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For the most part, many of us recreational users of the chainsaw only need a saw to deal with trimmings, and the occasional fallen tree. So we decided to look at two of the market leaders in cordless or battery powered chainsaws .
Electrical power has many benefits over petrol in chainsaw applications. Instead of the noise, vibration and exhaust of an engine, operating the cordless chainsaw is a quiet, comfortable and fume-free experience.
Battery-powered outdoor products are also lighter and require less maintenance. The big advantage is for indoor applications and for working in areas where nuisance noise levels have to be kept to a minimum. This makes it ideal for tradesmen.
For us farmers the battery powered saw is ideal as there is no need for oil cans and petrol. The saw can be stored conveniently in the van and with the latest battery technology the power is always on and does not lose charge if left idle for a while.
Kevin Power, sales manager with Liffey Distributors, says the battery in the Husqvarna test saw is guaranteed for 1,500 charges, or alternatively 750 hours of work. Equating that back to petrol at €2 per fill, that would be a saving of €3,000 on petrol and oil. Professional users have reported that they have got up to 3,000 charges from the Husqvarna saw.
Safety is also very good on these saws, which have an inertia chain brake, and on the Husqvarna the on button has to be depressed for three seconds.
Both saws seem to have a high torque available all the time, which is characteristic of electrical power. The STIHL did appear to have a faster running chain. A very big plus for this type of saw is that there’s virtually no maintenance. All the tasks associated with petrol engines are gone. This also eliminates the potential damage by poor fuel mixing by part-time operators.
On the negative side, these saws at max will only perform for 30 to 40 minutes depending on conditions, so working away down the fields for a full day is not an option. Two batteries are definitely required to get through any amount of continuous work.
We found that bringing the trees back to the yard and cutting there allowed us to be able to charge a battery while working. This system did work for us. For more professional users, Husqvarna offers an additional battery pack that will give three hours of continuous use.
With two batteries, these saws offer enough work time for most us.
Operation
In operation, we found that the saws were lighter, and the reduced vibration decreased fatigue levels. The STIHL performed for longer in the test by about 12 minutes over the Husqvarna, and the STIHL charged quicker also at 29 mins.
The Husqvarna was fitted with a longer bar that may have reduced the battery life. Price-wise, the STIHL is the most expensive, largely due the higher specification charger that comes in at €358 including VAT. It does, however, have a very good charge time over the Husqvarna. (See Table 1).
The Husqvarna is the lightest saw at 2.4kg plus a battery weight of 1.345. The STIHL weighs 3.3 kg and add a battery weight of 1.7 kg it is the heavier saw by 1.3kg and the STIHL had a shorter bar fitted. The battery is mounted centrally in both chainsaws which spreads the weight more evenly. The view of the battery level indicator is better on the STIHL as it is in the operators eyeline which can be activated via a push button to see the remaining bars left.
The Husqvarna charger is quite noisy for charging the battery, but it does feature an automatic stop when the battery is charged. A nice addition would be a bleeper to alert the operator when the battery is charged.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by how well the saws performed; the only downside is that being close to the plug is a concern for field use.
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