Cordless Chainsaws

Battery-powered chainsaws are good for small, light-duty cutting jobs

Cordless chainsaws are worth considering if you want a relatively quiet, small chainsaw for pruning or cutting small branches. The 4.5- to 10-inch guide bars on cordless chainsaws make them easier to maneuver among crowded branches, and though the battery adds some bulk, there's no cord to drag around the worksite. Corded electric chainsaws are about twice as loud as cordless chainsaws -- 90 to 100 decibels or more at the user's ear, compared to 85 and under for the battery-operated models. Most experts recommend using hearing protection even when using a cordless chainsaw, but bystanders and neighbors will find cordless models much more pleasant.

We found reviews of Makita, Black & Decker and Neuton cordless chainsaws. All but one of these reviews cover one model at a time, and we lack head-to-head tests of all models. However, the available reviews do provide plenty of information about size, features and capability, based on actual use.

The 18-volt Black & Decker CCS818's (*Est. $100) 8-inch bar doesn't have an anti-kickback safety tip, and the saw is a bit bulky, but it weighs only about 6 pounds. Black & Decker doesn't specify the amp-hours on its battery but says the chainsaw can cut up to 150 2-by-4s per charge. One battery is included with the saw, but you have to buy the battery charger (which is Energy Star qualified) separately, for about $25. One owner praising the Black & Decker CCS818 cordless chainsaw at Amazon.com says it can fell and cut up two average trees measuring 5- to 7- inches in diameter at the base. This particular Black & Decker cordless chainsaw also garners top ratings in a single-product review by the Healthy House Institute.

If a short 4.5-inch bar is still big enough to suit your needs, tests by the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse recommend the 18-volt Neuton cordless chainsaw pruner (*Est. $110). Neuton's saw uses nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) 1.7-amp-hour batteries that offer a runtime per charge of about 30 minutes. One battery and a battery charger are included and can be used interchangeably with other Neuton outdoor power tools. According to Neuton's website, the cordless chainsaw weighs in at about 6 pounds and can cut wood up to 3 inches thick.

The 12-volt Makita UC120DWD (*Est. $230) also has a 4.5-inch bar, but it costs more than the Neuton chainsaw. You get NiMH batteries as part of the Makita UC120DWD's price premium, however; they're considered more environmentally friendly and boast longer runtimes of 2.6 amp-hours. Makita says the cordless UC120DWD cuts up to 93 pieces of 1.75-inch hardwood before the battery needs recharging. One owner reviewing it at Amazon.com (where it gets near-perfect ratings) says it cuts for about an hour at a time.

Makita's cordless chainsaw has two other advantages that may help it merit consideration from shoppers. A standard electric blade brake stops the chain when the trigger is released -- a good safety feature even on such a small saw. Additionally, the Makita weighs just 4.8 pounds. Overall, the 18-volt Black & Decker cordless chainsaw looks like a solid budget pick, with the Makita offering superior features.