It's easy to operate being electric, just a normal trigger like any other chainsaw. On, cut, off, stop. And it is QUIET, nothing like a regular gas saw, and to my ears, quieter than my plug in circular saw.
In size it is comparable to those small gas chainsaws you might see. The company rep and I spent a nice afternoon cutting with it, and I ran it against all the same sort of similar wood and situations that I encounter most of the time in my day to day work.
Bottom line..spiffy! Even LadyZ was able to cut with it fine. She is intimidated by gas chainsaws, plus can't start them with the yank cord, this saw though starts as easy as a vacuum cleaner. It's lightweight, and will cut stuff efficiently from like one inch to six inches in my testing,. and will cut all the way out to the bar length, but the battery drops off fast with the bigger stuff. Obviously I tried it in gnarlier wood and really pushed the envelope with it to see what was just "too much".
The system I tried is here, you can see the details of how it works and what it looks like:
http://www.oregonpowernowtools.com/
This thing is neat. No worries on "will it start"? like you get with an occasional use small homeowner saw, if the battery is charged, it'll start. It has built in thermal overload protection, if you push it too hard, it will shutdown until it cools off a little. In other words, it won't let you damage it, whereas a gas chainsaw most definitely will let you damage it if it gets too hot.(don't ask me how I know this....)
The built in self sharpening system is a breeze to use and works great. Takes three to five seconds tops to go from completely dull back to sharp and cutting. Fast! You get pretty decent run time off the extended duration battery, you can cut a couple hundred small branches or a couple dozen larger cuts in wood, like I tried it up to almost ten inches. Keep it under four though and it works for a decent amount of cuts, 100 to 200 cuts. I cut two of my tractor box loads, a decent pile of wood, with three charges of the battery, during the first day then the second day on my own with it. I cut downed branches, standing dead trees, and felled a couple live ones, and cut them all up. That wood is in my woodstack now.
It does use normal bar oil like any other saw, but after that, it really is "no hassle". Batteries charge fast, and it cuts well, that's it. It isn't a professional loggers saw, but it is a saw that WILL work and the "fuel" source being electric is of interest in our community of preppers here because you can charge this from your solar array or a vehicle battery by using an inverter. that means the mideast could evaporate and we would still have juice for our saws..
The stock charger just plugs into the wall. The 40 volt battery is really beefy, about twice what a big cordless drill battery hefts in at, so you have good power and range. This is twice the voltage and power of any of the other cordless saws you see for sale at the box stores or online.
Which means it has crossed the threshold and is a *real* tool. The Lithium Ion batteries and lightweight motors and construction just got "good enough". Like some years back when cordless drills finally got "good enough" and everyone started using them. I checked the specs and you could keep this saw running with one decent panel and the gear to go with it. Which means years of cutting at a charge a day, and no worries about a fuel supply.
This is a good "prepper's" saw, or for a homeowner, use it for the smaller trims on a big tree before you switch back to your larger gas saw, something you can carry in your car or truck (without the fuel smell and worrying about stale gas...) for those branches in the road, etc..basically anything you would use a small chainsaw for. Take it camping for the weekend, trim your trees, cut the odd "too long" stick in the wood pile, clean up branches, take down small trees and saplings, keep it stashed up at the cabin. It just works. It's lightweight yet strong, just about anyone could use it.
I think it is going to wind up behind my seat in the truck, to take that wood I see when I am driving around, the branches and whatnot you see on the roadside after every storm. I call those "targets of opportunity", heh. Then just use it like I normally use my little Husky gas saw around the farm here.
Batteries are good for around a thousand charges (takes two hours for a full charge) (a thousand charges is a LOT of cutting), and a charged battery lasts for months just sitting there if you don't need to use it. You can just grab it and go cut in other words. (like I said, it does take normal bar oil, and there is a window you can watch the level with)
There are pre orders at Amazon (just search there for PowerNow) and I think some other places will be carrying it soon.
Yes, it is higher than a small el cheapo gas chainsaw..but you can count on it working when YOU need it to work as well, no "yank your arm off" blues to try and get it started. Good for daily use or good for unexpected emergencies.
FULL DISCLAIMER
I got to keep this saw at the end, which I appreciate (thanks Oregon!) and yes I am using it and will continue to use it (you guys know me I love saws and any chance to use them).
My views and opinions during and after the first runs are all my own, I was neither promised anything nor did I solicit anything as regards this saw. I was just asked via email if I would be interested in trying it out, no strings attached either way. They wanted a "real world" workout from a user who would work it even beyond what a normal homeowner might use it for, so that's what I did.
The rep took pics and vids of the first day tests, and merely sought my opinion. so I kept up a commentary as I used it. I don't have those pics and vids that the company rep took yet, but I should sometime, or they will be posted someplace. I have my own pics but didn't upload them yet to my Flickr account, maybe later on today or tomorrow.
If any of ya'all have any questions, just ask me, happy to answer them!
1
Message Thread
« Back to index