firmly when pull-starting and keep the saw on the ground; most handles include a spot for securing the saw with one foot while pulling the starter cord. Never saw while on a ladder or use the saw above shoulder height. If you must cut above shoulder height, use an electric lopper, whose encased cutting jaw makes it safer to use than a chainsaw, or hire a pro.
And never saw using the tip of the chain and bar, where kickback can occur. Maintenance Is Key Upkeep is also an important factor in chainsaw safety.
Never run a gasoline-powered tool indoors or in any enclosed space. Chainsaws are simple tools, essentially comprising an engine or a motor, a handle, and an oblong metal piece called the bar that guides the cutting chain.
There are a lot of safety features, and the more a model has the better. We assess those features and work them into our safety rating for every model we test. Here are the crucial safety features to look for on any saw. Extra guard links and a less aggressive cutting profile help keep the chain from taking too large a bite, which can cause kickback.
Most chainsaws also have a bar with a narrow tip or nose to limit the cutting area that generates the most kickback. This feature stops the chain almost instantly when the front hand guard is pushed forward or if the chainsaw kicks back. Most gas-powered chainsaws and many electrics now have one. This metal extension beneath the guide bar helps keep a thrown chain from flying back toward the user.
Most models have it, a plus, particularly if the chain is too loose because of improper tensioning and other maintenance. Most chainsaws now include a separate palm switch that must be pressed before the throttle trigger engages. A full case or a cover for the bar and chain helps protect against accidental cuts when you carry or store the saw.
A case also helps contain oil leaks from the chain. Even low-priced chainsaws now include this must-have device, which lets you keep cutting without having to stop and pump a plunger to oil the cutting bar. A well-oiled bar and chain keep both from wearing prematurely and overheating, which can lead to a broken or thrown chain. These sharp spikes near the base of the bar bite into logs and serve as a fulcrum, letting you pivot the bar and chain downward while cutting logs on a sawbuck or log stand.
Most chainsaws include this simple feature; metal spikes tend to work better than plastic ones. A hand-operated wheel-and-crank mechanism conveniently unlocks and locks the chain bar and moves it in and out, so you can adjust the chain tension without having to use a wrench or screwdriver.
It can also improve safety by making proper adjustment quick and easy. Most gas chainsaws have rubber bushings or metal springs between the handle and the engine, bar, and chain to minimize vibration.
Without this feature, vibration can make sawing both onerous and fatiguing—a concern for safety as well as comfort. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. Sign In. Become a Member.
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