Greenworks Chainsaw – What Is The Best Chainsaw For Home Use

A chainsaw is the perfect power tool to keep your trees looking nice. A Greenworks chainsaw is a battery operated chainsaw with 80 volts and a 16-inch bar, which provide ample power and bar length for almost any do it yourself job you want to tackle.

Did you ever have a large branch or tree break down in a storm and want to cut it up yourself? If you have already used a gas chainsaw you know how difficult they can be to start, especially if you only use the chainsaw several times a year to do some pruning on your trees or for storm damage cleanup. One of the biggest advantages of a cordless greenworks chainsaw is the battery powered engine guaranteeing it to start with the pull of the trigger.

The engine power and the availability of cordless chainsaws has grown at an unbelievable rate in the last several years! Not long ago a customer could walk into a lawn and garden store and ask, what is the best chainsaw for home use? Most likely they would have been pointed towards a gas chainsaw, but today the cordless chainsaws have replaced the gas chainsaws as a favorite among homeowners and DIY’ers.

The larger size cordless chainsaws like this one have comparable engine power to a gas chainsaw without the costly engine tune-ups and maintenance like replacing air filters and spark plugs or possibly carburetor adjustments because of corrosive ethanol gasoline. Those benefits plus others are making these chainsaw a favorite for home use and construction or landscaping business.

Would you like the option to purchase this chainsaw or learn more about other sizes of Greenworks chainsaws? Click here to view the 5 popular Greenworks chainsaws with varying battery voltage and bar lengths.

The 80 Volt Family Of Tools – Your Powerful Outdoor Tools

Besides the popular 16 and 18 inch chainsaws, the 80 volt family of lawn and garden outdoor power tools includes a lawn mower, string trimmer, and hedge trimmers to keep your grass and landscape neatly trimmed. The useful leaf blower can be used throughout the year to keep your sidewalks and driveway clean. There is also a garden cultivator and snow blower!

Greenworks Chainsaw 80 Volt 16 Inch Overview

• Cuts per charge – up to 120 cuts on 4×4 wood
• Engine torque – 1.8 Kw
• Bar length – 16 inches
• Chain speed – 36 feet per second
• Chain pitch – 3/8 inch
• Chain gauge – 0.05 inch
• Chainsaw weight  – 11 pounds / with battery 13.7 pounds
• Chainsaw dimensions – 30.1 x 9.7 x 9.7 inches
• Chainsaw warranty – 4 years
• Battery warranty – 2 years

Features On This Powerful Greenworks Chainsaw

When I am looking at features on a chainsaw I am going to want a great power to weight ratio along with comfortable hand grips and easy operation.

A digital controlled brushless motor creates more torque and is quieter than the older motors. An electronic chain break provides a safety feature against kickback and also allows you to instantly stopping the chain.

The 16-inch bar is the perfect size to tackle trees and cut firewood. A sturdy metal wrap around handle gives multiple places to grip and allows many different cutting angles, while the steel bucking spikes grip the wood while cutting to help cut faster and smoother.

An automatic oiler applies oil to the bar and chain as the saw is cutting to ensure the chain doesn’t get hot and damage the bar. The oil tank has a translucent window to easily see the oil level.

A tool to tighten or replace the chain is stored inside the handle, ensuring it is always with the chainsaw and helping prevent it from getting lost.

Battery Sizes And Cutting Time Per Charge

I will clear up some confusion over battery volts and amp hours “AH”. Think of the volts as the engine size in a car and the amp hours as the size of the gas tank. A battery with more amp hours does not give more power but increases the run time between charges. The 80 volt family has battery sizes from 2AH through 5AH, the small battery is great for small branches and the larger battery is great for cutting firewood.

With heavy cutting though large logs the battery will most likely last around a half hour. But with intermittent cutting it can last well over an hour.

The battery has an amazing 30 minute recharge time using a rapid charger, which means little time is wasted waiting for it to recharge! If you are able to have 2 batteries you could always have a battery recharged and waiting for you!

Advantages Of A Cordless Chainsaw

It is environmentally friendly! The electric motor does not emit harmful emissions and without that it can be operated indoors. Which is great for cutting firewood inside during the winter.

Cordless chainsaw are much quieter than a gas chainsaw! You won’t disturb the early morning peace with a roaring gas engine or disturb your nearby neighbors.

Who likes spending money on maintenance? Definitely not me and I assume the same with you. With a cordless chainsaw you never need engine service or need to worry about corrosive ethanol gas harming the carburetor, which will happen if you don’t use the saw frequently.

The 80 volt chainsaw is a workhorse! They are comparable to a 45cc gas engine. For a comparison the STIHL ms261 with a 16 or 18 inch bar is a professional grade chainsaw and it has 50.2cc.

Safety And Helpful Tips Learned From My Experience

A chainsaw is an awesome tool to operate! Feeling the power in your hands and watching the sawdust fly as the bar slices through large logs! Just remember that while a chainsaw is easy to use, they can be dangerous if used carelessly or incorrectly.

Be careful of kickback, it usually happens when the top of the nose contacts a larger branch. It can suddenly throw the chainsaw bar up and towards the operator. The automatic chain brake will stop the chain in severe cases to prevent injury. To prevent kickback watch where the nose of the saw is while cutting and keep a firm grip on the front wrap around handle.

Try not to cut through the log into the dirt, although dirt may seem soft, it will dull the chain and there could be a rock or stone hidden just below the surface and that will definitely dull the chain. Plus a sharp chain cuts much faster and is less stressful on the engine, of course everybody knows that, but did you know a dull chain can be more dangerous? A dull chain will require more force trying to push the chainsaw through the wood, but a sharp chain requires little effort from the operator, letting the weight of the chainsaw provide pressure to cut.

A new chain may not look like it can cut a finger or hand, but believe me it happens! Either wear gloves when handling sharp chains or use caution by gently grasping the chain. Do not let it slide in your hand, that is how you slice yourself!

A frequent question is how tight should the chain tension be on the bar? Well, to tight and it won’t go around and to loose it will come of the bar while in use. A simple and easy to remember tip, there should be no chain sagging on the underside of the bar but you should be able to easily pull the chain 1/8 to 1/4 inch away from the bar, then have it snap back when you release it.

Concluding Thoughts About The 80 Volt Greenworks Chainsaw

I have 15+ years of experiences and stories to share from working with trees! Chainsaws definitely can be a handy tool to own with many uses other than cutting trees.

This 80 volt Greenworks chainsaw’s emphasis is on power and ability to tackle large jobs, while providing long-lasting peak performance!

Have you ever used a cordless chainsaw or noticed some of their benefits? If you did or if you have any questions leave them in the comments below and I will try to answer them for you!

Your arborist friend:

Justin

 

Photo credits: Greenworks Tools, a happy customer