Cordless Chainsaws and Outdoor Power Equipment

[Philbert]

Saw the 40V Greenworks saw at Menard's today. I think that it is the most expensive saw they sell.

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw10]

I picked up a second Kobalt saw today, since I'm quite happy with the first one. ....and the first has had zero issues in over a years use. I want to run Stihl 3/8 .043 chain on one, and stihl .043 1/4" on the other..
The only small complaint about my old Kobalt 80v was the way the speed control was set up. Full power wouldn't kick in until the saw was cutting/had a load.....so chain speed was very slow when not cutting.
....to my surprise this new saw is different. It goes straight to full throttle even with no load. Much better in my opinion, especially when I'm using the tip of the saw for detailing(in this situation I usually want as much chain speed as possible). Definitely an improvement. The motor or speed controller seem a bit different also....the new one seems to have more torque, but a hair less top chain speed.
These are excellent saws , especially for the price. $300 for the saw, charger and battery.

 

[Franny K]

Franny. Where did you find the illustrated parts list for this saw? Thanks

I have been away for a while. I was able to find it again. I put two links but could not link to the actual document but did download it and attached it.
http://www.dewalt.com/tools/outdoor-power-tool-equipment-dccs690h1.aspx

http://servicenet.dewalt.com/Products/Detail?productNumber=DCCS690M1

 

[Philbert]

Oregon WL275 Work Light



Does this belong in this thread? I think so, as I have said many times, that, due to the 'relative' cost of the batteries, most users will buy into 'a family' of cordless tools (yes, there is a pun in there).

An Oregon rep had a prototype of this work light at WetGunPowder's open house last weekend. Apparently, they have been released in Europe (?), and a version is due soon in the US (?). They run off of the same 40V batteries (called 36V in Europe) as the other Oregon O-P-E. AND (as Zogger once predicted!), also run off of an A/C adaptor (but the adaptor does not charge the battery, as I understand it).

Anyway, the only information I can find on the Web has been translated from German by Google (assume 120V for the US version):
OREGON Battery Work Light WL 275 LED power supply
The new Oregon LED work light WL275 LED with power supply without battery can also be operated with a 230 volt power supply.
The use of time in a 4.0 Ah battery 24 h in the low and 12 hours in high switch position.
Techn. Data.
36V battery
230 Volt mains power supply
High light output High: 1091 lumens,
Low: 584 lumens
5000K color temperature Long Life LED
stable aluminum frame to adjust 90 °
safely stand
with support bracket



Philbert

 

[Franny K]

What is the instructions on the Oregon batteries as far as protecting from cold temperatures?
Have you put a volt meter on one to see what reading you get?
Something like that light should be able to work of a different battery and some wires and alligator clips or some other such method of connecting.

 

[Philbert]

There are battery handling instructions in the user manuals (oregoncordless.com), including temperature guidelines.

Since the light runs off transformers, as well as the battery pack, there is clearly voltage step down going on. I don't have one to explore.

Similar, 120 V corded LED work lights are also available at home centers, if you want to experiment with other power sources. This one just works conveniently with the existing 40 V batteries that system users already have.

Philbert

 

[Franny K]

There are battery handling instructions in the user manuals (oregoncordless.com), including temperature guidelines.



Philbert

I can see why you did not give a direct answer.
"Store at a temperature between -4F to 86F (-20C and 30C)" but that is under the storage longer than 9 months. If there is short term storage section I did not invest enough effort looking for it.

The way I read the Husvqarna battery or saw manual (3 sets of instructions, saw, battery, and charger) was it could be used a little below freezing but the battery stored at least a couple of degrees above freezing of water temp. That may not be exactly how everyone interprets what I recall reading.

 

[Philbert]

I store these Li-Ion batteries fully charged, in my basement. I have used these tools down to about 20 degrees F, which may not be optimal, but they worked. No heat from internal combustion to warm the batteries or bar/chain oil.

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw10]

I finally pulled the trigger and bought the Husqvarna 536li xp. Expensive little bugger, but after using it for only a few minutes today it really seems to be the best battery saw I've used yet.



I didn't even try the stock 3/8" chain/bar/sprocket. Went straight to the .043 stihl 1/4" stuff.

 

[Philbert]

Hope to hear some specific comparisons with it's neighbors, and the other cordless saws you have used. I have only heard good things about the Husqvarna saw.

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw10]

I've run the saw for several hours now between yesterday and today's work. This is without a doubt the best battery saw that I've tried.
It's is far more well balanced and comfortable to hold compared to the Stihls. I weighed them both, each with their 4.2ah battery and 12" stihl bar with mini 1/4" chain. The Stihl MSA 200c weighs 11lbs 10oz. The Husqvarna 536 LiXP is much lighter, weighing in at 9lbs 14oz. That nearly 2lb difference is a big deal to me when I'm carving with the saw for many hours a day.
I have not timed any cuts, but I'm sure the Husky cuts faster.....it's definitely not anything drastically faster though. It is also harder to bog down the Husky to the point where power cuts out.
I have not been a fan of Husqvarnas. I've owned a few of them over the last 20 years and had nothing but bad luck with every one of them. I had basically sworn them off and vowed never to buy one again, BUT?..... this saw is a winner!(at least short term). We will see about long term durability.

 

[zogger]

I've run the saw for several hours now between yesterday and today's work. This is without a doubt the best battery saw that I've tried.
It's is far more well balanced and comfortable to hold compared to the Stihls. I weighed them both, each with their 4.2ah battery and 12" stihl bar with mini 1/4" chain. The Stihl MSA 200c weighs 11lbs 10oz. The Husqvarna 536 LiXP is much lighter, weighing in at 9lbs 14oz. That nearly 2lb difference is a big deal to me when I'm carving with the saw for many hours a day.
I have not timed any cuts, but I'm sure the Husky cuts faster.....it's definitely not anything drastically faster though. It is also harder to bog down the Husky to the point where power cuts out.
I have not been a fan of Husqvarnas. I've owned a few of them over the last 20 years and had nothing but bad luck with every one of them. I had basically sworn them off and vowed never to buy one again, BUT?..... this saw is a winner!(at least short term). We will see about long term durability.

What was the freight on that little bad boy then?

 

[Chainsaw10]

I bought mine from Baileys as a carving saw package for $760 shipped. It came with saw, fast charger, 4.2ah battery, a 12" .050 1/4 pitch carving bar and chain and 1/4" sprocket. It also came with the stock 3/8 sprocket/bar/chain

 

[zogger]

I bought mine from Baileys as a carving saw package for $760 shipped. It came with saw, fast charger, 4.2ah battery, a 12" .050 1/4 pitch carving bar and chain and 1/4" sprocket. It also came with the stock 3/8 sprocket/bar/chain

Well, you obviously get what you pay for!

I'm happy for my purposes now with my first gen oregon saw, but..as soon as there is a batt saw that can run a 20 inch bar and chain *well*, I think I'll add to the fleet. I am sold on lithium ion battery tech. Instant on/off, reliable running, no air filters fuel filters or tuning, etc..sold.

 

[Franny K]

. I weighed them both, each with their 4.2ah battery and 12" stihl bar with mini 1/4" chain. .

What is the name or size of the Stihl battery you are calling 4.2ah? I divided their watt hour by voltage to try and compare and decided the Stihl battery was larger capacity. At least the closest one the AP 180 178wh/36v=4.94. the weights for the batteries seemed about that proportion as well.

 

[Chainsaw10]

The Stihl battery is labeled ap180
Here a pic of both battery labels with more info...

 

[Chainsaw10]

Stihl has a new lager capacity battery available just as of recently. The AP300. I have one of these on order from my Stihl dealer. The Stihl batts are awesome quality. Very long runtime, never get hot, plenty of power. ...and my two AP180's are probably about 2 years old now, and still working well(maybe just a little less run time). But still the same amount of power.
....and this larger capacity battery is the same weight as the AP180

 

[Chainsaw10]

Here's a mini owl I just rough cut with my new toy. Took about 10 minutes and the battery still shows 3 out of 4 lights still shining. I love getting these extra little carvings made at night, in my little shop after the kids are sleeping. Wasn't possible before these battery saws. Some bonus $$$
.... (Plug in saws SUCK. I have Stihls best plug in and it doesn't compare to these battery saws.

 

[Philbert]

I noticed that the price of the Oregon batteries has really come down. The 2.4Ah batteries are about $80 and the 4.0Ah are about $139 - on line pricing. I don't track the other brands as closely - has anybody noticed any changes? Might be due to production efficiencies; might be due to maturing technology; might be due to competitive pressure.

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw10]

Yup, I just bought a new 6 Ah battery for my Stihls and it was $160. The original 4.2Ah batteries were $200 each(about 2 years ago).
Nice to see the higher capacity battery is now cheaper than the lower ones used to be.... And it weighs exactly the same.