Thread: Stihl chainsaw choice

Thinking about that a bit more, I'll expand my answer a touch - the guys talking about the cordless saws have a good point and if you're only cutting a bit here and there they are a really good option. If you plan on doing an IBC cage (modern term) of firewood or a lot of work I think you still need a petrol unit or a minimum of three batteries and two chargers which unfortunately makes the cordless saws bloody expensive to buy. Otherwise you end up having to take a lot of breaks while you wait for the battery to charge, although to be fair fueling and oiling a petrol saw and checking and giving the chain a lick up isn't as much of a time saver over charging batteries as people make out. My experience of the cordless saw was that you get about 1.5 equivalent sized petrol saw tanks worth of cutting out of it, which is interesting because the oil tank is usually smaller than the equivalent saw and you have to really remember to keep checking it so you don't run the bar out of lube!

If you are used to petrol saws, the battery jobbies do need a little more care and attention to detail as a lot of them are one button firing - and they sit there silently but live and ready to go which is not what we are used to coming from petrol saws... I take the battery out if I'm not using them, having given myself a dumb moment fright when I first used one.