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Dewalt 20v Chainsaw

kf4zht

Red Skull Member
Joined
May 20, 2020
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561
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Anyone got one? Reviews are pretty solid, just seem to say replace the chain. I've been thinking about going down the Dewalt path for a while for a cordless palm router and jigsaw

Primary use would be cutting down trees for camping firewood. BYOW is frown upon here, deadfall is fair game but gas chainsaws require permits in some places. Electric seems to be fine, plus the lack of needing gas, mix, etc would be nice. Secondary purposes would be limb trimming and cutting 4x4-6x6 for random jobs.
 
I have a Greenworks 40V. It kicks ass. Use it for firewood and clearing roads for big ass truck mostly. No noise, no stink. Lives in the truck. Have not used the DeWalt tho.... Get a good chain, most of the factory ones are garbage.
 
No experience with the Dewalt, but I have had this 40 volt Ryobi for about six months and used the heck out of it cleaning brush and trees at the parent's house to keep the fire marshal happy.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-14...0530/307951574

It works very well, has plenty of power and the batteries last about a solid hour of cutting, which is enough for me to take a break anyway. I was going to purchase a second battery by itself, but they are $120.00 each. Home Depot had a sale on the 40 volt Ryobi edge trimmer and leaf blower, with a battery and charger, for $150. Now, I have a new edge trimmer and leaf blower, which work much better than my corded units.
 
We have a dozen or so 60v at work, no complaints. I converted them to a stihl bar and chain so that they share chains with all the gas saws. The only issue I've seen with them is a couple leak bar oil out of the bottom, I assume from the case halves. Not much, but they will leave a little spot if sitting for awhile. I haven't actually looked into the cause though.
 
We have a dozen or so 60v at work, no complaints. I converted them to a stihl bar and chain so that they share chains with all the gas saws. The only issue I've seen with them is a couple leak bar oil out of the bottom, I assume from the case halves. Not much, but they will leave a little spot if sitting for awhile. I haven't actually looked into the cause though.

What size are those? are they the 'big' ones at 16"?

I cut firewood pretty much everyday and many times it's just to cut a few pieces for the evening fire. I already have a TON of Dewalt tools/batteries (even 60V).

Really thinking about pulling the trigger on this...
 
Yep the 16". I use the shit out of them cutting up power poles, it'll go bar deep without slowing down.
 
We have a dozen or so 60v at work, no complaints. I converted them to a stihl bar and chain so that they share chains with all the gas saws. The only issue I've seen with them is a couple leak bar oil out of the bottom, I assume from the case halves. Not much, but they will leave a little spot if sitting for awhile. I haven't actually looked into the cause though.

Not sure if it want to step up to the 60v game, but it would probably replace my Husky at that point, which leaks oil like a 7.3. Its always a game to only put enough in for the day so it doesnt leak all over the place.
 
They have a couple. The smaller one is gutless. The larger 20V (flexvolt) rocks. I have it and love it. With a Stihl bar on it (narrow chain), I can run cut for cut with a gas saw. With DeWalt's biggest battery, I swap batteries about when my brother's Stihl needs fuel. I carry 3 batteries and a fast charger, and that can keep me going indefinitely, at the speed that I cut something, limb it and section it.

I also have the pole saw, and it's great too.
 
I have Echo 400, I considered selling it for battery powered but wasn't sure if battery powered are strong enough and as reliable. I just may consider after reading this thread.
 
FIL has a 60V dewalt that I have used several times. It works really well, and honesty cuts better than I could have ever imagined. I have used it to cut some decent sized oak and cedar trees. Two batteries got me through what I needed to do.
 
I just bought a dewalt 16” today. Came with a charger and 9ah battery. I tried it out on some dead elm branches and it cut great. This will be a lot handier than getting my big stihl out for trim work.
 
I have the 60v Dewalt. It's great and worth every penny on my 2.5 acre lot. It goes through batteries fast if you're cutting big stuff. You can cut up a smaller tree on one battery though. The battery is also handy to put into the 1/2" impact to get a little more oof
 
I have the 20V DeWalt that I had wanted for carrying on wheeling trips in the National Forest. I had a job to demo and rebuild a deck where I could expense it, so I pulled the trigger. I run the 60v batteries in it as I’ve already got quite a few and am happy with it for what it is.

It’s nice for limbing downed trees and actually safer since you’re more likely to cut a few branches, set the saw down, and move them out of the way rather than running it until you’re in a chest deep pile and can’t move. I burnt up the factory chain on the deck job and bought two Oregon’s to replace it.

It is ”grabby” on flexible limbs due to the slow chain speed, it chews stuff up like a beaver rather than making clean cuts, but I’ve cut up a 10” cherry tree on one battery with no problems. It’s definitely no replacement for a gas saw if you’re cutting firewood, but I got it to clear an unexpected tree off the trail.

Mine leaks oil which is annoying, I wish they had put a petcock on it. I’m considering making a Kydex “skid plate” that snaps on the bottom to catch the oil.
 
My dad has the smaller 20V saw and work great for him. Does have a slow cut but it also doesn't seem to bind up an stop like my Makita tends to do.

He used it to remove 4 cottonwood stumps last fall that were 30 years old, he had no complaints. Also great for throwing in the jeep for trail trimming.

Uncle has the bigger saw and him and my Dad were happy using it.

I am waiting for Makita to kick out some 40v options and will probably upgrade to a bigger unit at that point.
 
It’s definitely no replacement for a gas saw if you’re cutting firewood, but I got it to clear an unexpected tree off the trail.

Mine leaks oil which is annoying, I wish they had put a petcock on it. I’m considering making a Kydex “skid plate” that snaps on the bottom to catch the oil.

x100, Love it for portability and small stuff not so much for a bigger tree.

It gets a :flipoff2::flipoff2::flipoff2: out of :flipoff2::flipoff2::flipoff2::flipoff2::flipoff2: from me because of the oil leakage. My son needed to use the end of the workbench, so he moved the chainsaw down the way and on top on top of my impacts ..... but not the plastic it was set on so I came out to this. This was probably after 2-3 weeks of sitting there because it was too hot to be in the shop ....either way ..... it shouldn't leak like that, especially when not in use.

IMG_2443.JPG
 
I've got 3 buddies, each with a different cordless electric chainsaw that I have had to use while wheeling
1. Harbor Freight Bauer- works, but its slow, feels crude, and was sloppy.
2. Milwaukee- the bigger one they offer. Super nice, very smooth, fast, cut lots of shit, including 24"+ trees and did great.
3. Dewalt 20v 12" model- kind of the middle between HF and Milwaukee. Its smooth, works great, cuts without issue. I will be getting one when I find a good sale deal. Local stores have them for $150 now.
 
My stihl leaks bar oil, lol. Figured that was part of the game with chainsaws too.

This thread makes me want to get a dewalt 60v saw.
 
I have the Milwaukee M18 one. The bar lube pump stopped working on it and I need to send it in for warranty here soon before it runs out. I upgraded the bar to an Oregon with a slightly wider kerf chain and it was a huge improvement on how it cut without pinching and kicking the chain. I've cut a lot of big stuff with it but I like it mostly for stumping down small trees while doing trail work clearing stuff.
 
store it on its side oil cap down

I have a couple Stihl saws that leak all the bar oil out. I was thinking about making a rack to hold them on the wall with the blade pointing up. Anyone done this and does it keep it from leaking the bar oil out? (should because then the tank would be below the bar oiler level)
 
Ive got the smaller 20v dewalt saw. its great for limb clean up and I carry it on my polaris to clear trails. its much better than I ever expected for a battery saw. definatly not a replacment for a gas one though.
 
Not to derail,


Used the neighbors DeWalt 20 volt pole saw and was very impressed.

May pick one up after the move.
 
IMG_5177edit.JPG


I picked up the 60V earlier this year. I have a few of the 20V tools and had already bought a couple of the 60V 9ah batteries to use with a 60V grinder as well as the 20V 1/2" impact, 20V grinder, and 20V circular saw. The 60V batteries last much better on those 20V tools and give them some extra oomph.

The chainsaw does a great job for what I need around the house. I'm just trimming things up and cutting up fallen branches, not trying to keep myself in a supply of firewood. For the two or three times a year I use it it works a heck of a lot better than keeping a gas saw operational.
 
I ran a Dewalt with the 5ah battery, it was a friends of mine. I made fun of him for having a girly chainsaw, and after using it I liked it a lot. I made lots of cuts and limbed a sizable branch off a white pine. Jut grab n go. No noise. Would be good for dirtbike or in the trail rig cutting trails if you wanted to be sneaky. Also no carbs to clean which is cool too.

The only problem I see with them is electric motors go from 0-a million instantly, and the chain dances, which makes them a little more dangerous than a conventional i/c saw, since gas gives you a warning when it’s bogging or working hard.
 
So as an update I got the 20v dewalt last year. Used it a few times for small stuff. Its nice for a around the house unit, just grab - battery - cut.

Swapped to the oregon 14" bar and chain. Who complains about 2 extra inches.

Couple weekends ago I went to help my dad drop 2 leaners over their cabin road. One was a 9" hardwood, one was an 8" dead and very sappy pine. The dewalt did great at notching the leaner for the truck to yank it down safely. Not having to yell over the saw was nice. On cutup it was very prone to getting pinched. Had to be very careful where I might have been able to power through on the bigger saw.
It really shone on the pine tree. My dad's stihl got flooded by the neighbor and by the time he cleared it and had it running the dewalt had limbed and sectioned the whole tree.

Its about perfect for 95% of what I do, but I don't need firewood to heat my home in winter. This and bigger gas saw would be a good combo. Only have 3 complaints
  • The safety button can be awkward to hit. Maybe my thumbs are too short but it would be nice to not need to start then adjust
  • Leaks bar oil
  • Can't find a good case for it. Everything is too big
 
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