Cordless Chainsaws and Outdoor Power Equipment

[Philbert]

Not a very big handle on the starter cord either. And wait until you try to service the air filter or spark plug!

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw10]

Let me see if I can post a vid right from my phone....

 

[Philbert]

Yeah, but the STIHL bar was upside down!

Look competitive - I did not time your cuts. I agree that the Ryobi 'sounds' more powerful - I don't like the high pitch whine of the STIHL.

Same chains? Or 3/8 low pro on the Ryobi and 1/4 inch on the STIHL?

Nice video - Thanks.

Philbert

 

[zemmo]

Let me see if I can post a vid right from my phone....

Thanks, danged impressive! I guess I should just buy one, I could use it today.

 

[Chainsaw10]

Both saws are running their stock chains. Stihl has the mini 1/4" .043. Ryobi has lo pro .043 3/8".
Going back over the vid it appears that the Stihl is a hair faster....like a second or less per cut.


After those 7 cuts with the Ryobi i fiddled cutting with it for just 3 or 4 minutes more....after that the battery was reading only 25% power still remaining. I'll have to get the larger batt soon. It's is definitely power hungry!!

....and that Stihl bar is not upside down....it's the only thing in the vid that is right side up. Everything else is upside down....then I flipped the video over before posting

 

[Chainsaw10]

I took the side cover and bar off of he ryobi . The motor shaft dimension is exactly the same as the stihl motor shaft. I'm gonna try to find a way to fit a 1/4" sprocket on there. It will definitely cut faster and more efficiently with the mini 1/4" chain. The stihl sprocket wont directly fit because the sprocket includes the whole chain brake drum as a single piece with the sprocket.....the ryobi is just a simple sprocket without a chain brake drum. I think i may order a spare Stihl sprocket and cut off the drum part...and see if i can make it work.

 

[Philbert]

At HD right now, looking at it. I had to go to a more upscale location to find one!

Feels OK in my hands. Like the rubberized grips. Balances well. No chain brake - does the chain stop or coast when you release the trigger?

Looks like the sku 298-815 string trimmer comes with the larger battery, and a charger, for only $20 more than buying the large battery alone.

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw10]

The chain coasts for about a second to a stop... I really don't see the need for a chain break on these saws. That string trimmer sounds like a good deal, but I might find more uses for the blower if it comes with the big battery. I would use it to blow sawdust off carvings...and out of my shop and truck. Easier than always breaking out the big stihl backpack blower.

 

[Philbert]

The chain coasts for about a second to a stop... I really don't see the need for a chain break on these saws.

Many electric and battery saws have lever activated chain brakes similar to those on gas saws. Some of them also have an electric chain brake which stops the chain immediately when the trigger is released. Just trying to compare features.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

*** I modified the name of this thread, since we are talking about/comparing many more brands of 36 to 56 volt battery powered chainsaws than just the STIHL model(s). A lot has changed since this thread started 3+ years ago.***

There are some separate, related threads on other cordless saws:

STIHL vs Husq Battery Saws http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...vs-husqvarna-battery-powered-t536lixp.235551/
Oregon 40 Volt Chainsaw http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/review-oregon-powernow-cordless-chainsaw.179262/
Oregon 40 Volt Pole Saw http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-40-volt-pole-saw.248941/
Husqvarna Cordless Chainsaws http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/husqvarna-cordless.183354/
Top Handled Cordless Saws http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/top-handle-electric-saw.258402/

Philbert http://www.arboristsite.com/community/members/philbert.12609/

 

[PhilMcWoody]

When my gas powered McCulloch string trimmer died, I got an electric one. Decent power, but runs out of juice inside of 30 minutes.
Just enough time to do a small patch -- that is not gonna cut it for folks who need more run time.
Next time going back to gas.

 

[Philbert]

When my gas powered McCulloch string trimmer died, I got an electric one. Decent power, but runs out of juice inside of 30 minutes.
Just enough time to do a small patch -- that is not gonna cut it for folks who need more run time.

I live on a city lot: 50 X 150 feet, and always within a 100 feet of an outlet, so I use a lot of corded OPE. It is less expensive, low maintenance, and has plenty of power for residential use. Obviously, a cord does not work for everyone, especially large lots, lots of obstacles, non-residential use, etc.

These newer, cordless tools, with the more powerful motors and larger capacity batteries, are catching up, with the added convenience and mobility features. I still like the ones with separate batteries that can be swapped out, instead of the built in ones, where you have to stop work, and maybe throw away the whole tool when the battery dies.

Philbert

 

[zemmo]

I cut a few full slices of a 12" hemlock log. The saw didnt hesitate. I would say the cutting speed in this log is definitely faster than the stihl. I am definitely impressed...more than i expected for sure. But i cut for about 2 minutes total, and the battery meter/lights already said it was down to about 3/4 power. ....but maybe that's not accurate. Only time will tell.

Even the larger capacity battery is only rated 2.4 Ah. Using better cells could get it up near 4 Ah. I'm still assuming that all these batteries use 20 18650 cells in two 10 cell series strings. The next step up would be 3 series strings, 30 cells, and the highest capacity batteries may be using that config. Not much info on this, or on cell chemistry.

 

[Philbert]

Oregon's batteries come in: 1.25, 2.4, and 4.0 Ah ratings. They are all in the same size battery pack, which is physically larger than the Ryobi pack. I wonder if they were planning for expansion?
STIHL's website shows 80, 160, 180, and 900* Wh ratings, which convert to approximately 2.2, 4.4, 5, and 25* Ah.
Husqvarna's site shows 2.1, 4.2, 14.4*, and 26.1* Ah batteries
Ryobi's site shows 1.5, and 2.4 Ah batteries.

'*'= backpack batteries. All of these are 36 / 40 volt batteries.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

80 Volt Cordless Chainsaw!!!

This probably deserves it's own thread, but I figured the Li-ion folks were already 'here'.
http://www.greenworkstools.com/80v-pro/80v-pro-chainsaw/80v-18inch-chainsaw/

18" bar, 3/8 (low pro?) chain, weight (?), $349 list with charger and 2.0 Ah battery.



(It's like one of Zogger's predictions coming true! I'll have to start paying attention to what he says now).

Philbert

 

[Franny K]

Husqvarna's site shows
2.1, Ah battery $ 129.95 msrp
4.2, Ah battery $ 199.00 msrp
14.4*Ah battery $ 1,199.95
26.1* Ah battery $ 1,399.95


'*'= backpack batteries. All of these are 36 / 40 volt batteries.

Philbert

I added the prices for the husqvarna ones. I am tired of going on stihl's site clicking around selecting a dealer and then told to go in person for a price.

Perhaps someone could comment on a few things.

Do these batteries contain rare earth elements that are mined pretty much in China as even though we have a good deposit in California the risks of fines for mishaps makes it unlikely to mine it here.

Why is the price difference between the two backpack ones so small that would tend to indicate the cells themselves are not as expensive as we are lead to believe.

I overheard the husqvarna rep talk about the battery life and cost of rechaging to the next guy after I tried it. He claimed it cost three cents to re charge and that it would cost sixty cents to fuel a gasoline saw for the same energy. He also said it was good for 600 charge cycles. He also claimed one could cut for 40 minutes but later I see that was no load on economy mode. $200 over 600 cycles seems like more than 600 top handle gasoline refills to me. Any idea of how many pounds of chips a charge can produce and how much volume of gasoline does that equate to? 4.2, Ah battery Kind of like the rechargeable motorcycles they won't say how high they can climb no matter how I phrase it.

 

[Philbert]

A lot of the 36 v / 40 v (max) batteries for these tools seem to be in the 2 - 4 Ah, and $100 to $200 price ranges. That's a broad generalization, because it assumes that all are the same quality, etc. I have been told by several people that the Li-ion battery technology is based in Japan. I know that there have been some initiatives with hybrid cars to develop more battery technology here in the US, but since so much consumer manufacturing is done in Asia, it is hard to assume that this will move here.

As far as the chips/charge comparison, that would have to be done under very controlled conditions due to the variances in chain pitch and condition, as well as with the saws. For example, a significant amount of fuel is used to start and warm up a gas saw, and they are usually left to idle between cuts, while an electric saw only uses power when actually cutting. These battery saws really shine for intermittent cutting, pruning, clean up tasks, etc., where they are put down a lot while wood is being moved. They would be least advantageous for sustained cutting, such as bucking a cord or more of delivered logs.

Philbert

 

[zemmo]

80 Volt Cordless Chainsaw!!!

This probably deserves it's own thread, but I figured the Li-ion folks were already 'here'.
http://www.greenworkstools.com/80v-pro/80v-pro-chainsaw/80v-18inch-chainsaw/

18" bar, 3/8 (low pro?) chain, weight (?), $349 list with charger and 2.0 Ah battery.

View attachment 389370

(It's like one of Zogger's predictions coming true! I'll have to start paying attention to what he says now).

Philbert

Are these saws changing fast or what!? Battery is probably 20 cells all in series. And a brushless motor. Factory should send one to one of the forum members for testing.

 

[Philbert]

Factory should send one to one of the forum members for testing.

Or, at least to the members of this thread!

Philbert

 

[zemmo]

I added the prices for the husqvarna ones. I am tired of going on stihl's site clicking around selecting a dealer and then told to go in person for a price.

Perhaps someone could comment on a few things.

Do these batteries contain rare earth elements that are mined pretty much in China as even though we have a good deposit in California the risks of fines for mishaps makes it unlikely to mine it here.


Why is the price difference between the two backpack ones so small that would tend to indicate the cells themselves are not as expensive as we are lead to believe.

"Li-ion" is a really large umbrella, which includes many chemistries: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion
18650 cells are currently being manufactured in a number of countries, including Japan and China. I have seen some chemistries which use small amounts of rare earth elements but most do not. Prices are being kept abnormally high recently because of Tesla, in particular, soaking up the supply. Tesla is planning a $5 billion battery manufacturing plant in Nevada to reduce their reliance on Panasonic. In a tool pack, the cells don't need to be individually protected, as the electronics in the pack are tasked with that. Most of the Li-ion chemistries are nominally 3.7 V, so you can build a 10 or 20 cell 37 volt pack, or a 20 cell 74V pack. The backpack packs are using more cells in series strings, but I don't know why the Husky packs are so priced. The capacity of the 18650 cells from which these battery packs are constructed varies from under 2000 mAh to nearly 4000 mAh, and the price varies greatly as well. One should be able to buy good Panasonic cells for around $10, depending on exactly which cell, Panasonic makes at least 3 versions. They're not the same size, either, some are much longer than others, and some even vary in diameter. BTW 18650 refers to a cylindrical cell 18 mm in diameter and 65mm in length, although the protection circuit adds a variable amount of length.