Impressively powerful and long battery life, but has problems with chain coming off, and the bar doesn't attach very rigidly. Definitely NOT a sponsored review :)
In my youth I used chainsaws professionally. As a landing man when I was logging I used a very big saw for bucking broken ends and large limbs from BIG logs freshly yarded into the landing before being loaded on logging trucks. I've used medium to small saws a million times too. And if I ever used a chain saw to hack into a bunch of small branches like you did, I'm sure I regretted it. Chainsaws are not designed for that sort of lateral twisting of the chain. I don't know what the right tool for that job is, but a chainsaw isn't it. People often think chainsaws are invincible. In a prospecting camp I once saw an engineering physics student on his summer job cutting a piece of firewood sitting directly on sand. He sawed right into the sand. Stop! I yelled. He said that he thought the whole point of a chainsaw was that you could do stuff like that. Nope. Engineering physics, shmendereering shmyisics.
Wow! Never thought of it but your completely right. Cordless tools with a wearable battery pack would be a game changer. You could have larger batteries as well. I guess some people would be worried of catastrophic battery failure/combustion but otherwise it would be great to take that weight from arm/hand and just have it on my torso.
Chris Gray That's what I was wondering. My 18V circular saw has A safety that looks very similar and you only need to hold it to start, then it latches until you release the trigger.
Wranglerstar will joke about how many Texas teenagers you could massacre with it, like he did in his machete "review". Oh, wait, joking about mass killing is only funny if it's happening in another country.
PKMartin Wow I didn't know that. It's funny because one of the big reasons I unsubbed was in one video he started talking about God and stuff and it made me feel like he thought I was worth less than he was because I don't believe in God.
I also use a chainsaw as a sort of super machete for clearing trails. I too experienced the chain jump with cutting brush . I solved it by drilling two holes in the bar near the housing and mounting aluminum fingers that extend about 1.5 inches above and below the bar (on both sides) with a slight angle toward the tip of the bar. I used 1/4 inch aluminum cause that's what I had and used ss washers to standoff from the chain. Biggest problem is it effectively shortens your bar length and you have to remove it for big wood cutting.
Hello, I am your loyal fan. I live in Taiwan. Because I don't know English, I can't communicate with you. I recently got the help of translation software. Therefore, if there is a translation error, please forgive me and wish you good health. Thank you. I really like the tool you made.
I'd argue the chain brake isn't redundant. First of all, because it's a safety feature, and you can't have too many of those. Second because the point of the front brake is to stop the chain if the saw grabs and jumps up at your face. You won't have time to let go of the trigger, but hopefully your arm will hit the brake handle.
I don't think he intended to have the safety lever taken off the saw, just the mechanical band brake on the drive shaft. You wouldn't have to let go the trigger.
What a piece of shit. I don't understand why they felt that changing the power source meant they had to re-design everything else. 150 years of chainsaw evolution with bars, chains etc being perfected and for some reason they make it garbage. A "stab" cut is normally called a "bore" cut and is vital that your saw can perform one if you want to do serious tree work with it.
Matthias, the reason that you are unable to stab cut which is called a plunge cut normally is that you are using a safety chain that really cannot be used for that purpose. The link has a raised section that largely prevents kick back reactions, these chains are not used for professional use because of that and they are very slow cutting.
"Spread is dead". When I was a kid, it was 100% full-time work for my Dad's tree business in the San Fernando Valley to clean, oil, gas, and sharpen saws. We had a contract to frond-trim the tall palm trees on Sherman way. Palm trees are like giant bundles of nylon rope and they dull out chains like mad. The men would bring me two of those little short bar top-handle McCulloch's, and they'd set them on the tailgate of the truck and grab two ready saws and go back up a palm tree. Bars wear out, its a thing, and my Dad was really clear, "when they spread, just throw them in the bed of the truck". There is no relaxing the memory on thin steel...its a gonner. Lightweight saws have lightweight bars and you'll eat them up constantly...so either this DeWalt is a "lightweight" in terms of consumer (likely) but not "light" per se. Worst of both worlds.
My daughter walked by while I was watching this and asked me if she just heard “deez nuts”? I backed it up ten seconds and sure enough “deez nuts” were mentioned at 9:24 ! Lmao she has the greatest sense of humor! 🤣
I love my Dewalt 60v chainsaw! Best advice: 1 All my Dewalt tools have been long-lasting and durable, but I also don't abuse them. 2 The oil capacity is large enough you should make it through the 9Ah battery without refill. 3 I agree the bar isn't secured the best, I adapt and am more vigilant of the tension. I asked my Dad to try this chainsaw, he preferred it over his gas-powered Stihl, while up in the trees. Side note: The 6Ah battery works just as well in the chainsaw, just understand it won't last as long.
Hey Matthias, STIHL actually has the exact combination you were talking about with a battery powered top handle chainsaw (MSA 160 T) and the extensioncord which gives you the possibility to wear the battery on the belt. Their pro lineup of battery powered tools is pretty damn good, but unfortunatly pretty expensive as well.
Yeah I got one of them - the single handed one - it's light enough for my wife to use (even my small petrol saw is a bit much for her).. Like the De Walt, it has a narrow bar and small teeth that get blunt pretty quickly and also limited number of re-sharpens (and I've also had a bar damaged at the tip beyond salvation need replacing). There's also a 2-handed version of the same saw. Also there's a bunch of tools share the same battery. I also have the hedge trimmer which so far has been great.
Well well well, there is a solution for you. To start, the Echo cordless chainsaw has a two stud bar retention, and screw adjust chain tension like a standard gas saw. The Echo is also the only cordless electric saw that performs as well as the Dewalt by a fairly significant margin. Even the expensive brands can't compete with the Dewalt performance. The main drawback is the bar retention system Dewalt chose. But Echo seems to have built the perfect saw. As for the battery. There is a way to build your own battery packs with laptop cells like 18650 , 18500, 16340, 16650, 14500, or 26650. Using a battery spot welder you can build the appropriate sized series packs, and put as many in parallel as you want for increased battery life. The pack voltage ideally would output the compatible voltage with the BMS and cordless tool (58-60 volts); however, it is possible to use a buck converter to change the voltage to the desired range if the appropriate sized BMS is not available. If it's possible to use the BMS that came with the manufacturers battery it my help with the additional pins on the terminals. That part I will need to investigate further.
I'd love to see a build for a chainsaw based mill, even just a small one. I think it would be far more feasible for someone with smaller space available than building a bandsaw that can become a mill.
On the Makita battery operated angle grinder the protective screen is holded in playce by rubber. You can put out the screen, clean it and put it back in.
Maybe I’ve got an exceptional version of this saw, I am by no means a professional when it comes to cutting down trees. I have however cut down 4 good size trees with this saw, de-limbed, and have gone through a fair amounts of large brush. The chain has never thrown once and it’s pretty damn powerful for a battery powered tool. Luckily I have a ton of FlexVolt batteries for my line of work otherwise this saw isn’t for everyone. The saw burns oil pretty quick so always be on top of that and cleaning out the debris build up, only takes a minute.
Watched a local woodman competition a year ago or so.. dudes undo those 2 stihl nuts, losen the bar, take the old chain out, swinging the chainsaw to hook the new chain, cover back, nuts, everything tighten in 10-15sec. The judges measured the tension on chain and torque on nuts - if it wasn't within a range, they got disqualified. Takes me like 15mins.
Hi Matthias, I have most if not all your plans and although I have not finished any of them that is down to me not you. I live in the UK, and I have not bought “DeWalt” since about 1980 because I found the quality vanished and DeWalt started building rubbish. I have heard that in the USA they are better but once I lose confidence in a make it is not possible for them to regain that status. We have a shop over here that is considered to be the cheapest of all, but I have a lot of their brands tools and I have found them to be particularly good, I will not say how they are as that is the easiest way for there tool status too drop instantly. You say farmers are interesting people but in fact you and a couple of others are right at the top of people I like to watch repeatedly. I loved seeing your videos about your father and all the different latches he made for the cabins, and I always found your ways of doing things insightful and cleaver. Anyway, I will Finnish here so you can get through the door with your head, but do not let anyone tell you that you are not clever, it shows in all your videos
I bought the baby Stihl battery chainsaw, and have been very pleased with. No thrown chains what so ever. Yes, I have cut up plenty of brush piles as you did, but no issues, it was a little slower.. If I was to do it again, I would buy the larger version, but for everything I do.. I have no regrets. For the bigger stuff, no fooling around.. get out the gas one.
The system that you describe already exists. Stihl has a electic chainsaw for one-hand use. Its the MSA 160 T. A extension cord for external batteries is also available, so you can carry the battery on the back or on a belt. Definitly not on the cheap side, but is worth the money.
Excellent product review and break down of the issues. Hopefully DeWalt takes note and redesigns the saw. I've heard a lot of grumbling about DeWalt Chainsaws before this video. All of them had the same problem you've shown here. So this issue is not an isolated problem. Was it sponsored? If not it should have been. Your inputs here are very valuable. In fact they should send prototype tools to you for testing and pay you to test and review them! Clearly DeWalt's current product testers aren't doing a very good job.
Your chain come off because it most likely wasn't tensioned enough.I use mine regularly for brushcutting and the chain only comes off occasionally if its worked loose. Yes,there is only one threaded stud holding the bar on,but if you check it regularly for tightness you rarely have a problem. A few occasional checks eliminate the "issues" you describe.
The 20v one changed my life. For user stamina against fast junk trees there is no contest. The tensioning screw indeed had a problem which I modded by reciprocating saw cut straight down thru the plastic knob just into the top of the screw enough to get a flat screwdriver in there to force the tension past factory specs. Improved bar stability enough to run all day with enough batteries, felling 20+ cm diameter trunks.
"If I compromise my manliness with a battery powered chainsaw, I might as well go one step further." I got a great big belly laugh at that. Great video, as always.
On the note of the trigger lock, if it's anything like the flexvolt circ saw you only have to press the lock to engage it and can release it while still holding the trigger
The second chain (and bar) that you swapped onto the battery saw is an anti-kickback safety style chain. It wont cut as fast or as efficiently as a non safety chain. It is also difficult to do bore cuts with them. You can obtain bars with replaceable nose sprockets from Oregon and other bar manufacturers. No matter what quality of chainsaw you use, it will cut much better and for longer if you use a top quality bar and chain and keep it razor-sharp.
As a guy who uses chainsaws a lot, its not an uncommon thing to mulch a pile of sticks to make it smaller. I don't have much experience with electric chainsaws though, I only have one and it's not very powerful at all. Unless you're overheating your bar from not enough oil or from your chain being dull and barreling into things, trying to muscle a cut instead of letting the chain do it's work, you shouldn't be bending bars or throwing out your sprocket, though burrs are common. Sprockets do get all gunked up but the only one I ever broke was because I was seriously abusing my bar.
"compromised my manhood" lol....loved that line! Yeah, looks like version 1 don't chooch too good. Hopefully V2.0 will take your and AVE's reviews and make the necessary improvements.
@ travis miller The problem with cutting into a pile like that is that the sticks are at all different angles and free to flop around. This causes them to snag on the chain and pull it off the bar by pulling it from side to side. This damages both the chain and bar. The bar (and chain) are not designed to resist a lot of sideways pressure on the chain. And it's not meant to be super tight. I'm not at all surprised that he kept throwing the chain in that pile. I'm glad he didn't really blame the saw because it was his fault. Although the stupefyingly inadequate bar tension and mounting system contributed a lot to the problem.
The chain brakes are to stop the bar if your hand slips forward towards the chain to prevent it from getting cut up. Not to just stop it fast for convenience
I have the Kobalt 80v chainsaw, and one of the things I learned with a skinny bar, is that you typically want the chain a little tighter than on a gas chainsaw. I had a similar problem with the chain coming off, (only the Kobalt didn't damage the chain) and all I did was make the chain tighter than what I was used to and it ran perfectly. Another nice thing with the Kobalt, is while it does have the two nuts to adjust the bar like a gas chainsaw, it also comes with a built-in wrench to adjust it on demand.
I bought the same one last year, definitely quite pleased with it. One of the nuts for the bar fell off while using it though and was lost. Fortunately I have a supply of miscellaneous nuts and was able to replace it.
Try a saw made by a saw vs cordless tool manufacturer. Any cordless saw will be short-lived. The saw you mentioned toward the end of the video is call a top-handle saw and it's commonly used by arborists to limb while in the tree. Stihl and Husky both make a fine top-handle saw.
Cutting through piles of brush is particularly punishing work on a bar and chain. The chain pulls tight on the bottom of the bar and goes slack at the top. Since you're not cutting a bough, there's nothing guiding the chain at the top of the bar except the bar slot. If the chain gets slack enough and lifts a little, you only need one little stick to get between the chain and bar at the top, and when it gets to the end sprocket, the stick will derail the chain. When the chain derails like this, it forces the sides of the bar apart, then out come the bearing rollers. Chains and bars are consumable parts. Stock up.
The battery pack fanny pack is a good idea for tree climbers. The cord would have to have a “quick breakaway” though, like some computers do. That way if a falling branch snagged on the cord it wouldn’t have the possibility of making the operator lose balance and fall from the tree.
EOD "Initial Success or Total Failure" Try pushing in on the knob and not letting it cam out till the very end when locking down the bar. Also you don't have to keep the thumb safely depressed the whole time. Thanks for the heads up, I'll probably put some thread locker on that one bolt.
I don't know about your Stihl saw, but on all of them that I've seen, including the one I own, there is a screw slot between the two cover/bar bolts that is used with the screwdriver end of the tool to adjust the chain tension. I've never seen one adjusted the way you demonstrated it.
And Stihl has very good battery saws. MSA 200 for example. Also they have so called one handed (top handle) saw for arborists.MSA 160t. Dont know about USA and Canada and such but here in europe they are very well known.
Most good chainsaws have thin chain guide plates to prevent the accidental chain coming loose and making a mess of the housing. Sadly the poulans don't. I have that same chainsaw and put some plates in. It actually tightens better on the bar so the wimpy plastic hold down doesn't come loose at all. The desalt May benefit from such plates
I had issues with the chain falling off of the sprocket too. Instead of another washer, I used red Loctite thread locker and an external snap ring. This has worked well so far. That screw is never coming out again with the red loctite I used.
The chain you took off the poulan bar and put on to fell that tree was a safety chain, I think that is why it cut slower than the chain that came on the saw. Looks like you bought a better chain for Rachel to use at the end.
One thing to note, not sure if it applies to battery powered saws but I know chaps are completely ineffective with electric saws. But, an extra layer is an extra layer, not to mention the braking action on the motor itself
You may have got a lemon. I bought the Dewalt chainsaw and didn't have a problem with it. Chain only came off after a long time but you can tighten it when it gets loose. Although I only bought the 20volt with the 12" extension not sure if that mattered or not. I was going to get the 60volt will have to see more reviews.
here in Europe (uk) Husqvarna and Stihl make professional saws, the top handle saws for arborists mentioned here and larger back handle saws, the tree team where I work very rarely take a two-stroke saw up a tree now, and as much as they can they use the battery saws on the ground. I am pretty sure I have seen battery backpack linetrimmers/brushcutters and hedgecutters too. Sadly the two-stroke versions are still slightly more affordable.
wow. I didn't realize how many DeWalt haters were out there. I, for one, like the Dewalt products I use. A planer, a cabinet saw, and a saber saw. All appear to be well engineered and have lasted a long time. I think that Dewalt will take this review seriously and make improvements.
I almost screamed "don't do that" when I saw you attack that brush pile. The same thing happened to me when I tried to trim some boxwoods. So, it wasn't just me. Great video, again. Mine was a Poulan gas powered but I am sure it makes no difference what kind you use. I did it three times and the last time I ran it too long and mucked up the brand new chain. You are going to ask, what is too long? The answer is long enough to much up the chain. Bottom line, get a hedge trimmer for shrubs and for your burn pile, just throw a match on it. "Amazingly long" is totally subjective. Not words an engineer would normally use.
The Dolmar ES-2141 was quite a revelation to me in terms of electric chainsaws. Longitudinal motor is way more compact, good ergonomics, lots of power. A good chain makes a lot of difference, too.
Worth pointing out, it uses a chain tensioning mechanism that _looks_ similar to this one, but actually works because it's not a ratchet and because the backing aluminium casting has proper guidance and retention for the bar.
Stihl has a battery power line that can be powered by a backpack battery. they are quite expensive but the tools are nice and light, and the pack lasts a long time. easy enough to make yourself with a printer and hobby lipo packs. just add a decent battery management system if you value not being on fire.
2 years late but, Makita makes a chainsaw that is a little more expensive but 10X the tool. You can usually get a good deal and get 2 sets of their 5A 18V batteries since it uses 2 at once. Much better bar design, weighs 5lbs less Almost same distance between handles. The safety switch is on the hand instead of thumb and the chain has very little chance of falling off. At least when I would use it for brush and limbs it wouldn't ever fall off. A former boss of mine got it for dirt bike riding. One of the best tools he said he has ever bought in his lifetime. Makita also has a really good 36V 12" compound miter saw that uses the same batteries. Those tools were great for when we were working at jobs with out power. We could charge all the batteries off of an inverter in the van too.
All the 16" gas powered chainsaws have shallow teeth and bar guides making the chains fly off easily. You just have to keep the chain properly adjusted.
Using the saw in a pile of loose branches is not abusing the saw or anything like that. The pros do that all the time and in my chainsaw training and licensing class I also learned to do that when there is a tree on the ground and you are debranching you do like you did in the branches on full throttle to make it fall together so you can go further. I would recommend to put a real standard Oregon chain and bar
Agreed. Low chain speed will snag and not cut as intended. Small diameter ,less than one inch material throws the chain without high throttle. IMO the centrifugal force on the chain keeps it lined out and prevents kinks. Throttle up before, during and until the chain is clear of the material. Do this regardless of saw brand when brush cutting and you should be ok.
You are supposed to let go of the thumbswitch after you pull the trigger. The saw will keep running but you won't destroy your thumb in the process. Nearly every 2-action safety trigger I've seen works like that.
This saw seems like the best example of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) I've seen yet. Just good enough to sell a few ---- and just good enough not to hate owning it.
I would guess the thin bar and chain on the DeWalt is purposefully there to reduce drag which will increase cutting current required and speed up the cut...
With DeWalt saws, and any saw with the .043 chain, you have to keep the chain tight. It only takes 10sec so before you cut brush especially, or every 5mins of cutting tighten the chain, when the chain is new more often because it stretches. Also, even though they seem less intimidating than a gas saw they can still damage your body. Invest in chaps, boots and eye/face protection. As Spock would say if he were a chainsaw man: "Be safe and prosper"
This is why I don’t like DeWalt. They come off as a quality tool brand, but when you take their equipment and break them down to the bolts, nuts, and screws they are made of you find how poorly made and shitty they are. If you want quality made battery powered tools at an affordable price, go with Milwaukee or Makita. We have Milwaukee on our robotics team, member dropped a circular saw 3 stories onto a concrete floor at competition one year. Thing worked fine, not even a damn scratch on it. Makita is built just as well but tends to be at a tad lower price. Hell, Matthias has a Makita impact driver that he has been using since the very beginning. Also we have a mentor who works for Milwaukee so I get the rare opportunity to test prototype Milwaukee tools hehe.
Trinity Too i have the 40V version of this saw, and I’ve taken down a tree about that size with it, and cut it up. It really is a pretty decent saw that has a few issues that prevent it from being as good as it could be.
I have the Ryobi 40 volt system and its been great not having to deal with gas, however I think only the weed wacker has the gas like power they claim. I completely agree with you about mounting the batteries on you belt, I think that would be so much more comfortable.
Goodness. I get we will probably never have a universal tool battery pack but can we atleast get some universality across the same tool company!! Cordless works better for my set up but it frustrates me that I can't just have a couple of extra batteries ready to go.
Great idea! Build a universal wearable battery pack with selectable output voltage and then sell the branded battery connector plugs. Some sort of replaceable lithium cells or cell packs (5 in a pack?) would be nice to. I don't want to throw out three or four dozen cells if one frik'in cell goes bad. This is particularly bad with high voltage (series) arrangements. They are like old fashioned Christmas lights.
I'm not going to enter into the chain coming off when you hack into a pile of scrub. You'll work that one out, I'm sure. But the purpose of the chain brake is not to stop when you're done with the trigger, but to prevent your unprotected face being opened up by a kickback event. As on a table saw, if you do it wrong, such events can occur more quickly than you can possibly react.
AvE once called Matthias "that gear-cuttin' wood elf". I had thought maybe they just don't like each other, but here Matthias suggests watching AvE's video on the saw, so who knows? :)
It's just a bit of friendly banter. Ave knows very well Matthias is a respectable pro. But it's understandable that not everyone gets that kind of humor intuitively...
Pretty great how reviews can be informative, balanced & interesting all at once when they're not sponsored ;) To be honest, if I weren't already keen on the Bosch (due to having those battery systems already) this sort of review would make me want to buy one of these, b/c I know both the strengths & weaknesses equally & how to deal wit them.
Sounds like the bottom line is that we should still stick with our gasoline chainsaws. Having said that, I have 2 (corded) electric chainsaws, and they do have their place.
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
In my youth I used chainsaws professionally. As a landing man when I was logging I used a very big saw for bucking broken ends and large limbs from BIG logs freshly yarded into the landing before being loaded on logging trucks. I've used medium to small saws a million times too. And if I ever used a chain saw to hack into a bunch of small branches like you did, I'm sure I regretted it. Chainsaws are not designed for that sort of lateral twisting of the chain. I don't know what the right tool for that job is, but a chainsaw isn't it. People often think chainsaws are invincible. In a prospecting camp I once saw an engineering physics student on his summer job cutting a piece of firewood sitting directly on sand. He sawed right into the sand. Stop! I yelled. He said that he thought the whole point of a chainsaw was that you could do stuff like that. Nope. Engineering physics, shmendereering shmyisics.
Yep, you and AvE arrived at the same conclusion- impressively powerful but weak construction.
So you take the motor and battery and make a killer electric bicycle?
SuicideNeil
Or perhaps more accurately, plenty of chooch 'til she gets all cattywompus then she goes in the fucket bucket.
Sorry for my canadian.
It's called the "art bin" not the fucket bucket
Except AVE isn't a dewalt shill.
Neither is Matthias- you should watch his video discussing the whole DeWalt debacle...
Well, we can definitely tell this isn't sponsored. lol
yeah he made a video about this :D
Can me daddy
It should have been. DeWalt should be paying Matthias for this kind of feedback and much earlier in the products production life cycle.
I swear you are everywhere on UA-cam
Justin Y. 😂😂😂😂😂😎😋😋😋
Your relationship with Dewalt seems like a loose loose relationship. If I were Dewalt I would pay you not to talk about my products.
Lose Vs Loose. The difference is important.
Well it's not his fault their products are shit
Yes, the bar was very loose.
Lose lose but maybe English is not your native language. Loose = fall off, lose = not here anymore.
It was a joke MR. Grammar professor
Keep your stick on the ice.
thicker bar will reduces the apparent power a lot. that’s why they used a very thin bar. increase run time and make it cut faster.
Wow! Never thought of it but your completely right. Cordless tools with a wearable battery pack would be a game changer. You could have larger batteries as well. I guess some people would be worried of catastrophic battery failure/combustion but otherwise it would be great to take that weight from arm/hand and just have it on my torso.
You can release the lock after you pull the trigger. Much easier on the thumb.
Chris Gray That's what I was wondering. My 18V circular saw has A safety that looks very similar and you only need to hold it to start, then it latches until you release the trigger.
I bet Wranglerstar will love this chainsaw....and turn it into a Ad for Dewalt ...;-(
Oh yeah that guy is a huge shill. All his videos are sponsored BS
Yeah I unsubbed ages ago. Why does he stand with his legs so far apart? Looks really uncomfortable.
Wranglerstar will joke about how many Texas teenagers you could massacre with it, like he did in his machete "review".
Oh, wait, joking about mass killing is only funny if it's happening in another country.
PKMartin Wow I didn't know that. It's funny because one of the big reasons I unsubbed was in one video he started talking about God and stuff and it made me feel like he thought I was worth less than he was because I don't believe in God.
Eye Toldyoosso his sexiest annoying toupee wearing ass 🤣
Keep your little Richard in a bad habbit
DeWalt made an updated version of this. They did away with the ratchet system and you can use an allen wrench if you want to.
I also use a chainsaw as a sort of super machete for clearing trails. I too experienced the chain jump with cutting brush . I solved it by drilling two holes in the bar near the housing and mounting aluminum fingers that extend about 1.5 inches above and below the bar (on both sides) with a slight angle toward the tip of the bar. I used 1/4 inch aluminum cause that's what I had and used ss washers to standoff from the chain. Biggest problem is it effectively shortens your bar length and you have to remove it for big wood cutting.
cool idea! Probably too awkward for other jobs though.
You made my day! Matthias Wandel thought I had a cool idea.
Hello, I am your loyal fan. I live in Taiwan. Because I don't know English, I can't communicate with you. I recently got the help of translation software. Therefore, if there is a translation error, please forgive me and wish you good health. Thank you.
I really like the tool you made.
I'd argue the chain brake isn't redundant. First of all, because it's a safety feature, and you can't have too many of those. Second because the point of the front brake is to stop the chain if the saw grabs and jumps up at your face.
You won't have time to let go of the trigger, but hopefully your arm will hit the brake handle.
*BRAKE
MM M I’m going to pull the English As Second Language Card on this one. Edited my post. Thanks for letting me know!
Breaking the chain as the saw is leaping toward your face would be a terrible idea... Braking does make more sense.
It is also usefull while walking around with a chainsaw. The brake prevents you from accidentally pushing the trigger if you stumble or something...
I don't think he intended to have the safety lever taken off the saw, just the mechanical band brake on the drive shaft. You wouldn't have to let go the trigger.
What a piece of shit. I don't understand why they felt that changing the power source meant they had to re-design everything else. 150 years of chainsaw evolution with bars, chains etc being perfected and for some reason they make it garbage.
A "stab" cut is normally called a "bore" cut and is vital that your saw can perform one if you want to do serious tree work with it.
To get that extra fancy yellow and black plastic?
I don't think it's bar design. It's probably the chain. Low kick back chains aren't good at bore cuts.
Your channel is way better than Ave, Matthias is #1 Canadian
Everything is right with the world when I have a MW video Friday morning
...but it's not Part 2 of the tractor shed...
Matthias, the reason that you are unable to stab cut which is called a plunge cut normally is that you are using a safety chain that really cannot be used for that purpose. The link has a raised section that largely prevents kick back reactions, these chains are not used for professional use because of that and they are very slow cutting.
Good comment. It's the chain not the bar design.
Why did you cut down that tree? It was perfectly functional
"Spread is dead". When I was a kid, it was 100% full-time work for my Dad's tree business in the San Fernando Valley to clean, oil, gas, and sharpen saws. We had a contract to frond-trim the tall palm trees on Sherman way.
Palm trees are like giant bundles of nylon rope and they dull out chains like mad. The men would bring me two of those little short bar top-handle McCulloch's, and they'd set them on the tailgate of the truck and grab two ready saws and go back up a palm tree. Bars wear out, its a thing, and my Dad was really clear, "when they spread, just throw them in the bed of the truck". There is no relaxing the memory on thin steel...its a gonner. Lightweight saws have lightweight bars and you'll eat them up constantly...so either this DeWalt is a "lightweight" in terms of consumer (likely) but not "light" per se. Worst of both worlds.
Those baby McCullochs had a "hoagie bar" (kinda shaped like a football, and short) to handle this jumping problem.
The one from Makita has none of the drawbacks you mentioned. Of course it will have other issues, but I haven't found them yet.
My daughter walked by while I was watching this and asked me if she just heard “deez nuts”? I backed it up ten seconds and sure enough “deez nuts” were mentioned at 9:24 ! Lmao she has the greatest sense of humor! 🤣
I love my Dewalt 60v chainsaw! Best advice: 1 All my Dewalt tools have been long-lasting and durable, but I also don't abuse them. 2 The oil capacity is large enough you should make it through the 9Ah battery without refill. 3 I agree the bar isn't secured the best, I adapt and am more vigilant of the tension. I asked my Dad to try this chainsaw, he preferred it over his gas-powered Stihl, while up in the trees. Side note: The 6Ah battery works just as well in the chainsaw, just understand it won't last as long.
Hey Matthias,
STIHL actually has the exact combination you were talking about with a battery powered top handle chainsaw (MSA 160 T) and the extensioncord which gives you the possibility to wear the battery on the belt.
Their pro lineup of battery powered tools is pretty damn good, but unfortunatly pretty expensive as well.
Yeah I got one of them - the single handed one - it's light enough for my wife to use (even my small petrol saw is a bit much for her).. Like the De Walt, it has a narrow bar and small teeth that get blunt pretty quickly and also limited number of re-sharpens (and I've also had a bar damaged at the tip beyond salvation need replacing). There's also a 2-handed version of the same saw.
Also there's a bunch of tools share the same battery. I also have the hedge trimmer which so far has been great.
You're inner AvE! Love it. It chooches no more!
Exactly. Definitely not a skookum choocher.
sumixSTYXX geeeyabage
Better throw it right in the fuckit bucket.
I thought AvE was Chris? Got any sources to back your claim?
Mr. F would also like to see some sources cause at the moment it’s some random bloke on the internet saying something
Well well well, there is a solution for you. To start, the Echo cordless chainsaw has a two stud bar retention, and screw adjust chain tension like a standard gas saw. The Echo is also the only cordless electric saw that performs as well as the Dewalt by a fairly significant margin. Even the expensive brands can't compete with the Dewalt performance. The main drawback is the bar retention system Dewalt chose. But Echo seems to have built the perfect saw.
As for the battery. There is a way to build your own battery packs with laptop cells like 18650
, 18500, 16340, 16650, 14500, or 26650. Using a battery spot welder you can build the appropriate sized series packs, and put as many in parallel as you want for increased battery life. The pack voltage ideally would output the compatible voltage with the BMS and cordless tool (58-60 volts); however, it is possible to use a buck converter to change the voltage to the desired range if the appropriate sized BMS is not available.
If it's possible to use the BMS that came with the manufacturers battery it my help with the additional pins on the terminals. That part I will need to investigate further.
When a guy on UA-cam does better QA than your entire QA department.
I'd love to see a build for a chainsaw based mill, even just a small one. I think it would be far more feasible for someone with smaller space available than building a bandsaw that can become a mill.
"If you're using a real chainsaw"
xDxD
Matthias, don't ever change! I love how you left "Piece of shit!" in the video at 1:11!
On the Makita battery operated angle grinder the protective screen is holded in playce by rubber. You can put out the screen, clean it and put it back in.
Maybe I’ve got an exceptional version of this saw, I am by no means a professional when it comes to cutting down trees. I have however cut down 4 good size trees with this saw, de-limbed, and have gone through a fair amounts of large brush. The chain has never thrown once and it’s pretty damn powerful for a battery powered tool. Luckily I have a ton of FlexVolt batteries for my line of work otherwise this saw isn’t for everyone. The saw burns oil pretty quick so always be on top of that and cleaning out the debris build up, only takes a minute.
But, AvE, you already did this review... oh wait.
yeah he mentiones the AvE's video at the end
DeWilt
Was waiting for Matthias to say: "I done dickered the bar"
And this is not AvE.
Just because 1 person did a video of it, doesn't mean other people can't.
Congratulations on being thick as sap.
Watched a local woodman competition a year ago or so.. dudes undo those 2 stihl nuts, losen the bar, take the old chain out, swinging the chainsaw to hook the new chain, cover back, nuts, everything tighten in 10-15sec. The judges measured the tension on chain and torque on nuts - if it wasn't within a range, they got disqualified. Takes me like 15mins.
Hi Matthias, I have most if not all your plans and although I have not finished any of them that is down to me not you. I live in the UK, and I have not bought “DeWalt” since about 1980 because I found the quality vanished and DeWalt started building rubbish. I have heard that in the USA they are better but once I lose confidence in a make it is not possible for them to regain that status. We have a shop over here that is considered to be the cheapest of all, but I have a lot of their brands tools and I have found them to be particularly good, I will not say how they are as that is the easiest way for there tool status too drop instantly. You say farmers are interesting people but in fact you and a couple of others are right at the top of people I like to watch repeatedly. I loved seeing your videos about your father and all the different latches he made for the cabins, and I always found your ways of doing things insightful and cleaver. Anyway, I will Finnish here so you can get through the door with your head, but do not let anyone tell you that you are not clever, it shows in all your videos
I bought the baby Stihl battery chainsaw, and have been very pleased with. No thrown chains what so ever. Yes, I have cut up plenty of brush piles as you did, but no issues, it was a little slower.. If I was to do it again, I would buy the larger version, but for everything I do.. I have no regrets. For the bigger stuff, no fooling around.. get out the gas one.
The system that you describe already exists. Stihl has a electic chainsaw for one-hand use. Its the MSA 160 T. A extension cord for external batteries is also available, so you can carry the battery on the back or on a belt. Definitly not on the cheap side, but is worth the money.
hearing Matthias swear is satisfying for some reason
Excellent product review and break down of the issues. Hopefully DeWalt takes note and redesigns the saw. I've heard a lot of grumbling about DeWalt Chainsaws before this video. All of them had the same problem you've shown here. So this issue is not an isolated problem.
Was it sponsored? If not it should have been. Your inputs here are very valuable. In fact they should send prototype tools to you for testing and pay you to test and review them! Clearly DeWalt's current product testers aren't doing a very good job.
Your chain come off because it most likely wasn't tensioned enough.I use mine regularly for brushcutting and the chain only comes off occasionally if its worked loose.
Yes,there is only one threaded stud holding the bar on,but if you check it regularly for tightness you rarely have a problem.
A few occasional checks eliminate the "issues" you describe.
It has been 13 days. I can't wait anymore. Please upload a video! :)
The 20v one changed my life.
For user stamina against fast junk trees there is no contest.
The tensioning screw indeed had a problem which I modded by reciprocating saw cut straight down thru the plastic knob just into the top of the screw enough to get a flat screwdriver in there to force the tension past factory specs.
Improved bar stability enough to run all day with enough batteries, felling 20+ cm diameter trunks.
Nice safety slippers
squiggofant this saw throws the chain all the time, better wear my slippers.
They accessorize the safety squints. Oh wait, wrong channel.
Ave roasted dewalt because of that saw,at least that motor and battery make a good ebike.
Yes and no. Yes because it's powerful, no because it's loud and tends to regulate for speed instead of torque, which would make a very jerky ride.
"If I compromise my manliness with a battery powered chainsaw, I might as well go one step further." I got a great big belly laugh at that. Great video, as always.
Me: I thought he wasn't going to do sponsored videos anymore
Me after watching this video: Ahhh this wasn't a sponsored video.
On the note of the trigger lock, if it's anything like the flexvolt circ saw you only have to press the lock to engage it and can release it while still holding the trigger
The second chain (and bar) that you swapped onto the battery saw is an anti-kickback safety style chain. It wont cut as fast or as efficiently as a non safety chain. It is also difficult to do bore cuts with them. You can obtain bars with replaceable nose sprockets from Oregon and other bar manufacturers. No matter what quality of chainsaw you use, it will cut much better and for longer if you use a top quality bar and chain and keep it razor-sharp.
As a guy who uses chainsaws a lot, its not an uncommon thing to mulch a pile of sticks to make it smaller. I don't have much experience with electric chainsaws though, I only have one and it's not very powerful at all. Unless you're overheating your bar from not enough oil or from your chain being dull and barreling into things, trying to muscle a cut instead of letting the chain do it's work, you shouldn't be bending bars or throwing out your sprocket, though burrs are common. Sprockets do get all gunked up but the only one I ever broke was because I was seriously abusing my bar.
"compromised my manhood" lol....loved that line! Yeah, looks like version 1 don't chooch too good. Hopefully V2.0 will take your and AVE's reviews and make the necessary improvements.
Why not just burn the burn pile instead of abusing the saw?
cause he wants to burn it in his stove, not outside. is what im guessing
That's what we do :)
saw cuts twenty little finger sticks, breaks. SAW ABUSE ?!?
Wildfire risk in dry summer months = leave burn pile burning until autumn?
@ travis miller The problem with cutting into a pile like that is that the sticks are at all different angles and free to flop around. This causes them to snag on the chain and pull it off the bar by pulling it from side to side. This damages both the chain and bar. The bar (and chain) are not designed to resist a lot of sideways pressure on the chain. And it's not meant to be super tight.
I'm not at all surprised that he kept throwing the chain in that pile. I'm glad he didn't really blame the saw because it was his fault. Although the stupefyingly inadequate bar tension and mounting system contributed a lot to the problem.
The chain brakes are to stop the bar if your hand slips forward towards the chain to prevent it from getting cut up. Not to just stop it fast for convenience
I have the Kobalt 80v chainsaw, and one of the things I learned with a skinny bar, is that you typically want the chain a little tighter than on a gas chainsaw. I had a similar problem with the chain coming off, (only the Kobalt didn't damage the chain) and all I did was make the chain tighter than what I was used to and it ran perfectly.
Another nice thing with the Kobalt, is while it does have the two nuts to adjust the bar like a gas chainsaw, it also comes with a built-in wrench to adjust it on demand.
I bought the same one last year, definitely quite pleased with it.
One of the nuts for the bar fell off while using it though and was lost. Fortunately I have a supply of miscellaneous nuts and was able to replace it.
Looks like it's mostly good with a few damning design fails. Which I suppose means some company will get it right soon enough.
You don’t need to continue to push down on the trigger lock once it is going. It is only needs to be pushed once to unlock the trigger.
Dewalt just got wrecked. Again.
Jokes apart, I really appreciate your reviews as they are very honest and detailed. Keep it up!
Try a saw made by a saw vs cordless tool manufacturer. Any cordless saw will be short-lived. The saw you mentioned toward the end of the video is call a top-handle saw and it's commonly used by arborists to limb while in the tree. Stihl and Husky both make a fine top-handle saw.
Cutting through piles of brush is particularly punishing work on a bar and chain. The chain pulls tight on the bottom of the bar and goes slack at the top. Since you're not cutting a bough, there's nothing guiding the chain at the top of the bar except the bar slot. If the chain gets slack enough and lifts a little, you only need one little stick to get between the chain and bar at the top, and when it gets to the end sprocket, the stick will derail the chain. When the chain derails like this, it forces the sides of the bar apart, then out come the bearing rollers. Chains and bars are consumable parts. Stock up.
Liked for the closing card.
Let me please add ... Also installing the battery from the top is not a good idea, I think from the bottom is better, to prevent the water and dirt
The Makita is open, no battery box. Batteries slide on like their hand tools.
The battery pack fanny pack is a good idea for tree climbers. The cord would have to have a “quick breakaway” though, like some computers do. That way if a falling branch snagged on the cord it wouldn’t have the possibility of making the operator lose balance and fall from the tree.
those guys already have their chainwaws on a rope so they can just let it dangle when they need both hands.
Two or three hundred watt hours would usually be enough to take into a tree. You could take an extra battery swap in a pouch on a really big tree.
SO MANY WONDERFUL PRODUCTS MADE IN CHINER, SO LITTLE TIME TO ENJOY THEM!
EOD "Initial Success or Total Failure"
Try pushing in on the knob and not letting it cam out till the very end when locking down the bar. Also you don't have to keep the thumb safely depressed the whole time.
Thanks for the heads up, I'll probably put some thread locker on that one bolt.
I don't know about your Stihl saw, but on all of them that I've seen, including the one I own, there is a screw slot between the two cover/bar bolts that is used with the screwdriver end of the tool to adjust the chain tension. I've never seen one adjusted the way you demonstrated it.
And Stihl has very good battery saws. MSA 200 for example. Also they have so called one handed (top handle) saw for arborists.MSA 160t. Dont know about USA and Canada and such but here in europe they are very well known.
Most good chainsaws have thin chain guide plates to prevent the accidental chain coming loose and making a mess of the housing. Sadly the poulans don't. I have that same chainsaw and put some plates in. It actually tightens better on the bar so the wimpy plastic hold down doesn't come loose at all. The desalt May benefit from such plates
I had issues with the chain falling off of the sprocket too. Instead of another washer, I used red Loctite thread locker and an external snap ring. This has worked well so far. That screw is never coming out again with the red loctite I used.
How is the snap ring idea working my saw is doing the same thing can you post a picture of this?
Finally! That odly specific screwdriver-wrench tool I have just needs a chainsaw.
The chain you took off the poulan bar and put on to fell that tree was a safety chain, I think that is why it cut slower than the chain that came on the saw. Looks like you bought a better chain for Rachel to use at the end.
One thing to note, not sure if it applies to battery powered saws but I know chaps are completely ineffective with electric saws. But, an extra layer is an extra layer, not to mention the braking action on the motor itself
You may have got a lemon. I bought the Dewalt chainsaw and didn't have a problem with it. Chain only came off after a long time but you can tighten it when it gets loose. Although I only bought the 20volt with the 12" extension not sure if that mattered or not. I was going to get the 60volt will have to see more reviews.
I've felt for a while now that DeWalt has firmly joined the league of ordinary tool makers. To bad too because they used to be great.
Thanks for linking AvE on it. I like your review better though.
here in Europe (uk) Husqvarna and Stihl make professional saws, the top handle saws for arborists mentioned here and larger back handle saws, the tree team where I work very rarely take a two-stroke saw up a tree now, and as much as they can they use the battery saws on the ground. I am pretty sure I have seen battery backpack linetrimmers/brushcutters and hedgecutters too. Sadly the two-stroke versions are still slightly more affordable.
wow. I didn't realize how many DeWalt haters were out there. I, for one, like the Dewalt products I use. A planer, a cabinet saw, and a saber saw. All appear to be well engineered and have lasted a long time. I think that Dewalt will take this review seriously and make improvements.
I almost screamed "don't do that" when I saw you attack that brush pile. The same thing happened to me when I tried to trim some boxwoods. So, it wasn't just me. Great video, again. Mine was a Poulan gas powered but I am sure it makes no difference what kind you use. I did it three times and the last time I ran it too long and mucked up the brand new chain. You are going to ask, what is too long? The answer is long enough to much up the chain. Bottom line, get a hedge trimmer for shrubs and for your burn pile, just throw a match on it. "Amazingly long" is totally subjective. Not words an engineer would normally use.
The Dolmar ES-2141 was quite a revelation to me in terms of electric chainsaws. Longitudinal motor is way more compact, good ergonomics, lots of power. A good chain makes a lot of difference, too.
Worth pointing out, it uses a chain tensioning mechanism that _looks_ similar to this one, but actually works because it's not a ratchet and because the backing aluminium casting has proper guidance and retention for the bar.
Mr. Wandel, you're right, we all have an inner AvE hehehe
nice touch with the vice when referring to AvE
Stihl has a battery power line that can be powered by a backpack battery. they are quite expensive but the tools are nice and light, and the pack lasts a long time. easy enough to make yourself with a printer and hobby lipo packs. just add a decent battery management system if you value not being on fire.
2 years late but, Makita makes a chainsaw that is a little more expensive but 10X the tool.
You can usually get a good deal and get 2 sets of their 5A 18V batteries since it uses 2 at once.
Much better bar design, weighs 5lbs less
Almost same distance between handles.
The safety switch is on the hand instead of thumb and the chain has very little chance of falling off. At least when I would use it for brush and limbs it wouldn't ever fall off.
A former boss of mine got it for dirt bike riding.
One of the best tools he said he has ever bought in his lifetime.
Makita also has a really good 36V 12" compound miter saw that uses the same batteries.
Those tools were great for when we were working at jobs with out power.
We could charge all the batteries off of an inverter in the van too.
All the 16" gas powered chainsaws have shallow teeth and bar guides making the chains fly off easily. You just have to keep the chain properly adjusted.
Using the saw in a pile of loose branches is not abusing the saw or anything like that. The pros do that all the time and in my chainsaw training and licensing class I also learned to do that when there is a tree on the ground and you are debranching you do like you did in the branches on full throttle to make it fall together so you can go further.
I would recommend to put a real standard Oregon chain and bar
Agreed. Low chain speed will snag and not cut as intended. Small diameter ,less than one inch material throws the chain without high throttle. IMO the centrifugal force on the chain keeps it lined out and prevents kinks.
Throttle up before, during and until the chain is clear of the material. Do this regardless of saw brand when brush cutting and you should be ok.
They do make a backpack battery thing with attachments like you were talking about. It’s super cool but I forget the name.
You are supposed to let go of the thumbswitch after you pull the trigger. The saw will keep running but you won't destroy your thumb in the process.
Nearly every 2-action safety trigger I've seen works like that.
This saw seems like the best example of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) I've seen yet.
Just good enough to sell a few ---- and just good enough not to hate owning it.
with all it's flaws, it's still pretty cool to use. When it works, it works well.
There are a bunch of different chain types such as a ripping chain. Perhaps the default chain is bad for tearing through piles of twigs.
Didn't say ripping was the right chain.
I would guess the thin bar and chain on the DeWalt is purposefully there to reduce drag which will increase cutting current required and speed up the cut...
With DeWalt saws, and any saw with the .043 chain, you have to keep the chain tight. It only takes 10sec so before you cut brush especially, or every 5mins of cutting tighten the chain, when the chain is new more often because it stretches. Also, even though they seem less intimidating than a gas saw they can still damage your body. Invest in chaps, boots and eye/face protection. As Spock would say if he were a chainsaw man: "Be safe and prosper"
Good review, thanks, but i lost it at the vise.......HA!
Davinci 2084,
Your comment made the penny drop for me. Before that I was like: "Huh?"
This is why I don’t like DeWalt. They come off as a quality tool brand, but when you take their equipment and break them down to the bolts, nuts, and screws they are made of you find how poorly made and shitty they are. If you want quality made battery powered tools at an affordable price, go with Milwaukee or Makita. We have Milwaukee on our robotics team, member dropped a circular saw 3 stories onto a concrete floor at competition one year. Thing worked fine, not even a damn scratch on it. Makita is built just as well but tends to be at a tad lower price. Hell, Matthias has a Makita impact driver that he has been using since the very beginning. Also we have a mentor who works for Milwaukee so I get the rare opportunity to test prototype Milwaukee tools hehe.
Hopefully the idea of brushless battery chainsaws matures into better designs.
Climbing saws powered by batteries are already out there my man.Have a look into Husqvarna and Stihl brochures.
Real chainsaw manufacturers already sell great battery power saws
Trinity Too i have the 40V version of this saw, and I’ve taken down a tree about that size with it, and cut it up. It really is a pretty decent saw that has a few issues that prevent it from being as good as it could be.
Very true
I have the Ryobi 40 volt system and its been great not having to deal with gas, however I think only the weed wacker has the gas like power they claim. I completely agree with you about mounting the batteries on you belt, I think that would be so much more comfortable.
Goodness. I get we will probably never have a universal tool battery pack but can we atleast get some universality across the same tool company!! Cordless works better for my set up but it frustrates me that I can't just have a couple of extra batteries ready to go.
Great idea! Build a universal wearable battery pack with selectable output voltage and then sell the branded battery connector plugs. Some sort of replaceable lithium cells or cell packs (5 in a pack?) would be nice to. I don't want to throw out three or four dozen cells if one frik'in cell goes bad. This is particularly bad with high voltage (series) arrangements. They are like old fashioned Christmas lights.
I'm not going to enter into the chain coming off when you hack into a pile of scrub. You'll work that one out, I'm sure. But the purpose of the chain brake is not to stop when you're done with the trigger, but to prevent your unprotected face being opened up by a kickback event. As on a table saw, if you do it wrong, such events can occur more quickly than you can possibly react.
AvE once called Matthias "that gear-cuttin' wood elf". I had thought maybe they just don't like each other, but here Matthias suggests watching AvE's video on the saw, so who knows? :)
You do know that Canadians LOVE other Canadians ... especially the UA-camr creators ... :)
It's just a bit of friendly banter. Ave knows very well Matthias is a respectable pro.
But it's understandable that not everyone gets that kind of humor intuitively...
Pretty great how reviews can be informative, balanced & interesting all at once when they're not sponsored ;) To be honest, if I weren't already keen on the Bosch (due to having those battery systems already) this sort of review would make me want to buy one of these, b/c I know both the strengths & weaknesses equally & how to deal wit them.
Sounds like the bottom line is that we should still stick with our gasoline chainsaws. Having said that, I have 2 (corded) electric chainsaws, and they do have their place.