Electric chainsaws

Had one, it lasted 1 tree and burnt out...
took it back, the dude said that it was common.

I bought a petrol one, never looked back.
theres a reason that they are $100.00

Have used a small electric around the yard several times.. their great for small prunning etc , but wouldn't bother taking one bush, your too limited as for the distance you can use it from the vehicle etc unless you have a hell of a long extension lead. Another problem being the size of the genny your running, dont know what size of your Honda but it will need to be at least an 1800watt generator to run the chainsaw effectivly. Personaly I bought a cheap small petrol chainsaw which I use when going bush, its great for collecting firewood and clearing trees etc from the track. I only bought a cheap one for just under $200 as I dont have much use for it, if you have a reasonable amount of use I'd suggest a small Stihl or something similar (a bit pricy though for the accational use but great little saws, I had a 12" stihl untill some @#$#@mungral pintched it off the back of my truck).

motherhen,
One of our party to Bathurst Bay two years ago had one. We used a petrol one for gathering firewood. On our way out there was a large tree across the road and the bloke with the electric chain saw was leading. He cranked up the 2 or 2.5 KVA genny in his boat and cleared it away no problem at all with the electric. (GMC)
Fairly large tree. The 20i should be enough.
Cheers,
Bros.

G'day motherhen,
You want reliability?? How's this...
Approx. 27yrs ago I bought a Hitachi elect. chainsaw w/- 12in. (300mm) bar... originally purchased to prune a rather overgrown "hedge" where I was living at the time...
Well, that thing has performed w-a-y over & above the call of duty, cutting things for which it was never intended (like fence posts, e.g.)... As long as the chain is kept sharp, it'll cut dry hardwood to the full length of the bar...
I still have it, I've lost count of the no. chains & cutterbars I've worn out, & it "keeps on keeping on", though I don't use it much anymore, as I have a couple of Stihl (petrol) saws for my "serious" wood-getting...

I'm a big fan of Hitachi power tools generally, and being something of a "tinkerer", & woodwork being my "full-time hobby", I have quite a few of them.. some of which (like the aforementioned chainsaw) I've had for over 20yrs... All see regular use, & the only failure has been the speed control on a variable-speed router (replaced under warranty)....

Not one of the brands you were asking about, but food for thought nonetheless...

Regards, Ed. C.

Motherhen,

We've had a Black and Decker eldctric chainsaw in the family for about 25 years. It has worked a treat in that time. I thought I'd use it in the bush from my inverter. Bugger, it wouldn't work. Pity because it would have been quiet.

I bit the bullet big time and lashed out $160 LOL on a Talon petrol chainsaw (two year warranty). The little thing cuts firewood in less time than I could crack a beer and has cleared logs on tracks.

I just go for a drive to cut firewood so I don't upset anyone. Some people are sensitive to noise. I respect that rather than creating issues.

Cheers,

Jim.

The better electric chainsaws use steel gears (chain drive is geared down from the electric motor). Cheaper ones use plastic/nylon gears.

I know an old timer who has given up on petrol saws and now uses a decent electric saw and a genny for all the work around his farm. I can see some arguments in favour of this but my petrol saw is reliable enough, if not heavy (and loud)

A good place to start is to ask HONDA if they they think your gennie will do the job.

As for the chainsaw, I always say... Good thing no cheap, cheap thing no good.

Cheers,

Muzz

Johnsored?

Is that how it spelt. Probly not.

They "say" they are made by Huskvana. But there made "in" Huskvana.

It has been reliable. It it 2stroke petrol.

Why dont you buy petrol?

Most people dont cause there hard to start. When you know how they are not.

The KEY to ALL small petrol / small carburetta jobbies is fresh fuel.

I have a Ryobi electric chain saw with the 16" bar and to now it is approx 17 years old. In that time it has done that much work from cutting down trees, stumps & railway sleepers that I can't believe it still goes. The only thing that has stopped working is the chain oiler, so I carry a oil can with me. I have gone through 4 chains in this period. It has never stopped under the toughest load,(plenty of power) with the exception of the chain coming off. They are a good unit, but then again so is the Makita electric hedge trimmer which is the same age. You can't go wrong with the above chain saw.

Hi motherhen,
my experience with an electric chainsaw comes from the last few weekend clearing trees from around the fence line. A neighbour loaned me his electric chainsaw a McCulloch which is 305mm 1200w model. A friend who is commercial gardener & was helping me had a go using it (he's used to a petrol Stihl chainsaw) was so impressed with the McCulloch he's going to put one into his arsenal of gardening impliments.
I've been using it extensively & all i can say about this McCulloch is that it's brilliant, I've been cutting through timber 20->25cm thick with no hick ups (this is not a brand new machine it's been used alot before & works great).
So I can recommend a McCulloch to you.
Anyway enough rambling just when you use a chain saw wear protective glasses (you know this already but a friend who didn't lost the sight in an eye from a chip of wood so I'm a little parnoid over this).
Also if you have a printed ad for the product you want from another place cheaper than Bunnings, Bunnings will equal that price & then go 15% lower in the price, which is excellent I know, cause I've done it.