Best Electric Chainsaws Reviews & Editorial Ratings
The chainsaw is the definitive go-to tool for cutting or trimming trees, brush, lumber, logs, shrubbery, and limbs, among others. When you’re in the market for a new one or your first, it pays to proceed with an abundance of caution to find the right one that best addresses your unique needs. The modern electric chainsaw boasts incredible functionality, performance, ease of use, practicality, and convenience. Further, in a fierce competition pitting industry giants such as Remington, Worx, Black & Decker, and Greenworks against one another, choosing an ideal electric chainsaw can indeed be a nerve-wracking and daunting task.
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In this buying guide, it’s our aim to make the process simple and quick by furnishing you with the information you need to make an informed choice. And we’ll be doing that by walking you through a few of the most essential factors to keep in mind as you shop around and later on, present you with an in-depth review of 10 carefully picked out electric chainsaws. Let’s get started, shall we?
10 Best Electric Chainsaws
1. Makita UC4051A
In a seamless fashion that its competitors are yet to master, it brings together a large metal spike bar and a high-performance motor to provide the user with superior performance. These features not only enhance productivity but also help take the time and effort away from felling trees and cutting branches, limbs, twigs, and shrubbery. A high-performance 14.5-Amps motor that effortlessly achieves maximum speeds of 2,900 feet per minute. These speeds equate to fast and efficient cutting and trimming.
The Makita UC4051A is however not all performance-oriented. It makes your work easy by incorporating ergonomically designed handle with a rubberized grip. The resultant superior traction and comfort allow for effortless maneuvrability and control. The included large trigger switch provides for a smooth, hassle-free start.
Cuts powerfully and smoothly
Comfortable
Generous 12-month warranty
Easy to use
Costly
Prone to oil leaks
2. Worx 16-Inch with Auto-Tension
It comes with a powerful 14.5 amp motor that works seamlessly in tandem with a 16-inch bar to deliver speeds of up to 12 metres per second. This is the kind of performance that closely rivals the volcanic power of gas-powered options. As a result, it powers effortlessly, quickly, and accurately through considerably thick tree trunks and power. While it can’t hold a candle to our first pick with regards to performance, it’s a versatile choice that’ll dependably come in handy for completing various light- to medium-duty cutting and trimming projects around the house.
It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a generous 36-month warranty, all the more reason to consider getting yourself one. It cuts and trims like a high-end electric chainsaw should. You’ll never look back.
Generous 36-month warranty
Budget-friendly price tag
Automatic chain tensioning
Lightweight, maneuvrable, and comfortable
Guzzles oil
3. Greenworks 16-Inch
It performs quickly and efficiently. That much is undisputable seeing as the brushless motor increases power, torque, and runtime. It’s therefore capable of withstanding the attrition that comes with cutting or trimming chunks of knotted logs, which in turn further extends its useful life. The brushless motor offers lots of torque for running the 16-inch bar, enabling the user to tackle a plethora of light to heavy-duty trimming and cutting jobs around the house. The high-capacity 40V Lithium-Ion battery offers lots of juice and power for a continuous runtime. With a single charge, you can cut down trees, trim limbs or clean an average-sized yard without pausing.
Being cordless and featuring an innovative brushless motor technology, Greenworks performs smoothly and powerfully, enabling you to cut quickly and easily. And of course, it's ultra-quiet and lightweight.
Safe to use and quiet
Durable brushless motor technology
Cuts powerfully
Charges quickly
Chain occasionally falls off
Requires frequent sharpening
4. Remington RM1425
This commercial-grade device comes with a powerful 8-amp motor. It pairs nicely with the heavy-duty and durable 14-inch low-kickback bar and chain to offer one of the best cutting experiences. The combination makes short and quick work of smaller limbs and saplings. The length of the bar and chain and the lightweight design allows you to reach tight or hard-to-reach spots, meaning that you won’t have to strain. As mentioned earlier, it has a convenient push-button oiler and an external adjustment system for making tensioning a breeze.
A wraparound handguard offers your hands protection from flying debris. And since Remington RM1425 uses a 40V battery, portability is never an issue. Unlike an electricity-powered model, you can use it as far away from a power outlet as you wish. Compared to its gas-powered competitors, vibrations are reduced to a bare minimum and it happens to be very quiet.
It is powerful and a cinch to use. Vibrations are considerably less and since it features a high-capacity battery, you can use it for hours on end without worrying about running out of juice.
Highly portable
Starts in an instant
Safe to use
Cuts efficient
Chain tends to fall off
5. Black & Decker LCS1020
A high-performance motor, heavy-duty 10-inch long bar, and a high-capacity 20V Max Lithium battery come together to provide incredible speeds, efficiency, and dependability for quickly and effortlessly tackling a wide range of light trimming jobs. A versatile choice, this electric chainsaw will neither bog up nor struggle to go through brush, shrubbery, limbs, twigs, and branches. It even packs enough heft to quickly bring down small trees on your yard. Put anything up to 6 inches thick and watch the Black & Decker LCS1020 obliterate it in no time at all.
The LCS1020 is deserving of its spot on this list. It boasts convenience, ease of use, portability, effortless maneuvrability, and budget-friendliness. Essentially, it has most if not all of the features seasoned users look for in an electric chainsaw.
Portable and easy to manoeuvre
An ideal choice for light-duty trimming and cutting
Cuts perfectly
Inexpensive
• Easy to adjust the tension
A little underpowered
6. Oregon 603352
The 15-amp high power motor the Oregon 603352 comes with puts its performance on a whole new level. The ingenious design brings together the high-performance 15-amp motor and a sturdy 18-inch low kickback bar and chain. The result is a pro-grade performance. It effortlessly and quickly rips through thick and dense pieces of wood with great torque. The action will be over before the trees even realize what hit them. The exceptional ripping torque and power make short and quick work of various trimming and tree felling projects around your property, and it won't be fazed or spooked by the toughest of them.
Hassle-free maintenance, lightweight, user-friendly design, self-sharpening system, instant start, quiet operation, tool-less chain tensioning system, and a generous 24-month warranty. These are all reasons that make Oregon 603352 a worthwhile consideration.
Self-sharpening
Comfortable with minimal vibrations
Quiet
Has safety-enhancing chain brake
Cost-effective
Not expertly balanced
Low capacity oil tank
7. Earthwise CS30116
This is a powerful machine, so you won’t be doing the heavy lifting. Leave that to the 12-amp motor and 16-inch Oregon bar and chain. These two features are responsible for the machine’s head-turning performance. These two transform it to an all-rounder perfect for clearing brush, trimming trees, and even stockpiling firewood. As we’ve come to expend from high-end yet cost-effective options on the market, you don’t need any special tools to adjust the tension on the chain. Neither do you have to pause your cutting projects to oil the saw as the process is automatic. And because the oil tank is both transparent and high-capacity, monitoring the amount of remaining oil should be a breeze.
Earthwise CS30116 might be a no-frills pick but it comes with all the essential features. All you have to do is step up and show the overhanging branches, twigs, and limbs who is boss.
Has high-performance motor
Lightweight and maneuvrable
Comfortable
Easy to adjust chain tension
A cinch to use
Nothing worth mentioning
8. Sun Joe SWJ701E
Clearly a workhorse, SWJ701E will never leave you with a disappointed look on your face. The combination of a powerful 14-amp motor and an 18-inch long self-lubricating Oregon bar and chain is a potent one. And the only we know that is because this electric chainsaw doesn’t struggle, even slightly, to rip through the kind of materials that force some cheap, off-brand models to bog up and give in. to further sweeten the deal, Sun Joe throws in tool-less tension adjustment and an automatic oiler, two features that take the hard work, effort, and time away from maintaining a picturesque yard, lawn, or garden.
Few options seamlessly and expertly blend power, performance, and precision like Sun Joe SWJ701E does. And that explains why it’s earned its place on the list.
Cuts powerfully and effortlessly
Auto-oiler and tool-free chain tensioning
Offers the best bang for the buck
Easy to maintain
Chain is prone to slipping
Ambiguous user manual
9. WORX WG304.1
Built to make your work simple and easy, WORX WG304.1 sports a tool-less chain replacement, a staple in the industry by now. The chain adjusts its own tension, keeping it rightly tight provide you with optimal performance. You won’t be wasting your valuable and precious time adjusting the tension on the blade all by yourself. The bar and chain, on the other hand, measures a remarkable 18 inches. The length substantially enhances usability, maneuvrability, and control, in addition to giving you access to stems, branches, shrubbery, brush, twigs, and limbs in hard-to-reach spots. The high-performance 15-Amp motor generates decent speeds of up to 12 metres per second or the equivalent of 2362 feet per minute.
It may not be as powerful as some costly, top-shelf chain sawas out there but for every cutting and trimming around your property, it suffices. It’s also cost-effective and has a generous 36-month warranty.
Durable construction
Starts in a snap
Powerful performance
Safe and comfortable to use
Long 36-month warranty
Nothing significant
10. DeWalt DCCS690M1
You’ll be able to sample all the benefits of a brushless motor because DCCS690M1 is a high-performance one. Compared to a brushless motor, the former significantly improves and durability. Bring together the motor and the 16-inch Oregon chain and bar and there’s no limit to the things you can do with this electric chainsaw. You’ll be cutting thick and dense logs and chunks of wood as quickly as a gas-powered model and with the accuracy and ease of an electric model, which translates to a short completion time.
There are a few other additional features. The chain brake protects your hands from kickback while the variable speed trigger gives you superior control over operating speeds, allowing for accuracy. However, this device comes with its fair share of downsides. At 18.74 pounds, it’s considerably heavy. Controlling and maneuvring it may be a challenge. Also, some users report some complications with adjusting tension on the bar and chain. Aside from these, the DeWalt DCCS690M1 works like a charm; quickly, efficiency, effortlessly, and is dependable.
Awesome power
Cuts quickly and effortlessly
Cost-effective
Has a variable speed trigger for superior control
Heavy
Difficulty adjusting tension
Selection Criteria
Performance
The two most important features that determine the performance of an electric chainsaw are motor and the length of the bar. The combination of a high-performance motor and long bar results to superior performance. Consequently, you should use these two features as a benchmark to help you select an option that best meets your needs. A model with a short bar is perfect for light- to medium-duty cutting and trimming tasks around the house.
If, on the other hand, you need something capable of felling thick, big trees, train your eyes on a more powerful device with a considerably long bar. To guide you, consider that an electric chainsaw with a bar ranging between 12 and 14 inches in length is perfect for light-duty jobs. One whose chain ranges between 16 and 18 inches is ideal for medium-duty projects while anything longer than 18 inches is suitable for thick logs and branches.
Convenience
This refers to the ease of using an electric chainsaw. Obviously, costlier, high-end models pack more convenience features than their cheaper, humdrum counterparts. If you need trouble-free, effortless performance, we recommend taking a look at an option with a tool-less chain tensioning system. All you’ll have to do is use the provided tension lever and nothing else.
Another convenience feature is obviously weight. A lightweight option with proper weight balancing and an ergonomic handle is a cinch to control and maneuver, especially in tight, hard-to-reach spots. Some models have an automatic oiler feature. Couple this with the tool-less chain tensioning system and it becomes remarkably easy to use.
Safety
One last paramount feature to pay attention to before committing your money is the safety features the model comes with. No one wants to lose a finger while operating one. Humans are prone to errors but when it can be a costly or fatal one, it’s prudent to take the necessary precautionary measures. Ensure your product comes with a safety lock for preventing it from inadvertently starting up.
A chain brake instantly stops the chain in case of improper contact and prevent kickback. Other safety features include a hand guard and overload protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to oil it?
A: Oil is necessary to lubricate the bar and chain. Some models have auto oiler feature while others come with transparent oil tanks to enable you to keep an eye on the level of oil remaining.
Q: Do they come with any safety features?
A: The vast majority of them do. Some come with comfortable handles to prevent hand fatigue and strain while others have a chain brake to prevent the likelihood of kickbacks. Also, it’s highly recommended you wear the right safety gear like gloves, goggles, earplugs, an overall or long sleeved shirt, and boots when operating such a device.
Conclusion
Our list features some of the best electric chainsaws the market has to offer. They’ve been tried and test and come with a reputation for dependability, ease of use, high-performance, and safety.
They also closely tail their gas-powered counterparts in performance and longevity but have the advantage of effortless use and eco-friendliness. Should you elect to go with any our choices, you’re in for the best time of your life.