When you think about power tools do you think electric? Maybe it’s time you should! Recently Greenworks sent me their battery powered Greeworks Pro 80 Volt 18″ Chainsaw (Amazon Aff) to test. I had some doubts. Could a battery powered chainsaw actually cut through well enough to be a part of my arsenal of power tools? Would a charge last long enough to get through all the jobs I would need to attack in one day? Would the chainsaw be able to be recharged fast enough to get back to work when it did run out of energy? Those were the questions in my head and probably the questions anyone wanting to purchase a new powertool would ask.
Before I tell you what I found out let’s look at some of the advantages of a battery powered chainsaw. First, there is no gas needed. That saves from visiting the gas station and having to mix oil and gas before using. It does require chain oil to insure smooth operation so you aren’t completely fossil fuel free but you are pretty close. A rechargeable battery system came with the Greenworks chainsaw so, depending on which power sources your local utilities choose to use, you could be using green energy (wind, solar, hydro) to run the chainsaw.
The Greenworks battery pack is heavy but that is necessary to retain the charge needed to run such a powerful tool and yes it is powerful. It easily cut through a 16-18″ tree trunk I had sitting around. I actually ended up turning it into a bench with the chainsaw by shaving one side of the tree to make a seat.
The battery charge never ran out on me. I cut out 4 holly bushes and a tall Leyland cypress in one day and could have cut down several more before the charge ran out. I noticed that it charged to full in the battery charger fast. In the time it took me to eat dinner one evening the 80 Volt battery had a full charge.
The Greenworks chainsaw had no trouble with anything I tried to cut. It sliced through wood quickly and efficiently. What I really liked was being able to put the chainsaw down without having the motor running and making noise. When cutting wood you frequently have to move branches and logs to cut more and with a gas powered chainsaw you either have to leave it run or turn it off then restart it. The Greenworks chainsaw is off when you release the trigger so the only noise happens when you are making your cuts. It has a safety button and a timeout setting so that it can’t accidentally be turned on when you don’t want it on.
My overall impression is that the chainsaw is a great tool for the home gardener for cutting trees and shrubs in the landscape. I think a landscape business could use this as well for trimming branches and removing trees as needed. Battery powered tools give us a way to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and gradually transition to a future with renewable energy. If you’re looking for a chainsaw I definitely recommend considering the Greenworks Pro (Amazon Aff) for your garden!
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Great review! One of the things I love about the set is how long the lithium ion batteries last – there's nothing that stinks more than quickly running out of battery power when you're in the middle of a project. I also like that this tool set has just about everything a DIY'er would need!