It seems everybody is going with these battery saws. I think everyone should fess up about how many full cords they are cutting with these battery saws.
We burn a minimum of 10 full cords here every season. For the last 9 years, we have burned Oak tops that were logged off the surrounding 220acres. We are getting down to the end of that.
Now, with the aquisition of the band mill, we might need a battery saw when we take a tree down, but so far it’s been far easier to simply dig the tree out, roots and all, and carry it to a landing, with the excavator. At the landing, I use a generator and the Remington Versa saw to limb and cut the stump off. Soon the golf cart will replace the generator.
If we get overwhelmed with slabs, we can get back to the wood powered buzz saw again.
Anyhow, I ramble.
The point I am trying to make, is I am looking for a good quality saw that we can cut 10 cords a year with, year after year. Like Jeff, I don’t do gas saws any more, if I can help it. Rough on the wrists, and hands.
You forget ears. With a cord it doesn’t really matter wich brand, I think. As long as the blade is big enough. For batt tools you need a premium brand.
Back in the day that I tried corded saws, I would be lucky to get ten cords before they burned up. After three of them I gave up. Now a days you can buy a quality corded saw.
With my battery saw I can not say how much wood it cuts because it is mixed up with other saws. I would be lying otherwise.
For a stationary operation, the corded saw makes sense.
That and that this tech is evolving so fast. Trying to compare a saw from a few years ago isnt going to work. Its like comparing a new Tesla to an EV-1. You need to forget about them and only focus on what is on current market and is available today.
I had to look up that one , 10 cords is almost 40 m3. We are just starting and did maybe 5 cords. Nothing wrong with the chainsaws except a few chains and the cable was cut one time. The cable restricts your movement, that s all. Just or almost as powerfull as gas. We can do a 100 cords and if it breaks , it breaks. I have a spare one. But I dont think it will break. Only 80 euro/dollar.
I do agree about learning what’s new.
I also specialize in what is gone before. The fact that I belong to a forum dedicated to fueling internal combustion engines with a technology that preceded the petroleum fuel industry attests to that.
Hey, I will add my experience, as I have been running a stihl 200 CBQ battery saw for a number of years now. I do not use it exclusively; I have a small 35cc gas saw for cutting anything larger than about 8 inches, which really takes a lot of time with the battery one. I am really happy with the 200, which was the biggest one they made back in 2014 or so when I bought it. If you keep the saw chain sharp, it cuts well, and I dont think I would have any problem cutting all my wood with it. The biggest tree I felled with it was a 16" doug fir, just to see it if could handle it. It did, but I switched to gas to cut the rounds, as it was taking forever to buck up the log.
Generally I will fell and buck logs in the woods with a gas saw, as walking half a mile to the charger and back slows you down a bit too much. I saw them into 64" long sections, or 32" if they are too heavy to lift. I sell most of the big logs to my bother, and mostly just haul in the tops that are 6" and under for my own wood. We have a little log cart that holds pretty much exactly a quarter cord, and one battery pack comes up a little short of cutting it all into 16" lengths. So I would estimate that one AP300 battery cuts about 3/16ths of a cord. I have 3 batteries now, so I can keep cutting almost continuously. The two original batteries are AP200, or 200WH, but they still do pretty well. I cut about 5 cords a year, although I really only burn 2 or 3, and the rest I sell off. So I probably cut the equivalent of at least 2 cords a year with my saw, plus some pruning and slash clearing with it. It is still going strong after 7 years. I think I could probably cut 3 cords for myself with about 30 battery packs, or about 6kwh of power. Thats enough to run an electric heater on high for 4 hours, so that seems like a pretty good energy return on energy invested!
I think the varying opinions on the corded may be due to the different use voltages.
Maybe even the difference of 50 hertz versus 60 hertz.
And the difference of single phase AC versus smoother three phase AC motors.
The thing I found on electrics is make mine brush types. AC, DC regardless of the voltage.
Worn out the Stihl E 140 corded brushes twice now in 15 years.
I’ve always wondered what more the higher line Stihl corded models would have given.
Yep I too had to change it over to a full width 3/8 chain and bar. The original super narrow would break off teeth on fir knots.
And that take-off narrow skinny set turned my old MS 009 gas saw into a ladder use one hander.
S.U.
I was going to mention that the first time I read that. That is a very clever idea. We have a generator to run the versa in the bush with, that could be over sped.
Bruce you said fess up so here is what i have found , like so many have mentioned a razor sharp blade will do a lot of work for sure , but when your out side cutting logs and branches that you just dragged over the paddock its not always possible to stay on top , but i will honestly say i have never regretted buying my Makita and would happily buy another one again if this one gave up the ghost .
In fact Bruce why don’t you buy that great deal that was posted on here along with the 4 x 5.0 ah battery’s and if you don.t like it after a good work out down the road i will buy it off you and u keep the charger and the battery’s . long as i can get it shipped here and come in under what they expect us to pay for it here in Aus .
Brian,
Thank you for the offer. I am on a trajectory already with the electric golf cart. My investment in the cart is a triple win. We have another complete Powersystem in this. We have a portable quiet power source for the corded saws. Then there is the cool factor…my son driving his first electric cart.
That said, if you want the makita, I would happily buy it and ship it for you. I will ask at the post office next time I go. I ship to Deutschland occasionally, so I know the drill.
Ooops where do you live?
Thanks for the offer Bruce so many kind folk on here , only hope i can return the fav some day to others .
I just worked out the sums and that amount’s too $801 Australian , still a great deal compared to what Amazon wanted for the same ,model .
I will check with post office about shipping of li-ion batterys as i had a camcorder seized and never returned by Ebay global shipping due to the fact it had a battery in it , if because this item is brand new then they may allow it i shall check it out .
Dave
About ten years ago I owned an electric golf cart. Used an inverter to run a corded saw. In my woods it did not work out. Too bushy and a lot of ulta-limb pine to limb. I could see it work in an open forest or stationary firewood cutting.
Back in the early 80’s I used a Remington to do tree removal work, did lots of trees with that thing including a 36 in. pecan that had been struck by lightning. The bark was standing about 1 in. from the cambium and was separated from top to bottom of the tree. Had a lot of emotional pain about cutting that tree down. Love trees such beautiful things and so practical. Really have a thing for Bamboo also, since I stood in the midst of a grove in Guam, each major culm was about 8 inches in diameter and about eighty feet high, very touching and awe inspiring.
I have done a lot of cutting this year. Both gas and battery. With my Echo 58V battery saw and a sharp chain I can cut 3/4 of a face cord on a charge. Ash and Maple. Have done it multiple times to confirm it. It’s a wonderful thing but still cannot replace a gas saw for production. Also I should say that I cut 20 inch lengths so less cuts per cord.
Tom,
Is that the Echo Ccs-58vbt?
A battery saw may be in my future. I have found that the golf cart works but is not able to leave level ground that is picked for rocks. I hit a bump and broke a weld on the solar array racking. Fortunately, I was still able to drive back to the barn.
I would assume the battery saw works in the rain, ok?
