We don’t like mixing 2 cycle gas maybe that’s just my family and I. Everytime i used it i was out of oil or gas or it was to hot or cold and i needed a different oil , it seperated or went bad, added a stabalizer but it didn’t work etc… The dewalt works everytime perfectly.
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That is a really nice feature!
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if the battery is used non stop it has a shorter run time than if it has breaks. the typical use of chainsawing includes taking breaks, but when cutting a large trunk of a tree it is basically non stop.
non stop = 20 minutes roughly
frequent 30 sec+ breaks = 45 mins roughly
Charging the battery takes about 45 mins
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@hobilus … i have a extendable manual pole saw that i have used for many years. Nothing fancy but it does work well.
If i only had 30 trees to work… i would just use that.
To limb up all the trees along the edge of my fields and roadways… is going to be more like 1000 trees to work, possibly more. I will be 62 in September… and I still do a lot of manual work around here … dont mind working hard at all…
I think in this case it will make the project go much faster. I saw my brother in law operating a new pole chain saw this spring and it made quick work of limbing up trees.
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Very satisfied with our Ryobi. It lost bar oil, but they fixed it under warranty. Sold at Home Depot.
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Definitely let us know which one you get and how it works out for you. I get what you’re saying about age. Im 42, so not a spring chicken exactly. Ive always loved a sharp Japanese tooth pruning saw- it makes so much difference compared to old style western saws. I was pleased with home much work i was able to do with my new dewalt cordless pruning saw though.
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I have a Worx corded 14" saw I bought on ebay ($28), and a Milwaukee pole saw (combo with battery and blower for $311). The Worx does that I need it to do around the house, definitely not a pro grade device, but it has its place.
I also have used gas Stihl 18", Husqvarna (I think 20"?), Milwaukee 16", and the Milwaukee pole saw for work. I’d say there is no significant advantage to gas over the Milwaukee saws for what I’ve used them for, which is primarily felling medium size trees to clear for construction or roads.
I’d recommend going with an “ecosystem” you intend to invest in further for other battery powered devices. I know Milwaukee, Rigid, and Ryobi are the same parent company and quality is allegedly in that descending order.
Ryobi offers a ton of different tools for all kinds of things at a lower price. Milwaukee offers best in class power for various things (their 1/2" drive impact for automotive work is amazing, more power than pneumatic or other electric offerings).
That said, you can purchase battery adapters for Milwaukee> Ryobi for like $11 on ebay, so if you want to invest in one or the other for batteries, you can get away with only one. I will say to look for the Milwaukee 6,8,or 12 amp hour batteries if possible for higher power draw tools, it does make a difference vs the 3, 5,and 9 sized batteries. Ryobi has two grades of battery output for their one+ system too.
Specifically comparing Ryobi vs Milwaukee for saws;
I know Milwaukee offers the M18 (18 volt) 16" chainsaw and pole saw with about a 5’ reach. Their M12 line has a smaller saw. If you wait for a deal you can get a great price for either M18 including a blower and battery.
Ryobi chainsaw is probably about the same; I believe the pole saw has an additional extension option. I know they also have electric loppers and hand pruners which I have considered in the past.
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As a weekly user of a Shindaiwa Weed Wacker, I’m a big believer in battery operated tools for light to moderate use.
Yeah you are married to the brand. Shindaiwa withdrew from the North American market. So I’m out of luck as soon as I need new batteries.
Chainsaws are for cleaning up after hurricanes. I’m not sure you don’t need a real chainsaw for that.
But with 56 volts, I’m fine with Shindaiwa’s power. You can accomplish quite a lot with 25 to 50 minutes uninterrupted weed whacking.
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I went by Ace hardware today. Sales guy demonstrated the quietness of an Ego brand battery chainsaw right there in the store. I was impressed. Of course, there was no load, so I asked him if it was much louder if it was actually cutting. He said something like “not really”.
Found out that a Stihl MSA C-B that I had priced at $430 did not include battery and charger (earlier a different sales guy had told me that it did). A battery and charger would be an additional $200+ making it more than what I want to spend.
I don’t know what I don’t know about these battery chainsaws. 
I already had a number of Dewalt 20V tools so I stayed within that “ecosystem”. The Dewalt battery chainsaw I’m quite willing to use without ear protection. I wouldn’t think of starting my Stihl gas saw without.
Speaking of “ecosystems” I started with a drill and driver and bundled (2AH?) battery and charger. Later I bought a pair of 5AH knock-off batteries off Amazon. Have used them a lot, doing fine. Last year our Husqvarna gas lawnmower kicked the bucket and we bought the Dewalt 20V lawnmower. It came with a pair of 10AH batteries and 2 chargers.
The only 20V Dewalt tool I’m not overly satisfied with is the weed whacker. Could just be something caught in it that I need to clean out… It now won’t advance the string on a bump, proper sized Dewalt branded string even.
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Milwaukee saw was on sale for $330 including a 6 ah battery. I think I’ve seen even lower.
Blower + chainsaw for $346… If you wait good deals come around.
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I have a rather new dewalt string trimmer…
So will probably stick with that brand and battery… something like this at our local TSC.
They get pretty good reviews…
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My Dewalt string trimmer is 20V only and was the first one they released. Looks like they have a number of different models now… The issue I was complaining about, hopefully they’ve resolved in later designs.
@wdingus … the model I have the string loads easy and feeds out easily. No complaints here.
I could use an extra battery… and will have one after I get the pole saw…
Most of this electric battery powered stuff… may run long enough if you have a quarter acre to deal with… but when you get up around my size … you really need at least a couple batteries…
Charge one while you wear out the other.
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I’ve had pretty good luck so far buying non-Dewalt branded batteries off of Amazon. That plus a tool-only purchase to save a few bucks has worked out nicely… The lawnmower came with 2 10AH batteries so for any serious needs, I’ve always got those.
The battery trimmer is mainly for my wife, she can’t handle our Husqvarna gas one very well. I use it for the rougher/larger areas. I rarely make it through a full tank of gas, I probably wouldn’t make it to the bottom of a battery charge either 
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Would non-Dewalt branded batteries even work in a Dewalt? I thought that batteries was brand specific.
I’m looking closer at the Dewalt chainsaws. Where else but Home Depot can they be bought?
Do volts, watt hours or amp hours define the power of the tools? What’s the difference?
Web search shows that Dewalt is available at Home Depo, Lowes, TSC, Ace…
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Yes, but many of those stores are sold out of battery chainsaws. The storm was really widespread around here. Much worse than hurricane Elvis.
Last I checked, Stihl had a one week satisfaction guarantee which is a pretty amazing policy.
I have always bought Stihl chainsaws and the majority of tree care companies around here do as well. If I was looking to buy an electric chainsaw I would first look at the specs. Speed is one feature that makes the Stihl chainsaws superior to some other brands- that is, when you purchase something from their pro-line.
If someone gives you an endorsement of the only electric chain saw they’ve ever used you can only take it so far. A homeowner usually doesn’t use a saw enough to be able to evaluate it until after a few years. I heat with wood and use a small chain saw occasionally when I’m pruning- which I do 7 months of he year, but my experience is a fraction of a pro arborist that is taking down big trees almost every working day. Also, the battery technology is moving very fast and even in the last two years their may be big improvement with any given brand- whence the need to look at specs, and if you can, ask a pro.
I can always get good advice from the man who owns the company I go to for service and to buy new saws and other equipment, but that isn’t always the case with every distributer of outdoor equipment.
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I have a Milwaukee M18 saw only because I already had batteries for my other tools, it’s good but nothing beats a gas saw. I’d check what brand you already have cordless power tools for so you don’t have to worry about batteries and if you don’t have a brand you’re best bet is Husqvarna or Stihl.
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