Chainsaw Oct 2020 Test: Which Brand Wins?

bar (13.25 in usable), 40V max brushless motor, two 20V 2 Ah batteries, no variable speed trigger (all or nothing), self-tightening chain, 3/8 in pitch chain with 52 drive links and .043 gauge (Oregon bar and chain), six tooth steel gear with two steel pins and a stud, made in China

bar (12 in usable), 40V lithium brushless motor with load-sensing technology claim, 4 Ah battery, 5 year warranty, 3/8 in pitch chain with 52 drive links and .050 gauge (Oregon bar and chain), six tooth steel gear with two studs (rest of housing plastic), made in Vietnam

brushless motor, 16 in bar (14.5 in usable), comes with an extra set of batteries, 3 year warranty, claimed 45 minute charge time, variable speed trigger, 3/8 in pitch, .043 gauge chain (Oregon bar and chain), six tooth sprocket with two pins and a stud, metal chain cover and chain guard, dual battery indicator, made in China (saw and charger), batteries made in Japan, China, Singapore, Korea, or Malaysia

bar, one high output 12 Ah battery, M18/M12 rapid charger, claims one charge equals 150 cuts into 6x6 cedar and up to 20% faster cuts than a standard gas competitor, 6 tooth sprocket with a two-stud design described as more durable than the DeWalt's, made in China (bar, chain, and saw are Oregon-branded)

gasoline-powered 16 in bar (15 in usable, tied best with the Milwaukee), 30.1 cc, 1.7 horsepower two-stroke engine, fitted with a new chain for fairness before testing

lowest of all six saws tested including the gas Stihl

stated twice in the transcript as 11,700 RPM at first measurement and 11,690 RPM in the closing recap; kept both figures rather than silently reconciling, likely a minor rounding/caption variance

highest of all six saws tested by a wide margin

quietest of all six saws tested

second quietest of all six saws (behind the Worx)

loudest of all six saws tested; resolved from an otherwise unlabeled string of six sequential noise readings (90/99/99/98/93/105 dB) in the transcript by matching the summary statement 'the Worx and the Milwaukee are the two quietest saws' and 'a lot quieter than a gasoline powered saw', which only fits if this final 105 dB reading belongs to the gas Stihl rather than the Milwaukee

with batteries, tied lightest with the gas Stihl

with batteries

with batteries, same as the Ryobi

with battery, by far the heaviest of all six saws tested

tied lightest with the Worx

best of three cuts was the first at 17.14 seconds; repeat cuts were slower at 18.5 and 17.9 seconds; finished last (sixth) of six in the final ranking

first cut 14.4 seconds, second cut 16.8 seconds (stalled out twice), third and best cut 14.1 seconds; finished fifth of six

first cut 15 seconds (stalled), second and best cut 13.4 seconds, third cut 14.4 seconds (stalled again); finished second of six

first cut 16.7 seconds (stalled), second and fastest cut 13.7 seconds, third cut 13.9 seconds; finished tied fourth of six with the gas Stihl (13.5 seconds), though the Milwaukee's own best cut was 13.7 seconds not 13.5, a minor inconsistency in the closing recap kept unresolved

13.8, and 13.5 seconds (best); finished third of six

to cut six 4x4s with 2.5 lb added weight and no downward force applied; finished fifth of six

described as totally crushing this test; finished third of six

a respectable finish about 2 seconds slower than the DeWalt; finished fourth of six

the slowest of all six saws in this test

fastest of all six saws in this test, requiring the least user effort

no numeric cut time given in the transcript; only described qualitatively as struggling and requiring a lot more user input than the other saws. This brand is also the only one of the six omitted from the final hardwood-test ranking recap

first pass 29 seconds (stalled once), second pass 24.1 seconds (best); finished fifth of six in the final ranking recap

first pass 23.9 seconds (stalled twice), second and better pass 21.4 seconds, moving into second place behind DeWalt; finished fourth of six in the final ranking recap

first pass 22.9 seconds (stalled twice), second and better pass 19.7 seconds, moving into second place, 4 seconds behind DeWalt; finished second of six in the final ranking recap

first pass 21.9 seconds, second and better pass 21.1 seconds; finished third of six in the final ranking recap

no-load, first of all six to run out

no-load

first battery set ran out at 31 minutes no-load; with the included second battery set, total estimated run time is around 62 minutes

no-load, the best single-battery run time of all six saws

not directly comparable, gas engine not part of the no-load battery run time or recharge time tests