Need a battery saw, Stihl or Echo?

[rumatt]

Watched a few vids of the Milwaukee, looks good. $450 for the kit at home crapo.

I have a bunch of Milwaukee M18 tools and batteries so I've been tempted a few times, but haven't been able to pull the trigger.

What's the chain on those things? Is it .325?

 

[Dustin4185]

I bought the Ryobi 40v for demoing a big stage at our regional office. I have found myself using it for cutting all sorts of things. I use it to notch posts for framing, trimming stuff around the house and shop, cutting kindling inside the shop, etc. The cheap Ryobi has really impressed me. I have been pleased with it.

 

[P.M.P.]

Anyone run One of these makitas?

 

[P.M.P.]

 

[Philbert]

My dad needs a battery saw, never had one so been looking at them the last few weeks. From what I have read, the Stihl MSA 160/200 and Echo 58v are the best two options. The 160/200 is going to cost me $620-$650 while I can get the Echo for $360-$400. The pro husky's costs more than the Stihl so they are out. The big difference I see other than price is the weight, 10.6/11.1lbs for the Stihls, 14.4lbs for the Echo.

Key thing with battery powered OPE is to look at the 'family' / platform of compatible tools first. You may think, 'I am only buying the chainsaw . . . ', but I can tell you that they are addictive*. The second reason is that the batteries are typically about half the cost of the tool, and you want at least 2; sometimes buying a string trimmer, leaf blower, etc., with a second battery & charger is not much more than the additional battery, and you get the additional functionality. After that, you buy 'bare tools' (no battery or charger) for about half price.

What saw is he replacing it with? How much power does he need, and how much will he be using it? If he is already 'invested' in compatible Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, etc. batteries for contractor power tools, and will only be using the saw occasionally, start with that platform. If he is starting from scratch, or the OPE will use different batteries, look at the families.

Some product lines, like Husqvarna, all use compatible, interchangeable batteries, whether 'Pro' or 'Homeowner' grade. STIHL, for some reason, has 3 different battery product lines, and the batteries cannot be shared, if for example, he later chooses a tool from a different STIHL product line. Is there a dealer he prefers? Let him handle them in the store first, if possible, to get a feel for the weight, balance, power, etc.

OPE specific lines that I would look into include:
Oregon
Redback
STIHL
Husqvarna
ECHO
Greenworks (Kobalt)
EGO

There have also been some 'Black Friday' type deals on other brands (Poulan / Jonsered 58V) if you want to go that route.

Keep the chains sharp, let the saw do the work, and store the saw, batteries, and bar oil inside before cutting on really cold days.

Philbert

*I have chainsaws, polesaws, string trimmers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, etc., that share batteries. Some companies also sell snow throwers, ice fishing augers, lights, etc.

 

[sawfun]

Anyone run One of these makitas?

Yes sir I have one and like it a lot. No it doesn't have the power that my mse180 did. But it will cut 6" limbs fairly quickly if you don't push it. And small 2 - 3 inch stuff as fast and hard as you can. The saw is great for quick shrub work. I keep mine by my splitter and chipper/shredder. And the best part is the batteries from my other tools work in it.

 

[sunfish]

The Makita looks pretty good. We got the Dewalt because I already had a bunch of Dewalt 20V stuff.

 

[Backtroller]

My dad has the Dewalt version. I was really apprehensive but it’s a nice little saw that cut far longer than I would have expected. I cut down a good sized decorative crab with one battery. Super quiet too.

If I can find a deal on the Milwaukee version I’ll pick one up. I have the weed trimmer and it was impressive enough that I sold my gas Stihl. I can trim everything 2x on a single 9.0 amp battery including blowing off the tractor and the driveway.

 

[2000ssm6]

He usually runs a muff modded 200 rear handle. We have Dewalt and Hitachi battery tools but not enough to justify buying their saws. He did get the Kobalt blower and then found out the battery pack would not fit their chainsaw.

I bought a Ryobi 40v, seemed to offer the most vs. the price, will see how it does. I hope all of my 200 chains will fit the bar, that will be even better.

 

[Philbert]

Hope it works out for him. I like mine.

Kobalt and Ryobi (and others) also have different battery platforms by voltage (e.g. 40 Volt, 80 Volt, etc.).

Some of this stuff changes so fast, it is hard to keep up by brand name alone.

Philbert

 

[2000ssm6]

He has been running the Ryobi a lot and likes it. The only complaint so far is the battery lasts about 45 min if going steady, he hasn't bought a spare yet, just asks to bring my 200 over, lol.

I've ran it a little, power is there but I'm not giving up the gas burners.

 

[Logsdendave]

I would look at the Milwaukee. They have excellent battery tools. If your already invested in another brand such as dewalt I’d look at that.